Pre-Emergent Herbicide Strategy

Pre-emergent herbicides prevent broadleaf and grassy weeds from germinating and appearing on your customers’ lawns. Making pre-emergent applications gives you an opportunity to increase profits, ensure customer satisfaction, and reduce callbacks. Before you choose a pre-emergent herbicide, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions. Here are five that will help guide your purchase.

1. What type of weeds am I looking to control?

The answer is likely, “as many as possible,” which makes broad-spectrum herbicides your best choice. Broad-spectrum herbicides control a wide variety of grassy and broadleaf weeds, and some are known for their ability to fight even the most stubborn ones. For example, Dimension 2EW targets dozens of weeds and is especially good at controlling hard-to-kill crabgrass. You can take a look at some of our most popular pre-emergents and their respective active ingredients below:

Remember to check the label of every product to ensure that it controls the weeds you’re expecting to deal with. It’s also a good idea to pick a few different products with different modes of action. The mode of action can be found on every label as a number, known as the HRAC (Herbicide Resistance Action Committee) code. Rotating between products with different HRAC codes will ensure that weeds aren’t able to build up a tolerance to any one product in particular.

2. Should I choose a selective or non-selective herbicide?

It depends on what type of area you’re treating. A selective herbicide can be used to kill weeds on lawns without killing the grass. Every selective herbicide label will have a section that lists tolerant turfgrasses that are safe to use the product on. If you’re treating weeds on customers’ turf, you must use a selective product. A non-selective herbicide, on the other hand, will kill every plant it touches. These products are great for use on areas where there should be no vegetation, such as a customer’s driveway.

3. How large is the area I’m treating?

If you’re treating large areas or multiple smaller properties back-to-back, a product with a low use rate will be a great option. The less you have to stop, the quicker you can move on to the next job. If you have more time between jobs, products with a higher use rate shouldn’t pose a problem.

4. Is there any reason to pick a liquid product over a granular one—or vice versa?

Liquid pre-emergent herbicides are often more effective than granular ones due to their ability to distribute evenly and activate quickly in the soil. However, granular products can still be effective and are often chosen for their ease of application and when crews primarily operate spreader equipment.

5. When should I make my application?

Pre-emergent herbicides should be applied before weed seeds germinate. Since application timing will vary based on your region, instead of focusing on time, focus on soil temperatures. You should apply pre-emergent herbicides in the spring once soil temperatures reach 55°F and stay consistent for several days. In the fall, wait until soil temperatures have dropped to around 70°F for several consecutive days.

For further reading, check out our pre-emergent herbicide basics blog for application tips and top product picks. Plus, contact your ATS rep for some personalized recommendations. Need a rep? Find one here in seconds.