What is pre-emergent weed control and do I need it for my lawn?

Weeds in your lawn and landscape can be unsightly, make your property appear neglected, and can even pass on allergens and provide a host for harmful pests such as fleas and ticks. When you think of weed control in your lawn or landscape you probably think of spraying something to kill them, right? While that IS the most common form of weed control; the best way to control many weeds is to, well, stop them before they even become a problem. This is where pre-emergent weed control treatments come into play. These treatments prevent many weeds by controlling them before they even germinate. Pre-emergent weed control treatments are extremely important in controlling hard to kill weeds such as Crabgrass, Foxtail, and many other annual weeds.

How does pre-emergent weed control work?

Pre-emergent weed control works by interfering the germination process in lawn and landscape weeds. Available in both liquid and granular options, the product is applied to the lawn or landscape beds, which then forms a weed “barrier”. When the weed seed germinates, this barrier prevents the seedling from receiving the nutrients it needs to survive and dies. In order for pre-emergent treatments to work they must be applied before the weed seeds germinate.

When are pre-emergent applications done?

Crabgrass and many other problematic annual weed seeds germinate in the spring when soil temperatures reach 55°F. In our Ankeny, Johnston, Polk City and Urbandale, IA services areas this is typically mid-April to May. Because of this, we time our lawn and landscape pre-emergent applications accordingly. We control crabgrass in our annual lawn treatment package by utilizing a split application approach. Crabgrass preventer is applied over the first 2 rounds of our program, guaranteeing season-long control.

LawnOxygen would love to be your residential or commercial lawn treatment service provider and help protect your lawn and landscape from pesky annual weeds. Call us at 515-639-0604 or request an estimate online to sign up for our lawn and landscape weed control service.