Pet Safe Weed Killer??

pjtradeking

Not sure that there is such a thing. I have found some home remedies online, but I was wondering if anyone knew of anything that you could buy that is safe or safer than the regular stuff. I have 3 cute but incredibly stupid babies that will eat anything!! hahaha.

I have read about vinegar, but was wondering if that kills the grass as well? My biggest prob this year is dandelions.

Anyhow, thank for any ideas! :-)

redrock

Round up is as safe as a chemical will be! Keep the babies out of the garden until it the leaves dry (15 minutes or so?). Another option, pour boiling water on the weeds, one by one.

pjtradeking

redrock wrote:

Round up is as safe as a chemical will be! Keep the babies out of the garden until it the leaves dry (15 minutes or so?). Another option, pour boiling water on the weeds, one by one.

Not a garden. I am needing spraying my backyard lawn for dandelions About 25000 sq ft. Will the roundup work there as well as long as I let it dry and keep them off it for a few hours? I am worried about them getting it on their paws and then licking?

redrock

OK... different thing... I don't know then. Best to ask a specialist at a garden centre (or whatever you call those in the US!). I don't have a big garden, but I dig my dandelions out (one of these special tools that you turn round and round, it gets to the roots and you pop it out). But then again, that may be too much for your garden! Or learn to live with them for a year....

pjtradeking

redrock wrote:

OK... different thing... I don't know then. Best to ask a specialist at a garden centre (or whatever you call those in the US!). I don't have a big garden, but I dig my dandelions out (one of these special tools that you turn round and round, it gets to the roots and you pop it out). But then again, that may be too much for your garden! Or learn to live with them for a year....

Nah...Cant live with them...It is not just a few, it is overrunning the place this year. Let it go last year and this year it is bad. An eyesore as well. My neighbor hates me as it is so I am going to try and get this done. I have asked the folks here and can never really get anything more than.."well sir, it is poison and I wont say it is and I wont say it isnt safe". I have heard that vinegar works too but am worried about killing the lawn. Guess I can do a test patch in the back somewhere. Anyhow, thanks just the same..:-)

wolfbear

I hand weed as well. It may take some time the first year, but after that it's easy upkeep as you've gotten it by the roots and hopefully before seeds are spread. I just hate using any chemicals and found they really don't work as well in the long run. Good luck.

redrock

pjtradeking wrote:

redrock wrote:

OK... different thing... I don't know then. Best to ask a specialist at a garden centre (or whatever you call those in the US!). I don't have a big garden, but I dig my dandelions out (one of these special tools that you turn round and round, it gets to the roots and you pop it out). But then again, that may be too much for your garden! Or learn to live with them for a year....

Nah...Cant live with them...It is not just a few, it is overrunning the place this year. Let it go last year and this year it is bad. An eyesore as well. My neighbor hates me as it is so I am going to try and get this done. I have asked the folks here and can never really get anything more than.."well sir, it is poison and I wont say it is and I wont say it isnt safe". I have heard that vinegar works too but am worried about killing the lawn. Guess I can do a test patch in the back somewhere. Anyhow, thanks just the same..:-)

Vinegar will attack the lawn too...

pjtradeking

redrock wrote:

pjtradeking wrote:

redrock wrote:

OK... different thing... I don't know then. Best to ask a specialist at a garden centre (or whatever you call those in the US!). I don't have a big garden, but I dig my dandelions out (one of these special tools that you turn round and round, it gets to the roots and you pop it out). But then again, that may be too much for your garden! Or learn to live with them for a year....

Nah...Cant live with them...It is not just a few, it is overrunning the place this year. Let it go last year and this year it is bad. An eyesore as well. My neighbor hates me as it is so I am going to try and get this done. I have asked the folks here and can never really get anything more than.."well sir, it is poison and I wont say it is and I wont say it isnt safe". I have heard that vinegar works too but am worried about killing the lawn. Guess I can do a test patch in the back somewhere. Anyhow, thanks just the same..:-)

Vinegar will attack the lawn too...

Damn...Not what I wanted to hear! ;-)

redrock

pjtradeking wrote:

Damn...Not what I wanted to hear! ;-)

Again, you can pour the vinegar on each dandelion..... but then if you do that, I am told the boiling water is better....

pjtradeking

wolfbear wrote:

I hand weed as well. It may take some time the first year, but after that it's easy upkeep as you've gotten it by the roots and hopefully before seeds are spread. I just hate using any chemicals and found they really don't work as well in the long run. Good luck.

I know, but we are talking about 1/2 an acre and there is no way that I am even going to begin to think that I can do that. Not that disciplined. Not a yard guy..hate mowing..hate weeding...hate everything that has to do with yard work.hahahaha....It was the only drawback to buying this place.....I will figure out something...:-)

vduboise

check out

http://www.gardensalive.com - and go into lawn care section. Their WOW! Supreme Pre-Emergent Weed Control And Lawn Fertilizer is suppose to be safe for pets.

redrock

I am told by one of my neighbours (who is american) that you need to find an EPA certified weed killer. Then your pets are definitely safe.

pjtradeking

vduboise wrote:

check out

http://www.gardensalive.com - and go into lawn care section. Their WOW! Supreme Pre-Emergent Weed Control And Lawn Fertilizer is suppose to be safe for pets.

redrock wrote:

I am told by one of my neighbours (who is american) that you need to find an EPA certified weed killer. Then your pets are definitely safe.

Thank you both!! :-)

PJaddicted

Thankfully we live in the country....we just mow the weeds, they all end up green and all is good! Only one person in my entire neighborhood has a *lawn* and he is constantly working on it while the rest of us are out boating, motocross riding, hiking, partying...and the list goes on and on...and he has a nice green lawn. somehow I wouldn't trade for an instant!

youngster

The first time I read this thread, I swear it said "Weed Safe Pet Killer" and I was like WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

Who Princess

Take the money you'd be spending on weed killer and pay some neighborhood kid to weed your lawn.

Fifthelement

Wow a half an acre, that's a lot of weeding :shock:

The best way to attack them would be a few hours a day over the course of a couple weekends. You really need to pull out all of the dandelion, flower and root, so that you are not worrying about the same problem next year. If you do it in small increments, you'll be surprised at how quickly the job will go. Do it in a grid pattern so it won't seem so overwhelming. As you pull the weed, spot spray with vinegar (or boiling water or whatever weed control spray you are going to use).

When we moved into our house, eight-years ago, the back, front and side yards were full of dandelions. We hand-removed all of them over the course of a year or so. The best times for pulling (for us) was when the ground was still damp (so February/March). It really allowed us to make the most of getting the root out.

Good luck and if all else fails, kill everything, who needs grass

pjtradeking

Fifthelement wrote:

Good luck and if all else fails, kill everything, who needs grass

It is funny you say that....If not for the dogs, I had asked my wife if she would mind having all gravel or a moat!! ;-) She said if I produced a nice pool, I could do whatever I wanted with the rest!!

Thanks for the advice though...As with all the others who have said...I may just have to suck it up and pull the f-ers. I just DESPISE yardwork more than you could ever know!!

decides2dream

pjtradeking wrote:

Not sure that there is such a thing. I have found some home remedies online, but I was wondering if anyone knew of anything that you could buy that is safe or safer than the regular stuff. I have 3 cute but incredibly stupid babies that will eat anything!! hahaha.

I have read about vinegar, but was wondering if that kills the grass as well? My biggest prob this year is dandelions.

Anyhow, thank for any ideas! :-)

i would not trust ANYthing, even if it is labeled 'pet safe'...but that's just me. we use NO weedkillers, fertilizers, nada in our backyard b/c of this. and even so, we have a pretty lush, weedfree lawn and garden. i do a lot of hand-weeding in my garden beds...but really, all natural mulch(NO color additives and NO cocoa, toxic to dogs!) and a healthy lawn......well-watered is a HUGE help for that.....and i find no pesticides necessary.