Ok – I was stupid! But help please before I do something even more stupid!

Borat – posted 09 June 2007 23:42

I’m a first time home-owner and this is the first time I have had to deal with a lawn in my front yard and back yard. My front yard is only about 18ft x 18 ft, and backyard about 25ft x 13ft.

I didn’t know what grass was grown in my yards, so I bought Ortho@Weed-B-Gon Max Weed Killer For Lawns Ready-Spray. http://www.ortho.com/index.cfm/event/ProductGuide.product/documentId/72f7d7457a9d7a2f50cd4a25e6a1e49b

I applied it to my front and back yard. After 2 weeks, 70% of my front yard has turned brown/yellow.

Later I found out that the grass I have is St Augustine (I live in Houston, TX), and the Weed Control was not meant to be used in this grass! Ouch..that really hurts. Luckily, 90% of my back yard is still very green.

So right now I’m watering everyday hoping to dilute the herbicide, I’m not sure what to do with the area that has turn yellow, the grass looked dead and thin.

I was wondering if someone can give me a bit of advice on how to restore this damage lawn?? I’m interested in:

1) What chemical can I use to restore the soil2) Is planting new St Augustine plugs the way to go??3) If I just leave the lawn the way it is, providing sufficient watering/fertilizing, will the healthy grass spread and fill up the dead-grass-areas?

seed – posted 10 June 2007 21:18

Borat,

1) What chemical can I use to restore the soilANSWER: Probably none. At this point the chemical in the soil should have degraded considerably, and the problem was really the chemical on the leaves.

2) Is planting new St Augustine plugs the way to go??ANSWER: Plugs will be cheaper than sod, but require more time and work. For this small area it might make more sense to plant sod.

3) If I just leave the lawn the way it is, providing sufficient watering/fertilizing, will the healthy grass spread and fill up the dead-grass-areas?ANSWER: Whether the existing lawn will recover is difficult to predict. When you say “brown/yellow” it is difficult to tell for sure if it’s as bad as this sounds, but it sounds bad. Lot’s of water may not help.

Phil

michaelg281 – posted 14 June 2007 23:37

not sure who is dumber, you or me, cause i did the same thing, and at the advice of a home depot lawn and garden employee. Didn’t read the label until i went back for more product. However, here is what Ortho Manufacture had to say about it:

http://www.scotts.com/index.cfm/event/Home.normal You can go to contact and submit a cutomer service quuetion. Below is the reply to my inquiry:

Thank you for your interest in Ortho and for the opportunity to help you with your lawn and garden endeavors.

Ortho Weed B Gon MAX plus Crabgrass Control is not registered for use on the grass type you’ve described, Mr. X. Unfortunately, the product may cause damage to your lawn.

The best way to help minimize the damage to the treated areas is to water the lawn 2 to 3 times per week, for 30 to 45 minutes each time. Continuing to water will help the lawn get through the stress of a misapplication, and encourage recovery.

If the treated areas begin to brown, check to see if the grass is still pliable. If it is, there is a good chance that the roots are still alive and that the area will recover. If the browned grass is brittle and breaks off easily, it may be lost. In that case, you will need to rake the dead grass out of the area, and repair the area with sod, plugs, or sprigs.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in Ortho. Please feel free to contact our company anytime we may be of assistance.

Benjamin SmithConsumer Response RepresentativeThe Scotts Company and Subsidiaries14111 Scottslawn Ro