How soon can I apply pre emergent herbicides?
We’re getting there! I guess you could start right away, but I like to get closer to when the weeds start to germinate so the pre emergent lasts longer into the season. And how long they last depends on the type of pre emergent you apply, so please read the label before applications. Remember, there are pre emergent herbicides for the lawn, for the landscape / flower beds / garden, and some that can be used for both situations. So again make sure you have right product for the right situation. And, there are synthetic pre emergent herbicides, and there are natural pre emergent herbicides (corn gluten meal). By the way, if you’re not sure what we’re talking about, pre emergent herbicides help to stop weed seeds from growing, which helps you keep unwanted weeds under control. They don’t kill existing weeds, just goes after the seeds. So if your sowing grass seed this spring, make sure you use a pre emergent that allows the grass seed to grow but not the weeds. If you’re planting flower or vegetable seeds, they must be up and growing before you apply your pre emergent. Again, read the labels be fore applications. One last point – timing of the applications – get your pre emergent in place before the weed seeds start to germinate. 50-55 degrees consistently (air and soil temps) is when they start to pop. Watch the forsythia. When they start to bloom, the time is right for some of the weed seeds to start to grow.
