From pesky crabgrass to wild onions and dandelions, a host of weeds would love to sprout up in your lawn come springtime. Fortunately, rather than spending hours pulling weeds in the months to come, you can take preventative action today. To avoid an unkempt, overgrown lawn, the experts at R & T Lawn Services in Denver, NC, recommend using a pre-emergent with fertilizer at the start of February.

When you use a pre-emergent fertilizer, you will combat the weeds before they are visible. The pre-emergent keeps the seeds of the weeds from germinating and kills weed sprouts when they’re young and tender, ensuring they can’t emerge. With proper application, this slow release fertilizer will remain active in the soil for six to eight weeks, preventing a variety of weeds from causing you a major headache down the road. With repeated applications over several seasons, you even might find weeds have been eliminated and your lawn appears more lush and strong. 

However, a pre-emergent fertilizer will not be helpful once the weeds have sprouted. Instead, you would need a post emergent to attack the weeds that have already germinated. That’s why it’s vital to protect your lawn during the month of February before weeds have a chance to grow. If last fall’s aeration and over seeding did not bring the results you envisioned to thicken your lawn, then spring aeration is an option. Listed below are some benefits to spring aeration. 

Benefits of aeration:

• Improved air exchange between the soil and atmosphere.
• Enhanced soil water uptake.
• Improved fertilizer uptake and use. 
• Reduced water runoff and puddling.
• Stronger turf grass roots.
• Reduced soil compaction.
• Enhanced heat and drought stress tolerance. 

If you won’t have a chance to tackle this task yourself, hire a qualified lawn service for the job.

To learn more about pre-emergent fertilizer and other weed control products, contact the experts at the Charlotte area’s leading lawn service. For more information about how R & T Lawn Services can help your yard thrive, call (704) 589-0713 or visit their website.