A Killer Is On The Loose, And We’re Coming After Your Weeds

You can’t win this one on your own. People ask us all the time, “How do I beat those weeds?” Understandably, those weeds have to go. They steal water and nutrients from your desirable plants and most spread until they overrun everything from the rhododendrons to roses.

You can yank them out, and you can chop them up, but weeds are deep-rooted and drop seedlings continuously. Like any other plant, weeds come in two types depending on their life span: perennials and annuals.

Perennials live more than a year, survive the winter, and grow from established root systems. These can be the most difficult to get rid of because even killing the visible part of the weed does not keep them from growing back due to their extensive underground root system. Examples of perennial weeds in Texas include dandelions, clover, and thistle. On the other hand, Annuals live and die in the same year, but they are still difficult to kill. Broomweed, henbit, and chickweed are common annuals in Texas.

The only real way to have a clean, pristine turf is to eradicate weeds with a pre-emergent herbicide that kills them before they sprout. Pre-emergent herbicide is a benign chemical, not considered a carcinogen, and is less toxic than other landscaping chemicals, yet highly effective in killing weeds. The pre-emergent creates a microscopic chemical barrier, preventing weeds from germinating by cutting off their water supply and not sprouting the root.

Timing to apply pre-emergent is critical. Young weeds have small roots, making them easier to pull and increasing your chances of getting the entire plant, but don’t bet on that tactic. Instead, plan to apply the herbicide between the heat of the summer and the cool of the fall. You don’t want to spray too early, though, as it will cause heat damage to the grass. EarthWorks uses the deadline of October 15th to apply pre-emergent to its property’s landscapes.

In addition to applying pre-emergent in the fall, most of our properties replace their Bermuda Grass with Ryegrass for the colder months (Bermuda Grass enters it dormant phase at the end of the summer). Ryegrass is imported from Oregon, and its bright green color adds temporary, seasonal color to landscapes during the colder months. It dies when the heat returns but is commonly used for apartment communities and commercial properties to make the grass as green as possible in the colder months. It also has historically been used at golf courses.

It is critical to decide on installing Ryegrass before the fall since you can’t spray a pre-emergent anywhere Ryegrass will be installed. Since pre-emergents put down a microscopic barrier that stops seeds from germinating, it will also kill the ryegrass seedlings before they germinate as well.

The complete process of installing Ryegrass and spraying pre-emergent to kill winter weeds takes about 3-4 weeks, so if you have not met with our team and visited your properties, now is the time to make that call. Let’s kill those weeds before the season slips away from you. Our weed hunters are standing by.

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of Ryegrass, read our earlier blog on the topic here.