Safety of Herbicide

Q: I have fought annual bluegrass in my lawn for years but never got total control. A neighbor told me his lawn care guy uses ABCDEF and gets very good results. Why don’t you recommend it?

A: I don’t recommend it because, in my opinion, it is not safe or appropriate for homeowners. I’ve redacted the name of the product but I’ll quote from the label. “Applicators must wear: long-sleeved shirt and long pants, shoes plus socks, protective eyewear and chemical resistant gloves made of any waterproof material. Residential turfgrass sites are limited to targeted or spot treatment with the spray directed to the weeds. Spot treatments are limited to not more than 10% of a residential lawn. Dissolve .0x to .0x ounces per 1 gallon of water, add 1 teaspoon of a nonionic surfactant. Some ornamental shrubs, plants and trees may be sensitive. Be particularly careful not to overdose under the dripline of trees.” Add the fact that it costs $199 for three ounces and you can see why I think it would be irresponsible of me to recommend that anyone except turf care professionals use this product.