4 Secrets About Weed Killer from a Landscaper in Pleasant Valley, NY

If you have had your own lawn for any length of time, you know how frustrating and persistent weeds can be. They seem to grow even when the grass doesn’t! You may have thought about using a weed killer to combat the problem, but you certainly don’t want to kill the grass in your Pleasant Valley, NY, yard—only  the weeds. Here are some important tips about weed killer from a professional landscape contractor to keep in mind as you contemplate how to rid your lawn of weeds.

Treatment Depends on the Type of Weed

Weeds are any plant that takes over your grass and natural areas that are unwanted and not planted intentionally. Anyone without a green thumb may struggle to identify what’s a weed and what isn’t as many weeds look green and healthy—basically, it’s any plant growing where you don’t want it to.

Know How Weed Killers Work

A weed killer is a substance used to control unwanted plants. Some weed killers are formulated to kill only certain types of weeds, while others kill everything they are applied to, such as when you need to all the plants in a specific area to go away so you can create a planting bed. They penetrate the weed and kill it at the roots.

Related: Weed Killer Tips for Dealing with Common Weeds in Wappingers Falls, NY

Success With Weeds Is All About the Treatment

A pre-emergent solution works to prevent the weeds from growing. They provide a barrier to the soil to keep the weeds from sprouting.

Conversely, a post-emergent application works to kill weeds that are growing. By killing the enzymes of the weed, the plant stops growing and producing the protein necessary for it to live.

Weed killers require expertise to apply properly. It’s not about applying as much as possible—in fact that can have an adverse effect on your lawn. Mixing a too strong concentration will not necessarily accomplish faster results.

Related: 4 Weed Killer Mistakes a Lawn Care Service Will Help You Avoid in Lagrangeville, NY

Timing Is Everything

There are critical conditions that affect the success of the weed killers, and not paying attention to these can result in the outcome opposite of what you want.

Weed killer should not be used in very dry conditions. These products work best on damp grass or when rain is in the forecast the next day. This way the application can dry, and when it rains, the product will penetrate the weeds to the roots.

In the summer, it could be applied in the evening as the cooler temperatures cause the weed killer not to dry too quickly, giving ample time to work its way to the base of the weed.

After mowing is also a good time, but the grass should be left at a high height. You don’t want to cut the head off the weeds because that leaves nothing for the product to cling to.

Weed killer can typically only be used twice per year, once in the spring and once in the late summer. Using weed killers can be effective at getting rid of those annoyingly resilient plants, but it’s even more effective to take good care of the lawn through a proper fertilization program.

If all of this seems like a complicated process, it is! A landscape professional has the expertise and correct products to properly rid your property of weeds—so you can get back to enjoying your landscape rather than stress about it.