By: Scott Eckert, County Extension Agent, Horticulture
As you are planning to attend the Harvey County Home and Garden Show this
weekend you need to be thinking about controlling those awful grassy
weeds. Crabgrass preventers are another name for pre-emergence herbicides
that prevent crabgrass seeds from developing into mature plants. Many
people have a somewhat foggy idea of how they work.
They do not keep the seed from germinating but kill the young germinating plant. Crabgrass preventers are just that – preventers. With few exceptions they have no effect on existing crabgrass plants, so they must be applied before germination. Additionally, preventers do not last forever once applied to the soil. Microorganisms and natural processes begin to gradually break them down soon after they are applied. If some
products are applied too early, they may have lost much of their strength by the time they are needed. Most crabgrass preventers are fairly ineffective after about 60 days, but there is considerable variation among products. (Dimension and Barricade last longer. See below.) For most of Kansas, crabgrass typically begins to germinate around May1 or a little
later. April 15 is a good target date for applying preventer because it gives active ingredients time to evenly disperse in the soil before crabgrass germination starts. The April 15 target works well for most of the state.
Additionally, weather varies from one spring to the next, and with it the timing of crabgrass germination. It is often better to base timing on the bloom of ornamental plants. The Eastern Redbud tree is a good choice for this purpose. When the trees in your area approach full bloom, apply crabgrass preventer. A follow-up application will be needed about 8 weeks later unless you are using Dimension or Barricade. Products that do
require a follow-up application include pendimethalin (Scotts Halts) and Team (Hi-Yield Crabgrass Control). Dimension and Barricade are the only two products that give season- long control of crabgrass from a single application. In fact, they can be applied much earlier than April 15 and still have sufficient residual strength to last the season. Barricade can
even be applied in the fall for crabgrass control the next season. Dimension can be applied as early as March 1. Because of the added flexibility in timing, these products are favorites of lawn care companies who have many customers to service in the spring. Though Dimension cannot be applied as early as Barricade, it is the herbicide of choice if it must
be applied later than recommended. It is the exception to the rule that pre-emergence herbicides do not kill existing weeds. Dimension can kill crabgrass as long as it is young (two- to three-leaf stage). Dimension is also the best choice if treating a lawn that was planted late last fall. Normally a pre-emergence herbicide is not recommended unless the lawn has been mowed two to four times. But Dimension is kind to young tall fescue,
perennial ryegrass, and Kentucky bluegrass seedlings and some formulations can be applied as early as two weeks after the first sign of germination. However, read the label of the specific product you wish to use to insure that this use is allowed. Lawns established in the fall can be safely treated with Dimension the following spring even if they have not been mowed. Note that products containing Dimension and Barricade may use the
common name rather than the trade name. The common chemical name for Dimension is dithiopyr and for Barricade is prodiamine. Remember, when using Any pesticide, read the label and follow instructions carefully. We recommend crab grass preventers be applied before fertilizer so that the grass isn?t encouraged to put on too much growth too early. However, it may be difficult to find products that contain pre-emergents without fertilizer. Those that don?t contain fertilizer are listed below. Pendimethalin – Scotts Halts Team (Benefin +Trifluralin) Hi-Yield Crabgrass Control Dimension- Hi-Yield Turf &Ornamental Weed and Grass Stopper- Bonide Crabgrass &Weed Preventer- Green Light Crabgrass Prevente.
