At Home Living: Fall weed control helps prevent spring outbreak

Weeds are bullies. Yes, sireee bob. Some lie in wait for an opportune moment while others erupt seemingly overnight. I have been strong-armed by more weeds that I care to say. Weeds are nothing more that plants out of place, says some gardening philosopher. I say, that philosopher has never met my weeds. They are rude, crude thugs that intimidate my lawn and flowers. A plant out of place, my foot!

It took me some time to calm this person down but when I did this gardener got a grip on how to handle pesky weeds in the fall. (Some days my job is harder than other days.) Bully weeds no longer torture this person. If you are feeling bullied by your weeds here are some suggestions.

Early November is an excellent time to control those pesky cool season weeds and give us a head start on the weeds in spring. Dandelions are more easily controlled now than in spring because they are actively moving materials from the top portion of the plant to the roots. Herbicides will translocate to the roots as well and will kill the plant from the roots up. Treating perennial broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, chickweed, and henbit now while they are young will also allow the turf to fill in the open spots and make spring weed germination more difficult.

Herbicides such as 2,4-D or combination products (Trimec, Weed-B-Gon, Weed-Out) that contain 2,4-D, MCPP and Dicamba can take the guess work out of weed control. Broadleaf weeds that are not controlled by 2,4-D are usually controlled by one of the other herbicides. For example, 2,4-D provides excellent control of dandelion and plantain, but provides poor control of white clover or red sorrel. Dicamba, on the other hand, provides excellent control of white clover and red sorrel and only fair control of dandelion or plantain. By applying a combination of these two, all four weeds will be controlled. Combination products dont necessarily control all broadleaf weeds in your yard. It is possible to choose the wrong combination of herbicides (i.e. 2,4-D+MCPP instead of 2,4-D + MCPP + Dicamba) and some weeds are just naturally hard to control. This is why it is important to identify the weeds before purchasing products to eradicate them.

Do not apply broadleaf herbicides within 4-6 weeks before seeding and not until the new grass has been mowed at least twice.

Choose a day that is 50 degrees or higher to apply herbicides.

With liquid or soluble broadleaf herbicides, do not mow for several days before and after the application to allow for maximum uptake and translocation of the herbicide.

Do not add grass clippings to the compost pile that have been treated with a herbicide. Residuals can kill good plants in your garden in spring.

Do not water for at least 24 hours after application, and do not treat if rain is expected within 24 hours.

Always read and follow the herbicide label instructions carefully to maximize the efficiency of your application. Remember, more is not always better. It is possible to make weed infestation worse!

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At Home Living: Fall weed control helps prevent spring outbreak