Pre-M Stains

[DFW Area Landscaper]

I just made the switch from granular pre-m to liquid. I'm noticing a lot of yellow stains on everything.

This winter, I was remodeling my house. I had a plastic box that we use to store extra granular product in (as in the hopper has 15 pounds of 0-0-7 and now I need to use the spreader to apply Top Choice). Anyway, this box was stained yellow from Pre-M. We set it on top of the dryer for a few weeks while we remodeled the house. The pre-m stained the top of the dryer.

The dryer was solid white and the yellow stains stood out really bad. I tried soaking a rag in bleach and laying it over the stain for a few hours. No effect. I scrubbed and scrubbed with a bleach soaked rag. Still no effect. I finally figured I would have to set the dryer out in the sun on a warm spring day to get it to fade. Anyway, I just checked the dryer yesterday and the stain is completely gone. No sunlight at all. Probably about 6 weeks later.

Does the sun in fact cause pre-m stains to fade faster? Or is it just a matter of some kind of evaporation? Or what?

One customer called to complain about the pre-m stains on her wood fence. I told her it should fade within 7 to 10 days. I really didn't know what to tell her.

Help.

Later,
DFW Area Landscaper

[slow release]

Pendimethalin (PRE-M) stains do fade. This occurs due to photodegredation (sunlight), microbial activity and chemical breakdown. I hope your dryer isn't full of soil microbes(haha).

[Green Dreams]

I recall some years back a genius up there with Mega Co had to walk through a house to spray the back. Well guess what happened.....lol

[DFW Area Landscaper]

The Lesco dealer told me that Pre-M can stain permanently if the surface is porous. He said he was brought in on an incident a year ago wherein an applicator had accidentally sprayed the stuff on some kind of vinyl siding and it wouldn't come off. The insurance company ended up paying a claim.

There are people who will complain and raise he!! over the littlest things. I don't doubt the story at all. But after seeing the stuff fade off of my dryer, my gut feeling tells me that if the customer would have just waited a few weeks everything would have been fine.

Later,
DFW Area Landscaper

[Mike15]

I visited a competiors place of business last year. Their crews had been applying Pre-M for three weeks. I went into their bathroom to wash my hands, their toilet seat was stained yellow. That means that the product went through the techs pants, through his underwear and onto his butt. There was still enough staining capability left to stain the toilet seat. Pre-M stains, stains, stains. Its cost per acre is attractive but why would anyone use a product that can cause so much grief?

[qps]

I just made the switch from granular pre-m to liquid. I'm noticing a lot of yellow stains on everything.

This winter, I was remodeling my house. I had a plastic box that we use to store extra granular product in (as in the hopper has 15 pounds of 0-0-7 and now I need to use the spreader to apply Top Choice). Anyway, this box was stained yellow from Pre-M. We set it on top of the dryer for a few weeks while we remodeled the house. The pre-m stained the top of the dryer.

The dryer was solid white and the yellow stains stood out really bad. I tried soaking a rag in bleach and laying it over the stain for a few hours. No effect. I scrubbed and scrubbed with a bleach soaked rag. Still no effect. I finally figured I would have to set the dryer out in the sun on a warm spring day to get it to fade. Anyway, I just checked the dryer yesterday and the stain is completely gone. No sunlight at all. Probably about 6 weeks later.

Does the sun in fact cause pre-m stains to fade faster? Or is it just a matter of some kind of evaporation? Or what?

One customer called to complain about the pre-m stains on her wood fence. I told her it should fade within 7 to 10 days. I really didn't know what to tell her.

Help.

Later,
DFW Area Landscaper


Ah yes...the infamous yellow cloud......change pre- emergents :)

[Green Dreams]

wow, that makes you think about what you can't see.

[DFW Area Landscaper]

++++wow, that makes you think about what you can't see++++

It really does make you stop and think. And it makes the customers think about it too when they see it on their sidewalks, etc.

I might have to find another pre-emergent with similar controls that won't stain. Maybe I'll end up paying a little more, but if it doesn't stain, I think it might be worth it.

Later,
DFW Area Landscaper

[qps]

++++wow, that makes you think about what you can't see++++

It really does make you stop and think. And it makes the customers think about it too when they see it on their sidewalks, etc.

I might have to find another pre-emergent with similar controls that won't stain. Maybe I'll end up paying a little more, but if it doesn't stain, I think it might be worth it.

Later,
DFW Area Landscaper

Yes Dimension is a good product and is user friendly to handle, I also like barricade.

[ArizPestWeed]

Pendulun is cheap
Aqua cap ,2.5 gal, will do 100,000 square feet .

I spilled some pendulun 3.3 smelly stainey stuff, in my truck bed.
A few days later I took it to Macco for a paint job , planed to before the spill.
I thought the white paint would cover it all up .
No way .
It came through and I thought it was locked in for ever .
A few months went by and I remembered to look and see if it was still there .
It was finally gone .
Took several months to fade away .
So , even though it was painted over , it fades away.
Kool huh ?

[ArizPestWeed]

Isn't Dimension pricy ?

[sprayman73703]

The sun really will get rid of it. When I was farming we had line break on our pickup rig. We were usiong prowl at the time which is the same thing as pendulum and in a week or so the stains on the white cab were gone. Just remember this happens in the yard too when it doesn't get watered in. That is why I like pennant. It is a better chemical and is white and doesn't stain or smell near as bad and is not photo sensitive. Sure it is higher in price but it does a better job by far.

[lawn king]

We worked with pre-m for years and attained good results. The product was filthy to work with! This will be our 3rd season using dimension and i am very with the product! Perhaps you should try team,we used it in the eightys and it worked well.

[YardPro]

anybody try the new non staining pendemethelin??

[slow release]

Not familiar with that. Is it a newer formulation? :confused:

[sprayman73703]

I have used it recently and it is just as bad as the yellow only now it is orange stains. It is harder to mix now because of its thicker formulation. I didn't like it.

[ArizPestWeed]

I use pendulum wdg

[Pilgrims' Pride]

I miss the smell of pre-m on a cool morning.
Ya right.
I do remember once, years ago I was spraying a lawn in a cul-de-sac.
I had just finished and was rolling up the hose when the woman next door lets this giant white samoyed (sp?) dog out.
He came running over to see whats happening.
That silly dog started rolling around on that lawn like you couldn't imagine!
When he was done he was completely yellow!
I just left.
The woman called screaming about her yellow dog.
We told her it might wash out with some good doggie shampoo if not it will grow out!
She wasnt happy.
She saw me spraying though and let fido loose anyway so she didnt get any sympathy from me.

I've been using dimension for a long time now.