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PostPosted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:46 am 
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Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:44 am
Posts: 2
Hello, This is our first spring as homeowners and our front yard was overtaken this winter by a weed with little purple flowers, They are very dense and smell fairly nice when mowed. Can anyone identify them and how best to get rid of them?

Thanks,
Dave


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 Post subject: HENBIT?
PostPosted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 1:42 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:33 pm
Posts: 829
Location: Dallas,TX
If they have lovely little lacey leaves you are probably looking at henbit. It's easy to kill off with vinegar but mow it down and it will die off pretty quickly. Remember vinegar kills off greenery of all kinds so if you have bermuda that is still dormant you won't hurt your grass. If you have St. Augustine that's already active you'll burn it but won't kill it off.

Corn gluten next fall will help keep it in check for the next spring. Good doses of fertilizer and molasses will increase the soil fertility so the henbit won't grow anymore. Good luck!

Kathe


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:52 pm 
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Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:44 am
Posts: 2
Thanks Kathe,
We were going to use some weed killer, But I would rather try organic methods first.
Dave


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 11:48 am 
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Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2004 12:19 pm
Posts: 75
Location: Dallas, TX
Yay! I was wondering the same thing myself! my backyard is covered in this 9we have no grass) & started with the vinegar on Sunday. I'm not sure how effective it will be, becuase it wasn't too warm out by the time I managed to get in the yard and, of course, I haven't had a chance to go back out and check. Nice to know what that stuff is :D


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 Post subject: Vinegar on weeds
PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 12:17 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2003 5:33 pm
Posts: 829
Location: Dallas,TX
Here's a little tip on how to get the vinegar to work when it's still rather cool during the day...I watered the yard early in the morning, so everything would open up nicely. Then I zapped the weeds when they were the most receptive. Ouch! By the end of the day they were brown, dry and dead as could be.

Don't forget to add a teaspoon of liquid soap per gallon, and a little orange oil will just finish them off. I used 20% vinegar and diluted it with a mix of 60% vinegar to 40% water, 1/2 tsp. of soap in a half gallon sprayer. I would normally add orange oil but I was experimenting so I left it out. I just misted the leaves of the plants thoroughly and it wiped them out.

Just remember that it will kill any foliage it gets on, so take a sheet of newspaper or cardboard to shield the plants around where you are spraying to keep it off them.

Really, I don't mind the henbit much. If you want to see a whole bunch of it, go up to McKinney and take the exit just north of 380. On the west side of the highway there are 2 or 3 large fields that look like they have a purple haze hanging over them. Almost as pretty as when the bluebonnets open up!

Hang in there...the wildflowers are coming!!!
Kathe :D :D


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