COLUMN: How to treat the weed invasion

With all the warm weather we have been experiencing, lawn weeds are growing wonderfully.  It seems like everyone is bringing me little Ziploc bags of weeds.  They must have missed my news article in the fall reminding them to put out their pre-emergence herbicide.  Or they always wanted to take the Master Gardener Class, but they just have not had time. Thank goodness that there are about 1,400 Master Gardeners in the Pee Dee to help their neighbors understand proper horticultural practices. 

Monday, we start a new Master Gardener class in Florence County and we have a few more seats left; therefore, it is not too late for you to join us. Just come to the Clemson Extension Office in the back of the Public Services Building on the corner of Third Loop Road and South Irby Street at 9 a.m. for the morning class or 5:30 p.m. for the night class.  Have an inquisitive mind and be prepared to pay your $300 materials fee.  At the end of the 13 Monday classes you will begin a new gardening experience.

Let us get back to the weeds that are invading everyone’s yard. Henbit, dandelions, vetches, clovers, cresses, etc., are growing well. A full pallet of winter weeds are greening-up our typically brown centipede. Typically, this does not happen until early spring but because of the warm weather they are showing their heads now. These weeds generally germinate in the fall, grow slowly during the winter, but all of a sudden cover the yard in the spring. After this growth spurt they seed out and die in the heat of summer. Out my window in my office, however, I see seas of the pretty blue flowers of henbit.

Like I mentioned earlier the best control of these weeds is to put a pre-emergence herbicide out in October. However, since you missed that there are some post-emergent herbicides that will kill these weeds now.  The majority of these herbicides are in a group we call trimecs. Trimec means three herbicides combined in one product.  There are many brand names of trimec type herbicides including Trimec, Weed-Be-Gone, Broadleaf Killer, etc. Warning, some products are similar to trimecs but do not contain all three chemicals. Each herbicide controls certain types of weeds; therefore, the reason for the combination of all three herbicides is to increase the different weeds controlled. A fairly new product available locally called Speedzone even contains four different herbicides. Please remember these herbicides can be deadly to shrubs and trees and will stay in the spray forever. So unless you take drastic measures to clean the sprayer never again use that sprayer on ornamentals or garden plants.  Always follow all label directions, the label is the law.

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