How Pre-Emergents Protect Your Lawn & Garden

As diligent of a landscaper as you are, chances are you’re going to deal with a few weeds sooner or later. While there are many good herbicides out there, the fact is they’re only really useful after weeds have already sprung up. Even then, it’s important to know which herbicides are most effective for the kind of weeds you’re facing. With pre-emergent herbicides, on the other hand, it’s possible to protect your garden from weeds before they get a chance to take root. For some lawns and gardens, it may be the most ideal weed solution you could find.

How Do Pre-Emergents Work?

Essentially, the job of pre-emergents is to stop weeds from growing so you don’t have to deal with them later. To do this, they use a combination of chemicals that lay just underneath the soil to attack new root cells. This means that they don’t stop the germination of weeds, but they do prevent their root cells from ever maturing enough to make them grow. In the end, the baby weeds never get big enough to break through the soil.

The chemicals in pre-emergents are specifically formulated to attack new plants. This means that established plants in your garden have nothing to fear, however, new seed beds are especially vulnerable. When spraying, be sure that there is little wind, as this can spread the chemicals towards healthy plants and possibly hurt them. Also, keep in mind that these chemicals are activated by water. Watering causes the chemicals to be absorbed into root systems of newly formed weeds. It’s also important to keep in mind the time of year your expected weeds will be born, as spraying pre-emergents will have little effect after a weed has taken root. This should help stop most seasonal weeds, but they can be less effective with weeds like dandelions which germinate year-round, making them difficult to predict.

At Abracadabra Lawn Pest & Weed Control, we’re here to help you achieve the beautiful, lush, and weed-free lawn of your dreams. Contact us here to learn more about our services and schedule a lawn examination today!