April showers might bring May flowers, but they also bring weeds and plenty of them. Today we want to discuss using post-emergent herbicides as a tool in your lawn care arsenal to have a beautiful weed-free lawn. Post-emergent suggests a chemical to get rid of, and hopefully prevent from coming back, already existing weeds whereas pre-emergents are chemicals used to prevent weeds. Pre-emergent use is a topic for another post. Post-emergents are often broken into 2 categories: selective and non-selective.
Selective Post-Emergents
As the name suggests selective post-emergents only target certain plants. These are used in areas where desirable plants are located such as dandelions in turf grass. You will need to read the product label to make sure the weed you want to target will be killed and that desirable plants will not be.
Non-Selective Post-Emergents
As the name suggests, non-selective post-emergents will kill anything they come in contact with. They can contact plants via direct spray, drift while being sprayed, or by leaching through the soil after spraying is complete so extreme care must be taken during application. Once you have decided what weed(s) you want to kill and which type of post-emergent to use the next step is to decide on a product. In Cedar City the best place to buy products is IFA. The quality and the staff knowledge far exceed that of Home Depot or Wal-Mart. Let them know what you are thinking, and they will make sure you do not go wrong in selecting a product.
Read The Label
Once you have your product READ THE LABEL! You would be surprised how many people do not. Once you have read the label figure out how much area you need to spray and calculate how much product you will use. Do it a second time just to verify. Be sure you have the proper equipment and personal
protection to spray. Wear gloves, long sleeves and pants, and anything else the labels recommend. You may look funny, but it is worth the precaution.
Know Your Weather
Certain products need to be sprayed at certain temperatures. You should never spray when it is windy. Is it going to rain? While most pre-emergents need water after, most post-emergents need no water for 48-72 hours to be most effective. Proper planning can go a long way in helping you achieve your desired results.
Adding A Surfactant
Want an extra boost to your weed spray? Add a surfactant. This is also sold at IFA and will increase the effectiveness of almost all weed spray products. It will help the product adhere better to each plant and therefore perform its intended job more effectively.
