We have a steep hill which cannot be mowed. It is planted with creeping
junipers, and until they fill out, clover ground cover. Lately
crabgrass has taken over. Since it cannot be mowed, it has the
potential to overgrow the junipers and kill them by shading, besides
making the whole yard look horrible.

We purchased some crabgrass killer, that Ortho said would not harm
clover. Fortunately we did a test with it, and it kills clover despite
what Ortho said. Does anyone know of a herbicide which will kill grass,
but not kill clover?

Thanks,

Marshall

Eggs Zachtly wrote:
Marshall Dudley said:


We have a steep hill which cannot be mowed. It is planted with creeping
junipers, and until they fill out, clover ground cover. Lately
crabgrass has taken over. Since it cannot be mowed, it has the
potential to overgrow the junipers and kill them by shading, besides
making the whole yard look horrible.

We purchased some crabgrass killer, that Ortho said would not harm
clover. Fortunately we did a test with it, and it kills clover despite
what Ortho said. Does anyone know of a herbicide which will kill grass,
but not kill clover?



You didn't say where you were located (and I'm too lazy right now to do a
trace), but crabgrasses are annuals.
Knoxville Tennessee area.
By the time you get enough treatments
down to be effective, it'll probably be dying anyway.
But if it goes to seed, we have the same problem next spring, but worse.
If you want it gone
now, yank it out.
Paid a bunch of Mexicans a lot of money to do exactly that about 2
months ago, this is new since then..
Next year, put down a pre-emergent, at the proper time,
and don't disturb the soil in that area all season, or you'll break that
barrier. There are millions of crabgrass seeds that will try and germinate.
Most will be stopped by the barrier, but as each one pokes a tiny hole in
it, eventually some will get through. But, if you keep applying the
pre-emergent, each year, you'll gradually eliminate it.

Interesting idea. I am assuming that since clover is an annual,
pre-emergents won't bother it. You are talking about a barrier, but the
page I am looking at
http://www.landscape-america.com/pro...preemerge.html says that
it is:

"Preemergent herbicides are chemicals that prevent the germinating weeds
from establishing in the lawn. These herbicides control annual grass
weeds by inhibiting cell division in the young root system. The failure
of the root system to develop results in the death of the young seedling
weed shortly after germination."

So I am still a little confused. Are there two types, a barrier, and a
chemical that prevents germinating seeds from growing? And should
either work if so?

Thanks,

Marshall


HTH,

Knoxville Tennessee area.

Marshall Dudley said:

We have a steep hill which cannot be mowed. It is planted with creeping
junipers, and until they fill out, clover ground cover. Lately
crabgrass has taken over. Since it cannot be mowed, it has the
potential to overgrow the junipers and kill them by shading, besides
making the whole yard look horrible.

We purchased some crabgrass killer, that Ortho said would not harm
clover. Fortunately we did a test with it, and it kills clover despite
what Ortho said. Does anyone know of a herbicide which will kill grass,
but not kill clover?


You didn't say where you were located (and I'm too lazy right now to do a
trace), but crabgrasses are annuals. By the time you get enough treatments
down to be effective, it'll probably be dying anyway. If you want it gone
now, yank it out. Next year, put down a pre-emergent, at the proper time,
and don't disturb the soil in that area all season, or you'll break that
barrier. There are millions of crabgrass seeds that will try and germinate.
Most will be stopped by the barrier, but as each one pokes a tiny hole in
it, eventually some will get through. But, if you keep applying the
pre-emergent, each year, you'll gradually eliminate it.

HTH,
--

Eggs

-I went to school to become a wit, only got halfway through...

Marshall Dudley wrote:
Eggs Zachtly wrote:
Marshall Dudley said:


We have a steep hill which cannot be mowed. It is planted with
creeping junipers, and until they fill out, clover ground cover.
Lately crabgrass has taken over. Since it cannot be mowed, it has
the potential to overgrow the junipers and kill them by shading,
besides making the whole yard look horrible.

We purchased some crabgrass killer, that Ortho said would not harm
clover. Fortunately we did a test with it, and it kills clover
despite what Ortho said. Does anyone know of a herbicide which will
kill grass, but not kill clover?



You didn't say where you were located (and I'm too lazy right now to do a
trace), but crabgrasses are annuals.
Knoxville Tennessee area.
By the time you get enough treatments
down to be effective, it'll probably be dying anyway.
But if it goes to seed, we have the same problem next spring, but worse.
If you want it gone
now, yank it out.
Paid a bunch of Mexicans a lot of money to do exactly that about 2
months ago, this is new since then..
Next year, put down a pre-emergent, at the proper time,
and don't disturb the soil in that area all season, or you'll break that
barrier. There are millions of crabgrass seeds that will try and
germinate.
Most will be stopped by the barrier, but as each one pokes a tiny hole in
it, eventually some will get through. But, if you keep applying the
pre-emergent, each year, you'll gradually eliminate it.

Interesting idea. I am assuming that since clover is an annual,
pre-emergents won't bother it. You are talking about a barrier, but the
page I am looking at
http://www.landscape-america.com/pro...preemerge.html says that
it is:

"Preemergent herbicides are chemicals that prevent the germinating weeds
from establishing in the lawn. These herbicides control annual grass
weeds by inhibiting cell division in the young root system. The failure
of the root system to develop results in the death of the young seedling
weed shortly after germination."

So I am still a little confused. Are there two types, a barrier, and a
chemical that prevents germinating seeds from growing? And should
either work if so?

The preemergent is the barrier. I agree with advice given. In
addition, I believe crab grass killers are all arsenicals which I do not
like putting on my lawn.
Frank

Marshall Dudley said:

Eggs Zachtly wrote:
Marshall Dudley said:


We have a steep hill which cannot be mowed. It is planted with creeping
junipers, and until they fill out, clover ground cover. Lately
crabgrass has taken over. Since it cannot be mowed, it has the
potential to overgrow the junipers and kill them by shading, besides
making the whole yard look horrible.

We purchased some crabgrass killer, that Ortho said would not harm
clover. Fortunately we did a test with it, and it kills clover despite
what Ortho said. Does anyone know of a herbicide which will kill grass,
but not kill clover?



You didn't say where you were located (and I'm too lazy right now to do a
trace), but crabgrasses are annuals.
Knoxville Tennessee area.

Then, as I said, by the time you get enough treatments in, it'll be dying.

By the time you get enough treatments
down to be effective, it'll probably be dying anyway.
But if it goes to seed, we have the same problem next spring, but worse.

No, not if you put down a pre-emergent at the proper time.

If you want it gone
now, yank it out.
Paid a bunch of Mexicans a lot of money to do exactly that about 2
months ago, this is new since then..
Next year, put down a pre-emergent, at the proper time,
and don't disturb the soil in that area all season, or you'll break that
barrier. There are millions of crabgrass seeds that will try and germinate.
Most will be stopped by the barrier, but as each one pokes a tiny hole in
it, eventually some will get through. But, if you keep applying the
pre-emergent, each year, you'll gradually eliminate it.

Interesting idea. I am assuming that since clover is an annual,
pre-emergents won't bother it.

No, *IF* the clover is an annual [1] (single growing season, from seed to
seed), it *will* be blocked by the pre-emergent. You need to make a
choice... weeds or no weeds. While clover is a useful plant (legume), it's
considered, and treated as, a weed. There are plenty of more suitable
ground covers. How large is the area? What species of Juniperus? It could
be YEARS until they fill in (provided that insects or disease don't get
them first).

You are talking about a barrier, but the
page I am looking at
http://www.landscape-america.com/pro...preemerge.html says that
it is:

"Preemergent herbicides are chemicals that prevent the germinating weeds
from establishing in the lawn. These herbicides control annual grass
weeds by inhibiting cell division in the young root system. The failure
of the root system to develop results in the death of the young seedling
weed shortly after germination."

So I am still a little confused. Are there two types, a barrier, and a
chemical that prevents germinating seeds from growing? And should
either work if so?

As simply as I can put it:

You put down the pre-emergent in granular form. You water it in thoroughly,
thus releasing the chemicals and allowing them to combine to form a sort of
invisible "blanket", at the soil level. *Any* seeds that try and penetrate
that "blanket" from below, will fail, but each one does minute damage to
the "blanket". Eventually, a plant will break through. Yank that sucker.
Don't allow any weeds to develop. Over the course of 2-5 years, the seeds
below either will rot, die from other means, or the supply of seeds will
become exhausted.

*Any* disturbance to the barrier (such as dragging a rake across the soil)
will completely ruin that year's attempt. You can't just reapply it.

Is there a way for you to take a pic, post it to the web, and link to it
here?

[1] You haven't stated which Trifolium you've planted. Not all clover are
annuals, and there are about 300 species in the genus. If the clover in
question is a perennial (such as T. repens), it shouldn't be affected by
the pre-emergent.

HTH
--

Eggs

Photons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.