Here are 10 great tips for applying pre-emergent herbicides to your lawn. These products should help kill all the weeds before they emerge; giving you the lawn you have always wanted.
Tip #1 Do Not Apply After Weeds Germinate
Once your weeds have germinated and have started to grow, it is too late to apply pre-emergent herbicides. Like the name applies, you must apply this product before weeds are visible. Applying these products after weeds are visible is a waste of money and time.
Tip #2 Notice When Weeds Emerge
While this tip means it is too late to apply pre-emergent herbicides this year, the information will be very valuable for next year. Investigate when your weeds sprout this year, than count back two or three weeks. This is going to be the timetable that you want to use herbicides next year. This will mean you apply the herbicides at the right time, and you will be able to kill pesky weeds.
Tip #3 If you Think you are to Late do not apply Pre-Emergent Herbicides
Like I stated above, pre-emergent herbicides only work before weeds start to show up. This means that if you think you are late in applying your product; do not apply it at all. Instead switch to post-emergent herbicides, because these products target weeds after they have emerged.
Tip #4 Follow the Instructions
Your pre-emergent herbicides are all going to come with detailed instructions. The worst thing you can do is not follow them. Use the recommend amount of product, spray it as directed, and do it at the right time, and you should be able to kill the weeds before they arrive.
Tip #5 Water your Lawn Afterwards
After you apply pre-emergent herbicides, you are going to want to water your lawn. This may surprise a lot of people, thinking that will wash the product away, however, this will activate the herbicides, and that is what allows it to kill weeds.
Tip #6 Reapply Product if Necessary
If you are not confident with the way you used the product, or if you think you should use the product on another round of coverage, you can. This can also make sure and kill any late germinating weeds that did not germinate with the other weeds. This would be a common occurrence with things like crabgrass.
Tip #7 Avoid Pre-Emergent Herbicides on new Sod
According to this website, you should not place pre-emergent herbicides on new sod. I would agree with this recommendation. New sod does not always have strong roots, and pre-emergent herbicides could cause some slight damage to the new grass.
Tip #8 Read the Warning Labels
Read the warning labels on pre-emergent herbicides, not only for your protection, but also for your lawn’s protection. Make sure the product does not target any of the grass, or flowers, you may have in your yard that you want to keep. Accidental damage is a terrible thing to do to your lawn because you forgot to read a label.
Tip #9 Apply Every Year
I would recommend applying these products to your lawn every year. Just make sure that you apply them at the right time, and you should have no problem providing protection every year to your lawn, and hopefully making it stronger every year.
Tip # 10 Prepare Your Lawn for Weed Season
Using pre-emergent herbicides is a great way to prevent weeds, but you should also prepare your lawn for your battle with weeds prior to this time. Do things like keeping your lawn mowed slightly higher, this will prevent weeds from being able to get the soil depth and nutrients necessary to grow, preventing your lawn from ever having weeds.
Helpful Links
http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/when-to-apply-pre-emergent-and-post-emergent-herbicides/index.html
http://landscaping.about.com/od/weedsdiseases/qt/kill_crab_grass.htm
