Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Using Herbicides Can Reduce Landlord’s Weed Problems

Leave a Comment / benefits of mulch, pre-emergent, preemergent herbicides, weed killers, weed suppression /

Q. Please tell me if this is not the correct way to send you a question, your blog is great.  We are still trying to move out from New York, the house we own out there has a good size back yard, and with tenants in the house until we can move, the weeds are not usually pulled, so although I hate to use pesticides I think we need to.             When should we use pre-emergent and post emergent pesticides for the greatest effect?  We want to keep the weeds down, but don’t want to poison the trees or shrubs (or the ground) any more than absolutely necessary.  thanks very much. A. Yes, you can reach me at [email protected] or through my blog or newsletter. Herbicide damage to a lawn. Herbicides were applied to the shrub area and water moved the weed killer into the grass where it was not supposed to go. Pre emergent herbicides are applied to the surface of the soil and watered in lightly. They kill germinating weed seeds by putting down a barrier poisonous to many different weeds that germinate from seeds.             The timing of this is usually in the spring, with applications scheduled about the first of February for many weeds. The barrier must be in place and active when the seeds germinate. The soil is cleaned up of any existing weeds and the pre emergent weed killer is applied. Once the barrier is put down the soil should not be disturbed or you will disturb this barrier.             There are several weed killers to pick from in the nursery or garden store. Read the label to find out how to use it best and any potential dangers. Wood mulch applied to fruit trees to reduce the weed problem             Post emergent herbicides are applied to weeds when they are present. These are chemicals like Roundup that are nonselective and so will kill many different types of weeds but not all weeds. Round up will kill or damage anything that is green and sprayed. Direct it on to the weeds, not plants you value.             Timing is critical and these weed killers work best when weeds are actively growing and not during times of stress like from heat or drought.             One very effective method of weed control are mulches. This is a thick layer of wood mulch or rock mulch that covers the soil surface and helps prevent weed seeds from germinating. Post emergent weed killers are then used to kill weeds that emerge from the mulches.

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Work and Preemergent Herbicides for Rock Garden Weed Problem

2 Comments / rock garden, weed barrier, weed killers, weeding /

Q. I have a rock garden that is ten years old.  We have fabric under the rocks to prevent weeds, but I seem to have more weeds each year.  Could you recommend any effective pre-emergent herbicides? Weed seedlings A. This will sometimes happen for a couple of reasons. These fabrics do degrade over time and some last longer than others. Those with a tighter mesh usually last longer than those with an open or woven mesh. Landscape fabrics should be overlapped so there are no gaps when it is installed. I am assuming you did all of that.             There are some weeds they just don’t prevent such as Bermudagrass and nutsedges or nutgrass. The key to controlling these is to remove them as soon as you see them when they are young, and don’t let them get older or they just get stronger and more difficult to control.             Over time, dirt and dust accumulate in the rocks on top of the fabric and provide a place for weeds to grow. Some rock mulches, like decomposed granite or sandstone, degrade over time. Sandstone is the worst. As these break down and decompose they leave debris on top of the landscape fabric. This is a place where weed seeds can germinate.             It is always best to get rid of these weeds as early as you can and don’t let them get to the point where they flower and produce seeds. The seeds are spread all over the place. I always look at chemicals as a last resort. If you can spend a few minutes once a week just pulling weeds, 95% of the weeds that you see will pull easily. Pull them just after an irrigation and most will pull easily.             In the same way, 95% of the weeds are most likely annuals. If you can kill the tops before they flower this will reduce the weed population tremendously. There are sprays that will “burn” the tops down and thus prevent flowering and consequently seeds.             When we start talking about weed killers, we have to pair the weed killer with the weeds we want to kill. If we pair the wrong weed killer with a weed, it won’t work and we blame the weed killer. So it is very important to know which weeds you are trying to fight.  Both contain Surflan but you would not know it unless you read the ingredients on Impede             However, there are a few we killers that can kill a wide range of weeds, but again not all of them. Pre-emergent weed killers, aka pre-emergent herbicides, include a variety of products with many different marketing names. Some of the lesser known brands have the same ingredients as more expensive products but are not marketed as well.             The pre-emergent products that you can get from your local nursery or supplier are going to be general, all-purpose pre-emergent herbicides. For instance one product by Monterey is called Impede. It contains Surflan which is a very good pre-emergent herbicide.             I don’t know it by its trade name, Impede, but I do know its active ingredient which is Surflan and that is a very good broad spectrum product. Other ingredients you can look for in the labeling that control a wide range of weeds are Dacthal, Ronstar, Goal and Treflan.             Be sure to read the directions and follow them precisely. 

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