Why is it important to start a Weed Control and Fertilizer Program on your lawn now? Crabgrass and many other grassy weeds will begin to germinate when the soil temperature is consistently 55 degrees.
To prevent crabgrass, goosegrass and many other grassy weeds a pre-emergence herbicide needs to be applied to your lawn between mid January and mid March. Pre-emergent herbicides are chemicals that keep weeds from germinating. Timing of the pre-emergent application is important because most applications will not control the weed once it has germinated and emerged. When a weed seed tries to put down roots, the pre-emergent keeps the root from forming, and the seed dies. Pre-emergent herbicides can be either liquid or granular. Follow the label directions for appropriate chemical application and watering or your lawn care technician’s instructions. The application will be ineffective if the chemical is not watered into the top ½-1" of soil. For season long weed control, a second pre-emergent application should be applied eight to twelve weeks later. Annual grassy weeds complete their life cycle in one growing season. They only come back each year from seeds they produced the previous season. A single dormant crabgrass plant before it dies in the fall can produce as many as 5,000 seeds waiting to sprout the next spring. Without the pre-emergent herbicide, grassy weeds will eventually choke out the desired turf in your lawn. Lorne Hall, President of WesternLawns always encourages people to start their Weed Control and Fertilizer applications early!
Healthy turf is the best way to control weed populations. When you have a healthy lawn, the weed seed cannot reach the soil surface to germinate, nor will it have enough sun to grow. Fertilizing, proper watering and insect and disease control are the keys to keeping weeds from invading your lawn. WesternLawns has a great 7-step Weed Control & Fertilizer Program designed to keep your lawn green, healthy and weed free.
For more information or to receive a free Lawn Analysis call or email us at 405.943.4242 or petemoss@westernlawns.com.
Another great resource is Oklahoma State University’s Fact Sheets.