Pre-emergent herbicide
To protect your garden from weeds and make it look good, use a herbicide. First you must choose the right type of herbicide to maximize its effectiveness.
Types of herbicides
Herbicides have different uses.
Pre-emergent herbicides
This type of herbicide is used to avoid the sprouting of the weeds in the first place. When applied, it acts as a barrier which suffocates the weed seeds and kills them before they germinate. Aerating the soil may render the barrier of the weed killer useless, so try avoiding it. To activate the weed killer, water the lawn lightly. Be sure not to apply this type of weed killer to newly planted or sodded lawns.
Post-emergent herbicides
This type of herbicide is used when the weeds have already grown. It will attack the roots of the weeds, thus killing them. It is effective against most common weeds but has trouble killing weeds with deeper root systems like the quack grass.
Applying on time
Pre-emergent herbicides must be applied early in the spring, when the temperature is under 60 degrees. This way, the seeds will not germinate and grow.
Post-emergent herbicides must be applied when the temperature is between 60 and 90 degrees. This herbicide must be applied a few times over the course of the summer. Applying this weed killer in late autumn will prevent weeds from growing in spring. To increase effectiveness, water the lawn often and leave the grass longer than you usually do.