OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Lawn Care & Maintenance Combining Mesotrione & DSMA - Herbicide for Buffalo Turf

Hi all,

Does anyone have specifics of or know at all if there are any interactions between Mesotrione & DSMA? Can they be combined safely? And how will a Buffalo lawn react to the combination of the two?

My preference would be if someone had documented information from a manufacturer or chemical or turf company, but I'll take the advice of users if that's not available.

Cheers in advance,

pau13z

Don't know about the mixing Tenacity and DSMA, but I am sure paspalum killer (DSMA +MCPA) says only spot spray buffalo as it will knock it around a bit.

As buffalo Pro has MCPA in and is safe, that would mean DSMA is damaging to buffalo

What weed are you trying to kill?

I was hoping to cover quite the range of weeds, including Bindy-eye, Dandelion, Clover, Creeping Oxalis, Crab Grass (Crowsfoot), and Paspalum. My biggest concerns are Paspalum and Crab Grass.

Paspalum is sensitive to Mesotrione but it's not listed as a controlled weed, and Crab Grass is controlled post-emergence if it's in its' infancy.

On the other hand, DSMA controls Crab Grass and Paspalum and there's no mention of issues with Buffalo. The only issue is when you add MCPA.

So if the two could be combined I could theoretically spray the whole lawn with no real concern over my Buffalo, but I'm no chemist and I'm not about to combine the two without knowing it's safe to do so.

There would still be the concern about Creeping Oxalis and Bindy-eye. For those, I could use Bromoxynil & MCPA. I have seen information about Buffalo lawns being sensitive to MCPA and that it should only be used to spot spray, however, if you look at products like Yates Buffalo Pro, it's safe to use on Buffalo, and contains both Bromoxynil & MCPA. So I'm a bit curious about that.

I'm thinking it's the combination of MCPA and DSMA which is really bad for Buffalo, but again I'm no chemist, I'm just going off labels I have access to.

I just don't want to be out there week after week spraying different chemicals if I can knock out most of it in one go.

[quote=pau13z]There would still be the concern about Creeping Oxalis and Bindy-eye. For those, I could use Bromoxynil & MCPA. I have seen information about Buffalo lawns being sensitive to MCPA and that it should only be used to spot spray, however, if you look at products like Yates Buffalo Pro, it's safe to use on Buffalo, and contains both Bromoxynil & MCPA. So I'm a bit curious about that.

I'm thinking it's the combination of MCPA and DSMA which is really bad for Buffalo, but again I'm no chemist, I'm just going off labels I have access to.[/quote]

Thats a good point I hadn't thought of, maybe the two combine and cause the issue
Worth noting if you are searching online you will yield more results with using the term st augustine grass than buffalo - thats what the yanks know it by

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=15251

What sort of sprayer are you using on how big an area? I too was sick of spraying until I knocked together my own walk behind sprayer

Not sure about the sprayer yet. I was thinking of a decent backpack, 15-20L, but saw there's a new Makita 18V out and I have all of the batteries for that, the only issue is its only 5L so I'll get quality and save on cost but lose out on practicality a little, unless I mix up in a larger container and top the 5L up, but that seems like a waste of time.

Over 3 properties probably 800-1000 sqm?

Ok, so a decent size sqm.

I think the first test is mix a bit of the 2 in a jar and check they don't turn to sludge.

All going well, spray a small bit - if it hasn't become stressed in a few days, it should all be right. As always, wear chemical gloves, and other associated PPE