Q: I wanted my landscaper to use a weed and feed type of fertilizer on my lawn for several kinds of weeds. He said that it wasn’t a good idea as it could kill my trees and shrubs. He wants to use a spray liquid weedkiller, but I am afraid that it will drift onto my flower beds. We are at an impasse. What do you think of these two methods?
A: I have several thoughts. First, you are both right. Herbicides are designed to kill plants. There are differences between grasses and nongrasses that can be exploited to allow weedkillers to work and not harm the grass. However, the chemicals that work on nongrasses work on all plants that are not grass.
