MSMA

Willow – posted 20 April 2004 16:43

I have a bermuda grass lawn infested with grassy weeds – I was considering using MSMA, but am unsure about how it works and how long it remains in the environment. (i.e. how safe is it for use around animals etc) Does anyone know or can give me a site where I can look it up?

Thx!

ted – posted 25 April 2004 19:12

it depends upon what grassy weed you’re trying to go for. weed ID is your first step. there’s different products for each type of grassy weed- crabgrass, goosegrass,dallisgrass, etc. msma is an older type of chemical that may not work correctly on your situation.

Willow – posted 28 April 2004 22:12

I realize post-emergents are the most effective, but… we have crabgrass and what I’ve now identified as annual bluegrass to kill.

Willow – posted 28 April 2004 22:22

Oh, and as an aside, we broadcast sprayed 2,4-D to kill the broad-leaf weeds about a month ago, (using a high conc. w/in the recommended dose) but the clover and oxalis were hardly even stunted – so now our yard is covered with yellow oxalis flowers. ug! I’d like to stay away from herbicides that leave residuals in the soil or grass……

ted – posted 30 April 2004 14:00

crabgrass and bluegrass would definitely not be affected by the same herbicide. if you used 24d for oxalis, then 24d would not have the same effect on the clover- post some pictures, let’s ID some weeds, then we can recommend solutions.

certified-in-florida – posted 01 May 2004 20:02

Hey Willow,

MSMA is a great product for controlling grassy weeds in bermuda. It works really well on sedges, Poa Annua (annual bluegrass), and some “crabgrasses” (i put that in quotes because crabgrass seems to be a catch all for weed grasses). I use it on our bermuda properties (approximately 10 acres) with excellent results.

On the other side, you have to realize that the active ingredient in MSMA is arsenic. You need to be careful with pets and people if you choose to use it.

By the way, 2; 4-D will work on both oxalis and many of the clovers. Oxalis is actually a “sorrel” and not a clover as many people think. I use a product called “3 way” or “trimec” and it works quite well on both.

Good luck.

josepht – posted 09 May 2004 22:52

finally some one using my favorite TRIMEC

keep up the good work

and if your dont know what your spraving hire someone so you dont kill scruffy

duanetjt – posted 02 June 2004 19:56

My wife and I are trying to conceive. My year old Mohawk Bermudagrass lawn is half overridden with crabgrass. (I live in N. Georgia.) I need to know if PROPERLY using MSMA in any way could have a negative effect on me, interms of passing ill effects onto a child who may be conceived during my use of this product?

Does anyone know how this could affect us?

Alex_in_FL – posted 05 June 2004 05:05

Friends, neighbors and fellow cyber users. Read the labels on the herbicide and follow the directions. Wear appropriate clothing. Spray late in the afternoon and keep dog and children off the area until the next day. Remove the clothes you sprayed in and wash them and take a shower. You and family and pets will all be fine.

EPA does not permit products to be sold that present an unreasonable health hazard. Anything presents a danger if misused…even water (drink about 3-4 gallons of water in one day and it will likely kill you by washing out too many critical minerals and vitamins).

cohiba – posted 05 June 2004 19:23

My assistant and I have had 2 children and now our wives are both pregnant and due in a few weeks. We spray alot of chemicals, in addition to a small amount of MSMA we spray, almost daily from May through September. Our children are perfectly fine. The previous post is correct: follow label instructions, wash your clothes and shower after spraying. Wash your hands before eating, bathroom and smoking while you are spraying. It is as simple as that. The most dangerous part of spraying is filling the tank and handling chemicals in concentrated form. A Homeowner would never have access to chemicals in its concentrated form that would cause any harm. When asked by the golfers at work if we spray anything harmful, I reply “Don’t lick your balls”. The same goes for you homeowners…..

My motto…….

ted – posted 05 June 2004 21:45

better yet, why not have a professional spray it? once the materials have dried on the leaf blade- they’re virtually impossible to remove. as usual, a thick and healthy lawn will minimize the use of chemicals. – make sure it’s crabgrass, first- you may be incorrectly ID’ing the weed!