
There’s plenty of false knowledge and misinformation surrounding pre-emergent use on lawns. Pre-emergents, when used correctly, may be one of the crucial efficient instruments for conserving your yard wholesome and weed free. It’s necessary to grasp how they work and what their limitations are earlier than you may actually harness the facility of this device.
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Sod College incorporates a visitor author, Nick Radford of Todd Valley Farms Inc., who discusses the efficient use of a pre-emergent because the season for spring pre-emergent functions grows nearer.
What’s a spring pre-emergent?
What’s the distinction between a pre-emergent and a post-emergent?
First, it’s necessary to notice the distinction between pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides. A pre-emergent, as its identify suggests, prevents the weed from rising within the first place—that is helpful if you’re anticipating the identical type of weed to seem yearly or to regulate weeds earlier than they seem so that you could scale back labor spent exterior hand-pulling them.
A post-emergent herbicide kills weeds after they’ve already appeared—you’ve already noticed them rising in your garden. A pre-emergent utilized earlier than weeds germinate as temperatures rise after a protracted winter are used to stop spring and summer season weeds.
“Opposite to widespread delusion, pre-emergents don’t stop seeds from germinating,” explains Radford. “They assault seeds through the germination course of. Pre-emergents work by blocking the plant from producing the protein that permits plant cells to divide throughout mitosis. This cell division is what we see as progress.
“The preliminary cell division occurs contained in the seed coat. If the seed matures previous this stage, the basis growth may have been broken, inflicting the plant to die missing the flexibility to correctly discover or course of vitamin. The pre-emergent then additionally acts as a root pruner. This causes younger susceptible roots to show inward and stunts their progress.”

Photograph Credit score: www.geckopest.com
“The opposite delusion that I typically hear is that in case you aerate your garden after making use of a pre-emergent, it’s going to make the pre-emergent ineffective. That is additionally not one hundred pc true. It’s not one thing that it is best to do because it doesn’t assist the effectiveness.”
“Nonetheless, in case you should aerate after an utility, it won’t utterly spoil the results of the pre-emergent. Pre-emergents keep in your soil and create a barrier layer that seeds on this zone are affected by. The soil eliminated through the aeration course of will break aside and fill again into the holes over time otherwise you discard the dust plugs letting the holes fill again in with remaining soil. Within the case of the latter, you’ve gotten wasted cash on the pre-emergent that remained within the soil plugs you discarded.”

Photograph Credit score: www.horizononline.com
What weeds do spring pre-emergents management?
Pre-emergents sometimes management a big selection of assorted broadleaf and grassy weeds. The easiest way to regulate a sure kind of weed you might even see yr after yr is to test the product label and see if the weed you expertise is listed. No single pre-emergent works for all weed sorts.
Within the spring or summer season, among the most typical weeds householders and turfgrass professionals alike expertise are clover, crabgrass, prostrate knotweed, spurge, goosegrass, lespedeza, dallisgrass, nutsedge, dandelion, chickweed, doveweed and dollarweed.
Pictured above: Row 1 – Clover, crabgrass, knotweed and spurge; Row 2 – Goosegrass, lespedeza, dallisgrass and nutsedge; Row 3 – Dandelion, chickweed, doveweed and dollarweed.
In the event you aren’t positive of which weeds you often encounter, our weblog on Figuring out Frequent Garden Weeds goes into ideas for figuring out many several types of weeds.
When ought to pre-emergents be utilized?
The precise window for spring pre-emergent functions can fluctuate relying on the place you’re geographically positioned. Within the southern most components of the nation, you may start making use of pre-emergents as quickly as January 1st.
Different areas can apply pre-emergents between March fifteenth–Might fifth whereas essentially the most northern areas of the nation ought to apply pre-emergents after Might twenty fifth and into the month of June. The very best rule to go by is apply your first pre-emergent utility of the spring when soil temperatures attain 55 levels Fahrenheit.

In the event you aren’t positive the right way to decide your soil’s temperature, use a soil thermometer just like the one listed under. Pre-emergents must be utilized once more within the fall to stop fall and winter weeds.
What’s the distinction between a spring pre-emergent and a fall pre-emergent?
Pre-emergents must be utilized a minimum of twice a yr. As beforehand talked about, they need to be utilized within the spring earlier than the bottom temperature reaches 55 levels Fahrenheit. Then it must be utilized once more within the early fall after temperatures start to return down. Not a lot modifications moreover the timing from spring and fall and the kinds of weeds you’ll stop. Learn The best way to Use a Pre-Emergent Herbicide within the Fall for extra particulars.
Nick Radford says, “A great tip is that it’s higher to use a pre-emergent early reasonably than late. As beforehand acknowledged, pre-emergents don’t kill present weeds—placing it down after weed seeds have germinated is just not efficient. Until it’s washed away by heavy rains, pre-emergents will stay dormant in your soil till the soil temperatures rise. So, functions made within the late fall should be efficient the next spring.”
Which pre-emergent ought to I exploit?
There are numerous kinds of pre-emergents and lots of pre-emergents are the identical with a unique identify. The 2 most typical are Prodiamine and Dithiopyr (Dimension 2EW). These are each good merchandise and so they each are straightforward to search out and apply. It is very important know that no single pre-emergent works for all weed sorts.
Prodiamine is inexpensive and stays put in your soil longer. Dithiopyr is a bit more costly and may wash via your soil extra simply, but it surely additionally has post-emergent properties that others should not have. It should kill younger weeds as much as the three-leaf stage of progress. This makes it a more sensible choice if you’re barely late along with your utility.
Hello-Yield Atrazine, Spectracide Weed Cease for St. Augustine and Centipede Lawns and Tenacity are additionally post-emergent herbicides that deal with weeds after germination. They will operate as each pre- and post-emergent herbicides relying on the time of utility and the applying fee.
Hello-Yield Atrazine and Spectracide Weed Cease for St. Augustine and Centipede Lawns are the most secure pre- and post-emergents to make use of on St. Augustine and centipede lawns as each grass sorts may be delicate and simply broken by different lively components present in weed management merchandise.
“Most premixed over-the-counter pre-emergents have two or extra varieties blended to cowl a broader spectrum of weeds. I personally like to make use of a mix of Prodiamine, Dithiopyr and a small share of Isoxaben (linked under). I’ve discovered this to be the simplest for the big number of weeds I encounter,” says Radford.
How do I apply a pre-emergent within the spring?
Pre-emergents can be found as granules or liquid merchandise. Granular pre-emergents must be utilized with a broadcast or drop spreader in accordance to the product label.
Liquid pre-emergents are sometimes tank blended and utilized with a backpack sprayer. Though this takes extra effort and time, you often get much more product. For instance, a 50 lb. bag of granular Crabgrass Management Plus 0-0-7 covers 12,500 sq. ft. Whereas a half gallon bottle of liquid Dimension covers 87,000–228,000 sq. ft. Discuss with the product label for mixing directions and observe all security precautions when mixing/making use of chemical substances.
Ought to I exploit a pre-emergent upon sod set up, seeding or plugging?
Can I exploit a pre-emergent on new sod?
“There isn’t any motive to make use of pre-emergent on newly laid sod. You probably have taken all the correct steps previous to placing the sod down and completely sprayed out all of the pre-existing weeds, there must be few weeds that survive. People who do survive are simply pulled by hand or managed with a post-emergent later,” Radford explains.
“It’s necessary to know that the basis pruning impact of the pre-emergent is damaging to sod. Some types of turfgrass are much less inclined to main harm, however it’s not wholesome for any selection. When you find yourself seeding a garden then again, your frequent pre-emergents will kill the seed that you just put down. It’s by no means really useful to make use of Prodiamine, Dithiopyr, Isoxaben or any spinoff of those when seeding. It should destroy your garden one hundred pc of the time.”
Can I exploit a pre-emergent on new grass plugs?
“When you find yourself plugging a garden, it’s extremely really useful to make use of a pre-emergent. After spending plenty of time on experimenting with completely different pre-emergents on several types of plugs, I’ve not discovered one but that damages the plugs. In actual fact, while you plug your garden with out pre-emergents, it takes two to 3 instances longer for the yard to fill in!” Try the photographs under to see two plots of land: one with a pre-emergent utilized and one with no pre-emergent utilized.
Pictured above: Untreated plot of land on June twenty fourth (left) and the identical untreated plot of land vs. a handled plot of land on September sixteenth (proper).
“I’ve learn many, many college research on pre-emergent herbicides and researched how pre-emergents work. Primarily based on the research and the info I discovered, this shouldn’t be the case. The foundation pruning properties and the impact it has on mitosis ought to stop the plug from spreading or possibly dwelling in any respect. I’ve just a few theories for why this isn’t true for plugs.”
“The very best motive I can provide is that this: the stolons the plugs unfold out acquire sufficient vitamins from the mom plant to maintain the basis growth via the layer of pre-emergent. The unique plug is mature sufficient to not be affected by the pre-emergent. Regardless of the motive, I’ve seen no harm to plugs utilizing pre-emergent and the discount of competitors from weeds permits the plugs to fill in at an accelerated fee.”
“Additionally, heat season grasses can have destructive results when post-emergent weed killers are utilized in temperatures over 90 levels Fahrenheit. Because of this as effectively, it’s higher to regulate the weeds earlier than they develop into a difficulty.”
“If you use it whereas planting grass plugs, it is best to put pre-emergent down instantly following the planting of the plugs. I like to recommend making use of it to newly planted plugs each three months till the realm has stuffed in utterly.”
Can I exploit a pre-emergent on new seed?
“It shouldn’t be used if in case you have overseeded or intend to overseed inside 6–8 weeks (or typically longer relying on the pre-emergent used).”

Though fertilizer isn’t going to assist kill your weeds, a superb fertilizer program will assist your garden keep wholesome and thick in order that it chokes out weeds. Be sure you take a look at our really useful Lawnifi® Spring Fertilizer Field and Lawnifi’s granular product, Basis, to assist in giving your garden the vitamin it wants when it wants it. Lawnifi is a fertilizer program powered by Catalyst Know-how™ that matches seasonal modifications with mixed fertilizer packing containers for spring, summer season and fall. The Spring Fertilizer Field comprises one bottle of Enhance and two bottles of Preserve, which work collectively to assist your garden come out of winter dormancy and put together for the warmth of summer season. Go to Why Use Lawnifi Fertilizer? to study extra.
For extra data on pre-emergents, make sure to try the next associated articles: Weed Management in Your Garden & Backyard, Figuring out Frequent Garden Weeds and The best way to Use a Pre-Emergent Herbicide within the Fall. Lastly, take a look at the number of herbicides, together with pre-emergents, Sod Options provides right here.