# Big box store or over the counter weed killer for lawns???



## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Hey TLF folks,

I know all about Celsius and blindside and all the expensive professional grade stuff but is there anything anyone recommends from let's say, Home Depot?? I used some Bioadvanced (Bayer Advanced) stuff and it killed ZERO weeds. Not surprised but I remember a few years ago using the weed n feed bonus S from Scotts and having really good results as far as killing the weeds. it didn't help my grass too much but the majority of the yard was weeds anyway. Also what recommendations are there for application. Does one prefer a granular application or a pump sprayer? Doing some research and found that 2,4-D is in pretty much everything. the other ingredient is Atrazene which is in the Scotts, Bonus S. Then there is one called quinclorac, that I think targets crabgrass and goosegrass. I cannot find anything that has all 3 and also heard is not good to mix. I have lots of dollar weed, clover, spurge, nutsedge, poa annua, crab and goosegrass, carpetgrass, dandelions, you name it I got it. My lawn is mostly centipede and St. Aug. Is there anything that works well that I can buy over the counter? Thanks. Lawn Journal to come once I get it all figured out. SOON!!!


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

The challenge is going to be finding herbicide mixtures that play well with your three different types of grass.

Are the grasses isolated - centipede in one area, st aug an another, and zoysia in a third, or are all three mixture together throughout the yard?


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

2,4D is gonna work best for all of that stuff. I think Ortho Weed B Gone is the name brand of it. It has 2,4D and Dicamba. It won't really do much to crabgrass though. Start with Scotts purple bag, which has Atrizine and fert, and after like 2 weeks spot spray weeds. Then make sure to put down Prodiamine beginning of September and sometime in Feb/March. No more dandelions, poa annoa, etc.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Quinclorac is a no for St Aug and Centipede.

Atrazine doesn't always play nice with zoysia.

For a low cost sedge control, you could use Image (with imazaquin) it's might ding/discolor your Centipede and St Aug, but it's available off the shelf for about $20 at home depot and lowes. Sedge hammer plays well with all three grass types isn't that expensive for a small packet but it would likely have to be picked up at a specialty store or ordered online. The other sedge herbicide option would be Certanity. It is compatible with C, StA, and Z and it also controls other weeds as well.

For broadleaf control, I think Speed Zone Southern is your best option, which would likely be a specialty turf store as well. For COTS, Ortho Weed B Gon for St Aug. Controlling grassy weeds is going to be a challenge I imagine. Get you pre-em down if you haven't already, and hand brush grassy weeds with glyphosate.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Movingshrub said:


> The challenge is going to be finding herbicide mixtures that play well with your three different types of grass.
> 
> Are the grasses isolated - centipede in one area, st aug an another, and zoysia in a third, or are all three mixture together throughout the yard?


Its all a mix, but I would not be bummed if I got it down to one. I think I might try to focus on the St. aug and centipede. I do not care about the zoysia at this point. There is not enough of it. I think the previous homeowner didn't pay a whole lot of attention to what type of grass he had or wanted. I even have some patches of Bermuda. St. aug is my favorite but centipede looks nice and is really low maint.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

The 2 factors that I really don't like what they offer at the big box stores is that you are paying more for less when it comes to weed killers. Most of the stuff they have there is more expensive per 1K and is usually watered down so as not to cause too much harm if miss applied. The other factor is that almost ALL of it can't be applied if it's above 85F outside so you are limited to using it just in the early Spring or late Fall.

This is why I am a huge fan of Celsius and Certainty, yes it's a little more upfront cost but you save a lot down the road as you will always be dealing with some weeds and they can be applied at almost any temperature and are good on a wide range of Warm Season grasses too.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

+1 to what @Mightyquinn said, as you pretty much need only 3 chemicals(Celsius/Certainty/RoundUp) to take care of a majority of the weeds that you'll encounter, with a few other ones for the hard to kill weeds. I had a nasty infestation of goosegrass in my lawn, and I got Dismiss (sulfentrazone)which absolutely smoked it, as well as a lot of the sedges that I had. Don't let the barrier for entry be the cost of the chemicals that would keep you from gaining control of the weeds in your lawn. Trust me when I say that mowing grass is so much more pleasurable than mowing weeds, and the cost per application of the chemicals we're recommending is far less in the long run than buying stuff over the counter. Playing devil's advocate, it does help to have good spray equipment that you can calibrate well like the DFW wand, but it's not necessary.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

x2. Celsius, Certainty, and Dismiss are always in the toolbox. Even for a pro like me. Come to think of it, a spring/early summer application of all three applied as a broadcast application is what I use to clean up hot messes that have some desirable grasses underneath them. Like @Colonel K0rn says, it is more enjoyable mowing grass. I will not mow down weeds in the name of making them look nice temporarily. They get sprayed. For some tall grassy things that are too hard to control selectively, I am a fan of RoundUp on a paint brush or even a paint roller. Let the excess drip off and let the painting tool contact the tops of the weed without touching the grass. All it takes is a little on the weed. Full coverage is not required.


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## c0mical (Apr 8, 2018)

Really great information here guys. This is all making me want to buy more weed killers! I only have one for broadleaf!!


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## DeliveryMan (Mar 1, 2018)

@Mightyquinn -- where do you buy your weedkiller here in NC?


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

DeliveryMan said:


> @Mightyquinn -- where do you buy your weedkiller here in NC?


I bought my Celsius at SiteOne many years ago and got my Certainty on eBay. I think Celsius can be found online for around $105 with free shipping.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Thanks, y'all! That actually helps a lot. Bare with Me because I'm new at actually caring what my grass looks like. I just put down some milorganite yesterday. I did an application about 4 weeks ago and things are starting to come out of dormancy. I'll keep everyone posted and a journal to come. Just compiling pictures and logging what I'm doing. I was also throwing around the idea of starting a lawn care business. I know it would be seasonal so I'm trying to make sense of it all and maybe do some small engine repair along with that. I'm an industrial mechanic and I'm getting really burned out on not getting any satisfaction on the job. The facility is 40+ years old and its a 45 min drive to work 5 days a week. I have a little money saved to invest in some equipment but I know it is a tough business because so many people are doing it... Any advice in that aspect would be greatly appreciated. I might start another thread on that subject tho...


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> Thanks, y'all! That actually helps a lot. Bare with Me because I'm new at actually caring what my grass looks like. I just put down some milorganite yesterday. I did an application about 4 weeks ago and things are starting to come out of dormancy. I'll keep everyone posted and a journal to come. Just compiling pictures and logging what I'm doing. I was also throwing around the idea of starting a lawn care business. I know it would be seasonal so I'm trying to make sense of it all and maybe do some small engine repair along with that. I'm an industrial mechanic and I'm getting really burned out on not getting any satisfaction on the job. The facility is 40+ years old and its a 45 min drive to work 5 days a week. I have a little money saved to invest in some equipment but I know it is a tough business because so many people are doing it... Any advice in that aspect would be greatly appreciated. I might start another thread on that subject tho...


Not too much different from my story, thinking along the same lines. Whereabouts you located? If your profile says I can't see it on my mobile.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Not too much different from my story, thinking along the same lines. Whereabouts you located? If your profile says I can't see it on my mobile.


I'm just up the road from you. I'm in Summerville near central (knightsville area)


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:



> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Not too much different from my story, thinking along the same lines. Whereabouts you located? If your profile says I can't see it on my mobile.
> ...


Umm, that makes three of us in this area... Been thinking about retiring from my 9-5 and doing lawns as a side gig.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

@SCGrassMan and @Topcat Maybe we should put our heads together and get something going.....


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> @SCGrassMan and @Topcat Maybe we should put our heads together and get something going.....


Beer summit!


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> Confederate Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > @SCGrassMan and @Topcat Maybe we should put our heads together and get something going.....
> ...


We will have to do something this summer. Throw a steak or two on the grill and commensurate on the woes of dog urine on Zoysia, or the right type of weed killer or when to use PGR on a thin Bermuda lawn. 😁


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Topcat said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Confederate Lawn said:
> ...


Absolutely - I still gotta get you your drag mat and rake back.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

I am not planning a level project til late May early Jun timeframe. So no hurry.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Yeah!!! I just uncovered the pool! now I just need to build a deck


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