Spring Pre Emergent for Lawns
The rules and guidelines for spring pre emergents are listed below. Follow Doc’s simple rules for a great lawn all year long.
NOTE: make sure you also do the KICK START program using → HUMICHAR as well.
Rule #1 for Spring Lawn → Pre-Emergent… it’s the most important treatment of the year to get right. Applying preemergents correctly will insure weed prevention WITHOUT the use of weed killers and NEGATIVE treatments later in the year.
Rule#2 for Spring Preemergents … they stop and prevent TOUGH weeds like goose grass and dallisgrass. These weeds are often impossible to kill during the growing season without damaging your lawn. STOP THEM in the early spring.
Rule #3… Err on the HEAVY side with pre emergents. We’re not saying GO CRAZY… but this is one time during the year you have to PREVENT the weeds. Do not go LIGHTER than the listed rates on the product labels.
Rule #4 … Follow the SPLIT TREATMENT in the → Bermuda Lawn Guide. We put down granular first then followup with a liquid in about 4-6 weeks. The granular lasts longer… the liquid has POST killing effects on anything that got through step one.
Rule #5… Only use a preemergent that is in the form of the DG particle shown. (disbursable granule) They enter the soil up to 50 times faster than preemergent particles that have to MELT.
Rule #6… Only apply pre-emergents to fairly DRY soil / lawns. Saturated soils will not HOLD your spring pre emergent. Wait for a period of dry weather, then apply.
Rule #7… It’s fine to apply pre-emergents into surrounding gardens and flower beds. As long as you don’t plan to SEEDS within the next 90 days.
What Pre Emergents to Use?
Step one… apply the granular shown below. They sell 18 and 50 lb bags.
Step Two… in about 4-6 weeks apply the below. NOTE: this bottle covers close to two acres and will last most home owners a few year.
Great spreader with LARGE wheels and 80 lb capacity.
How Pre-Emergents Work
FALSE: “Use pre-emergent to prevent the weed seeds from germinating”
This is a false statement, because lawn pre-emergents do not work unless the weed seeds have germinated. Weed seeds can lay dormant in the soil for years until the conditions are correct for them to germinate. If the initial statement was true, you should be able to apply a pre-emergent and kill all of the seeds that are in the soil. These chemicals are called pre-emergents not pre-germinators.
Once a seed germinates, the initial or primary root emerges from the seed. At this point, if a pre-emergent has been applied, when the young root absorbs moisture from the soil, the pre-emergent does its job. Depending on the specific active that is contained in the pre-emergent, either the root or initial leaf is prevents from developing and that plant dies. All of this activity occurs below the turf canopy and is never seen. This is probably the reason that people state that the seeds are prevented from germinating.
Pre-emergents are chemicals that are highly un-soluble. This is important because you want the active to remain at or very near the soil surface because this is where the majority of the weeds are and germinate. To make a proper application, you should have the pre-emergent applied 1-2 weeks before the weed seed germinates. This allows time for the pre-emergent to form a barrier across the soil surface. It is better to go early vs. late when applying your pre-emergent. Pre-emergents are mainly broken down by soil microbes. These micros are also controlled by soil temperature. If the soil temperature is cold, no microbe activity occurs and the chemical sits in the soil unaffected. With that said, going earlier not later is a good policy to follow.
