Weed control in lawns is always a hot topic and inspires lots of questions. This is a good time to control the winter weeds that are now green in a Bermuda grass lawn. You can spray the Henbit, Chickweed or other winter weeds with glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round-up as it will kill all green weeds (and plants) it hits. It will not damage your Bermuda grass which is still dormant and brown and will not be effected by the glyphosate contact herbicide at this time of year. Do not apply glyphosate to fescue lawns or any green plants you want to keep. You can use 20% horticultural vinegar (acetic acid) as an organic alternative control to dehydrate the green weeds.
This is also the season to apply pre-emergence weed killers to kill crabgrass and other summer weeds before they germinate. Think of liquid or granular pre-emergent herbicides as “birth control” for weeds. They are best when applied when the yellow Forsythia shrubs start to bloom but before the weed seeds germinate. Pre-emergents will kill from 75% to 95% of most weeds before they ever sprout to compete with your lawn.
Most folks use a weed and feed product that will apply the pre-emergent weed killer along with the first round of lawn fertilizer for the season. You can also buy most all of the pre-emergent weed killers in liquid formulations, without fertilizer, to spray on your lawn just as many of the lawn treatment services would do if you hired out this service.
Look for these active ingredients in your pre-emergent in most of the major brands: Balan, Treflan, Team, Gallery, Sulfentrazone or my personal favorites Prodiamine (Barricade) and Dimension. It is much easier to control crabgrass, foxtail and other lawn weeds with pre-emergent herbicides before they germinate than it is to control them after they are grown and competing with your lawn this summer. You can use 60% corn gluten meal as an organic pre-emergent weed control.
Now is the time to apply dormant oil sprays to your fruit trees to control many insects and diseases. Apply lime sulfur, Bordeaux or a fungicide with cholorthalonil to control peach leaf curl on your peach trees. Make sure the temperature is above 40°, make sure to get thorough coverage of all limbs, branches and twigs and confirm that the spray has a chance to dry before rains or freezing.
Two weeks ago we visited about planting onion sets and plants, seed potatoes, bareroot strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus and other cool season vegetables and berries. It is a good thing we can plant all those crops up to Saint Patrick’s Day in mid-March as the soil has been frozen or covered with ice and snow most of the time and we haven’t had many opportunities to start planting. Watch for the nice sunny, slightly warmer days and start planting these crops.
Rodd's Seeds of Wisdom 
Posted by rmoesel on March 3, 2010 at 4:16 pm
-from the emails-
Hi Rodd,
What is a local source for Barricade Prodiamine or 60% Corn Glutten Meal here in the OKC area?
I’ve applied Round Up to kill the winter weeds in my yard and I’m row ready to apply a pre-emergent to keep the crab grass from taking over.
Thanks, Fred
*****
Fred,
Thanks for reading the column. The Barricade name can only be used by licensed brands. Barricade is Prodiamine and that name will show on the active ingredients list in more brands. I believe K&K there in Norman stocks that herbicide in the VPG ferti-lome brand and possibly The Greenhouse. It would also be available at OKC nurseries like TLC, Precure’s, Horn Seed, Marcum’s & many other independent garden centers. All these firms can order the 60% Corn Gluten organic herbicide if they don’t have it on stock since it is still a new product with limited public demand at this point. Now is the best time to apply your pre-emergent.
Have a great spring.
Rodd
Posted by rmoesel on March 3, 2010 at 4:20 pm
-from the emails-
1. pre emergence weed control-
BARRICADE
DIMENSION
a. Where are they sold?
b. Are they available both liquid and dry?
If so, is one more effective than the other?
2. Winter grass and weed killer-
GLYPHOSATE
ROUND UP 18%
ELIMINATOR 41%
a. Which should I use?
b. Is 41% too strong?
Would appreciate your help
Thanks,
Roger
*****
Roger,
Thanks for reading our column & your questions.
#1 Barricade(A brand name for prodiamine) & Dimension should be available at most all independent garden centers. They will generally show as ingredients, not as the name of the product. I don’t know where you live so can’t suggest actual nurseries but manufacturing companies like VPG offer these excellent herbicides in their ferti-lome line as an example. Most homeowner products are offered as a granular to spread with your spreader but a wettable powder and liquid concentrates are available if you can locate them to spray as applied by lawn care companies. Both are excellent—Dimension can be used later in season after the crabgrass or other weeds may have already started to germinate. Now is the prime time to apply.
2. Round-up & Eliminator are both brand names (and there are many other brand names now that the patent has expired) for glyphosate. If you look at the ingredients list, shop for 41% glyphosate for best results at controlling green vegetation. Most effective if the blend includes a spreader sticker/wetting agent or you add one when spraying green vegetation you want to kill. Always follow label directions.
Have a great spring!
Rodd
Posted by rmoesel on March 11, 2010 at 3:35 pm
-from the emails –
We read your recent article regarding weed control and want to be sure we understand correctly.
It is okay to use Round-Up (w/ glyphosate) on Bermuda grass at this time since the Bermuda is dormant.
We have an area of Mondo grass, so we need to stay away from that, correct?
We’d certainly appreciate hearing back from you (and our neighbors probably would too) as we have so much henbit, etc in our yard. We’ve been using the Scott’s products for over a year and just don’t seem to be getting ahead of the problem.
Thank you so much!
Linus
*****
Linus,
Sorry for the slow response but you understood correctly that you can currently apply glyphosate(Round-up is most widely known brand) right over your Bermuda grass lawn without damage to the Bermuda now while the grass is dormant. The glyphosate will kill any green plant tissue including henbit and other winter weeds that are currently green. Do not spray on green Mondo grass unless you want to kill the Mondo grass. Do not spray the Bermuda grass once it starts to green up unless you want to kill the Bermuda grass. Thanks for reading our column.
Have a great spring!
Rodd
Posted by rmoesel on March 11, 2010 at 3:41 pm
-from the emails-
Where can you find 60% corn meal gluten in the Oklahoma City area? If you are to reply I would appreciate it. Thank You
Deana
*****
Deana, sorry for the slow response. Most independent garden centers in the OKC area either stock the 60% fine ground Corn Gluten or can get it quickly from their wholesaler. Try Horn Seed, Marcum’s, Precure’s or TLC or let me know what part of city you are in and I can give you other garden centers near you.
Thanks for reading the column & have a great spring.
Rodd