by One of the benefits of living in Southern Alabama is that winter doesn’t hang around. Indeed, January starts the lawn care season that lasts throughout the year.
If you’re a homeowner, you want to keep weeds at a minimum. So, a lawn care service may be a consideration for your 2018 lawn care resolution.
In this blog, you’ll learn what pre-emergent and post-emergent weed controls are and why your Alabama lawn needs them throughout the entire year.
Why You Need to Focus on Weed Control in the New Year
Here are five reasons why you need to focus on weed control in 2018:
- Weeds continue to grow throughout the entire year, and the only way to keep them at a minimum is with weed control products.
- If weeds are not controlled, they’ll take over your yard and will crowd out your lawn grass.
- Weeds make your lawn look messy and uncared for. Your HOA will let you know if your lawn is not within their standards, and a weedy lawn will get their attention.
- Weeds can spread through seeds, tubers and So, there are different weed control products to take care of different kinds of weeds and their unique ways of spreading throughout your property.
- When you sign up with your local lawn care company for their year-round weed control program, you’ll notice that your lawn has hardly any weeds and you won’t need to spend extra cash to get your yard renovated.
Pre-emergent Weed Control
Pre-emergent weed control is usually sprayed on your lawn two times a year in Southern Alabama. This control forms a barrier between the soil and grass lines so crabgrass and other grassy weed seeds won’t germinate and grow.
Your lawn care provider can apply pre-emergent two times a year on your Mobile County yard: Once in February to prepare for summer grassy weeds, and again in September to prepare your soil for winter weeds.
For summer annual weeds, your lawn care technician will apply a second round of pre-emergent weed control to your lawn depending on the level of your weed problem and other factors.
Post-emergent Weed Control
Post-emergent weed control gets rid of weeds that are now above-ground. Broadleaf and grassy weeds respond to post-emergent weed control.
According to Alabama’s Extension Service, post-emergent weed control is one that makes it above ground and is still actively growing. Post-emergents are applied to the stem and leaves of these plants to destroy them.
Post-emergents won’t control weeds that germinate and pop out of the soil after the weed control has been applied to your yard.
Depending on the type of growing season you have and the extent of your weed problem, your lawn technician will return monthly or every six weeks during the spring and summer to reapply post-emergent weed control to your lawn.
Read more about fall pre-emergent weed control in this blog post.
What You Can Do To Keep Weeds Out of Your Lawn
In addition to belonging to a fertilizer and weed control program, you can also employ good lawn maintenance practices. These practices will encourage your lawn to grow healthy and thick, leaving no room for weeds to get a foothold.
Here are five lawn care practices to follow:
- Only take off 1”-3” off your lawn each time you mow.
- Make sure your mower’s blades are sharp for a consistently clean cut.
- Irrigate your lawn only a few times a week. Matter of fact, your lawn will survive with one really good soaking per week with up to three inches of water per soaking. If you have rain during the week, the rain total goes toward the final amount of water needed for your lawn.
- Limit the amount of foot traffic on your lawn. Your lawn’s soil will become compacted if there are a lot of people running, walking or playing on it.
- Make sure you get your lawn aerated in the spring. Aeration relieves compaction and allows water, sunlight and oxygen into your soil.
It’s a lot of work to keep your lawn looking its best. By employing smart lawn care practices and hiring your local lawn service, your yard will look green and thick with hardly any weeds.
At Xtreme Turf Lawn Care, we’re your full lawn care service. If you want to join our fertilization and weed control program, call us today at 251-648-9947 or fill out our contact form.
Xtreme Turf Lawn Care Serves Homeowners in Daphne, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, & Mobile, AL.
Source:
Han, David, Y., “Bermudagrass Home Lawn Maintenance Calendar for Southern Alabama,” Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
