Summertime in the Tri-Cities is the ideal season for weed growth. With our hot weather and lack of rain, dormant grass struggles to compete with vigorous weeds, whereas the weeds have everything they need to grow strong. As a Tri-Cities homeowner, taking early action and providing consistent care is key to maintaining a healthy lawn while preventing weeds. Today, we want to give you a practical guide for maintaining a thick, weed-resistant lawn throughout the hottest time of the year with these weed control lawn techniques.
Common Summer Weeds in Tri-Cities:
Here in the Tri-Cities, we are no strangers to weeds. Given our semi-arid climate, weed control primarily targets the following common summer weeds:
- Crabgrass
- Spurge
- Dandelions
- Bindweed
- Clover
- Plantain
- Goathead
- Oxalis
- Mallow
While these weeds are common and can spread quickly, there are actions you can take as a homeowner to minimize weed growth.
Proactive Weed Prevention Tips:
In addition to weed control lawn strategies, which we will discuss here in a moment, there are three easy things homeowners can do to help prevent weeds in the first place.
First, you want to maintain a proper mowing height to shade out weed seeds. Keeping your grass a little longer prevents weed seeds from having prime access to sunlight and heat. We suggest reviewing your grass type to see which height would be optimal for this course of action.
Second, you will want to water deeply and infrequently to support strong turf and discourage shallow-rooted weeds. This will allow your grass to take advantage of the available water and leave little behind for weeds to utilize.
Lastly, you must fertilize appropriately to encourage dense, weed-resistant grass coverage. If you are unsure how to do this, we suggest talking with your local lawn weed control company, like us at Birch’s Lawn Care, for expert advice and service offerings.
How Lawn Health Affects Weed Growth:
Our focus on your lawn care may have you confused; aren’t we talking about weeds? The secret to weed lawn control strategies starts with a healthy lawn. To put it simply, thicker, healthier grass chokes out weed competition. If you have poor soil, compacted areas, or bare patches, they become hotspots for infestation.
To get to this level of lawn health takes effort, but it can be done every year if you maintain a consistent lawn care calendar.
First, you will want to prevent excessive thatch on your property. In case you are unaware, thatch is a layer of undigested leaves, roots, and other organic plant material that settles between the turf and the soil. It is a naturally occurring process where plant material doesn’t decompose fast enough, causing a buildup. This buildup can prevent water from soaking into the soil and become a haven for pests and lawn diseases. Altogether, it is not something that you want to last. Therefore, regularly de-thatching your lawn is a critical lawn maintenance task.
Second, you will want to prevent soil compaction in your yard. Soil compaction happens over time, especially for heavily used lawns where kids play or equipment is regularly used. To avoid soil compaction, you will need to aerate your lawn. Aerating is the process of creating little holes, about ¼ to ½ inch thick, in the lawn. These tiny holes relieve the soil compaction while letting air, water, and nutrients reach down to grass roots. This greater access to water, air, and nutrients, in turn, allows grass to grow faster, stronger, and more resilient.
Lastly, you will want to perform consistent fertilization applications throughout the year. These are done at specific times, giving your lawn critical nutrients to grow healthy and strong. To learn more, check out our article “Why Lawn Fertilization Services Are Worth It for Tri-Cities Homeowners.”
Effective Weed Control Lawn Strategies:
Even the best preventive techniques won’t choke out every weed that blows in. You will want to follow this three-step system to provide the best weed control lawn care to your property.
Step 1: Pre-Emergent Treatments
Pre-emergent treatments are designed to prevent weeds from sprouting. To do this, a pre-emergent treatment is spread equally across a lawn at the beginning of the weed seed’s growth cycle. The treatment soaks into the grass, targeting only the weed seeds. Coating the weed seeds prevents most seeds from germinating, thus minimizing weed growth.
Step 2: Post-Emergent Treatments
Post-emergent treatments are designed to target weed seeds that have already sprouted. Applied shortly after a pre-emergent treatment, post-emergent treatment slows down and contains existing weed growth. However, rather than a blanket treatment across the lawn like with pre-emergent, post-emergent treatment is primarily done as a targeted spot treatment in areas with visible weed growth.
Step 3: Manual Removal
Even with professional-grade products and application techniques, the most stubborn weeds will not be deterred. Manual removal for isolated weed growth or invasive weeds will be necessary in this case. Fortunately, there will be significantly less manual labor than would occur without pre-emergent and post-emergent treatments.
Why Choose Professional Lawn Weed Control Services:
The last thing you want to be doing in your precious summertime is spending it picking weeds or spraying weed treatments in the hot sun. Professional lawn weed control companies, like us at Birch’s Lawn Care, are local experts who know which weeds are the most aggressive in Tri-Cities lawns and the right treatments to handle them. This saves homeowners not only time, effort, and frustration, but it also provides them with safer, more effective herbicide applications with less risk of turf damage.
Birch’s Lawn Care Approach:
At Birch’s Lawn Care, we want to take weeds off your mind so you can enjoy your summer with confidence and peace of mind knowing your property is well taken care of. We provide customized summer treatment plans based on lawn condition and weed pressure. Using environmentally conscious practices and safe application methods, we provide our clients with a results-driven service backed by local expertise and satisfied customers.
Don’t let summer weeds take over your lawn. Contact Birch’s Lawn Care for expert weed control and enjoy a greener, cleaner yard all season long.
