What is the best way to get rid of the weed "prostrate spurge"?

[True Colors]

The main grass in the yard is bermudagrass.

The weed known as "prostrate spurge" has repeatedly shown up scattered around the front yard and the back yard.

This thing looks sort of like a fern or a clover.

I have posted a couple of pictures of this below.

What is the best way to get rid of this? Is there a good spray herbicide that I could use which will cover approximately 800 square feet of yard area?

Thanks!

TC



close up

[Grasssales2001]

If it's not a huge infestation, it's easy to pull by hand.

[jbell36]

2-4d...we use trimec...it's simply a broadleaf herbicide...

there's always round up...

[cgaengineer]

Celcius...
Posted via Mobile Device

[Think Green]

True Colors,
This weed is a proliferate seed producer.
You need to select a preemerge and apply it before these weeds emerge. I cannot advise you on a perfect choice as you need to inquire to a local distributor for your grass type. This weed can be controlled with postemerge herbicides on the lawn but as the seeds fall from this weed, it will only become more of a problem. The seeds are the size of sand grains and is hard to see with the naked eye. As far as control now, seek a postemerge herbicide that will not harm your grass with the heat. It may take a couple of applications to control the spread. Do not spot spray these weeds as I stated, they are great seed producers and you will find that thinning turf areas, is where these weeds are clustered. Check for compaction of soil, and underwatering. These weeds prefer these conditions. Your choice of weed control herbicides will need to differ. What you use on the lawn is not what you will use in the flower beds.

[phasthound]

Originally Posted by Think Green

True Colors,
This weed is a proliferate seed producer.
You need to select a preemerge and apply it before these weeds emerge. I cannot advise you on a perfect choice as you need to inquire to a local distributor for your grass type. This weed can be controlled with postemerge herbicides on the lawn but as the seeds fall from this weed, it will only become more of a problem. The seeds are the size of sand grains and is hard to see with the naked eye. As far as control now, seek a postemerge herbicide that will not harm your grass with the heat. It may take a couple of applications to control the spread. Do not spot spray these weeds as I stated, they are great seed producers and you will find that thinning turf areas, is where these weeds are clustered. Check for compaction of soil, and underwatering. These weeds prefer these conditions. Your choice of weed control herbicides will need to differ. What you use on the lawn is not what you will use in the flower beds.

It really does my heart good to read such good advice on these forums.

[RigglePLC]

I hate prostrate spurge! It is a summer annual--loves heat--needs about 85 degrees before its seeds germinate. Weed b Gone and three way products are not particularly effective. The dicamba is most important ingredient. Be sure to use them at maximum strength, with a spreader sticker, and hit spurge early and often. Spot spray if you must. It is easy to kill if sprayed before the plant is 4 inches in diameter. Spurge does not do well in any kind of shade. Thick grass, cut tall, discourages it. A night temp of 40 blocks further growth. Frost kills spurge--but it always drops seed just before frost--for next year.

If you find some hand removal is necessary. Get underneath and feel for the one main tap root for each plant--yank it out--or cut it off--makes no difference. Feel free to use Roundup if treatment is needed in a non-grass area.

[RigglePLC]

And...see my last year's experiments.
In this one Gordon's T-Zone with sticker did the best.

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=360625

Once it is mature and not growing rapidly, spurge becomes far more resistant.

I will try several products against spurge later on this year after it rains. Not much visible here, so far.

This discussion belongs up top in the spraying section.

[ChiTownAmateur]

Originally Posted by Grasssales2001

If it's not a huge infestation, it's easy to pull by hand.

For 800 sq ft, this is the correct advice imo. It will take approximately 1-1/2 hours is my guess, which you can spread over say 4-5 days. The key is that within a season or two you can have an almost weed free lawn with that size just weeding by hand.

The grass will outcompete the weeds once you have dense enough turf. Take the time to hand pull and honestly, it will take less total time than figuring out, purchasing and applying whichever herbicides you might try.

This year I have pulled a total of maybe a dozen weeds from my entire yard, with no application of any herbicides. It's all about having dense turf...this combined with hand pulling of weeds is imo the best possible outcome.

Once you're talking about a larger stand of grass then the chemicals become the right choice simply due to time.