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diane_lane20

We put down weed and feed before thinking about the bird feeders

6 years ago

I feel terrible about this, but wanted my lawn to look better and was told to put weed and feed on it. Unfortunately, I forgot about our bird feeders, and kind of panicked when I saw birds eating off the grass. Is there anything I can do to prevent birds (and squirrels) from getting sick?

Comment (1)

  • 6 years ago

    Rest easy. Well, relatively so. Most herbicides aren't horribly dangerous to birds and squirrels, simply don't go down in large amounts per square foot, and won't last at the surface past the next rainfall. They're absorbing into the plants themselves and not readily available to the bird/squirrel.

    You can accelerate that by watering the lawn if you like, which will push the herbicides off the grass (and weeds) and into the lawn. After six hours on the lawn, the weed part has done all it's gonna do.


    Now, then. There's reasons we don't like Weed and Feed around here, and that's one of them. They indiscriminately throw herbicides around everywhere, including on patches of happy grasses that don't have weeds in them. So it's a waste, in addition to pushing herbicides down on patches that don't require them.

    Two, they're timed wrong. You got the feed part right--Memorial Day, or thereabouts (close enough is more than good enough in this case). The Weed part is actually late, and should have been done last month for best use, and you also can't follow-up with more if you need it because you can't feed the lawn again without risk of damage.

    Three, the conditions of proper application of the Weed part are a recipe for burning with the Feed part in warmer weather since the Weed part works best on damp grass, whereas feeding with synthetics should be done on dry lawn to avoid salt damage to the grasses.


    A shot of W&F might be warranted if you had a weed pit. If that was the case, no harm, no foul, and it'll clear the deck for you.

    And doing it once certainly didn't destroy the planet's biosphere. Forgive yourself and move on.

    From here on out, get some Weed B Gon concentrate and a one- or two-gallon sprayer (it's cheaper this way), or Weed B Gon Clover, Chickweed, and Oxalis if those weeds are your primary problem, or whatever Weed B Gon matches the major issues you have.

    Mix that up as per the instructions on the bottle. Individually spray the weeds that are left after 2 weeks (there won't be many and it won't take much, you don't need it to run off).

    Make a sweep through the lawn as often as you like--every 2 weeks, every month, once or twice a season. Whatever. Anything is better than never doing it.

    You'll use an amazingly small amount of herbicide compared to the Weed and Feed, and the birds, bees, and squirrels will thank you. The water supply won't thank you because it can't speak, but those of us who drink it will.