The Answer to this question is a clear "NO"
Waiting will only cause a bigger issue down the road due to the fact that it takes time for the chemicals that are placed on your lawn to work. Therefore, the sooner the better is the best time frame in terms of application.
Warm weather and cool weather weeds rear their ugly heads each season in our turf. One weed plant in your turf now has the potential to be 1000 weed plants in your turf next year. Weeds are thieves! They steal compete with your plants and turf for nutrients, water, and oxygen. Prevention is the best control for weeds. Today we’ll focus on the timely application of weed pre-emergent, and some other options for battling these pesky, unwanted, invading plants.
What is a Weed Pre-Emergent?
Weed pre-emergent is a granular herbicide that you apply to your turf by using a rotary or drop spreader BEFORE weeds are present. The product creates a chemical barrier in the top layer of soil which prevents the seeds of weeds from germinating and developing into a plant. A weed pre-emergent is one of the absolute best ways to prevent a weed invasion from taking over your turf. Applying this product in a timely matter is crucial. When it comes to pre-emergents, applying the product a little early is better than applying the product even one day too late.
Reminders about weed pre-emergents:
Pre-emergents do NOT kill current weeds in your lawn. They only prevent weeds from germinating.
Pre-emergent weed products should be applied each fall and spring season. Because we have both cool-weather weeds (the weeds that you see in your lawn in February and March) and warm-weather weeds (the ones you see summer into fall), we have to be diligent about being ahead of the game with our prevention. Spring pre-emergent is generally applied at the end of February into early March (after the first or second good spring rain). Fall pre-emergent is generally applied at the end of August through early and mid September (after the first real September rain is ideal).
You MUST read the instructions on the pre-emergent product label. Get to know how to calibrate your spreader, calculate the area you need to apply the product, see if the product needs any subsequent applications and follow up in a timely manner if so.
If you don’t plan on using a pre-emergent to control the weeds in your turf, be ready for a battle. We generally don’t recommend post-emergent products because most people don’t apply them correctly and end up damaging turf, damaging surrounding plants, or ending up with a less than desirable result. So if our pre-emergent advice goes unheeded, the following options are your next best bets for a weed free, healthy lawn.
