We always heard the saying: prevention is better than cure. In a case of weed controlling using pre-emergent herbicide could be a step towards prevention. Your summer lawn may end up all weedy but that is the best time to use pre-emergent herbicide and control all the unwanted floras that make your bed messy and lives on the nutrients that only your desired trees deserve.

What is pre-emergent herbicide?

Pre-emergent herbicide is the chemical substance that works on the weed seeds and stops them from growing. These are used before the weeds are actually born. We find the available products in the market in form of grassy annual weed killer.

We need to keep on mind that pre-emergent herbicides has no effect on the winter weeds as it can’t eliminate any grown or growing weed. So we need to have a clear idea before we decide the type of the herbicide.

How pre-emergent herbicides work?

The first limitation about pre-emergent herbicide is that it cannot work on the buds that are already born or with existing roots or rhizomes. More importantly, you can never use them on a flourished bed as they will harm the desired plants and affect their growth.

Pre-emergent herbicide targets the new and delicate tissues that are newly germinated and stop their growth and cause malfunction. This will result in death clearing your lawn. The plants with already grown and having strong roots are more likely not to get affected by it.

The most convenient time for a pre-emergent to work is the beginning of the summer. They work on the seeds and come with fertilizers that come handy for the gardeners.

Types of pre-emergent herbicides

There are different types of herbicide available in the market. Depending on the working formula we can classify them into two categories.

Selective herbicide: selective herbicides are those who act on selective weeds and not sensitive to the others. These come with customized formula and special ingredients.

Non-selective herbicides: non-selective herbicides are those than act on any kind of weed and solve the problem without judging the type of the weed.

The benefits of pre-emergent herbicides

There are many advantages of pre-emergent herbicides because of which one should switch to it. Some of the best pre-emergent herbicides effects are listed below:

  • This can solve the weed problem of your lawn permanently even before it starts to bother the other plants.
  • Tis involves minimum amount of efforts when used in granular or liquid form.
  • You can easily eliminate the remaining weeds manually. It will bring you closer to nature and your garden and you will get to know about the problems that our plants are facing while working on the soil or cutting the weeds.
  • As it removes the weeds for the entire season, the other plants easily have the place and necessary nutrients.

Disadvantages of pre-emergent herbicides

  • Many weed seeds are not affected by pre-emergent herbicides and may keep growing even after application.
  • The main formula of pre-emergent herbicides is to harm the seeds so you cannot plant new grass seeds or any other seed. It will be perish with the weed seeds.
  • Once the weeds start to show it has no control over it.
  • This kind of herbicides should be applied evenly all over the lawn but it could be an issue if the weed killer is not in liquid form.
  • Once it is applied it need proper amount of water and without that, it could be really tricky to get proper effects.
  • If we apply this in a particular area of the garden, it is very important there is a barrier otherwise; the soil can be distributed harming the desired plants.
  • Most of the pre-emergent herbicides are chemicals so better keep your children and pets away. It may have negative effects on the environment.

Although there are many disadvantages, pre-emergent herbicides can be really useful while taking care of the lawn.

How to apply pre-emergent herbicides?

There is a misconception that per-emergent herbicides can be applied anytime before the planting as it works on the seeds but if the gap is more than instructed it may not work on the next batch of weed and you need to find another solution to that.

Here are some basic instructions for applying pre-emergent herbicide.

  • You need to spread the weed killer evenly on the ground. Dumping at one place would result in vain. Watering is must so better apply before a fall.
  • Use a drop type spreader for best result.
  • The liquid ready-to-use herbicides are always preferable and ensure better effects.

There are all the basic information you will need while working with pre-emergent herbicides. The winter seed doesn’t required fertilizer so you should avoid its usage at that time. It seems to be beneficial to the summer garden mainly.

One Response

  1. Hi Ann
    Just a question regarding new seedlings planted in sandy soils as a infill process for urban forest ongoing improvement for Perth.
    If an area has had 1 to 2 treatments of pre-emergent applied per year ,can this lead to deficiencies in the plant or tree?
    Regards

    Steve

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