We all have them

It is that time of year, again. Weeds are popping up everywhere. Does it seem to be worse in the winter than most of the year? Several factors go into why we have so many winter weeds.

Most seeds are temperature sensitive. This is why we have certain weeds at certain times of the year.
After a long hot (and sometimes dry summer) the rain we get in the fall, makes seeds sprout. It is just a fact of nature, seeds need water to germinate..
The grass stops growing and many of us stop mowing. While it seems like a nice way to take a break from a sometimes grueling chore, it actually makes weeds worse. If weeds are allowed to grow, they flower and make seed. Regular mowing in winter, cuts the flowers off. No flower = no seeds. No seeds = no new plants. This years seeds are next years weeds.

When we are busy with the holidays, the seeds are sprouting and taking root. By the 1st of the year, they have taken hold and are well on their way to flowering. While we were busy…so were they. Suddenly, we notice that we have a problem. We can’t control the weather, but there are things we can do to kill or prevent weeds.

Now is a great time to stop those little stinkers. Apply Bonide Weed Beater Ultra to your yard. A word of caution though… MORE IS NOT BETTER!!!! A pint will cover almost 1/2 an acre! A little goes a long way. Consider sharing a bottle with your neighbors! DO NOT stand over the weeds, spraying heavily and scream “Die you little %^$@#^, die!”. It is a waste of product and can kill your grass too. All you need is a light spraying. Using a pump up sprayer, is always the most economical way to go, since you are only mixing a few gallons at a time.

Most weeds have a waxy or hairy leaves. Always add surfactants like Bonide Turbo Spreader sticker to weed killers. Surfactants make weed killers stick to the weed instead of beading up and rolling off or beading up on the hairs and never touching the leaf itself. Both situations are a waste of time and money. It will take about 10 days to 2 weeks to really start seeing the plants die. Spray again, 2 to 3 weeks after your first application, if you missed anything or new weeds have sprouted.

Mow your yard, at least every 2 weeks…all winter long. You can mulch mow any fallen leaves at the same time, which saves a lot of raking and adds organic matter back to your lawn. This also removes any weed flowers that might develop, effectively preventing new seeds.

In February, May and October apply a pre-emergent herbicide to your lawn. These products will allow the seed to sprout, but will not allow them to grow a root, so they die after a few days. Pre-emergents are available in either chemical or organic products.

Nitro-Phos Barricade controls grass and broad leaf weeds
Nitro-Phos Portrait controls only broad leaf weeds (perfect if you put down winter rye grass seed)
Greenlight Amaze is great for your flower beds, gravel pathways or dry river beds.
Corn Gluten Meal is the organic choice and is made from the protein part of corn.

Making a few applications of a couple different products will greatly reduce the number of weeds you have now and in the future. As for the mowing, we will leave that one up to you.