The time to start thinking about weed control is before you see any weeds growing in your Portland or Vancouver yard.
If you wait until the weeds start sprouting, you’ll have a much bigger battle on your hands as they always seem to multiple like crazy.
I’m sure you agree that weeds make your property look bad. Even worse, they compete with other vegetation for sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil that your trees, shrubs and flowers need to grow and stay healthy.
The most cost effective and easiest thing is to have a professional spray the area with a pre-emergent. Let us take take of your weeds so you can tend to your flowers or just relax.
What’s a pre-emergent?
Weed seeds are always sleeping in your soil, just waiting for the right conditions to grow. A pre-emergent is a liquid that is blanket sprayed on the area where you don’t want anything to grow. The liquid seeps into the top layer of the soil and forms a barrier.
It doesn’t stop the germination of weed seeds but when the newly germinated seedlings come into contact with the pre-emergent barrier, it stops the development of the seedling and it dies.
Please note: a pre-emergent will NOT kill existing weeds as their root system is already developed.
Because the pre-emergent forms a barrier in the soil, it’s important that the barrier not be broken or else weeds can grow. This means that after the pre-emergent is sprayed, the soil should not be moved or aerated so for the best results, leave soil undisturbed.
WHY DO WEEDS NEVER STOP APPEARING?
Annual weeds are in 2 classes: winter and summer. As you would guess, the summer weeds germinate in the spring and the winter weeds germinate in the fall.
The timing of the pre-emergent application for each type must match the germination period for the weeds. This is why our residential weed control service is done twice a year-once in the spring and once in the fall.
WHEN IS A POST-EMERGENT NEEDED?
A post-emergent is necessary when you already have weeds growing on your property. A pre-emergent stops weeds from growing and a post-emergent is a liquid sprayed on existing weeds to kill them. It does NOT stop new weeds from growing so a pre-emergent still needs to be applied so new weeds do not grow.
Special note-Additional post emergent treatments may be needed as pre-emergent does not control all weeds, such as blackberries and other species.
Portland commercial weed control
Our commercial weed control uses a stronger product than our residential service so it usually only needs to be applied once a year-in the spring. (FYI-it lasts approximately 8-10 months during the growing season).
In addition to blanket spraying a pre-emergent, this service also contains a post-emergent to kill any existing weeds. If needed, additional applications can be applied throughout the year if any weeds do appear.
Commercial clients range from marinas to junkyards to farms to office buildings to just about any type of commercial property.
If you have gravel, dirt or landscaped areas where weeds are unwelcome (which is pretty much everywhere), then our weed control services are for you.
Portland residential weed control
As we mentioned above, our residential Portland weed control consists of 2 applications (spring and fall). Our current customers usually see a 90 to 95% reduction in weeds by the second year of applications.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO APPLY THEM?
If you want to make sure you don’t miss the window on having a pre-emergent applied, write down the date when you first see weeds appear on your property. Subtract 3 weeks from that date and that’s when you should have a pre-emergent applied the next spring.
This doesn’t help you the first year you decide to have weed control but you’ll appreciate it the next year when your yard is sprayed early enough so no weeds appear.
Will it harm other plants in our landscape?
No, a pre-emergent can safely be applied without any harm to most all other plants, shrubs or trees in your yard.
WEEDS ARE AN ONGOING PROBLEM
While it would be great if we could eradicate all weeds with 1 application, that’s just not the case. Weed control is an ongoing issue so pre-emergent must be applied every year as the barrier can only last a certain length of time.
To help you, we can put you on our customer list for annual weed control services (bi-annual for residential service) so you won’t have to remember to contact us every year.
Don’t let your Portland or Southwest Washington-area home or business property get taken over by weeds again this year. Contact us to schedule your weed control service with General Tree so you can relax and enjoy your yard this summer.
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