Herbicides for Lawns

Growth of invasive weeds is not only a concern for vegetable and flower gardeners, but it is a common problem faced by lawn owners. The simplest cultural approach for weed control in lawn is growing uniform, healthy turf all over the area, so that you don't leave room for weeds. Nevertheless, maintaining a lustrous green lawn grass without brown patches and weeds is easier said than done. So, a practical solution left with you is applying safe herbicides for lawns in proper concentration.

Common Lawn Weeds: Identification

When we say lawn weeds, majority of them are grasses (e.g. crabgrass, quackgrass and bluegrass) that are different from the planted lawn grass types. They are monocots and grouped under weedy grasses. At the time of sprouting, you can identify them from the single seed leaf, while the leaves of mature plants have parallel venation. In contrary to this, there are broadleaf weeds that comprise dicot plants, like clover, plantain and ground ivy. These weeds germinate with two seed leaves.

Another way of classifying lawn weeds is based on their growth habit. For example, annual weeds complete their life cycle within one growing year, while biennial continues to grow for two successive years. The worst of all lawn weeds is the perennial type, which tends to grow for several years. Hence, without prompt weed control, they produce seeds and spread to larger areas in the years to come. Correct identification of weeds helps in choosing appropriate herbicides for lawns.

Lawn Herbicides: An Overview

The worst part with lawn weeds is you cannot uproot the weeds manually, which is possible in vegetable gardening. They not only compete with the lawn grass for moisture and nutrients, but reduce the aesthetic value of the lawn due to color and texture differences. With time, increased weed growth is observed, thereby resulting in thinning of lawn grass. Indeed, dealing with lawn weeds is very challenging, even for people who already have a green thumb in gardening.

Mass growth of weed is a sign of problem in grass growing, and effective weed control involves addressing it promptly. If you get rid of them today, very soon you will notice new sprouts within the next few weeks. Hence, it is better to correct the root cause first, and deal with weeds afterward. A simple logic is to alter lawn care methods that you are adopting till date. Containing lawn weeds can be achieved by changing the frequency of soil aeration, mowing height, irrigation frequency and fertilization.

For recurrent lawn weed problems, changing cultural practices along with herbicide spraying are suggested for better results. Thus, application of herbicides is a part of turf lawn maintenance. While selective herbicides for lawns kill undesirable weeds, nonselective type is used for mass killing of grass and plants in a specific area. Based on the mode of working, there are two basic groups of lawn herbicides, which are explained below.

Preemergence Herbicide
Preemergence herbicides are excellent for crabgrass control and killing other annual lawn weeds, like bluegrass and goose grass. As the name signifies, pre emergent herbicides are applied before the weed seeds germinate. For using such weed killing products, you need to know the probable germination time of the lawn weeds. Keep the soil moist and apply them 2-3 weeks before sprouting of weed seeds.

Postemergence Herbicide
Postemergence herbicides work exactly opposite to the preemergence formulation in lawn weed control. If you are a newbie in growing lawn grass and spraying herbicides, consider using selective postemergence type. It is effective for controlling perennial lawn weeds. As soon as the weeds begin to grow actively, apply this herbicide. To ensure maximum absorption of the product, keep the soil moist before herbicide application.

As far as possible, use organic herbicides for lawns, instead of the chemical derived products. Also, take your local horticulturist's opinion while selecting the best weed killer for your lawn. Follow the recommended directions, in terms of dose and application methods, to reap maximum benefits of this weed killing products.