Is Weed and Feed Safe for Trees?

I purchased Step 1 with Weed and Feed of this 2 Step program then remembered that several friends said they lost trees after using a broad leaf weed treatment:
http://www.greenviewfertilizer.com/store/GreenView-Fairway-Formula-Spring-Fertilizer-with-Weed-Feed-and-Crabgrass-Preventer-P94C8.aspx

It contains:
2,4-D .64%
Mecoprop-p .14%
Dicamba .06%
Dithiopyr .16%

We have a very nice Purple Leaf Plum tree that I do not want to lose and some very large trees in the back that would be a lot of trouble to remove if they die.
It says do not exceed the suggested amount around trees, but I'm wondering if I should avoid inside the drip line completely.
Any suggestions besides don't use it at all?

2-4-D can harm woody plants. Do not spray it on the leaves or trunk. Kills actively growing weeds in lawns. Does not kill most grasses.
Mecoprop apparently is a preemergent weed control. It will kill seedling weeds before you see them. I do not know the action, but many pre-emergent weed controls act by killing the new root growth. This might also affect the new root growth on older plants, if enough of the material contacts those parts of the roots. I have not heard of mature trees or shrubs being affected. I have heard about some sensitivity of plants like Fragaria chiloensis to certain pre-emergent herbicides. It was not this one.
Dicamba kills the active growth of certain hard to kill lawn weeds such as dandelion.
Dithiopyr is another pre-emergent weed control. The label that I found on line says it is safe to apply over nursery crops, by which I assume they mean woody trees and shrubs in can sizes from 1 gallon (fairly young plants) up to and beyond 15 gallons (larger plants).

I would apply it but read the entire booklet that comes with it.
Make sure the tree and surrounding plants are healthy, and well watered.
Make sure the turf is at the right stage, including when it was last mowed.
Follow directions about the application rate.
It the material you have is dry, you can practice spreading something like sand through your spreader and spread it on a firm surface like a patio to make sure you can control the amount you use and how far it spreads. If the material is a liquid, then practice spraying water on concrete to make sure you have the right sprayer tip, and will walk the right speed, and wave the wand in the right pattern to spray the right amount on the target.
Apply on a day with the right amount of air movement.
Continue following directions about how long to wait before watering, and how long to stay off the treated area.
Do not reapply before the directions say is OK.
Apply at the right time of the year for the maximum control with the minimum pesticide.

Thank you very much Diana very informative. It is a solid and I'll use our
broadcast spreader that I know fairly well. I'm going to go just a touch
lighter on the application than what it says on the label.

I put this down this morning 5-5-2014 while there was still dew on the grass per the instructions. It seems like it went down thin but I have to measure the back yard that I did. I'm going to wait a few more weeks to do the front since I overseeded and I want all the seed to have a chance to germinate.

You should never weed/feed a new patch of grass or whole lawn, the new tender blades of grass are too delicate for that treatment.
As Diana has already said, read over and over the instructions on the feed packaging so your aware of any pitfalls before they happen.
best of luck, kindest regards.
WeeNel.

New grass is in the front, backyard is grass from last fall.
I did read the instructions and deliberately avoided the front lawn.
This is designed to do the whole lawn, is that your way of doing things -
to spot treat and not do the whole lawn?
I would prefer to do something more organic, but not sure that I am willing
to put in the cost/effort.

I'm wondering if 6 weeks is long enough to wait for the new grass seed
in the front to germinate and handle the weed killer. Perhaps, to play it
safe I'll avoid the front entirely until the fall. This weed and feed says it is
fine for the fall also.

I'd wait till fall, it should tell you a rough guide on packaging if it's safe or not for 6 week old grass, I say no even without reading the directions.

How many weeds do you have, maybe if not too much you can hand weed, ot there are tools that help remove weeds from lawn and they help pull up the roots of the perennial weeds too as they come back IF you snap a bit of root leaving it in the soil. cant get any more organic than that, there is no gardening task that doesn't require some effort or others tasks take a lot of energy, but gardening is never effortless even just dead-heading takes time.
Good luck.
Best wishes.
WeeNel.

I have not had a lot of luck seeding but this time worked fairly well so perhaps I should play it safe. Might even wait until next Spring since I have Step 2 coming for the fall. The front lawn looks good since broad leaf weeds are not that bad but we always get a lot of clover, crab grass and others.

I do read that clover is good in the lawn so perhaps not to worry.

This message was edited May 7, 2014 6:16 PM

Clover is good in lawns.

Do some research about crabgrass. Here it sprouts in the late winter, so the pre-emergent needs to be on the ground by February.
Find out the optimum date for your area.

Definitely play it safe with the new lawn.