Mastering Weed Control and Prevention with the Dynamic Duo of Pre and Post Emergents

Nothing takes away from the beauty of a lush landscape than invasive weeds. If left unchecked, weeds can be a major nuisance that ruins your lawn’s aesthetics and deprives your grass of essential nutrients, leading to reduced growth and potential death.

While most people recognize that weeds can be a persistent, year-round problem, many struggle to incorporate the right approach to weed control. Ultimately, you need a comprehensive weed control program that prioritizes pre and post emergent weed control to stop all types of weeds.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the pre- and post-emergent weed control process, including its importance and when these different approaches are warranted.

Pre-Emergent Vs. Post-Emergent Weed Control

As the name suggests, pre-emergent weed control kills weeds before their emergence. It involves applying herbicides to create a vapor barrier that prevents weed growth, usually before weed seeds germinate and emerge from the soil. 

Conversely, post-emergent herbicides eliminate weeds that have already sprouted in your yard, and they penetrate the plant stem and travel to the roots to eliminate the weed. Still, some post-emergents disrupt the process of photosynthesis or even cause a rapid overgrowth that causes the plant to perish. Therefore, active weed growth is necessary to achieve successful control. 

Post-emergents are particularly effective for spot-treatment of common weeds, including perennial, annual broadleaf, and even grassy weeds like crabgrass, annual bluegrass, and quackgrass.

Why Apply Pre and Post Emergents For Weed Control? 

Through the application of pre and post-emergent herbicides, weed growth can be controlled at different stages of development, reducing the overall weed population. Additional benefits include:

• Increased property/aesthetic value of your lawn
• Less competition for resources like water, light, and nutrients in desirable plants.
• Easier lawn care and weed maintenance
• Eliminates home and food sources for pests
• Allows for selective weed control, meaning that desirable plants aren’t harmed.
• Reduced need for manual weed removal, saving time and labor costs.

Timing of Application

Strategic timing is critical for pre and post-emergent weed control to be effective. Typically, season and ground temperature determine when it’s the right time to apply your herbicide. Pre-emergent herbicide is applied in early spring before annual weeds have begun to sprout. Another ideal time is to apply pre-emergents when the soil temperatures reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are wondering if your property needs a pre-emergenct application? No need to worry, we have already applied it to our client’s properties as part of our regular maintenance offering. The pre-emergent application is completed by April 15th, annually.

Post-emergent is best applied in the fall when weeds are newly developed. However, it isn’t limited to specific seasons and can be applied whenever you spot growing dandelions, crabgrass, and other weeds dotting your yard. 

You want to ensure your desired plant growth isn’t overshadowed by the presence of weeds. If you recently overseeded or plan to seed your yard, wait before applying post-emergent herbicides so the chemicals don’t inhibit your grass seeds from growing.

A Healthy Lawn Needs More than Weed Control

There is more that goes into keeping your yard healthy and growing correctly. Incorporating other lawn care practices like proper mowing, irrigation/watering, controlling pests, aeration, and fertilization can help you grow a healthy lawn that naturally competes with common weeds. We understand all this can be too much work, so we recommend hiring a professional lawn service with all the details down to an exact science.

Maintain a Healthy and Weed-Free Yard with Professional Help From EarthWorks

As your leading landscaping specialists int he DFW area, we want your property to be healthy and dense all year-round. We would love to take the burden of dealing with weeds off your shoulders so you can enjoy your yard to the fullest!

If you’re concerned about weed growth at your property, we can help you achieve a weed-free lawn with proper pre and post emergent programs. Additionally, our fertilizing services can significantly enhance turf density, further serving as an effective defense against weeds. Contact us today to learn more about our lawn care or weed control services.