Most of us have put hours and hours into lawn care with a dream of a lush green lawn. Thicker and soft underfoot. Weed prevention is the most essential aspect of weed control. Eliminate weeds and crabgrass in your lawn and prevent their return by maintaining the grass, using a minimum of weed killers and good timing.
Kill the weeds and not your lawn with Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max Plus Crabgrass Control. Kills tough weeds like dandelion, crabgrass and broadleaf weeds down to the root. Use Ortho Weed B-Gon Weed Killer anytime weeds are actively growing. A lawn can only be called a lawn, when there are no weeds in it.
However, getting rid of weeds is not always easy.
Know when to use the product as well. In order for the product to effectively control weeds, you need to apply it when weeds are actively growing. That means in a growing period like spring or early summer and not when plants are dormant due to drought, freeze, hot weather, etc.
It’s best if there has been a recent rain because the water stimulates the weeds to grow. So make sure they’re in a growing phase first. Weed B Gon will control Dandelion, Clover, Ground Ivy, Creeping Charlie, Plantains, Thistles, Wild Violet, Yellow Oxalis, Pennywort, Dollarweed, English Daisy, Wild Garlic and many others.
Tip: Each type of grass has an ideal cutting height for good health and strong growth. When cut no lower than that height, and when cut before it gets too long, the grass will usually out-compete weeds as long as it’s also fertilized and watered properly. Longer grass helps prevent weeds. The taller growth shades the ground, keeping it cooler and slows weed seed germination.
How to Use Ortho Weed B Gon
Timing is everything when using weed killers and this product is no exception. I have very good results, but I plan way ahead when to use it. First, the product’s effectiveness dramatically improves the closer you get to 70 degrees and moderate humidity.
This keeps the product wet on the lawn for the maximum absorption time while warm enough for weed growth. Next the ground must be very moist from recent rains, again for encouraging weed growth for maximum absorption.
Finally, the lawn should have been cut in the past week to ensure the weeds are weakened. Once applied you need at least one whole day of continuing moderate conditions and no rain to make sure the product stays wet long enough to be absorbed and not washed away by rain. The product must applied in sufficient concentration and uniformly.
Adjust the spray nozzle lever to the position you desire. If working in smaller, confined areas, use a light spray. When working on a larger area, a more vigorous spray may be preferred. Apply to all weedy areas including the entire lawn.
Plants need to be wet with the product, but not dripping, and the ground does not need to be soaked. Plants should dry within one hour and the weedkiller will be able to withstand rain at that time.
Periods of Active Crabgrass Growth
Grass Type Period of active growth
Cool-season grasses
Bentgrass March–June,
Bluegrass late February
Fescue early March–June
Ryegrass late February–June
Warm-season grasses
Bermudagrass April–late September
Dichondra April–October
Kikuyugrass February–November
St. Augustinegrass March–October
Zoysiagrass April–October
Apply when weeds are seen and actively growing. Rain or watering 1 hour after application will not wash away effectiveness. Spray when daytime temperatures are above 45°F and below 90°F. I have to say that I am very happy with the results.
Dandelions and other common weeds were dying and withering a day after the first application. Our biggest problem is clover and crab grass. I noticed after the first application that they turned brown, but it certainly isn’t dead yet.
A Word About Crabgrass Control:
Crabgrass sprawls from a central root low across the ground. It can become a problem quickly because it is able to grow vigorously in hot, dry conditions. Crabgrass is the best example of an annual weedy grass.
It doesn’t over-winter like perennial weeds. Instead, it dies at the end of the growing season and produces thousands of seeds. Before dying in the fall, a single weed can distribute 15,000 seeds which will be ready to germinate in spring. The best way to keep crab grass under control is to apply a pre-emergent crabgrass preventer. Timing is everything as you only have a 3-5 week window each spring to apply a product such as Scotts Halts Crabgrass Preventer.
Pre-emergence treatments are preferred because they are generally more effective for crabgrass control and less injurious to the grass than post-emergence treatments. Crabgrass germination typically begins in late March when soil temperatures reach 55 degrees. This treatment prevents the seeds from germinating. If you wait too long, the seeds will sprout. Apply too early and the preventer will dissipate and late germinating seeds will sprout.
Crabgrass thrives in full sunlight and high temperatures and can easily out compete common cool-season grasses under these conditions. Crabgrass is in a group of plants known as summer annuals. The color and growth habit of crab grass can vary dramatically in your lawn.
The crabgrass may blend in easily with the color of the grass, or be quite different depending on the grass variety and how well fertilized the lawn is. Summer annuals germinate in the spring, grow through the summer and die with the first hard frost. These plants produce a tremendous amount of seed in the mid to late summer when the day length starts to shorten. These seeds ensure next year’s crop of weeds but can also remain dormant in the soil for several years before germinating.
It is likely that if you have crabgrass in your lawn, it will be there next year, too. Crabgrass grows quickly in lawns mowed shorter than 2 inches, underfed lawns, and those watered frequently and lightly. Once crabgrass has been established, pre-emergence herbicides will not be effective.
However, you can still control crabgrass after it has started growing with Weed B Gon. Pre-emergents are effective in that they “prevent” the crabgrass seeds from sprouting in the spring. Crabgrass is going to be a constant battle. The best solution is an early proactive approach as post emergent treatments such as Weed B Gon, Spectracide Weed Stop or Bayer Advanced All In One will not be as effective.
Ortho Weed B Gon is available in the following sizes:
24 oz Bottle with sprayer, .5 gal Bottle with sprayer, 1 gal Bottle with sprayer, and 1.33 gal Bottle with Pull-N-Spray applicator.
Weed B Gone is one of the most effective and popular of weed killers. It works in a relatively short time frame and is less expensive and more effective than some of its competitors. Of course there are more weed killer products on the market that work well, but not many that will guarantee you decent, if not great, results.
Weeds will have little to no way of resisting this weed killers persuasive techniques. Ortho Weed B Gon is a great choice for anyone who wants to get rid of weeds in their lawn without destroying their grass or flowers. It is available at all Lowes stores, but not all stores will carry all of the available sizes. If you are having difficulty locating it in a store near you, just look up online or have it delivered to your home.
This will be an indispensable tool for your lawn. Address the causes of weeds at the same time to keep new ones from growing. Reseed the bare spots left by dead weeds. Follow directions carefully. Used incorrectly, herbicides can injure or kill turf and other desirable plants.
Victoria Stone -Easy Expert Staff
From the manufacturer: Ortho Weed B Gon kills over 225 weeds, including: Barnyardgrass, Signalgrass, Clover, Carpetweeds, Chickweeds, Creeping Charlie, Cudweed, Curly Dock, Dandelion, English Daisy, False Dandelion, Field Bindweed, Filaree, Florida Pusley, Heartleaf Drymary, Henbit, Junglerice, Crabgrass, Oxalis, Pennywort, Plantains, Purslane, Red Sorrel, Sheep Sorrel, Smooth Crabgrass, Foxtail, Torpedograss*, Speedwell, Spurges, Spurweed, Thistles, Toadflax, White Clover, Wild Carrot, Wild Geranium, Wild Onion, and other broadleaf weeds. *Make 2 additional applications at 14 to 21 day intervals to control.
Hose end sprayer Active Ingredients: 2.13% Quinclorac, 6.42% 2,4-D, 0.60% Dicamba
Concentrate Active Ingredients: 13.72% MCPA 1.56% Triclopyr 1.35% Dicamba
Ready to Use Active Ingredients: .10% Quinclorac, .22% MCPP-p, .12% 2,4-D, .05% Dicamba
Weed B Gon is manufactured by the The Ortho Group, part of Scotts Miracle Gro Company. The Ortho Helpline can help you with any questions. For questions about Weed B Gon contact Scotts Help Center experts toll-free at 1-888-270-3714 or at www.scotts.com