Monday, May 20, 2013

Fusilade II and other Grassy Weed Killers



I got a question about Fusilade II, so I decided to make the answer a Horticulture Hotline article. Fusilade II could fit into one of those “secret products” from last week. Killing grassy weeds out of beds is a lot easier with this product helping you.

Fusilade II is what is known as a selective herbicide.  Fusilade II selectively removes grassy weeds from broadleaf planting beds.  You can spray Fusilade II right over the top of many different plants and it will kill grassy weeds without hurting the plants (read and follow product label).  It does particularly well in killing Bermudagrass.  Round Up is a non-selective herbicide which means that it kills anything that it comes in contact with.  Fusilade II does a better job of killing Bermudagrass than even Round Up. 

Fusilade II lists over 40 annual and perennial grasses that it controls.  Some of the more common ones are:
·        Barnyardgrass
·        Bermudagrass, Wire Grass, Joint Grass
·        Broadleaf Signalgrass
·        Crabgrass (large, smooth, southern and tropical)
·        Field sandspur
·        Foxtail (giant, green, yellow)
·        Goosegrass
·        Johnsongrass
·        Quackgrass
·        Torpedograss

The list of ornamentals that you can spray over the top of is in the hundreds.  Again, read and follow the product label.

With all the Zoysia being planted in the area, Fusilade II has another useful application. Killing bermudagrass in stands of Zoysia; however, it is not labeled for home lawns.

Here is part of Syngenta’s Fusilade II label:

Over-spray Zoysia: Application should be made at a rate of 3-4
oz./A with Fusilade II Turf and Ornamental Herbicide, and a
nonionic surfactant. Applications should be made in late spring
(around June 1) and repeated about every 28-30 days. Late summer application can be reduced to 2-3 oz./A as bermudagrass
is preparing for dormancy. During hot summer weather the rates
could be increased to 4-5 oz./A. Note: The 5 oz. rate could cause
temporary turf discoloration.

The label does warn that this could be a multi-year process. As you can see, this part of the label is packed with information. The label mentions using a surfactant, when to apply the product, how often it should be applied, when to adjust the rates, and even warns you that you might get some discoloration. The label also has some very important information throughout the whole label.

If you are trying to kill bermudagrass in Liriope, juniper beds or other labeled plantings, we also sell other products that will do that. Vantage, Over The Top, Ornamec, and Sethoxydim are a few of them. Vantage, Over The Top and Ornamec are in smaller “retail” packaging.

Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.