lawn turning brown after spraying grass & weed root killer

ash – posted 31 July 2005 16:55

First of all, I am trying real hard to get rid of those horsetail weeds and that is what caused this fiasco! In spring I used a bush root killer and that went okay and last month I used the grass & weed root killer… now our lawn around that area is totally brown. When I say brown, every thing is dead. I went to their websites and it said that the product deactivates when it touches soil. What is going on? The only thing we can think of is that when we water, the water drains down to our lawn and along with it is the grass & weed root killer chemical. Are we right? It’s getting worse, the brown spot is growing. What should we do to save our lawn? Please help!!!

Alex_in_FL – posted 02 August 2005 20:17

Ash:

As I understand it you sprayed your lawn with a GRASS & WEED ROOT KILLER. If true then you have probably killed it.

My guess is that:1. You first sprayed with a brush killer that contained Triclopyr. Triclopyr generally kills woody plants not grasses. So your lawn lived that time. 2. You next sprayed with a grass & weed root killer that contained glyphosate.Glyphosate is absorbed by the leafs and stems of plants. It is then translocated to the root where it kills the plant. This takes from 5-14 days depending upon the temperature and type of plant. So what you are seeing now is the product performing exactly as it should and it is killing the grass and weeds roots and all.

Glyphosate does become “inactive” upon hitting the soil. The reason is that glyphosate is only absorbed by the leaf and stem – not by the roots.

So what can you do? Not much. You might try:1. Water heavily (1″ of water)2. Spray the lawn with a liquid fertilizer (like Miracle Grow)3. In three days if there is any green then repeat steps 1 and 2 again.

If you have bermuda then this might work since bermuda is tough to kill. If this fails then you are going to need to resod or reseed your lawn. I suggest that if you do you ask the seed/sod person what weed killer to use in the future — or better yet hire a professional.

Best of luck.

Alex

ash – posted 13 August 2005 14:55

Actually it was not sprayed on the lawn itself but next to the lawn… and thought that since the area I sprayed was on an incline that drained into the lawn it killed it… but we just found out after digging and digging that we have enough bugs to take out our whole subdivisions lawn. Crazy stuff. So is there a fast and easy way for us to get rid of these bugs??? (Beetle, worms, etc.)

Tungsten33333 – posted 15 August 2005 20:56

Benefical Nematodes will eat all the insects in the soil. Yummy yummy.

PATRICK – posted 18 August 2005 18:56

TRICLOPYR WILL KILL YOUR LAWN FOR SURE,

RECCOMEND SPRAYING LAWN WITH ACTIVATED CHARCOAL AT RATE OF 5-6 # S IN 5-10 GALLONS OF WATER PER 1000 SQ FEET.THID IS HOW YOU CAN BEGIN TO START OVER GOOD LUCK

Alex_in_FL – posted 24 August 2005 21:38

Bugs are easy. Go to Home Depot or Aces or similar and get a product with bi-fenthrin as the active ingredient and put out per directions. Liquid or granular works. It will kill grubs or surface insects. You will need to water it in after you apply.

And no, Patrick, Triclopyr kills woody plants and broadleafs so it can be used upon grass. “Triclopyr is a pyridine-based herbicide used for the control of woody plants and annual and perennial broadleaf weeds.” (http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/empm/pubs/fatememo/triclopyr.pdf)

I do have a question. How does the average homeowner spray activated charchoal? It is either a powder or granular and thus will clog a sprayer. Also, unless the chemical is a root absorbed product (and glyphosate is not) activated charchoal will do nothing.

Good luck kiling the buggies.

Alex