I've killed a big patch of lawn what can I do?

I used the Verdone Extra Ready To Use weedkiller here:

http://www.lovethegarden.com/products/weedcontrol/verdonespot.html

on my lawn and this is what has happened





What can I do? Will new seed grow if I rake up the dead and reseed it?

 

Verdone doesn't kill grass so it must be something else. Investigate first. Are you sure either yourself or your neighbour hasn't used tumbleweed or something like path clear. Whats on the other side of the fence?

 

There is no way that Verdone should do that. Either there is something wrong with the batch you had, or its something else.

You haven't treated the fence, have you? (e.g. Creosote or somesuch)

Does the ground slope - from the background of your picture downhill to the foreground? I wonder if something came under the fence from the far side (at the background end) and then "flowed" along the fence / grass - and spread out a bit as it got nearer to the foreground.

Did you treat the rest of the grass with Verdone? (If so that's NOT the culprit!)

 

The fence hasn't been treated and the neighbours garden is about 1/2 a foot lower than mine on that side. They've got a border that's growing nicely and a really green lawn. They haven't sprayed anything as they don't believe in it. God I hope it don't spread to their garden!!!

I only treated that side and a few other patches on the grass which are also dying. Luckily I didn't go mad with it.

Do u think I should complain to the company that makes it as it states that it doesn't kill the grass and that grass is deffo dead?

 

I have emailed them and linked this site so they can see the pictures.

 

"Do u think I should complain to the company that makes it as it states that it doesn't kill the grass and that grass is deffo dead?"

Yup, sounds like something has gone wrong if it is dead just where you sprayed it.

 

I had a similar occurence two years back, I spot weeded lots of Ragwort and everywhere I sprayed (With Verdone) the grass died. I had to rake over the patches and re-seed them. I put it down to the facf that the spray was an old one which I was using up.

 

Mine's a new one. Did the seed grow ok?

 

"Mine's a new one"

Ah ... most selective lawn weed killers should not be used for about 6 months after sowing ... do you still have the instructions to check? Mind you, wouldn't have expected that sort of damage ...

 

Our grass is certainly not new and yes the seed did germinate and grow. Trouble is that the new grass is different to the rest so it still looks a bit patchy.
A bit worrying since I did some spot weeding before I read your post. Be interesting to see what happens.

On a similar note, we have a couple of places where the grass seems to have died and the only thing we can think of is that I have walked from the path where I had been using Pathclear along the front of a flowerbed. If so, then the weedkiller must have been on my shoes.

 

"If so, then the weedkiller must have been on my shoes"

Yup, could be, but shouldn't happen after the Pathclear has "soaked in and dried off"

I'm very careful when I use Roundup etc. not to walk on the lawn etc. after walking through the area I've been spraying.

 

I think VErdone recommends not to be applied until two after laying or sowing a new lawn

 

No the bottle of spray is a new one the lawn is over 2 years old :gnthb:

 

Here's the reply email I got:


Thank you for your recent e-mail, from which we were sorry to hear of the disappointment experienced following the use of Verdone Extra Ready to use.

Verdone Extra Ready to use is a well-established and popular product, for which we receive a great deal of positive feedback. However any complaint regarding one of our products is formally logged and reported to the business to assist in the on-going process of updating and improving the range.

Verdone Extra Ready to use contains an effective combination of selective weedkillers for lawns. It has been thoroughly tested for efficacy and safety both to the user and grass and we were therefore most surprised to hear of the damage that occurred to your lawn. In our trials work there has been shown to be a high safety factor in the product before damage occurs and the only situations where damage has been shown is where the grass is under stress from drought and/or from heavy overdose. Slight over dosage can cause temporary yellowing of the grass but if significantly overdosed, the grass can occasionally be killed. Providing that the area is kept moist, the yellowing described should soon grow out.

The weeds are killed in the same way as the previous formulation of Verdone, by stimulating them into excessive growth, which causes them to curl, twist and eventually die. This process can take up to four-six weeks.

To maximise weed kill, it is best to apply the weedkiller when growth is young and vigorous between April and June. The leaf surface should be dry before application and enough spray applied to lightly wet the leaf surface (it is not necessary to heavily drench the weeds). Ensure that the soil is moist before application and that there is sufficient moisture in the soil (especially during dry or drought conditions) for the product to be circulated internally through the weeds.

From the information provided, we believe that the problems experienced are most likely due to one, or a combination, of the following:

Accidental over-application.
Lawn stress due to cold night-time temperatures or prolonged dry conditions.

Please contact us if we can be of further assistance

Regards


Vicky Page

Consumer Services Advisor




My lawn hasn't been that dry and I didn't spray much on cause I'd never used it before and wasn't sure it worked and didn't want a dead lawn :dh: