Pre-emergent Weed Control and Benjamin Franklin

In 1736, Benjamin Franklin famously said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Although his statement was related to preventing fires in Philadelphia, the principle is still relevant today to your lawn. Pre-emergent weed controls are used to prevent weeds like crabgrass from spreading like fire through your lawn. They are often attached to granular fertilizers and offer the benefit of feeding the lawn and preventing weeds at the same time. Once soil temperatures warm up to 55 degrees for a few consecutive days, crabgrass seeds will begin to germinate. It is important to properly time the use of the pre-emergent prior to this occurring. Once crabgrass has emerged, only post-emergent sprays can be used for control. 

Controlling Post-emergent Crabgrass is Time Consuming and Costly.

The treatment cost increases as the crabgrass matures as there are fewer control options and higher application rates must be used. Furthermore, once the crabgrass has been treated, the lawn will be discolored. If the infestation is severe enough, brown patches will be left where the crabgrass once was. This will require seeding to fix, at additional cost. One more point to note, the post-emergent spray will only control crabgrass that has emerged. Unfortunately for us, crabgrass will germinate all summer long so multiple sprays will be needed. As you can see, with one or two properly timed pre-emergent applications, you can feed your lawn, prevent a crabgrass infestation, prevent the associated treatment costs, prevent the damage to the lawn and prevent the repair work to fix it! Benjamin Franklin would have been an advocate for pre-emergent!

For more information about Pre-emergent weed control options please call 888-588-8451 or fill out the form below. We look forward to hearing from you. 

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