re: Is it time for pre emergent in South LA?

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use the the winter weed cocktail

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I looked through earlier posts, but couldn't find exactly what products are used to kill of winter weeds?

I have Zoysia that I treated with Pre-Emergent last fall, but a few winter weeds have popped up in the shady areas of my yard.

quote]have Zoysia that I treated with Pre-Emergent last fall, but a few winter weeds have popped up in the shady areas of my yard.[/quote]

The winter cocktail is a combination of 8.6 fluid oz Hi-Yield atrazine (4%) + 1 fluid oz of Fertilome Weed-Free-Zone + 2 teaspoons of Hi-Yield Spreader-Sticker (surfactant) mixed in 1 or 2 gallons of water and evening sprayed over 1,000 sq ft. Safe on Centipede and St Augustine, but not on Bermudagrass or Zoysia, unless the Bermudagrass or Zoysia is Dormant

However, the Fertilome Weed-Free-Zone alone, with surfactant is safe to use on actively growing Zoysia (and Bermudagrass) so unless your Zoysia is completely dormant just spray the Weed-Free-Zone with surfactant on the weeds, spot spray if you want. I think you’ll be pleased with the results, particularly if the weeds are young. You should be able to purchase the Weed-Free-Zone and the spreader-sticker (surfactant) at a good hardware store or retail plant nursery, big box stores don’t carry it, at least in my experience.

Here is the label with instructions Fertilome Weed-Free-Zone

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I give up on my yard, not gonna waste money on Pre emergent,yard likely wont dry out for at least 10 days.

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pre-emergents need to be watered anyway so a wet yard isn’t a bad thing. Of course I don’t mean under-water. Don’t give up yet - there still hope.

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CrawDude

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Question, didn't feel it warranted its own thread... I have some huge pine trees that drop a ton of pine needles across the yard. Am I okay to just mulch them into the lawn when I mow, or is that not ideal?

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I tried to not spray any of the weed cocktail too close to my vegetable garden. Right now nothing is planted. Probably another 5-6 weeks before I plant. Do I have to worry about any runoff contaminating and killing my vegetable garden when I plant?

I know. Probably should’ve thought of this before I sprayed.

I’m guessing probably not a good idea to spread pre emergent nearby, either?

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Well ideally you don’t want atrazine near vegetable gardens or in landscape beds.
You don’t need concerned with any residual effects of the weed-free-zone on something not yet planted, and certainly not 5-6 weeks out. Ditto on the atrazine. Of course pre-emergent will prevent vegetable seeds from sprouting, atrazine can also potentially do the same because it also has pre-emergent properties. But they won’t have an effect on vegetable transplants.

Sounds like you should be OK as you stated “near” and not “in”, but if you think you may have incidentally applied some pre-emerge in areas of the veg garden, use vegetable transplants in that area and not seeds.

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You have landscape/flower beds? Pine straw makes great mulch for landscape beds, I probably spend a couple hundred $ per year on bales of pine straw for landscape mulch.

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Yep, the pine trees are a curse but also a blessing. They drop loads of pine needles and pine cones on my lawn, but at the same time they naturally cover all my beds in pine needles and cover most of my back porch in shade.

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Do you know if I can spray the winter weed cocktail in my flower beds or is it specifically for lawns?

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No - you don’t want atrazine in flower/landscape beds, and one of the herbicides in the weed-free-zone has some residual soil activity for 30 days so probably best not to use it either. For weeds I can’t or don’t wish to pull in landscape beds, I use glyphosate (generic “Roundup”) with no issues.

Would weed be gone be Affective right now ? I already put a pre-emergent.( Prodiamine ) I have a Bermuda lawn. I have some weeds coming up. there something better than weed be gone I should use?

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Would weed be gone be Affective right now

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Yes it works great. Just try and spray on a day when we get highs at least in the 60s.