IN REPLY TO A QUESTION ABOUT THE SUITABILITY OF GRASSMATE FOR THE CONTROL OF THE CONVOLVULUS AMONGST NATIVES THAT YOU WANT TO PROTECT

Grassmate is a good choice for the job, because it is effective against all the bindweeds, including field convolvulus.  And it’s not volatile, meaning that it doesn’t form a lighter than air vapour that drifts unexpectedly off target when spraying … so if you shield the desirable natives from direct overspray, and use reasonable caution, you can spray quite close in safety.  GrassMate is used by quite a few spray contractors, and also grounds staff at golf courses, parks and gardens, where close spraying to desirable plants is inevitable.  And we very rarely hear of any unintended damage.  

Couple of tips, in addition to the essential shielding.  Spray just enough to dampen the surface of the target weed; don’t spray to run-off … this will minimise risk of transmission off target via the soil.  And be careful of weather conditions; in close quarters when spraying shielded no breeze at all is preferred, and you want no rain for at least 4-6 hours to make sure the Grassmate stays only on the target plants.  The label suggests 6ml GrassMate per litre of water, and so does our Bindweeds weed file, but in such close quarters, initially try just 3-4ml per litre … convolvulus is quite susceptible, and the less you use to get a reasonable kill the safer your other plants will be.

Use caution, including doing an initial small area test with a 14 days wait-and-observe period, and Grassmate will do a good job for you in this tricky situation.