Growing grass vs. killing weeds: How to get the best of both worlds - The Cincinnati Enquirer
For weeks, many of you have been making plans to start getting your lawn in shape for the upcoming season. Now it's time to put the plans into action. You might look at your to-do list and see "plant grass seed." You might also see "apply pre-emergent weed control." Seeing both on the list always leads to some head-scratching.
This is because it raises the question: can I plant grass seed if I am using a pre-emergent weed control? The obvious answer is no. There is not a pre-emergent weed control product that can distinguish between good grass seed and unwanted weed seeds. These products simply keep all seeds from germinating. There are ways in which you can plant grass seed and still use the weed control.
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Growing grass vs. killing weeds
Your seeding might be limited to specific, segregated bare areas. If this is the case, you should be able to cover these areas with plastic, cardboard, cloth or anything that can keep the weed control product from getting to the soil. You apply the product to the area. Then when you are past that area, you can lift the blocking material, so the herbicide granules fall into the surrounding lawn area.
There is another method you can use if you have bare areas. You can apply the weed control product throughout the lawn. These products work by creating a gaseous barrier in the top inch of the soil once they are sufficiently watered into the soil. After they have been activated in the soil, you can deactivate them by breaking up the soil in the area you want to seed. Breaking up the soil releases the gaseous barrier in the spot where you want the seed to grow.
The larger dilemma arises when you want to overseed large or small areas where grass is currently growing. These areas cannot be segregated like when you are dealing with bare areas. One option is to prioritize which is more important, growing new grass or stopping the weeds.
If growing the grass is your first priority, you can choose to not use the pre-emergent weed control. You can give your grass the best opportunity to grow and skip the pre-emergent this spring. Then as the crabgrass and other weeds start to appear in late spring and early summer, you can treat them by spraying with a liquid post-emergent herbicide.
How to get the best of both worlds
If you would rather not skip using the pre-emergent control but you still want to overseed, there is a compromise. You can delay the pre-emergent. You can go ahead and overseed. Then once the seed is up and growing to an inch or more, you can then apply the weed control.
An easy way to monitor the growth of the seed is to plant a small amount in a planting bed on the north side of the house. This will be the last place for the soil to warm up. When the seed is up and growing here, you should know it is also throughout your lawn.
You should be using turf-type tall fescue grass seed. This seed will germinate when the soil temperature is between 65-70 degrees. This is slightly lower than most of the common weeds. The grass will get a bit of a head start. At the same time, some weeds will also start to grow. Notice that I said some weeds. You may miss a few weeds, but you will still have the opportunity to control most with a pre-emergent weed control. As mentioned before, the weeds that you miss can be sprayed with a liquid herbicide.
The best pre-emergent weed control for lawns is Fertilome's All Season Weed Preventer with Fertilizer. This product contains an herbicide called Prodiamine. This herbicide will keep weed seeds from germinating for 6 to 8 months. This is why even if you apply it later in the season, the herbicide will have value, continuing to be effective through the summer.
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