Pre-Emergent Weed Control 101 - What Is It & When Should It Be Applied? Monday, July 11, 2022

Weed control is used to neutralize pesky weeds growing in your lawn. There are two types: pre-emergent and post-emergent. Pre-emergent weed control targets seeds in their early stages before they ever grow strong roots in your soil. The pre-emergent acts as a barrier to prevent weeds from sprouting up through the soil and taking over your lawn. In Georgia, the best times to apply pre-emergent weed control are in the spring and the fall. If any weeds slip through the treatment throughout the year, you'll need to use a post-emergent treatment to take care of any actively growing weeds.

What is pre-emergent weed control and how does it work?

A pre-emergent treatment is a type of weed control applied twice a year to target weed seedlings before they have a chance to grow into full weeds in your yard. This treatment can come as either a dry granule or liquid spray. After a thorough coat is applied across the entire lawn, the pre-emergent weed control product will begin acting as a barrier right away. As the weed seeds begin to germinate, the pre-emergent barrier will block them from breaking through the soil, thus cutting off their access to essential resources like sunlight. The weeds will then die out and your grass will have access to all the nutrients it needs!

The best times to apply pre-emergent weed control are in the spring and fall.

Because pre-emergent weed control only works on weeds that are in a certain stage of life, the timing is crucial and there is only a short window of time for a successful pre-emergent treatment. Not all weed seeds germinate at the same time of the year; however, most germinate in either the spring or the fall. To block as many weeds as possible, you should be applying pre-emergent weed control treatments twice per year, once in the spring and once in the fall.

Pre-emergent weed control will protect your lawn against dandelions, crabgrass, chickweeds, and more!

What should you do if any weeds slip through the pre-emergent treatment?

As mentioned above, pre-emergent weed control is only effective in the early stages of weed growth. While applying a pre-emergent treatment in the spring and the fall will tackle most weeds, there is a chance that some weeds in your lawn are already past the germination stage at the time of the treatments. This means that the pre-emergent barrier won't be effective in getting rid of them and they'll continue to grow. That's where post-emergent weed control comes in!

Unlike pre-emergent weed control, post-emergent weed control should be a spot treatment rather than a blanket treatment across your entire yard. Post-emergent weed control should only be used as you see the weeds throughout the year and should be sprayed directly on them for the best results. This treatment will kill the weed all the way down to the root, ensuring that it does not grow back.

For a truly weed-free lawn, you'll need to use both pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments - never one or the other!

Call us to schedule our pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments!

At TurfXpert, we are dedicated to neutralizing the threat of weeds in your yard. Our professionals have the proper licenses and expertise to handle an abundance of weed types that are found in Georgia. Our weed control program includes both pre- and post-emergent treatments, as well as fertilizer, iron, and lime treatments. We offer two different lawn care schedules, depending on if your lawn has cool- or warm-season grass.

We proudly serve the Woodstock, GA area, including Roswell, Alpharetta, and more. Call (833) 444-8873 to sign up for our lawn care program that includes effective weed control treatments.