Herbicide around Palms

[JimR]

I have an infestation of dollar weed. Far too much to pull by hand. Can anyone suggest an efficient herbicide to kill he dollar weed that will not harm my palms and other tropicals?

[Xerarch]

Roundup should be fine as long as you don't hit anything green that you want to keep, it won't damage the palms if you hit the trunk, only if you hit green, living tissue. Roundup is effective at killing a broad spectrum of weeds root and all, just don't expect it to work fast, give it a couple weeks.

[Jastin]

Round up. I spray early in the morning to avoid the wind and if the weeds are really close to palms I either spray a sponge and wipe the weed or spray my hand ( with chemical gloves on) and wipe the weeds. I've accidentally sprayed some palm bases and never had a problem. If I was unsure I just sprayed the palm off with water

[MattyB]

One time I sprayed my leg and it died.

[JimR]

The dollar weed is areas of lawn. I don't want to kill the lawn as well. I am pretty sure Roundup would take out the lawn as well as the dollar weed. I should have been more specific.

[KrisKupsch]

There are selective herbicides that will only kill broadleaf weeds and vise versa just kill grass. The ones that only kill grass will easily kill palms.

[Phoenikakias]

There are selective herbicides that will only kill broadleaf weeds and vise versa just kill grass. The ones that only kill grass will easily kill palms.

Because palms are monocots and from an evolutionary perrpective are just giant grass? What about the preemergent herbicides? Is still valid the information of they being lethal to palms?

[Xerarch]

Ya if you're just looking to kill broadleaf weeds in a grass area there are a number of herbicides available at any big box store that should do the trick. I have worked in the commercial landscape industry and I used to use them all the time, I like one called speedzone, but that might be only a commercial product that might not available to just anyone. You shouldn't have any trouble finding what you need, just read the label, look for a broadleaf herbicide.

[JimR]

Thanks, all. Much appreciated.

[sarasota alex]

I strongly recommend not to believe the label and do your own research.

Here is my story. A company that takes care of the landscaping in our subdivision wanted to spray "selective" herbicide on my property. When I stopped them they claimed that the herbicide is selective and my palms (most of them still small) would be fine. Intuitively I didn't believe the guy, but asked him for the name of the product. It was Manor with metsulfuron-methyl as the active ingredient. It is (as I was told) marketed as a selective herbicide. So I googled it. Quickly I found this article from the University of Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep263 (Physiological Disorders of Landscape Palms) which said the following: "Metsulfuron causes a delayed necrotic lesion midway along the rachis of the youngest fully-expanded leaf, with the distal portion of the leaf dropping down at that point. Leaflets on either side of the necrosis are usually crumpled in appearance. Although these postemergent herbicides can be fatal, palms typically outgrow these symptoms and eventually resume normal growth."

At that point I knew that the "selective" part of the label was a lie to some degree at least. I did further research and here is my recommendation. In Malaysia, Philippines and other countries where coconut and palm oil production is a multi-billion dollar business and weeds are also a concern, they've pretty much tested every herbicidal chemical to see if it could be sprayed around old and young coconuts and oil palms. And our interests match since they are also in it not to hurt the palms and not trying to sell the chemical stuff. So in 2001 Malaysian Journal of Oil Palm research published a study called 'Effects of Metsulfuron-methyl on ALS Activity and its Metabolism in Immature Oil Palm', and here is a quote: "Metsulfuron-methyl sprayed directly onto seedlings caused a whole range of injuries to the 18-month-old oil palm seedlings".

Further reading showed that the studies on selectiveness were done spraying metsulfuron around trunks of mature palms. Well that doesn't help my smaller palms. Also injuries are possible when this stuff is absorbed through the roots, but one study showed that it only happens when the soil temperature is high. Which means that they could easily have tested this around palms in Northern California where results would be negative and then sell it to be used in Florida.

So, I am not drinking the "selective" Cool-Aid any more.

[Phoenikakias]

I strongly recommend not to believe the label and do your own research.

Here is my story. A company that takes care of the landscaping in our subdivision wanted to spray "selective" herbicide on my property. When I stopped them they claimed that the herbicide is selective and my palms (most of them still small) would be fine. Intuitively I didn't believe the guy, but asked him for the name of the product. It was Manor with metsulfuron-methyl as the active ingredient. It is (as I was told) marketed as a selective herbicide. So I googled it. Quickly I found this article from the University of Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep263 (Physiological Disorders of Landscape Palms) which said the following: "Metsulfuron causes a delayed necrotic lesion midway along the rachis of the youngest fully-expanded leaf, with the distal portion of the leaf dropping down at that point. Leaflets on either side of the necrosis are usually crumpled in appearance. Although these postemergent herbicides can be fatal, palms typically outgrow these symptoms and eventually resume normal growth."

At that point I knew that the "selective" part of the label was a lie to some degree at least. I did further research and here is my recommendation. In Malaysia, Philippines and other countries where coconut and palm oil production is a multi-billion dollar business and weeds are also a concern, they've pretty much tested every herbicidal chemical to see if it could be sprayed around old and young coconuts and oil palms. And our interests match since they are also in it not to hurt the palms and not trying to sell the chemical stuff. So in 2001 Malaysian Journal of Oil Palm research published a study called 'Effects of Metsulfuron-methyl on ALS Activity and its Metabolism in Immature Oil Palm', and here is a quote: "Metsulfuron-methyl sprayed directly onto seedlings caused a whole range of injuries to the 18-month-old oil palm seedlings".

Further reading showed that the studies on selectiveness were done spraying metsulfuron around trunks of mature palms. Well that doesn't help my smaller palms. Also injuries are possible when this stuff is absorbed through the roots, but one study showed that it only happens when the soil temperature is high. Which means that they could easily have tested this around palms in Northern California where results would be negative and then sell it to be used in Florida.

So, I am not drinking the "selective" Cool-Aid any more.

Big truths, now my story. I had used many years ago roundup once during early fall and I lost in a very short time before the entry of winter (so it was not cold the cause of their demise) a newly planted Jubaeopsis caffra and a Hyphaena coriacea. I have used this past fall crossbow (triclopir) on rest trunks of cut olive trees to kill also their root system. Two Sabal of mine (mexicana and yapa) got severely affected though their foliage has not been reaching to the ground area where the herbicide had been applied. Yet newly emerged leaves and second in age leaves died back together with spearpull.Rest leaves seem for the time being ok but I fear that meristem is also dead and plants are now in zombi state. Other Sabal spss growing nearby such as louisiana, uresana, mauritioformis, rosei and causiarum and domigensis seem for now still ok! All above plants were, given more or less, of the same age or growth stage.

[sonoranfans]

I am more than a little concerned about micronutrient deficiencies caused by glyphosphates(roundup)

http://www.agweb.com/assets/import/files/58P20-22.pdf

I thought I saw some mg/Fe deficiencies in my 3 alfredii a year and a half ago after using roundup a couple of times around the base. I discontinued, started pulling weeds, and it has not re occurred.... I keep that stuff off the root zones of my palms now...