If you have or are looking to get on a weed control program, then planning your strategy is very important. One of the first items to plan are the pre-emergent applications and timing is everything with this.

The way pre-emergent works is by creating a barrier in the soil where most seeds will germinate or where the newly germinate roots will grow. This barrier will either inhibit further growth or will kill the seedling and will put an end to your future weed problem. The reason timing is important is due when the seeds germinate. This is dictated by the soil temperature.

Typically, your summertime weeds will start to germinate when soil temperatures are consistently in the upper 50’s or higher. Here in Central Texas this is in late February or March. The strategy is to have your product down before the soil reaches these temperatures and the seeds germinate. If you are late on the application, then you will see weeds this summer.

The wintertime weeds will germinate when the soil temperatures start to cool into the 60’s which is normally around October or November. Even though you start to really see these weeds in January through March, they germinated and started growing before Thanksgiving. The application typically needs to go down in September to get the best control.

There are many different types of products to help with preventing weeds. What is important is to rotate the products with different products each year to prevent weed resistance. You want to change the products by Mode of Action. This is the way in which the pre-emerge attacks the weed. There are different brands of product but with the same mode of action, so it’s important to know how each one of them works.

The best way to tackle this is to have a professional company manage your turf. Many states, including Texas require a company to have a pesticide license to apply a product at your property. This will help ensure that the person applying the pre-emergent knows what they are doing.

For more information check this video out on how the service works: