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sis3_gw

Dollar weed lawn - help!

sis3
12 years ago

Our back yard, St Augustine grass beneath huge cypress trees, has always had a slight dollar weed problem. However at the moment the dollar weed has almost completely taken over from the grass, we have never seen it so bad. The yard has a high water table, so we never irrigate it. We have to be very careful with chemicals as the yard fronts a lake.

Has anyone found a successful way of controlling this weed? Has anyone experimented with baking powder? Organic methods would be preferable but we will probably have to consider others. I have read up on the subject but would love the benefit of your experiences.

Comments (11)

  • starryrider
    12 years ago

    Good Luck, dollar weeds loves wet feet and if it's wet enough for cypress the dollar weed are loving it.

  • alys_esmond USDA 5b Toronto
    12 years ago

    Call it pennywort, edge the area with decorative stone, declare it ground cover and plant some lilies...

  • slopfrog
    12 years ago

    It's green, it doesn't send up nasty seed heads, and it is damn hard to kill... Sounds like the perfect lawn to me! :)

  • iluv2playindirt
    12 years ago

    I've been successful using Atrazine. The problem lately is that the manufacturers have been mixing it with other herbicides. Ace hardware is about the only place I've found it. You must follow directions, not spraying unless you have 5-7 days of no rain, etc. I use a hand sprayer and treat only the weeds I see. It will take some time but it can be controlled.

  • bugbite
    12 years ago

    Image is good. But you have to be careful when you use either Atrazine or Image. Read the label carefully.
    Image really hits the St. Augustine that's why you should use it per instructions and when the grass starts growing. Atrazine has been diluted seriously since the new restriction passed.
    All that said, here is the punchline.
    I have a container of newly purchased Image in the closet waiting for spring. But I called a service today. I can't take the dollar weed anymore. The services use something that we cannot get that works at this time of year.
    Bob

  • sis3
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks everyone for the benefit of your experiences!

  • kayjones
    12 years ago

    Bob, do you know WHAT the product is that the services use?

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    12 years ago

    Funny, in my long ago childhood the big houses on the intracoastal across the street from our little cottage all had pennywort lawns. They looked great and didn't need to be sprayed all the time, although they did need weeding.

  • bugbite
    12 years ago

    Not sure, thought it could be Blade or Manor, but then I read the article in the link below.
    Manor is expensive stuff.
    I had 2 services out. They are really expensive. One more will come out on Tuesday for a price. After that I may do it myself.
    I get the feeling from chats that they may even use Atrazine sometimes, like now, maybe since you can treat with that product in the winter. Image has to be used when the grass is growing.
    Anyway it you come to any conclusions after reading the article, let us know.
    Thanks,
    Bob

    Here is a link that might be useful: See the chart regarding dollarweed control

  • bugbite
    12 years ago

    Hope this attaches to the dollar weed post.
    Re: Atrazine, I would like to know what % solution they use on St. Augustine. Before the gov diluted it so much for us home users, I bought pretty strong stuff. They are getting the "professional" potency. Example, AATREX 4L is 42.6%.
    If I knew the max St.Augustine could tolerate I would bump up the mix.

    Here is a link that might be useful: 4L

  • bugbite
    12 years ago

    If my calculation is correct, looks like UoF used .75 oz per 1000 sq at 42.6% atrazine in the article I posted(near botton under "methods"). (2 pints per acre). Anyone want to recalculate? If you have 4% atrazine you can calculate it from there.