The most common complaint people have about their lawns, on the North Shore, is by far, the presence of weeds.  While spring is still over six weeks away, it is not too soon to be thinking about your lawn and how it can be as free of weeds as possible this year.  The best lawn weed control service is going to be one with a multi-faceted plan of action. 

Pre-emergent

The first line of defense against lawn weeds is pre-emergent control, which prevent seeds from germinating.  This product is applied before the seeds start to germinate and when the young, emerging root tip encounters the product on the soil, the seed dies.  Advances in technology have led to the development of pre-emergent products that also have limited post-emergence activity and can eliminate young crabgrass seedlings as well as stopping new germination so the window of application of these products is much wider than the old “forsythia in full bloom” rule of thumb.

Post-emergent

Some weeds will escape the pre-emergent and some simply aren’t affected by it.  In cases like this, a post-emergent herbicide is needed to control them.  These products are typically selective as to whether they treat grassy weeds like crabgrass or broad-leaved weeds like clover, dandelion, and spurge.  If your local lawn care service applies a pre-emergent weed control, they should also be applying these products through the growing season as needed.  Check with your provider to ensure they are offering these lawn weed control services.

Fertilization

One of the best ways to keep weeds at bay is by having a thick, healthy lawn.  If weed seeds can’t get down to the soil through the grass, then they can’t grow.  The timely application of fertilizer is one of the best ways to encourage turf grass growth.  A hungry lawn will be thin and weak and invading weeds will soon be filling in those areas.

Aeration

A compacted lawn is another cause of a weak, thin lawn that can be susceptible to weeds.  Aeration, the removal of plugs of soil from the lawn, helps get more water, nutrients, and air down to the roots making for stronger turf and fewer weeds.  

Learn more about the importance of a good fertilizer program for your North Shore lawn.