GardenBanter.co.uk

GardenBanter.co.uk (https://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/)
-   Gardening (https://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/gardening/)
-   -   Pre emergent herbicide in the UK? (https://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/gardening/181905-pre-emergent-herbicide-uk.html)

Dugald 20-03-2009 03:54 PM

Pre emergent herbicide in the UK?
 
Hi all,

My new garden has a terrible crabgrass infestation - I have around 20% grass and 80% crabgrass both on my front and back lawn!

I tried a 'moss killer' lawn product in the autumn that turned some patches brown but they soon bounced back. I read that a pre emergent herbicide was the best thing to use so I have bided my time until the spring approaches.

However, now when I come to try and buy a pre emergent herbicide I can't find them anywhere. I am in the UK. I can see lots of American products (surflan, Pendulum etc) that do the job but they are not sold here. Can anyone suggest a suitable product that is available in the UK?

Thanks, Dugald

Billy[_7_] 20-03-2009 07:45 PM

Pre emergent herbicide in the UK?
 
In article ,
Dugald wrote:

Hi all,

My new garden has a terrible crabgrass infestation - I have around 20%
grass and 80% crabgrass both on my front and back lawn!

I tried a 'moss killer' lawn product in the autumn that turned some
patches brown but they soon bounced back. I read that a pre emergent
herbicide was the best thing to use so I have bided my time until the
spring approaches.

However, now when I come to try and buy a pre emergent herbicide I
can't find them anywhere. I am in the UK. I can see lots of American
products (surflan, Pendulum etc) that do the job but they are not sold
here. Can anyone suggest a suitable product that is available in the
UK?

Thanks, Dugald


Do you know what surflan or Pendulum are? Do you know the consequences
of using them?

Pre-emergent herbicide

http://www.gardenword.com/preemergent.htm

A pre-emergent is a chemical that prevents seed from germinating or
prevents seedlings from growing to maturity.

There are many different pre-emergent herbicides. Most are used on lawns
to prevent weeds.

Synthetic chemical ingredients include benefin, isoxaben, pendimethalin,
atrazine, dithiopyr, trifluralin and others.

The only organic pre-emergent available at this time is corn gluten meal.
-----

--
Wikipedia
Pendimethalin - American Cyanamid Co.
Pendimethalin is a preemergent herbicide used to prevent crabgrass from
germinating. It inhibits cell division and cell elongation. It must be
"watered in" so that the chemical reaches the seeds deep in the soil.

Pendimethalin was included in a biocide ban proposed by the Swedish
Chemicals Agency [2] and approved by the European Parliament in January
13, 2009.[3]
--
Wikipedia
Dithiopyr- Dow AgroSciences LLC
Dithiopyr is a chemical used as an herbicide. It is an ingredient in
many products[1] including Dimension.[2]

ECOTOXICITY
Based largely or completely on information for
the active ingredient, material is highly toxic to
aquatic organisms on an acute basis
(LC50/EC50 between 0.1 and 1 mg/L in the
most sensitive species tested). Based largely or
completely on date for major component(s),
material is slightly toxic to aquatic organisms on
an acute basis (LC50/EC50 between 10 and
100 mg/L in the most sensitive species tested).
Dithiopyr is considered toxic to bees.

You may not care, but if I was your neighbor, I'd be in your face.
http://www.dowagro.com/PublishedLite...2.pdf?filepath
=ca/pdfs/noreg/010-20956.pdf
--

Trifluralin - Dow AgroSciences LLC

ECOTOXICOLOGY:
Material is very highly toxic to aquatic organisms on an
acute basis (LC50 or EC50 0.1 mg/L in the most sensitive
species tested).
------

Poly (oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), alpha-isooctadecyl-omega-hydrox
Permatex, Inc.


Material Safety Data Sheets Not Available ????
Further searching http://www.imperialinc.com/msds0091190.shtml

Cancer Information - Not Listed
IARC Carcinogens - Not Listed
U.S. NTP Carcinogens - Not Listed
California Prop 65 Known Carcinogens - Not Listed
U.S. EPA Carcinogens - Not Listed
TRI Carcinogen - Not Listed

Endocrine Disruption - Not Listed
Illinois EPA list - Not Listed
Keith list - Not Listed
Colborn list - Not Listed
Benbrook list - Not Listed
Danish Inert list - Not Listed
EU list - Not Listed

Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity - Not Listed
CA Prop 65 Developmental Toxin - Not Listed
U.S. TRI Developmental Toxin - Not Listed
CA Prop 65 Female Reproductive Toxin - Not Listed
CA Prop 65 Male Reproductive Toxin - Not Listed
U.S. TRI Reproductive Toxin - Not Listed

Youse pays your money and takes your chances.
--

Diuron (+ Monoethylene Glycol) - Drexel Chemical Co.
MSDS - www.plunketts.net/diuron4l-m.pdf
Toxicology

Harmful if inhaled or swallowed, and in contact with the skin.
Skin, eye and respiratory irritant. May act as a sensitizer or cause an
allergic skin reaction. Limited evidence of carcinogenic action.

Environmental information

Very harmful in the aquatic environment - may cause long-term
damage.
--

Corn Gluten Meal
MSDS
http://www.mpbio.com/includes/msds/a...15-en-ansi.pdf

Chronic toxicity: Chronic exposure may cause nausea and vomiting, higher
exposure causes unconsciousness.
Local effects: Symptoms of overexposure may be headache, dizziness,
tiredness, nausea and vomiting.
Specific effects: May include moderate to severe erythema (redness) and
moderate edema (raised skin), nausea, vomiting, headache.
----

Hope that helps ;O)
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is
now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of
conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI29wVQN8Go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvCCc4g9wM8&NR=1

Dugald 21-03-2009 09:48 AM

Thanks for the reply. I am comfortable with using chemicals in a controlled and appropriate manner, as are my neighbours. I would happily try an organic alternative, but even the Corn Gluten Meal seems impossible to obtain from British suppliers.

Has anyone used a pre emergent in the UK and could comment on its effectiveness / suggest a place to buy them?

I'd also be happy enough to try other methods for controlling the crab grass, but short of digging up my entire lawn, what options do I have?

Dugald 21-03-2009 10:21 AM

I have done more research and it isn't crabgrass that I have. I was convenced it was crabgrass after a friend had a look at it and said that he had the same at his last property.

It is just moss. Tonnes of it! Perhaps there is an organic substance that I can use to kill it? The stuff I used last tie made it go quite black in patches but didn't stop it returning. Perhaps I am cutting the grass too often?

Billy[_7_] 21-03-2009 05:27 PM

Pre emergent herbicide in the UK?
 
In article ,
Dugald wrote:

Thanks for the reply. I am comfortable with using chemicals in a
controlled and appropriate manner, as are my neighbours. I would
happily try an organic alternative, but even the Corn Gluten Meal seems
impossible to obtain from British suppliers.

Has anyone used a pre emergent in the UK and could comment on its
effectiveness / suggest a place to buy them?

I'd also be happy enough to try other methods for controlling the crab
grass, but short of digging up my entire lawn, what options do I have?


Propane torch?
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is
now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of
conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI29wVQN8Go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvCCc4g9wM8&NR=1

Kay Lancaster 22-03-2009 03:42 AM

Pre emergent herbicide in the UK?
 
I'd also be happy enough to try other methods for controlling the crab
grass, but short of digging up my entire lawn, what options do I have?


If you've got real crabgrass, not different species:

You can get rid of your crabgrass with a bit of fertilizer, patience and some
better mowing techniques -- an old faq of mine:

Easy once you understand the biology of crabgrass, _Digitaria sanguinalis
or D. ischaemum_, annual species that germinate in bare soil in cool
temperatures, then doesn't grow much until the heat of summer comes. It
is intolerant of shade.

1) Fertilize and lime your lawn in spring and early fall, to help thicken
it. Best to get a soil analysis from your local master gardeners or
extension service, but you can probably wing it a bit with the help of
someone who knows the soils in your neighborhood well. If the grass forms
a nice, thick mat, it doesn't allow weed seeds to germinate. (Lime helps
correct the soil pH to 5.5 to 6.5, which allows the other grass plants to
take up nutrients easily.)

2) Obtain a wooden stake and put it in the ground someplace where you can
see it easily. If you've got the standard bluegrass/fescue lawn of most
of the northern states, make a mark at 3.5" and 4" from soil level. Set
your lawnmower blade to 2.75-3". When the grass hits the 3.5" stake mark
you should mow. At 4", you *must* mow. No cheating. If you remove more
than 1/4 to 1/3 the length of a grass plant in a single mowing, it weakens
the plant, possibly opening the soil for weed seed germination. Because
the grass stays comparatively long, it also shades the crabgrass seedlings
that have germinated and keeps them from developing.

Some times of the year, you'll mow a couple of times a week. Some times
(when it's hot), you won't mow for weeks.

The original research on this method of crabgrass control was done back in
the 40's or 50's -- the fertilizer used was chicken manure, and the
reported success was something like 70% reduction in crabgrass in the
first year, and 95% in three years. I tried it myself in a badly abused
lawn in a house I moved into... formerly a feedlot, more than 40 species
of weeds in the lawn. I used 10-10-10 fertilizer, the cheapest I could
find, a little glyphosate (roundup) on thistles and quackgrass (a
rhizomatous perennial) and some good quality bluegrass and fescue seed as
an overseeding in the fall.

I had virtually NO crabgrass in the lawn the following year, and, in
contrast to the neighbors who kept scalping their lawns "to avoid mowing",
I was down to 3 species of weeds within 5 years -- without major pain,
strain or suffering. The time I spent in the cooler months mowing was
certainly no greater than the time and effort the neighbors spent hauling
pesticides, spraying, cussing, digging, etc. And I was collecting
specimens for the weeds class I was helping with from their lawns, not
mine, because I had so few weeds, and so few species of weeds.

The lawn quickly reverted to a weedy mess after I moved out and the new
owners went back to scalping the lawn, opening up all sorts of bare soil
for weeds to flourish in.






Billy[_7_] 22-03-2009 07:55 AM

Pre emergent herbicide in the UK?
 
In article
,
Billy wrote:

Propane torch?


I'll be the first to recommend that you listen to the lady.

Good to see you around Kay.
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is
now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of
conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI29wVQN8Go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvCCc4g9wM8&NR=1


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:24 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter