Importance of Fall Pre-emergent Weed Control
As the temperatures drop, you might be thinking it’s time to wrap up your regular lawn care for the season. However, your work isn’t quite over if you expect to maintain a lush and green lawn throughout the fall. Now is the time to start thinking about weed prevention for winter weeds and even spring weeds so your lawn has a solid line of defense through the cooler months. Here, we’ll look at how pre-emergent herbicides can stop weeds before they germinate and why fall is such an important time for the health of your lawn.
How Pre-emergent Weed Control Works
Rather than battling with weeds encroaching on your lawn, it’s always better to be proactive to keep them at bay. Taking a preventative approach to weeds will likely save you time and headaches in the end making the weeds that inevitably pop up much more manageable. One of the biggest ways to keep your flower beds weed-free (and the rest of your lawn) is to apply a pre-emergent herbicide. Applied before a typical growing season for various types of weeds, these herbicides tackle germinating weed seeds and prevent them from sprouting. Once weeds are growing, pre-emergents will no longer work to control them. At that point, you would need to apply a post-emergent herbicide. While both are effective, pre-emergents are often preferred because they prevent sprouting and eliminate unsightly weeds before they become visible among the turfgrass.
Why Fall Is the Best Time for Pre-emergent Weed Control
When to apply pre-emergents depends on the types of weeds you’re trying to prevent. Fall application usually tackles winter weeds like poa annua (annual bluegrass, which is not the same as Kentucky bluegrass) and early spring weeds like henbit and chickweed. When soil temperatures fall during the cool season, many of these weeds begin germinating, so you’ll need to start planning around September if you want to get ahead of it. You can also plan to apply a spring pre-emergent, which will sustain the fall application’s benefits and prevent any summer weeds from germinating.
Additionally in fall, core aeration and overseeding are recommended for fall lawn maintenance for cool-season fescue lawns in Atlanta. Aeration and overseeding will fill in any bare patches in your lawn, allowing grass to grow thicker and stronger and keeping the weeds out. However, it’s important to schedule them correctly. If you are planning to overseed your lawn, you’ll want to avoid a pre-emergent, since they’re designed to stop germination. After seeding, once the grass is fully mature, you can spot treat weeds as they come up. A spring pre-emergent in the following season will be crucial to keeping your lawn clear of weeds through summer.
Key Benefits of Fall Pre-emergent Weed Control
Of course, the biggest benefit of any weed control is stopping the weeds from growing where you don’t want them. If you’re looking at bed weed control or overall lawn weed control, here’s why handling it in the fall is so important:
Preventing Spring Weed Growth
It’s no secret that weeds pop up in Georgia all year long, so you aren’t off the hook in the winter. But applying a pre-emergent in the fall will not only help control those winter weeds but also make it harder for spring weeds to take hold.
Reducing Competition for Grass Growth
Weeds are opportunists and they compete with your lawn for water and nutrients. They will find any bare or patchy spot in your yard and work to take it over. Keeping up with annual core aeration and/or lawn overseeding encourages turfgrass growth, which crowds out the weeds and doesn’t give them enough space to thrive. But pre-emergents will protect your lawn in weak areas by stopping weeds from taking claim in your grass.
How to Apply Pre-emergent Herbicides for Weed Control in the Fall
It isn’t as easy as buying some herbicide and tossing it on the lawn. For the best results and maximum weed control, you’ll need to do some research and planning.
Determine What Types of Weeds You Have
Determining what type of weeds are in your yard can be tricky because the whole goal of a pre-emergent is to tackle weeds before they’re seen. However, you can research your area’s most common winter and spring weeds and compare what you’ve seen in previous seasons. For those in the Atlanta area, poa annua, henbit, and chickweed are extremely common. Crabgrass is another pesky weed that is at its worst during the summer months. However, it often germinates in the spring, so fall pre-emergent application can also help slow or prevent it.
Choose the Best Pre-Emergent
Not all pre-emergent herbicide applications are created equally. Some pre-emergent products target specific types of weeds (for instance, crabgrass requires an herbicide with the active ingredient prodiamine) and others take a more general approach to stop winter weeds like poa or chickweed. You will also need to choose the application method for your pre-emergent herbicide. Liquid pre-emergents are meant to be sprayed on the lawn, usually with a backpack sprayer, while granular pre-emergent herbicides are sprinkled across the turf using a drop or broadcast spreader. Be sure to always check the product label on any pre-emergent you purchase so you know exactly what active ingredients it contains and how to apply them properly.
Get the Timing Right
Early fall is the best time if you want to ensure you can halt the progress of winter weeds before they germinate. Wait until soil temperatures start to drop (as daytime temperatures do the same), and then be ready to apply. Remember that you’ll need to plan your herbicide application around other fall lawn maintenance, like aeration and overseeding.
How Professional Lawn Care Services Can Help
Remember that while some warm-season grasses go dormant during winter, weeds do not take a break. While summer and fall weeds die off, new winter weeds are waiting to take their place. Getting weed control right, from choosing the best pre-emergent herbicide to timing the application perfectly, can be a daunting task. For the best fertilization and weed control in Atlanta, you need All Turf Lawn Care. Our lawn care experts know when and how to get your weed invasion under control so you can have a gorgeous and healthy lawn all year long. We also offer comprehensive monthly lawn care, lawn aeration, overseeding, and mosquito control in Atlanta. Contact us today for a free quote!
