Introduction: 0:00 Fall Pre-Emergents A Lawn Care Guide: 0:31
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Even as Fall arrives and temperatures begin to cool, it doesn’t mean you can stop with your lawn maintenance. Annual weeds like crabgrass, chickweed, clover, and annual bluegrass also known as poa annua, and many others will take over a lawn in winter. But we can get a head start on our herbicide treatments and lay down a pre-emergent herbicide during Fall.
A pre-emergent is an herbicide used to prevent weeds from germinating when temperatures are ideal for weed growth. The pre-emergent herbicide works by penetrating the top couple inches of soil, creating the protective barrier. Keep in mind that because pre-emergent herbicides prevent weed seeds from germinating, they are typically not effective for perennial weed control.
The kind of pre-emergent you need will depend on your grass type and the weeds you're controlling. If you don’t know what type of weeds you have, you may want to get a pre-emergent with a broad label. Just make sure your grass is listed on the label so you don’t damage your turfgrass.
Remember, when applying pre-emergent herbicides, timing is everything. Your application timing will depend on your region’s climate and what grass type you have. This will typically be between September and November when soil temperatures are between 50 and 70 degrees.
During and after application, you will want to make sure that enough water is used to push your pre-emergent down so that it can penetrate the soil. It’ll do you no good to leave it sitting on top of the turfgrass.
