Early Spring Weed Control

This is a great time to get a jump start with weed control. A weed is simply a plant you don’t want, flowers growing in your lawn or grass growing in your rose area are unwanted plants. Knowing what you want to target is extremely important. There are broadleaf weeds and grass weeds, and there are different products to target them. Herbicides have been formulated to kill one without affecting the other.




Mechanical:  Hand pulling mature weed is the safest, but seems like the most un-popular weed control method. Other mechanical methods are hula hoes, shovels and hoes these do a great job on the smaller weeds that are not producing seed pods. If there are seeds or flowers make sure to get rid of them, leaving them in the area will only create more seeds later. If you have a large property and want to use a tractor and drag as early in the season as possible when the plants are small.

Chemical: Herbicides include selective, non selective and pre emergent’s. All chemicals herbicides should be used carefully, if so they will work well. Most gardeners are familiar with contact spray weed control. Companies that make these products do an amazing amount of research and development and have put all the information on the package. Temperature and the age of the plant can make a difference in the effeteness of the product.
Crabgrass is tough to kill mostly because many wait too long before applying the herbicide. Spraying early in spring when the plant is young will give you the results you are looking for, too late and it just a waste of money and un-necessary use of chemicals.

Pre-emergent Weed Control

Another important consideration is the seeds lying dormant from years prior. These seeds are not only in garden beds but also in the lawn area. Seeds are dispersed in many ways wind, soil amendments, garden equipment and animals and they can remain dormant for many years under inches of soil. Seeds can work their way up getting close enough to get the required light and moisture giving them all they need to germinate.
Pre-emergent herbicides are designed to be applied before the targeted weed has a chance to germinate. Timing and water are very important to the success rate of pre-emergent products. Water is needed to break down the granular pieces allowing them to make a barrier inhibiting seeds to germinate. They will not affect established plants. Applying pre-emergent now will help with the early spring crops of weeds, then a second application in 60 10 80 days will control the summer emerging varieties.
February can bring snow and rain, I have had great success in applying these products right on the snow, as it melts it moves product right under the top inch of the soil.
These products work best in areas that low traffic, if you break the barrier seeds can and will germinate. Drive ways and walk ways will need both pre-emergent and spot weed treatments.

Most importantly good weed control starts with getting rid of the unwanted plants before they go to seed, no matter the method you choose do it before the plant spreads those seeds all over your landscape. If you pull out plants with seed heads, toss them, don’t count on a compost pile to kill those seeds.

Once you start good weed control habits you will be surprised and pleased that each new season will bring less and less weed population.