My lawn has a few fruit trees on the perimeter and the labeling information for prodiamine indicates not to be used around trees for consumption. Is there a pre-emergent that is safe to use around fruit trees? Or can I use prodiamine on most of the lawn and keep some distance from the trees? What would be a safe distance?
Any herbicide that sticks around in the soil probably isn’t labeled to spray around fruiting trees. If crabgrass is your target weed you could try looking into Dimension but it is nowhere near as cheap as prodiamine.
All chemicals should be avoided up to the drip line of the tree or plant. Though a foot or two more might give some peace of mind. Don’t even apply fertilizer unless labeled for food… not all fertilizer is food safe. Multiple forms of potassium, but potash comes with chlorine for example. You wouldn’t want that in your food.
Prodiamine is good. There are other good products that cost more, and would still require the gap in treatment area.
@Koa
There are some pre emergents that are okay around fruit bearing trees, but the product has to be labeled as such… Which requires jumping through more hoops and greater liability than normal for the manufacturer… So typical turf brands won’t be labeled for it, but more expensive/larger containers (that may not be easy to acquire for non-agricultural purposes) will allow it.
So basically, this is an agricultural/cropland question, and not a turf question.
@Sky
You’re right. I read this as consumer facing. Crops absolutely use stuff around consumable plants.
I feel like the form of nitrogen they use, is not the same that is used on turf. The one used for fertilizer bombs.
@Koa
I don’t know how they fertilize trees on that scale, but for crop fields they use essentially the same stuff, just not usually mixed together (straight up urea being the most common thing). And they apply it differently, often they apply in rows (so not spread evenly) and till it in. They’ll do that it in the fall, and plant in the spring.
@Sky
I lurk a little on the farmers sub too. The science they use or processes are quite impressive. Creative too.
I have never read on crop process or science for groves where I imagine less soil change occurs. Weeds would matter less too I’d think. Cost to keep them out, vs lost nutrients they take up instead… agriculture economist, I think is the title for this job.
@Sky
Looks like my only option is to use a pre-emergent far away from the fruit trees (2 to 3X dripline) and just fight the weeds with post-emergent close to the fruit trees.
Pendimethalin if you can find it.
Dru said:
Pendimethalin if you can find it.
Labels that I found (Pendulum) list it as use only for non bearing trees.