GardenLine

GardenLine

Skip Richter, based in Houston, is a popular speaker for garden clubs, Master Gardener programs, and other gardening events across Texas. He has...Full Bio

 

May application of pre-emergent herbicides is critical

I covered this around eight months ago, but an application of pre-emergent herbicide in early May is a very important part of my lawn care schedule. So I thought this would be a great time to remind you of all the products available in that category, pictured here.

Some listeners say they have more weeds this year than ever before, and that may be because of the February freeze. But those are growing weeds that we should have taken care of weeks ago. And as bad as they are presently, they’ll get much worse as summer grassy weeds appear if we don’t prevent them now with a pre-emergent application.

Pre-emergent herbicides are just one tool for keeping weeds at bay, and they are never 100% effective in blocking weed seeds from germinating. These products are just part of the total plan that includes following my lawn care schedule and mowing correctly - tall for St. Augustine, reel mowers for Bermuda. Plus, Mother Nature has to cooperate; no pre-emergent herbicide will work if a recent application gets washed away with a heavy inch rain.

Having a thick, healthy stand of turf is a natural form of weed prevention. Weeds simply cannot germinate in a St. Augustine lawn that is mowed tall and fertilized appropriately. In my Randy Lemmon Consulting business, I see it all the time. Lawns covered up in weeds are probably the most poorly cared for. I always see the St. Augustine mowed too short, and there’s no organic matter in the soil. And while some may cut their Bermuda lawns with a reel mower and claim they follow my schedule I find they’ve never done a core aeration or a compost top-dressing. Those are all important procedures to follow for a good-looking lawn in the Gulf Coast region. And a single pre-emergent application is never going to keep a yard weed-free. Especially if it’s quickly followed by a gully washer.

For example, if you applied your pre-emergent last weekend, but got several inches of rain on Thursday, Friday or Saturday this week, you should re-apply, but at half the original dose.

Finally, if you know my schedule inside and out, or if you’ve been reading my regular posts for some time, you probably know my basic herbicide guidelines. But whenever I write something new about post-emergent or pre-emergent control, I think it’s always worth a refresher on …

GardenLine’s 10 Rules of Herbicides

  1. Pre-emergent herbicides block weed seeds from germinating. They will not kill weeds already up. Use the fertilizer schedule to have a healthier yard, ultimately the best defense against weeds. Period.
  2. Once a weed is up, you need a post-emergent herbicide. For example, a broadleaf weed control for clover.
  3. There are different forms of post-emergent herbicides. Some are "selective," and some are "non-selective." Glyphosate herbicides (Roundup, Eraser and organic vinegar solutions) are non-selective — they kill every kind of weed or grass. Selective herbicides usually target a specific category of weeds - broadleaf, grassy or sedge.
  4. If you're late with the application of pre-emergent herbicides, you can still do it. You just may not get total control, as some weeds may have already germinated.
  5. Observe any temperature restrictions of selective herbicides. For example, we now have cool-season herbicides for broadleaf weed control. We didn't have that 30 years ago. And we don't use products like Image when it's too hot.
  6. The powdered organic Garden Weasel AG Crabgrass product from Agra Lawn was originally designed for grassy weeds, although it can control a few broadleaf weeds. I have had personal success with it on Virginia buttonweed.
  7. Nutgrass and nutsedge are neither grassy nor broadleaf weeds. I recommend sedge controls for those.
  8. The granular version of Bonide Weed Beater Complete is a real one-of-a-kind product — a pre- and post-emergent herbicide in one bag. The "pre" is essentially Barricade, which blocks broadleaf and grassy weed seed germination. But the "post" only works on broadleaf weeds.
  9. Surfactants are neither applicable nor necessary for granular pre- or post-emergent herbicides.
  10. Surfactants should be added to pretty much every liquid herbicide, so the treatment actually sticks to the weeds or offending grass.


One Final Note: If you have a thick stand of grass, and all is working well and looking good, you may actually be able to eliminate the pre-emergent herbicide applications on the schedule. Well cared-for turf with a deep root system and a dense growing pattern is its own best defense against weed seed germination. But if you’re not among those folks, get as many bags as you need and get busy right now.

IMAGES: Product manufacturers


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