The time has come to get outside and start enjoying the beautiful weather but, sadly their is work to be done first before the ease of enjoying the great outdoors can transpire. With just a quick glance one immediately understands that before the family can head outdoors the weeds must be tamed and destroyed. With these ten helpful steps the yard, sidewalks, patios, and driveways will be weed free in no time at all. The ice cold lemonade and grill await so let us get started.
Tip 1: Since the weeds are already growing it is too late to use a pre-emergent herbicide so please be sure to read the label carefully and select an herbicide that is used for already sprouted weeds called a post-emergent herbicide. To achieve maximum results one should apply the herbicide when the weeds are actually growing and not just green.
Tips 2 & 3: Post-emergent herbicides are classified in several different ways. They can either be labeled as contact or systemic herbicides. A contact herbicide kills “only the green tissues contacted by the spray” where as systemic herbicides “move within the plant from the point of application to other plant parts” effectively killing the root. Post-emergent herbicides can also be categorized as selective or non selective. Selective herbicides target specific weeds like dandelions and non selective herbicides will destroy any and all green vegetation including flowers and grass.
Tips 4 & 5: There are several different brands of weed killer so before heading out to the store one might want to try and determine the types of weeds growing in the yard or sidewalks. A great post-emergent herbicide to keep the sidewalks, patios, and driveways free and clear of weeds is Total Kill Weed and Grass Killer (found exclusively at home depot – 1 gallon for around $7.00). If the front and back yards have become overrun by dandelions use Ortho Weed B Gon Max which is “designed to kill a range of common weeds with just one application” (this too can be found at home depot 24 oz for around $ 6.00). Other great varieties are Reward which is a contact herbicide. Reward will do best on small annual weeds. Seythe is another contact herbicide that does well on small seedling weeds. Finale is a systemic herbicide that kills annuals. This weed killer works fast showing symptoms within 48 hours however, Finale may not be as useful at controlling perennial weeds. A different systemic herbicide that kills both annual and perennial weeds that has a low mammalian toxicity making this a good choice if there are family pets is Roundup-Pro. The downfall to Roundup-Pro is that the spray can drift and cause severe damage to your beautiful lawn and flower gardens.
Tips 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10: The best time to apply a post-emergent herbicide is when the temperature is between 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Also try to apply the weed killer when the weeds are small. Look for the two to four leaf stages to achieve the best results. Now that the type of weed has been determined and the weed is still on the small side it is time to watch the weather. The individual labels will provide the drying time. Drying time can vary from thirty minutes to eight hours. This is the amount of time that needs to pass before watering or rainfall allowing the herbicide to penetrate deep down to the weeds roots. Another great way to get the utmost results is to “avoid mowing 3 to 4 days before application then delay mowing 3 to 4 days after.” This will also cut down on transference.
Now that the researching the different weeds and post-emergent herbicides is complete it is time to sit back and watch those weeds disappear before your eyes. After all that hard work it is time to get the grill out and enjoy that lemonade.
http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/lawns/weeds/postemergence_herbicides.htm
www.homedepotgardenclub.com/Dimensions/Article.aspx?contentid=272
www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-648.html
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extensions/ag-env/nursery/postemergence.html
