Chute ‘n the Bull

Tommy Neyland Maintaining a healthy lawn by proper fertilizing, watering and mowing is your first line of defense in controlling weeds. However, if your lawn has become thin through neglect or weatherrelated reasons, you might need another level of weed control. February is the time in northeast Texas to put out pre-emergent chemicals to control weeds and grasses. Pre-emergent herbicides control weeds by forming a barrier that prevents the seed from germinating.

First, identify the type of weed you need to control. Crabgrass, goosegrass, sandbur and dallisgrass are the major grassy weeds which cause problems in lawns during the summer. The first three are annuals that emerge from seed each spring. Dallisgrass is a perennial that recovers from rhizomes in the spring, but also produces seed that spread throughout the lawn. With the exception of dallisgrass, these grassy weeds can be controlled with preemergent herbicides applied in late winter. Dallisgrass can be controlled by spot-treating with a contact herbicide.

Broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, chickweed, henbit, clover, dock and mustard can be controlled with selective postemergent herbicides applied in the spring. These weeds can also be controlled by applying a pre-emergent herbicide in the early fall (September). Only materials recommended for St. Augustine grass and Centipede should be used on these lawns, as the turf might be damaged by some chemicals that are safe for Bermuda grass. Repeat applications may be necessary for both pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides. Label recommendations should be followed for all herbicides. You can find this and past articles on the web at www.mycountrytractor. blogspot.com for your reference.