Help needed - Spraying advice 101 - Lawncare

tractorshopper · Jul 12, 2018

I've read some other threads on the subject and there is a lot of info already out there, but I am very green in this area and it's a lot of confusion to me right now. I just bought a Fimco 40 gal sprayer and some 24D Amine on the advice of the Tractor Supply worker.

As usual, I sprayed and am now asking questions like a total moron because I had time to spray Sunday and really should have asked Q's here first.

My first objective is to get rid of the false dandelion that is everywhere in my lawn. So I mixed 2 tanks at 30 gallons each with about 48 ounces each of 24d per tank best guess I could come up with per the instructions.

Probably covered about 2-2.5 acres of lawn with this.

A) does that mixture sound about right?

B) I have mixed grasses, Bermuda, fescue, crabgrass, and lots of weeds. I'm seeing some browning starting to show everywhere. Hoping I didn't kill everything or have a lot less grass than I thought I did. May have to reseed/overseed, etc.

C) Recommended liquid fertilizers?

D) Can you spray a liquid lime?

My longer term objective is to get a healthier nicer lawn overall. I have bare spots and ruts than need filled, top soiled, etc and get grasses established in run off areas. I know I need a lot of lime and can verify with soil samples at Clemson for 5-10 bucks, but pretty much most recommendations around here from others I know and food plots I've helped till and plant is in the range of 1-2 tons of lime per acre required for everyone that takes initial samples in. I can lime in stages, but thought about getting a liquid lime if it will spray well to kick start while I get local feed and seed to spread pulverized lime at the proper ratios or find a way to spread pulverized on my own like renting a buggy like I did on brother's food plot before. I read the liquid lime is thick and doesn't spray well?

Any other items that a non-expert can learn will be appreciated. Up until now, all I've ever sprayed is round-up in mulch beds, etc, and I don't have the greenest thumb for sure. I really need an education here before I totally screw something up with good intentions and limited understanding.

Thanks in advance!

M5farms · Jul 12, 2018

First rule of spraying is to calibrate the sprayer to know how much you putting out. Its easy to do and plenty of online calculators if you don't want to manually figure it . I spray a qt per acre on pasture in spring when weed growth is young and tender. I also use this rate on my yard in the spring also. 24D has no residual so a more spraying is required as seeds germinate. I also use Grazon on pasture and it is very good to eliminate undesirables and has a residual but the grass or clipping should not be used in compost or in the garden.

Rock Crawler · Jul 12, 2018

I would say to start out with Gordon's Trimec, it is a mild solution and mix it at 3oz per gallon. A gallon is $22 at Rural King, assuming you have one handy. This product is not a super strong one and your very unlikely to over apply and burn out your actual grass. It will clear up any of the typical lawn weeds aside from crabgrass and leave you with almost entirely grass. I've been using this since this spring and my 3.75 acres are now looking amazing. I am also applying the GreensKeepers Secret 12-12-12 fertilizer with a 175lb broadcast spreader every 4-6 weeks. I was paying a guy to do just about a 1/2 acre right in front of the house, I dropped his services for this year and took it over for myself and I am doing it all instead of just in front of the house. I also bought 3 x 60lb bags of Kentucky Blue seed and did an over-seed of the entire 3.75 acres, that really has helped thicken it up.

I never apply anything within 2 weeks of the last application. I'll do the Trimec and wait 2 weeks and do the fertilizer. Wait 2 weeks and do the Trimec, or if I am not seeing much of anything, I'll skip another 2 weeks and throw out weed and feed fertilizer. My property has NEVER looked nearly as nice as it does this year. This fall I am going to go after the crabgrass with a winterizer, and I'll follow up in the spring with a pre-emergent.

Tigershark · Jul 13, 2018

Make sure when spraying 24D you are using L for low volatility and don't spray if you have temps near 90 and above and high humidity that stuff can float and drift for a long time and is pretty destructive. I usually go with around 1 oz per gallon of water and have good results

RalphVa · Jul 13, 2018

Only spray 24D on absolutely windless days. It can drift for miles and kill things miles away.

I'd vote for allowing a few weeds to exist. An all green lawn is not much good for anything but looks and to hold soil. It will not promote healthy insect activity or encourage any pollinators.

Get your pH up into the 6s, even just 6.0 is okay. Natural soil pH east of the Mississippi is about 5.5. Just need a little bit of lime. To get it up to the "ideal" (around 6.8) requires gobs of wasted lime.

Ralph

rustyshakelford · Jul 13, 2018

Be sure to use plenty of surfactant when you spray. I offer grasshopper fertilizers. It’s a foliar fert. Some think this is snake oil, I personally like it. Instead of treating the soil which can sometimes take years to affect you are applying it straight to the plant. I have had good luck with it but it’s not a long term solution.

Be sure to wait 10-14 days before mowing after spraying. Using a boom is much preferred over boomless for more accurate application. More times than not I’m spraying 20 gpa and depending on the weed variety I’ll spray between 1.5-2 pints per acre of Grazon, if it’s woody I’ll add some remedy and then top off with .5-1 gallon of surfactant per 100 gallons of water

Be super careful if anyone has any watermelons growing as the Grazon and the like will kill it.

Brett

UpstateSC_Papi · Aug 22, 2018

Hey Dave!

What have you done since? I picked up a sprayer with my Kioti and have yet to use it but definitely need to do so. Maybe we could get together and see where you are so I do the same or don't repeat any mistakes you may have made. Let me know!

tractorshopper · Aug 22, 2018

Michael, it really worked out well. I sprayed the entire yard with 24D at about 48 ounces per 30 gallons (did two 30 gallon mixes for the entire yard, estimating about 2.25 acres of coverage). By about 2 weeks, I had no yellow false dandelions left at all. I have been hating those weeds since I moved there and they were everywhere in the lawn. I'm guessing you have about twice as much yard from the times I've been over there so maybe about 120 gallons total for you.

I just made mental notes of my route and planned it in advance. I know I had overlap and probably a decent amount of it for each strip. I turned the sprayer on and drove either forward or reverse at a moderate to slow pace, got to that end point, turned the sprayer off, then repositioned for the next strip. Was pretty mundane actually.

You're welcome to come by anytime you want. I live back behind L&C Feed and Seed on Boulden Road on the bottom of the first hill on the left. Eric's son is building a house at the end of the road right now.

UpstateSC_Papi · Aug 22, 2018

You forget my friend, we go to church with the Kings (across the street from you). We stopped by your house a year or so ago and chatted but I have zero clue what we chatted about! Or maybe you weren't home so we talked to the missus. Brain cells, how I miss you....

Does sound mundane. Maybe that's why I haven't used the sprayer yet!

UpstateSC_Papi · Apr 18, 2019

tractorshopper said:
Michael, it really worked out well. I sprayed the entire yard with 24D at about 48 ounces per 30 gallons (did two 30 gallon mixes for the entire yard, estimating about 2.25 acres of coverage). By about 2 weeks, I had no yellow false dandelions left at all. I have been hating those weeds since I moved there and they were everywhere in the lawn. I'm guessing you have about twice as much yard from the times I've been over there so maybe about 120 gallons total for you.

I just made mental notes of my route and planned it in advance. I know I had overlap and probably a decent amount of it for each strip. I turned the sprayer on and drove either forward or reverse at a moderate to slow pace, got to that end point, turned the sprayer off, then repositioned for the next strip. Was pretty mundane actually.

You're welcome to come by anytime you want. I live back behind L&C Feed and Seed on Boulden Road on the bottom of the first hill on the left. Eric's son is building a house at the end of the road right now.

Was searching for a 90° boomless spary nozzle discussion and found this chat. Forgot about it! I sprayed last night for the first time. Bought SpeedZone from the Redmonds (Oakway Farm). Played it safe and used about .5oz per gallon. Guess we'll see in a week or 2! Did find this calibration doc this morning. Pretty nice. Basically calculates out to .44 oz per gallon so I was pretty close I think. Here's the link if interested (use the Excel so it calculates for you)....

Sprayer Calibration Instructions | Montrose County - Official Website