On 4/24/2014 1:05 PM, KenK wrote:
I picked up a container of Ortho 'Weed B Gon' to control some weeds around
my property.

First I tried it out on a few isolated smaller ones to see how it worked. I
squirted them a few days ago. They still seem to be healthy though a couple
have a few shriveled leaves. I had expected them to be totally dead in a
day or so.

What am I doing wrong? Any guesses? Maybe it takes longer to affect them?
You have to really soak them?

There is little info on the bottle and that is mostly warnings.

When applying a broadleaf weedkiller, for best results:

1. Don't apply immediately after the lawn has been mowed, wait a few
days. The more leaf area on the weeds, the more weedkiller they will
absorb. For the same reason, wait a few days after spraying before
mowing.

2. The lawn should be moist/recently watered, so the weeds are
actively growing. If the soil is very dry, the weeds are barely
growing, and thus won't absorb much weedkiller.

3. Temps should be between mid-60s F. and low 80s F. The colder it is,
the slower the plants are growing, and the slower they will absorb the
weedkiller. Too slow, it'll either do nothing, or it will stunt the
weed but not kill it. The hotter it is, the more likely the weedkiller
will also injure the grass.

4. Don't apply too strong or too weak of a mixture. Too strong, it'll
injure the lawn. Too weak, it'll stunt the weeds' growth for awhile,
but not kill them. Read the label to find the recommended rate.

5. Ideally, no rain for 24-48 hours after applying the weedkiller. You
don't want it washed off before the weeds absorb it.

6. For stubborn weeds such as creeping charlie, a second application
7-10 days after the initial application will improve the rate of kill.

Finally, the best time of the year in much of the US to apply
broadleaf weedkillers is late summer/early autumn. The ground is at
its warmest, so the weeds are actively growing. It's usually not as
unpredictably rainy as it is in the spring, so it's easier to find an
optimum weather window to apply it. Also, seeds from the spring
dandelion crop have already germinated and formed small plants that
will winter over and bloom the following spring. Spray in later
summer/early fall, and there will be far fewer perennial weeds to deal
with the following spring.