Spring Time is Crucial for Weed Prevention

Do you want a weed free lawn?  Your weed management program must start in the spring to eliminate the chance of weed infestation.  Although the weeds can still be controlled after they've invaded your lawn, its not as cost effective as preventing them in the first place.  Using the right products at the right time will provide you with a dense, healthy, and weed free lawn.  Keep in mind there is an organic program (which I will likely discuss in a separate post) for those that don't like using synthetic chemicals in their lawns.

 

A successful weed management program involves the following:

1.  Proper weed identification

2.  Prevention of weed introduction

3.  Proper turfgrass management or cultural practices to encourage competitive turf growth

4.  If necessary, the proper selection and use of a herbicide

Leathers Turf Company will be using a product that prevents weeds and feeds all season with a single application.  The best time to use this product is right before ground temperatures reach 53 to 58 degrees at a 4 in. depth.  This is when crabgrass will begin to germinate which usually coincides with flowering plants such as redbuds, pears, and cherry trees.  Here in Southern Kentucky early April is usually the right time to apply a weed preventer (preemergence herbicide) product.  The product we use also has a polymer coated fertilizer that feeds for 4 to 6 months and is very "eco-friendly" compared to other slow release fertilizers.  As with my experience, using this product will normally last the 6 months.  It will likely be late September / early October when this product peters out.  It will then be time to reapply the same product to "weed and feed" for the fall. Once your lawn is dense and healthy then a stand alone fertilizer for the fall should be fine.  I would recommend using an organic fertilizer at that time. 

However, if you overseed your lawn in the fall (September is best) the seed must be incorporated into the soil (using power seeder, aerifier, etc.) to ensure seed to soil contact for germination as well as the precautionary measure to break the barrier created by the preemergent herbicide applied in the spring (if still active).  I recommend applying a starter fertilizer in conjunction with the seed.  You would not want to apply a preemergent herbicide at this time as that would inhibit the grass seed from growing.  Although if you insist on using a preemerge you would need to wait until the grass seed has germinated.  The two main weeds around here that germinate in the fall are chickweed and henbit.  These weeds may sprout when your grass seed is sprouting leaving the only option of control by spraying a broadleaf weed killer.  However, last season, I applied a preemerge herbicide to my lawn in April and only broadcast seed in October.  I also applied lime and a starter fertilizer.  The seed did germinate without being forced into the ground, hence the weed preventative barrier created by the preemerge was spent by that time.  I also don't think the chickweed and henbit germinated along with the grass, so I probably could have prevented those weeds by applying a preemerge a week or two after the grass sprouted.