Triclopyr safe to use near hydrangea?

[falcon]

I've got a major clover issue to deal with right now.

I have a line of Hydrangeas that line my walkway, and the grass edge is about a foot from the base of the plants, and the leaves of the plants are actually closer to the grass. I know from recently re-edging that the roots of the plants are under the grass where there is clover.

I planned on covering the plants to avoid drift, but I am worried about the roots.

Am I safe to use the triclopyr?

[edslawn]

I would call domyown.com and ask them about this. It seems like it wouldn't be a problem if you follow the label, but why not call the 800#?

[falcon]

Do My Own said not to do it. They recommended hand pulling and spring and fall applications of pre-emergent.

My plan for now is to spray the clover with Triclopyr and stay several feet away from the edge where the hydrangea roots are. That leaves about 180 square feet of clover that will go untreated. That's a lot of hand pulling, and since the clover is perennial and spreads through its roots, will that even eradicate what exists now rather than just prevent new clover?

I am mowing at 3.5" and watering very consistently. I have also been doing the fall nitrogen blitz. I'm in year 3 of a multi-year soil improvement plan, and the soil is decent as is. The clover is actually growing in the better part of the soil.

I think I have a couple issues that led to to explosion of clover this year:

1. I applied pre-M too late. I have now learned that waiting for the Forsythia to bloom is not a reliable indicator for when to drop pre-M. Last year I was too late and being new, thought maybe it was a fluke or I did something incorrectly. This year I waited for the Forsythia again, but I noticed some weeds before the Forsythia was blooming - and I have several Forsythia in different spots in my yard - and dropped pre-M as soon as I saw the weeds, which was 03/23. I definitely noticed a reduction of some weeds that I had last year, but I also still had a ton come through. And as far as Forsythia goes, I've seen pretty dramatic differences in blooming time in my own yard and on my street.

2. I put down my first application of nitrogen too late...06/04. Usually I apply sooner but life got in the way.

Any thoughts on how to approach this short of hitting it with glyphosate and re-seeding?

[MorpheusPA]

Clover's not very durable and gets outcompeted by decent grass. Or at least it does in my lawn.

1) It does vary a bit. Go with the earliest forsythia, when it tips with yellow, not when everything is in full bloom.

2) That's not terrible, actually.

Honestly, I'd hand-pull within 2 to 3' of the hydrangea and then spray outside that zone. Hydrangea do have a thin but wider root system, but it's not that sensitive. Don't, however, overspray--see above about clover not being particularly durable.

[falcon]

Thanks, Morpheus. Regarding your last comment...recommended application is 1 gallon per 200 square feet. Any idea how much you would reduce that by?

[MorpheusPA]

Spray normally, but don't spray to runoff. Honestly, 1 gallon per 200 square feet seems rather heavy. I might be inclined to try it at 1 G/500 square feet and see how it goes, particularly in areas within the hydrangea's root systems (about 2x the hydrangea's leaf spread).

[bolson32]

I blanket sprayed triclopyr for clover last year and probably got pretty close to my hydrangeas, they're exceptional this year but they're very well established plants. I can't imagine triclopyr at lawn application levels doing any lasting damage if just sprayed nearby.

[MorpheusPA]

Honestly, that's my thought, but I'm not going to go against the manufacturer.

[falcon]

Thanks, all. I'm going to play it safe for now and see what I can do with the previously discussed method. These plants are very well established at this point, which is exactly why I don't want to lose them! I know this means they are stronger too, but they look so damn good after three years and careful pruning that I don't want to take any chances.