Keeping your soil and grass at their best can require a professional landscaper’s input. Our 5-step lawn care technique will help you keep weeds away from your healthy lawn. We will also highlight the benefits of pre-emergence herbicide weed prevention.
What Are Pre-Emergent Herbicides?
These are chemicals used to prevent the growth of undesired weeds in your lawn. They are useful in controlling the growth of already germinated weeds by stopping their growth process. Using pre-emergent herbicides first requires knowing the type of weed you are trying to prevent for effective results. Once you know that, you can begin to implement the 5-step process.
Step 1: Aug–Dec
This winter grass pre-emergence technique controls broadleaf weeds such as dandelions, henbit, clover, and chickweed. The winter annuals germinate in the fall, producing seeds in spring. After flowering, applying herbicides eliminates those, reducing instances of infestation.
Step 2: Dec–April
Step 2 combines pre-emergence and post-emergence techniques that control crabgrass and broadleaf weeds. The secret to effectively managing them is appropriately timing the application of the herbicide. Crabgrass is a warm-season weed that produces up to 150,000 seeds that germinate and sprout the following spring if they’re not appropriately managed. Pre-emergents work to inhibit germination, giving your lawn a perfect look.
Step 3: Feb–June
A lawn infested with a prolific seed producer is not pleasing and is highly uncomfortable going into the summer. This step controls a few weeds left after step 2. You’ll use another crabgrass treatment technique as well as a liquid-balanced fertilizer that encourages root growth.
Step 4: May–July
Depending on the type of soil and weather in your location, our professionals use tailored fertilizer to treat your lawn, encouraging foliage growth. Applying turf fertilizer periodically gives your grass the right color and coverage.
Step 5: June–Sept
For the best results, the last step provides nutrients and extra weed control techniques. We have a fertilizing program that gives the healthy turf a nice green color. The pre-emergence technique does the following:
- Prevents uncontrolled spread of weeds
- Leaves soil untouched
- Gets rid of weeds without killing the grass
This technique can be done together with the fertilizing process.
On the other hand, the most common mistakes when using pre-emergent herbicides include and are not limited to:
- Improper applications
- Poor timing
- Wrong equipment calibration
- Buying cheap chemicals with less effect on herbicides
- Not rotating products promotes weed resistance
At Parker Pest Control, we are a result-oriented pest control company offering creative and innovative pest control solutions. We look forward to working with you.