Do you feel as though you’re fighting a never-ending battle with weeds? It can be so frustrating to feel like no matter what you do, the weeds just keep coming back. Weeds are not only an eyesore, detracting from the overall look of your lawn, but when they start taking over they begin to crowd out your healthy grass. Unfortunately, if not controlled, weeds can spread rapidly.
If you’ve experienced this feeling, you aren’t alone. The truth is, there are many aggressive weeds in the Memphis, TN and Olive Branch, MS area and it can be difficult to get a handle on them without professional help.
Of course, if you’re considering a professional weed control program, you might have some questions. You may be looking to understand how it all works and whether it’s something you can do on your own or if you truly need to hire a pro.
In order to answer your questions and help guide you on the path toward a healthier lawn, we’ve rounded up some of the most common questions and our explanations all in one place.
If you’re thinking about using weed control, you might be looking to understand how it works. Weed control products work by interfering with weed growth either by blocking photosynthesis and protein production or by destroying or inhibiting root formation. Weed control products may be post-emergent or pre-emergent and are applied at different times for different purposes.
Pre-emergents are applied to the soil before weeds even emerge. These products create a barrier that prevents germination from even happening in the first place. The timing of pre-emergent products is critical to their effectiveness.
Since there is always a little bit of breakthrough (or perhaps the pre-emergent window was missed completely), there are also post-emergent products. These products are applied to the leafy areas of the weeds that are actively growing.
Another common question that we receive is how do I kill weeds in my lawn? More specifically, homeowners are often curious about how weeds in the lawn can be addressed without harming the grass.
The answer comes down to understanding the two main categories of weed control products: selective herbicides and nonselective herbicides.
Whereas nonselective herbicides are designed to kill all vegetation it’s applied to, there are selective herbicide products that are only designed to kill certain weeds.
Within these two main categories, there are a number of different products. It’s important to recognize that different weeds will require different treatments. Certain weeds, like nutsedge, might require specialty products. This is why a one-size-fits-all approach to weed control is not going to be effective. You want to find a company that will offer a customized weed control program that is specifically designed to target weeds on your property.
Weeds are more quickly controlled when growing conditions are great. If the weather gets really hot, very cold, or extremely dry, weed control results will be slowed down more than typical.
Generally speaking, we tell customers that if they don’t see weeds starting to yellow and die within 2 weeks to give us a call so that we can come back and make sure they’re taken care of. We think it’s important to stay on top of weed control for our clients as we know how much they value this service so we always ask to be “kept in the loop” if they feel something isn’t right.
Transforming a weedy lawn can take a good amount of time, specifically if the grass is thin and if you have some tougher varieties of weeds. We often tell new clients that although you’ll see great progress along the way, it can take 3-4 visits until there are drastic changes and to be patient. A year down the line, you’ll forget how your thick, lush lawn ever looked that bad!
While certain weeds are easy to control and can be knocked back with just one treatment, other weeds are a bit more persistent and may require multiple treatments. While we wish we could say that once we treat weeds, they’ll never return, that’s simply not the case.
Some of the more aggressive weeds, particularly grassy weeds (like crabgrass and dallisgrass) do continue to return and require ongoing treatment. Fortunately, when you’re on a comprehensive lawn care program, the goal is to stay ahead of these weeds and to use pre-emergent as effectively as possible. Then, we only have to spot-treat the breakthrough that pops up with post-emergent, selective materials.
Now that you understand how these products work and what you can expect out of them, you might be wondering whether you can just implement a DIY program. After all, there are weed control products sold at the big box stores.
While there’s certainly nothing stopping you from handling weed control on your own, you’re not going to get as good results as you would with a professional program for several key reasons.
In addition to avoiding a DIY approach to weed control, you also have to be selective about which company you choose to work with. Even amongst professional companies there are ineffective approaches to weed control. Unfortunately, some companies take a one-size-fits-all approach that isn’t going to provide you with the best possible control.
Your wise choice of lawn care companies in Memphis, TN or Olive Branch, MS will make a big difference in your battle against stubborn weeds. By selecting a lawn care company that will take a customized approach to your lawn, while also focusing on improving its overall health, you’ll be able to get better control over your lawn and start seeing the results that you desire.
If a lush green lawn is important to you, then you shouldn’t feel as though you’re stuck in a never-ending battle with weeds. By allowing an experienced professional to handle your weed control, you can take back your lawn and finally start enjoying it to the fullest.
Do you want weed control that really works? Talk to a lawn care expert, choose from 3 program options, and become the master of your lawn.
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