Pre-Emergent Weed Control: What Is It & When Should It Be Applied?

Pre-Emergent Weed Control: What Is It & When Should It Be Applied?

Weeds are a nuisance for property owners in Pennsylvania, as they steal nutrients from your grass and detract from its curb appeal. Fortunately, you can get a jumpstart on these nutrient-stealing plants with pre-emergent weed control! These treatments are designed to prevent newly germinated weeds from sprouting above the soil, stopping them before they become a problem for your lawn. To ensure they're down before a certain point in the weed growth cycle, you'll want to apply them in early spring. However, pre-emergents don't work on existing weeds, so you'll want to utilize post-emergent weed control treatments to eliminate them.

What is pre-emergent weed control, and how does it work?

Pre-emergent weed control is a type of herbicide treatment that helps to prevent weeds from sprouting on your lawn. These treatments are applied across your entire turf, where they create a barrier in the soil that newly germinated weeds can't penetrate. This means that when they try to grow, they'll come into contact with the pre-emergent treatment and stop, preventing them from reaching the resources they need. As a result, they die before they ever surface and cause problems for your lawn.

When should you apply pre-emergent weed control treatments?

Timing is everything when it comes to applying pre-emergent weed control treatments. That's because these treatments are only effective on weeds that haven't yet passed a certain point in their growth cycle. So, you'll want to apply them once in early spring to get ahead of germinating weeds at the start of the new growing season. By applying pre-emergent weed control treatments during this time, you can ensure they're down and are at their most effective before weeds start surfacing, keeping your turf weed-free as it begins actively growing again.

Pair Pre-Emergent Weed Control With Post-Emergent Treatments to Eliminate Existing Weeds

While pre-emergent weed control treatments are highly effective at preventing new weeds from sprouting, they won't do anything to eliminate any existing weeds on your lawn. Additionally, if any weeds have already passed a certain point in their life cycle, then the pre-emergent barrier won't be effective on them, and they'll surface anyway. That's where post-emergent weed control treatments come in.

Post-emergent weed control treatments are designed to eliminate any existing weeds on your lawn. They're applied directly onto the growth, where they'll seep into the soil and kill it at its roots. You'll want to pair pre-emergent weed control treatments with post-emergent treatments to combat weeds at both ends of their life cycle and keep your lawn weed-free throughout the growing season. By combining these two treatments, you can prevent new weeds from sprouting and eliminate any existing ones, ensuring your lawn stays healthy and beautiful all year long.

Call us today to sign up for our weed control service.

Keep your lawn weed-free with our weed control service! Our team at Lehigh Valley Lawn will visit your property multiple times throughout the growing season to apply our treatments; pre-emergent weed control is administered in early spring to get ahead of weeds, while post-emergents keep existing growth at bay until fall.

This service is available as part of our three lawn care programs, which also include fertilization and other essential treatments depending on the one you choose. We proudly serve residential and commercial property owners in Macungie, Emmaus, Breinigsville, PA, and throughout the surrounding areas. Give us a call at (484) 547-8246 to sign up for our weed control service today! We look forward to working with you to help you achieve a weed-free lawn!