Lawn care help

[flashsmama]

With the recent wacky weather we have had our backyard has become a nightmare. Of course Flash our yellow lab loves to be out back with the kids to play. But the weeds are irratating his paws...Does anyone know how to "weed and feed" your lawn safely? I don't want to do anything stupid and when I called the vet they referred me to the hardware store who had referred me to the vet SO....

[GretaJack]

The best time to use weed n feed is in mid spring and late fall for best weed control. That is because most of the weeds are still immature and die much easier than if they are a mature plant. Now, you can still weed n feed right now but you just won't get the maximum results. Most of the weed n feeds have a coating on the fertilzer called 2,4D, to Trimec, or Mec Amine D, or some variation of these products. They are relatively safe chemical, as far as pesticides go. If you chose to use them, I would consider fertilizing your yard in sections so that your dog always has an untreated area to go potty in. Or if possible, do it on a Friday and take a weekend adventure with your dog. It is not going to overly harm your dog if he does come in contact with some of the product. I would make sure that I would wash off his paws after every trip outside and make sure he is not eating any treated grass.

Ideally, I would recommend that you have your lawn treated with a liquid chemical application. It is much more effective on the weeds and is a bit safer in the long run. They use the same chemicals as stated above but it is sprayed over the lawn. The weeds die quicker because it is transorbs through the plant quicker. With the weed n feed fert, you have to wait for it to rain, or you have to water your lawn to get that chemical coating to break down and then have it absorbed into the plants through the roots.

But either way, try to see if you can have an untreated area for a week, and then the treated area should be safe, while you can treat what you left as untreated previously, but still taking precautions of supervising the dog and washing the paws when returning into the house.

If you have any more questions, I might be able to help since I used to work for a place that sells all kinds of pesticides

[Love_My_Labs]

Good information GretaJack. I am going to try the same thing! Thanks!

You really should consider yourself Jack of all trades instead of GretaJack.. LOL