The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-04-22, Page 42Why bot er controllin
weeds in your yard
Some people like a "natural" environ- spread to farm fields and neighbouring pro-
ment and say that they enjoy all types of perties. The very common Ragwe.ed is a
plants growing in their S ard. Even these real health'bazard to sufferers of Hay Fever
people, however, have some preference for and, of course, weeds like Poison Ivy cause
the type of vegetation and they scatter wild
flower seeds in their unmowed "lawn to
add colour and texture,
'Since a weed is merely a plant growing in
the wrong place one: can appreciate,thedif--
ferenh point of view. Individual persons or
even entire neighbourhoods with neat,
orderly lifestyles tend to be intolerant of a
neighbour who refuses to mow the lawn -and
lets his yard go back to nature.
Apart from appearance, there are the -pro-
blems from so-called "noxious" weeds.
(These are often listed in the -newspapers by
municipalities in the spring). These noxious
.weeds arfcommon in abandoned gardens or
on recently disturbed bare soil as, well as
lawns..They are considered "noxious" for
several reasons.
Some, such as Canada Thistle, are very Good weed control practices keep them in
persistent weeds andtheir seeds readily their place and`make you a good neighbour!
serious skin rashes and painful blistering.
Dandelions and plantains are common
lawn weeds which are not considered nox-
ious but they do disturb the uniformity and
texture of an otherwise beautiful lawn.
When one considers that each dandelion
seed -head 'produces sup to 200 seeds and
these float around in the air to land on all the
neighbours' lawns, one can understand the
- consternation of a group of neighbours with
perfectly weed -free lawns surrounding one
lawn which. is a yellow sea of dandelion
blossoms.
.In gardens when weeds grow unchecked,
they conlpete vigorously with the flowers or
vegetable crops. When bad enough, the un-
sightly mess produces no crop at all.
Remember, weeds are plants.out of place.
Winning
Dandelionsand crabgrass — to control
these two lawn weeds, you must take action
early, -says Weed -Specialist Rudy Brown,
head of the horticulture and biology section
at ltidgetowm College, of Agricultural
. Technology.. ' .
Begin your campaign against dandelions
and crabgrass in early spring.
Crabgrass must be _controlled- before it
germinates; apply a pre -emergence her-
bicide such as Dacthal or Betasan in either
liquid _or granular form:
"The granular form is also "sold as a
fertilizer -herbicide mixture," Brown said.
Follow the application rates recommend-
ed by the. manufacturer. -
"Target date for crabgrass control is
before May 1, and definitely before May A,'
Brown said.
The herbicide goes to work after a spring
rain; the herbicide is absorbed through the
roots emerging from germinating seed.
And by raising the ni,owing height of your
lawn mower during the whole season, you'
can help the grass compete against weeds
more effectively, stay greener: longer dur-
ing periods of drought and generally remain -
much healthier. -
Dandelions require yearly treatment too;
apply 2,4-D before they bloom and re apply
in late summer.
Spray weeds oh a bright, sunny day when
`temperatures are 15 degrees Celsius or
warmer.
. "And- be sure to protect broadleaved
shrubs and ornamentals from spray drift by
weed -battle
Give your lawn
Page 15
'to g
e Easiest
to 1'autify
Your H�mem
shielding them with a piece of cardboard,"
Brown said.
Fertilizer mixtures of 2,4-D are also
available, allowing you to apply both fer-
tilizer and weed killer at the same time.
Rainfall should not occur for at.least 12
hours after application of 2,4-D.
Other common lawn weeds such as creep-
ing charlie, shepherd's purse mousereared
chickweed,plantain, and so on, are controll-
ed with mixtures of 2,4-D and mecoprop or
dicarriba.
Again,,early-treatmentis important.
Follow the rates of application recom-
mended by the manufacturer.
Apply to weeds once in early spring and
again in late summer or early fall.
a perfect cut
Giving your lawn a close shave is par-
ticularly harmful in spring, says Turf
Researcher Nancy Pierce of the University
of Guelph's, horticultural science
department. 4.
Some lawn care books suggest mowing
closer than the recommended mowing
height of fourcentimetres to five cm, as
soon as spring growth begins.
While this will brighten the. lawn (by
removing the old discolored leaves and per-
mitting the new green blades to show more
quickly); it is simply not recommended.
"Close mowing forces the young grass
Tants to put their energy into replacing lost
tissue, instead of into root growth, As a
result, `its root system will be very shallow
all summer long, and you will be forced to
water and fertilize your lawn much more
frequently;".she said. ti
Thisspring, wait until the grass reaches a
height of seven cm to eight cm, before mow-
ing for the first time.
And after that, apply the one-third rule:
cut your lawn when grass blades are one-
third taller than the recommended mowing
height.
For example, if you want to keep your.
lawn at the recommended five cm, mow it
when the grass is eight cm tall, removing
one-third of the grass blade.
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