# My spurge problem has returned



## claydus (Jun 2, 2019)

This is single handily the most frustrating weed that I have ever dealt with... Has anyone else had problems with this? I mistakenly applied pre-emergent in the fall and forgot to apply in the late winter. I have a post emergent (Spurge Power) that will kill this stuff but it yellows the healthy grass for weeks it seems. When you pull this weed it tends to break in half there is a milky like sap that gets all over your hands. Anyone else have success stories battling this stuff?


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

MSM at 1/4-1/2 oz per acre. Spurge Power is MCPA, Triclopyr, and Dicamba. Not something I would apply to Bermuda unless I was truly desperate. MCPA and Triclopyr are particularly hard on Bermuda vs other broadleaf herbicides. Unfortunately, 24D, which Bermuda tolerates well, does not work the best on this weed.


----------



## Romangorilla (Jun 3, 2019)

@claydus - I also have a ton of this is in my Bermuda lawn. I feel your pain.
@Greendoc - is there anything else other than MSM that will work well without stressing the Bermuda too much? Quinclorac, perhaps?


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Quicksilver until the Bermuda is strong enough to withstand stronger products like MSM. That takes about a month from the time of emergence.


----------



## claydus (Jun 2, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> MSM at 1/4-1/2 oz per acre. Spurge Power is MCPA, Triclopyr, and Dicamba. Not something I would apply to Bermuda unless I was truly desperate. MCPA and Triclopyr are particularly hard on Bermuda vs other broadleaf herbicides. Unfortunately, 24D, which Bermuda tolerates well, does not work the best on this weed.


I struck out with 24-D on the spurge after many... many applications.... Triclopyr was the common solution that I kept hearing about and eventually I found the Spurge Power. Works great but the heat we are having this summer makes the side affects much worse. MSM is something I will start to research and apply going forward.


----------



## Bbq freakshow (Mar 9, 2019)

@claydus Oh yeah between this and nutsedge driving me insane! I've hand pulled bucket fulls of spurge. My bermuda is young and sensitive to herbicide so I havnt really attacked it with chemicals yet.


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Triclopyr is too damaging to use on reel low Bermuda. MSM applied precisely to the entire area and not spot sprayed is one way out of a Spurge nightmare. MSM becomes a pre when applied to a whole lawn.


----------



## claydus (Jun 2, 2019)

Greendoc said:


> Triclopyr is too damaging to use on reel low Bermuda. MSM applied precisely to the entire area and not spot sprayed is one way out of a Spurge nightmare. MSM becomes a pre when applied to a whole lawn.


It's currently almost most 2 inches in some of the affected areas right now. I carefully spot sprayed Triclopyr (Spurge Power) in some the problem areas Saturday. Waiting a few more days before I mow with the rotary. Been using the reel in the back yard for now.


----------



## SwBermuda (Jun 9, 2019)

My sprayer comes in today and I have some QS and MSM. I have a little bit of spurge starting to pop up so I'll let you know how it goes.


----------



## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Bayer Celcius WG is supposed to kill spurge, right?


----------



## SwBermuda (Jun 9, 2019)

hsvtoolfool said:


> Bayer Celcius WG is supposed to kill spurge, right?




I've used this to control my spurge and it works well killing it off. Only problem is, the spurge returns within 3-4 weeks in my case.


----------



## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Sorry if I confused or complicated your thread. I was asking the more experienced members to confirm if Celcius controls spurge. I'm pretty sure it does kill spurge along with virginia buttonweed and most other nasty broad-leaf weeds.

I've used that Bayer "All-in-One" consumer product before. If I recall, it's 2-4D and Quinclorac. It's okay for dandelions and easy weeds like that. Just don't spray it when it's much over 85° F (like now!) or it will deeply stress your Bermuda. The grass will eventually recover in a few weeks, but you'll have yellow-ish lawn until then.

Celcius is also a Bayer product, but it's a professional-grade chemical rather than a consumer product. To get some perspective on a "pro-grade" chemical, a bottle of Celcius is about $100 and you measure out the granules in fractions of a gram using a precision scale.

With the help and knowledge I get here at TLF, I sprayed Celcius for the first time about 1.5 weeks ago and I'll likely spot-spray any surviving weeds next weekend. Spraying Celcius is a much bigger investment in money, equipment, and time spent learning. It must be applied precisely. If you're interested in DIY weed control, you might want to search the forum on the keyword "Celcius". Otherwise, you might contact a local lawn company to spray Celcius and pre-emergents (like Prodiamine or Dithiopyr) for you.


----------



## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@hsvtoolfool Celsius is labeled for prostrate spurge at the high rate only. Also, note the correct spelling has an S in the middle rather than a C. :thumbup:


----------



## ram82 (Dec 19, 2018)

does preen really control spurge in flower beds?saw it on the label at a couple different rates but don't have enough experience with preen to know if it's true.if not what do you all use for spurge in flower beds?I've had less than 50% success with glysophate.thank you in advance


----------



## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

ram82 said:


> does preen really control spurge in flower beds?


Yes...and no. The only question is "How long?" I threw down Preen Extended in late February-ish. After about 5 months, spurge is the only weed to recently reappear (so far) in my mulch beds. Even then we're talking like...five plants...which I nuked with extreme prejudice using Roundup 365 (I pull the dead carcass out later). I figure it's getting about time to throw down some more Preen before the next Summer storm system moves through. For now, I'm keeping an eye on the beds to see how long it lasts. I've been very pleased so far. I've done almost no weeding this year.

My biggest headache is that Preen doesn't seem to prevent acorns from germinating in my pine bark mulch (buried by Tree Rats). I also noticed that my "October Surprise" camellia didn't like the taste of Preen and kinda drooped afterwards. So I'll go light around that plant in the future.


----------



## ram82 (Dec 19, 2018)

why do so many people use preen if snapshot seems cheaper in long haul and has extra active ingredient?just curious,have a flower bed and a fruit tree area spurge problem with a family members home.thank you for any info


----------



## ga_dawg (Mar 1, 2018)

Greendoc said:


> MSM becomes a pre when applied to a whole lawn.


Can you expound on this more? I applied podium at the 6 month rate last fall and still have some spurge coming through. Not as much as last year for sure, so I know the podium helped but still some. When MSM is working as a pre emergent does it have a different effective action that Podium?

Spurge seems to develops seeds even while the plant is still young. Not only do I want to kill the spurge that I have now, but I'd like to keep seeds from germinating again this season. Sounds like MSM will kill the spurge I have now and have some preventative action on more growth?


----------



## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

ga_dawg said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> > MSM becomes a pre when applied to a whole lawn.
> ...


0.5 oz per acre or 0.3 grams MSM per 1000 sq ft forms a residue in the soil that has activity against broadleaf weeds. That is the same residue that keeps you from planting shrubs, flowers or vegetables for at least a year after an MSM application.


----------



## LawnRat (Mar 22, 2019)

If your soil is acidic I don't think MSM will have a long residual, but if you have highly alkaline soil and irrigation water it can apparently stick around a long time.


----------



## gkaneko (Dec 11, 2018)

I get pliers and pull the central root out. The friggin root is longer than you think it is...


----------



## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

ram82 said:


> why do so many people use preen if snapshot seems cheaper in long haul and has extra active ingredient?


I haven't tried Snapshot TG/DG yet... but I will now. I threw down Preen for the first time this year. I think it was an impulse buy at the store. Before that I just burned the weeds with a torch (very fun!!!), sprayed them with RoundUp 365 (pretty fun), or just hand pulled them (un-fun). I was surprised how well Preen has controlled the weeds this year. Pre-emergents are awesome work savers.


----------

