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thisismelissa

Accidental misting with weed killer

thisismelissa
10 years ago

Well, I did what I shouldn't have....

I was out spraying weeds on a windy day...
In one section of the garden, I was spraying too close to the hostas and then then wind came. Whoosh... 4 hostas got some overspray.

I was nowhere near a hose and decided to take my chances.

And in another section, the trigger got stuck and oversprayed 3 other hostas. I think 2 of those are goners.

And in another section, dang wind, again.

So here it is, about 10 days later.... About 10 hostas total are showing brown spots where the 2 4 d hit them. I doubt it'll help, but I did go ahead and remove those leaves.... they were nasty ugly, and I'm hoping that the rest of the plant won't suffer as a result.

Moral of the story... keep the weed killer in the garage if it's windy.

Comments (16)

  • in ny zone5
    10 years ago

    Ha, I bought a spray bottle of Bayer Grass and Weed killer, looked the same as the bottle of Bayer Crabgrass and Weed Killer, used it on a lot of spots of my lawn to kill some weeds, but killed also the grass. After I noticed the damage I read 'good for 6 months'. So I had to dig up all those spots and plant new grass there, and water it. I feel your pain, went through it. It will go away, my lawn looks good again, your hostas will too.

    I also used that spray on areas at the fence -- some hostas did not come up... must be old age.
    Bernd

  • ci_lantro
    10 years ago

    I've done that. Some hostas just shake it off and don't seem to be bothered much, if any, esp the more vigorous and tough leaved ones. Haven't outright killed any but set a few back.

    For the future--it's a good idea to keep one of sprinkling type watering cans full of water & handy. That way you can immediately wash the weed killer off the leaves.

  • mosswitch
    10 years ago

    That's why I keep the weed killers where they belong-- in the store and never bring them home in the first place.

    Sandy

  • coll_123
    10 years ago

    My garden is small enough to hand weed, but on the other side of our back fence are some noxious raspberry weeds which I can't access. The roots are on the wrong side of the fence, but they grow through it and the thorns are a hazard to my dogs. So one year I accidentally misted Thunderbolt trying to get rid of those raspberry vines. It probably would have been ok, but I rinsed and scrubbed it off there because I was in a panic. I find it really hard to find the perfect day to use that stuff- hot, sunny, and no air movement...I guess that's why I still have lots of weeds on the other side of the fence. I hope your hostas will be ok

  • monet_g
    10 years ago

    I did the same thing only with Round-Up! Some of the hosta took a direct hit. They don't look too good, but I don't think it's going to kill them. However, they were "Blue Cadet". I think the thick leaves is what saved them.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    learn .... with water.. how to use LOW pressure ... and nozzle adjustment .. along with trigger adjustment ....

    to create LARGE drops out the tip ... what one would term ... a COURSE spray ...

    it all about how many time you pump the tank.. this is NOT a MORE PRESSURE is better deal .... its the LEAST amount of pressure.. to make it come out the properly adjusted tip ....

    get this.. gravity pulls large drops toward the center of the earth ... and you can spray in a wind storm.. presuming you have nothing better to do in such ....

    your problem is the second word of your title ... MISTING ....

    this stuff isnt french perfume.. why in the heck were you misting it ...

    i would have simply bent over.. and ripped all the leaves off immediately ... done it a million times ...

    use water.. and practice on the driveway.. until you are shooting DROPS.. rather than mist .... it will take a bit to figure out the tip adjustment .. but once you do it.. all of a sudden.. you will see the drops ...

    e.g... on my 3 gal tank .. of which i use 2 gals .. precisely 25 pumps.. gives me the pressure i need .. for it to nearly trickle out the end ... do 10.. 15.. 20.. pumps ... until you know how your tank works ...

    ken

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    10 years ago

    When I have accidentally gotten some herbicide on a plant I didn't mean to spray I either immediately wash it well or remove the effected leaves. Even it I have to remove all leaves, they can regrow as long as the roots aren't damaged.

  • thisismelissa
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ken, I know how to use your technique.
    But I have a day job and have to work as quickly as possible when I have the time and the weather isn't completely soggy.

    I KNOW how to avoid the problem, but I simply do not have the time, or back, to either hand weed or slow drip spray all the weeds that have come with the incredibly wet spring we have had.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    i dont know what having the proper size DROPLETS has to do with working slow..

    i can put down 6 gallons of roundup inside one hour.. nothing slow about it ..

    i am only trying to help.. and you seem to be awful defensive...

    forgive me...

    ken

  • idiothe
    10 years ago

    sorry to hear it, Melissa. I've done it with Roundup... a couple in particular that I watched survived - but the damage seemed to continue for a couple of years and they actually dwindled until I pulled them out...

    So sorry... can happen to the best of us! I have some "cobblestone" paths that fill up with weeds and grass in the cracks, so I try to Roundup them once or twice a year. I can attest to the difficulty of getting a day in Minnesota that is still enough to spray. More than once I've gone out early in the morning and by the time I've got the spray mixed, there is just enough breeze to discourage me from any spraying.

    Thanks for the reminder.. :-(

  • in ny zone5
    10 years ago

    Roundup, and my Bayer experience, is dangerous stuff. After spraying Roundup at the entrance of my driveway, I had no weeds there for 2 years, so it seems to have some permanent effect. After spraying weeds under azaleas I lost 2 or 3 azaleas, might have hit their trunks by accident, or the Roundup might have gone into their shallow roots. Bernd

  • hostafreak
    10 years ago

    Melissa,I did the same thing with roundup,but not much got on the hostas. I went and got some water,and washed them off. The plants were Pearl Lake hostas. They survived,and they look good this year. This was a few years ago. Now,I never take roundup anywhere near hostas. Phil

  • leafwatcher
    10 years ago

    A friend of my Moms, used to take a cheap foam paintbrush, wear rubber gloves....and paint the leaves of weeds with roundup in areas where she was afraid to spray.

    EDIT, now that I think about it more I think this was her favorite way to get weeds between the bricks on her garden walk way as well.

    This post was edited by leafwatcher on Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 22:39

  • thisismelissa
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I do like the foam paintbrush idea, but it does take quite a lot of time. Time that I do not have.

    Though I do think it is advice that others should heed... along with Ken's technique.

  • idiothe
    10 years ago

    The paintbrush technique is particularly helpful with dandelions and other tough weeds close in on desirable plants.

    Another thing that works... if you are careful... a large sheet of cardboard set perpendicular to the ground and tight to the ground in front of the hostas lets you spray pretty close... we use this sometimes on narrow pathways... especially helpful with a second person to more the cardboard along...

  • leafwatcher
    10 years ago

    A friend of my Moms, used to take a cheap foam paintbrush, wear rubber gloves....and paint the leaves of weeds with roundup in areas where she was afraid to spray.