2,4-D Temp Limitations

[Chic Rustler]

I've never heard of any temp limitations with 24d. my father in law usually mixes it with round up and adds a sticky additive and sprays fields with it all the time.
just know that it sticks around a while. in the soil, in the hay, even in the manure after the hay has been eaten and it will poison a garden for a long time

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

I've never heard of any temp limitations with 24d. my father in law usually mixes it with round up and adds a sticky additive and sprays fields with it all the time.
just know that it sticks around a while. in the soil, in the hay, even in the manure after the hay has been eaten and it will poison a garden for a long time

Yeah, I saw the application restrictions on amount per year were pretty hard.

This is more for my prairie and yard and not near my garden. I'm too "organic" to spray stuff like that right in or near my garden. I spend may and June pulling all the thistle by hand before resorting to any chems.

 

[Mini Horses]

What is important is that you use no manure, hay from sprayed areas on your garden, also. That chemical is in those items......believe me, will still affect the gardens.

I would spot spray the thistle, not use on entire field. But, that's me. Roundup....stopped that stuff over 20 yrs ago. If living in the concrete jungle it's more tolerable but, if you have animals -- now or later -- it's a real problem that you can't imagine until it happens.

Can you burn the thistle out? Just asking -- LOL. I don't have it here so am fortunate to not need a solution. Sounds like you have a large amount, well established, too.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Looking at a couple of different sites, I wonder if it is volatile at high temps. If it evaportaes too fast, the plants won't have the contact time to take it in and it there for won't work.
Can you spray in the evenings when it is a little cooler?

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I think the original answer to OP was construed as a command or criticism, b/c the initial "I" pronoun was left out of opening sentence! Agreed, there are times, and locations where one must choose the least destructive of the chemical controls offered. I have a small yard, and am not raising food commercially. I can pick and choose where I grow my food in my yard, so... in my situation, herbicides are not necessary. There are many times when I would welcome the option of spraying the many poison ivy patches in my yard. My life would be much easier if I sprayed my e-net fence line to keep the weeds/grass down. But... I resist. As for 2-4-D, I've heard that it is actually safer than round up. I wonder if changing up the mowing times would help eradicate the thistle? IMO, burning just might encourage it. Though selective flame burning repeatedly to kill off all new growth might weaken it enough to eradicate it over a 2 year time period. IIRC, thistle will send out peripheral shoots when the main crown is stressed.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Looking at a couple of different sites, I wonder if it is volatile at high temps. If it evaportaes too fast, the plants won't have the contact time to take it in and it there for won't work.
Can you spray in the evenings when it is a little cooler?

Sometimes. My question was a little time sensitive since the forecast for the following few days was all mid to high 90s and only dropping into the mid 80s at night. So I was curious around the "why"

I read a few reviews of folks saying that when they tried it over the suggested Temps they found it would also kill off their desired grasses as well as the undesired ones, so perhaps high temps makes it less selective.

I think the original answer to OP was construed as a command or criticism, b/c the initial "I" pronoun was left out of opening sentence! Agreed, there are times, and locations where one must choose the least destructive of the chemical controls offered. I have a small yard, and am not raising food commercially. I can pick and choose where I grow my food in my yard, so... in my situation, herbicides are not necessary. There are many times when I would welcome the option of spraying the many poison ivy patches in my yard. My life would be much easier if I sprayed my e-net fence line to keep the weeds/grass down. But... I resist. As for 2-4-D, I've heard that it is actually safer than round up. I wonder if changing up the mowing times would help eradicate the thistle? IMO, burning just might encourage it. Though selective flame burning repeatedly to kill off all new growth might weaken it enough to eradicate it over a 2 year time period. IIRC, thistle will send out peripheral shoots when the main crown is stressed.

I apologize. I have a part time volunteer gig as a crew leader for environmental volunteers as well as function as a Minnesota Master Naturalist, which gives me varying opportunities to do education and interpretation for citizens on topics of land care, ecosystems as well as native and invasive species, and in that role I try to stress by example and word to use chemicals as little as possible and instead focus on manual labor. However, sometimes it's necessary and I hate that . Anyways, I've gotten the "don't use chems" response a lot of times in my personal life, so my response was more of the same gut reaction I have to my own friends and family.

I didn't mean to come off as mean but online it's hard to catch nuances of comments. In my head it was my normal shrugging response of "well, this is my only option if I want any quality time with my kids". That being said, I don't plan on using them anywhere near any garden or fruit tree areas

I could probably use a torch in the spring when wind is low and I have a hose or buckets of water with. I like that idea, so thanks.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

No apology needed. I'm on a number of social forums, all related to farming. And, I know exactly what you are saying. There are people on those sites who have tunnel vision. They are quick to jump down the throat of someone who does not accept their ideals. Whether it be weed or pest control, or predator control. They may have a couple raised beds. They are quick to demonize any one who doesn't fit their paradigm of what a good little gardener should be doing. We all have our own personal comfort levels. For me: that includes: permethrin, sevin, Iron phosphate slug baits, and, sometimes BT in the garden. In the coop, I use Permethrin, Sevin, (occasionally DE under the bedding only), and have used Ivermectin Pour on to kill external pests. Many would be horrified at the use of the latter! Or even Sevin. Hubby has had limited use of a Vinegar, Epsom Salt, Dish soap spray. But, I don't think that would be at all effective on perennial weeds. So, I've no doubt that no matter what you use, in YOUR limited use, you will be applying far less material than might even be used by a lawn service on an urban 100 x 100' lawn.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

@Lazy Gardener This year, for the first time ever, I used permethrin. I hated it. I felt absolutely terrible. I knew I was killing a ton of insects I didn't want to, but the mosquitoes were so bad that I pulled the trigger and called a local guy to come spray. World of difference.

However, I think next year I'll buy my own sprayer so I can do it myself. Should pay off in two summers or less. I've seen them range from 300s - 700s