:: neighborly advice

Lawn and Weed Management

Spring is approaching fast and the Mercantile is ready to help you with your spring projects.  The Nebraska NEB Guide G80-517 states that now is a good time to clean your lawns of debris and mow your lawn as short as possible and remove all clippings.  The Mercantile has received our new Poulan mowers just in time for these spring projects so come on in and check out the great prices on our complete Poulan pro line of Push and Riding Mowers.

Post emergence herbicides are applied once the weeds have emerged and are applied to the foliage of actively growing weeds. One benefit of post-emergence herbicides is that the product can be used as a "spot treatment" to individual weeds or areas. This not only saves time, but also money. Most post-emergence herbicides control broadleaf weeds, but some are available that control grasses as well. Regardless of the type of weed, there are several factors that influence the effectiveness of post emergence herbicide applications.

The target weeds must have enough leaf surface present to intercept a lethal dose of the herbicide. To insure adequate leaf surface, don't mow the area prior to spraying for weeds. Ideally, the area should not be mowed for two to three days before treatment

When using post emergence broadleaf herbicides, care must be taken to minimize drift. Drift results from the physical movement of the spray particle or the volatilization of the herbicide from a liquid form to a vapor. In either case, nearby sensitive plants can be damaged.

There are many products available to control broadleaf weeds.  2,4-D is one of the most common names in broadleaf herbicide control. If spot spraying broad leafs with this product, you will need 3/4 oz. per gallon of water, or about 4tsp should cover around 1,000sq ft.