

QUACKGRASS 


Sy) AS 
HEAL ALL Seo. 
| 
<< 



BROAD 
LEAVED 
PLANTAIN 





NARROW 
LEAVED 


= > = Ss 
SSS RSS 

CRABGRASS CAN BE 
CONQUERED 
In areas where crabgrass and similar 
weeds are persistent in lawns the tim- 
ing of the treatment is important, Crab- 
grass germinates in the spring and does 
not survive winter temperatures. Early 
spring treatments tend to kill the crab- 
grass seedings as they germinate, Close 
mowing favors the growth of crabgrass 
—Bluegrass should be cut no shorter 
than two inches if crabgrass is a prob- 
lem. Fertilizing and seeding the vacant 
spots in the lawn left by weeds should 
be a regular part of your weed killing 
program, 
A 
THESE 2-4Don’ts 
IMPORTANT TOO 
The regular use of 2-4D will keep down 
all of the broadleaved weeds, without 
danger of poisoning animals, children 
or of damaging equipment with cor- 
rosive sprays. In using 2-4D around 
flowers and vegetables, however, be 
extremely careful not to allow the spray 
to drift onto these, as most garden 
plants are as easy to kill with this ma- 
terial as the weeds. 
Here are some other points: use a 
coarse instead of a fine spray. Don't 
store it around your seeds or plants. 
Do not apply in the proximity of cotton, 
fruit or ornamentals, it may injure sus- 
ceptible plants. 
WEEDS ARE GRASS 
ROBBERS! 
Their root systems thrust laterally 
through the grass roots and steal mois- 
ture and valuable mineral salts needed 
by your lawn to insure hardy growth. 
Some weeds send out runners on the 
surface which take root, form new plants 
and proceed to take food from the 
grass, stunting it, shading newly germi- 
nated grass and ultimately discouraging 
growth. Tap roots (the central roots) 
are weed storage plants from which the 
lateral root system draws its reserve 
strength. Some weeds can be destroyed 
by merely spraying weed killing chem- 
icals on the leaves; others require chem- 
ical injection at the tap root. Some folks 
report that the tap root injection of 2-4D 
is comparatively easy if one of those 
long spouted oil cans is used. Others 
require chemical treatment as well as 
physical removal by hand or with tools. 
Modern chemical weed killers are se- 
lective and formulated to do a specific 
job. Tell us the weed you're going after 
and we can prescribe the remedy for 
you. Successful weed removal means 
getting them early—before the flower- 
ing stage, go after them in the spring 
or early summer. Weeds should be two 
or more inches high before spraying 
however, otherwise the leaf is not 
broad enough to fully absorb the chem- 
ical and the tap root will revitalize them. 
2-4D, HOW IT HELPS 
CONTROL 
2-4D is a selective herbicide because it 
can be used to kill certain plants while 
the same dosage will not kill others. 
This selectivity is due to differences in 
plant susceptibility. It is comparatively 
slow acting and must penetrate to the 
inside of the plant tissue to do its work. 
When it is sprayed on broad leaved 
plants it first penetrates the outer layer 
of cells—then to the inner-layer where 
it is picked up by the leaf veins and 
circulated into stem and roots along 
with the fluid of the plant. With most 
weeds the killing cycle requires about 
two weeks. Reaction is noticeable when 
the leaves and stems twist and curl. 
When it has reached the roots, the cell 
breakdown makes them vulnerable to 
attack by the decay organisms always 
present in the soil. These organisms at- 
tack the weakened roots and complete 
decomposition of the weed. 
SPRAY THESE! 
Dandelions can be easily controlled with 
2-4D. Their root systems are compara- 
tively simple and being a medium-broad 
leaved plant the chemical has freedom 
to work quickly and effectively. It has 
been found that some regrowth of dan- 
delions will occur if they are treated 
when the turf in general is suffering 
from drought. Lawn weeds are best got- 
ten when they are green and actively 
growing. Other weeds which can be as 
effectively controlled as dandelions are 
the Common Plantain, Common Chick- 
weed, Ground Ivy and the Pennywort. 
25 
