Briefly, don't try this at home. Herbicide
manufacturers spend millions of dollars to develop labels, and not every penny goes to
lawyers for EPA compliance. In fact, a lot of the hard thought in writing the label
is based on field experiences from University scientists and cooperating golf course
supertindentents such as yourself. Those multimillion-dollar labels are written for
you the user, to tell you what you need to know.
So read the label and you may be surprised what you learn.
Herbicide results vary based on factors that may be known or unknown (e.g.,
temperature, soil type, tomorrow's weather, nematode conditions, type of grass,
interactions with other chemicals). Herbicides are designed to kill plants,
and although many of them do so selectively, that means that there is a risk of injury,
especially to grass which is under stress.
When are greens not under stress?
So before applying anything to golf course greens, read, ask, try it out in a small
spot, do everything you can to minimize the risk. And when you do apply, do not
exceed the label rate. You avoid excess by carefully calibrating your spray
equipment, having someone else go over your calculations, and writing down clear
instructions either for yourself or your spray person. |