Murfreesboro Pre/Post Emergent Weed Killing

Murfreesboro Pre/Post Emergent Weed Killing

With all the trees, bushes, and flowers in full bloom, spring in the Murfreesboro is certainly a beautiful time of year. However, along with all those things we love to see in bloom, we also see a lot of things blooming that we’d rather not see—namely, weeds.

From clovers to dandelions and everything in between, these pesky weeds detract from the curb appeal and fullness that we want our lawns to have. So how do we prevent these things from taking over our yards? If you’re like many homeowners, you may feel out of your league when thinking about all the products and options for weed control. Here is some information about the two main types of herbicides—pre-emergent and post-emergent—that will hopefully help you understand a little bit more about what to use when.

Pre-Emergent Herbicides

Pre-emergent herbicides are products that prevent the germinating weeds from establishing in the lawn. They control annual grassy weeds (think crabgrass) by inhibiting cell division in the young root system. The failure of the root system to develop results in the death of the young seedling weed shortly after germination.

In our area, for cool season grasses, pre-emergents should be applied in the early spring and/or in the late summer/early fall. The spring applications primarily target summer annual weeds such as crabgrass, goosegrass, or foxtails. Fall applications primarily target annual bluegrass and winter annual broadleaves such as henbit, deadnettle, and chickweed.

Post-Emergent Herbicides

Post-emergent herbicides work to control weeds after they have already germinated. They work by traveling down the plant stalk and into the root system to kill the weed. So to achieve control with post-emergent herbicides, weeds must be actively growing.

In our area, for cool season grasses, post-emergents should be applied later in the spring and/or in the late summer and into the fall. We recommends that cool-season weeds should be treated when temperatures are ≥ 50˚ F. For warm-season weeds, temperatures ≥ 80˚ F are required for maximum control.