Weeds are a nuisance for property owners in North Carolina. If you want to keep your lawn free of weeds, it's important to utilize both pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments throughout the year. Pre-emergent herbicides prevent newly germinated weeds from sprouting through the soil, while post-emergent weed control treatments target existing weeds on your lawn. By utilizing these two types of treatments together, you can effectively cover both ends of their life cycle, helping to maintain a healthy, weed-free turf.

What is pre-emergent weed control?

Pre-emergent weed control is an effective method of preventing weeds from emerging on your lawn. These herbicides work by coating the soil beneath the surface, creating a barrier that inhibits weed growth. The key to using pre-emergent weed control effectively is timing. You need to apply the treatment at the optimal moment before weeds germinate so that as they grow to the surface, the pre-emergent barrier will keep them from breaking through. If the treatment is applied after a certain point in the weed growth cycle, they won't be affected by it.

Some common weeds that can invade lawns in North Carolina include crabgrass, dandelions, nutsedge, and chickweed.

What is post-emergent weed control?

While pre-emergent weed control plays a crucial role in preventing new weeds from taking over your lawn, it doesn't eliminate existing ones or those that weren't affected because they were already past that certain point in their growth cycle. That's where post-emergent weed control comes into play. Post-emergent herbicides are designed to target and eliminate any existing weeds on your lawn. It involves applying herbicides directly onto the weed, where it seeps into the soil and kills it at its roots. Using these treatments regularly ensures that no weeds go unchecked and can help minimize the reinfestation of invasive species that may try to take over your turf again in the future!

Why should you use both pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments?

Healthy, green grass in Charlotte, NC, with no weeds.

If you're looking to achieve a weed-free lawn, then you'll want to use both pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments! Here's why:

  • Using pre-emergents alone may not completely eradicate all weeds. While pre-emergent treatments are highly effective at preventing weeds from sprouting, they don't work against existing ones. So, there may still be some populating your lawn.
  • Applying post-emergents alone might not keep up with the rapid weed growth rate. Even if you diligently apply post-emergent treatments every few weeks, it can be challenging to stay ahead of rapidly reproducing weeds. A single weed plant can produce thousands of seeds, leading to a constant influx of new growth. Continuously eliminating weeds can become a costly and labor-intensive task that doesn't always provide ideal results.

When you use both pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments together, you can combat weeds at both ends of their life cycle, giving you the most effective results.

Give us a call today to schedule our comprehensive weed control service.

At DalaCasa Landscape Management, we offer a weed control service that includes both pre- and post-emergent treatments throughout the year to keep your turf free of pesky weeds! When you sign up for our service, we'll visit your property 7 times throughout the year to apply pre-emergents to get ahead of weeds before they start growing and post-emergents to stay on top of any existing ones. Not only that, but this program also comes with routine fertilization treatments to provide your grass with all the nutrients it needs to thrive.

We offer our weed control service to residential and commercial properties, along with HOAs, in Charlotte, Waxhaw, Concord, NC, and nearby areas, including those in South Carolina. Call us today at (704) 248-6294 to enroll in our comprehensive weed control service!