Re: preen, preen 'n green, other weed chemicals

From: "Edmund L. Castillo" <castillo@pipeline.com>

At 08:57 PM 8/29/1998 EDT, you wrote:
>From: Forthgb@aol.com
>
>would love some advice on the use of weed chemicals on iris.
>

I was going to answer you promptly, but decided to wait and see what kind of
controversy your innocent question would elicit.  Did, didn't it?!!!

Preen is a pre-emergent herbicide, which means that it prevents seeds from
germinating, just as a spermaticide prevents human conception (with fewer
ethical questions). If you spread it on an iris (or other flower) bed early
in the growing season, it will prevent the seed of dandelions and other
promiscuous weed seeds from germinating in your garden and producing plants.
It also will kill any other seeds you may put in the garden.  (Last year we
planted some columbine seeds in our iris beds, which we had preened, and
that was the last we saw of them.) It will not kill plants once the seeds
have germinated.  If you put it down after the dendelions have invaded your
world, you will have healthy dandelions, which you will have to deal with by
other means, chemical or physical.

If you preen a bed and subsequently mulch it, the preen will prevent
germination of seeds already in the bed, but not stop new seeds from falling
in, germinating in and growing in the mulch.  Therefore, if you mulch a
preened bed, also preen the mulch.

Irises are not listed on the preen package, but I called the manufacturer a
year ago and was told that they had been tested and cleared but the package
label had not been modified to include them.  Many iris growers use the
product with no ill effect.

The world seems to be divided into three groups:  (1) Never Use Chemicals,
(2) What the Hell, Spray the World and Forget the Consequences, and (3) Use
Chemicals Carefully, Sparingly, and in Accordance with Directions Approved
by the Manufacturer and the EPA.  My own view is that the first group is
theoretically right but not entirely practical, the second should be sprayed
liberally with Cygon, Malathion and Daconil twice daily, and the third
should be joined with caution, trepidation, and a willingness to read the
fine print on the label. 

Happy weeding

elc

Edmund L. Castillo in Loudoun Co., VA
castillo@pipeline.com 


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help support ONElist, while generating interest in your product or
service. ONElist has a variety of advertising packages. Visit
http://www.onelist.com/advert.html for more information.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index