While people don’t typically think of the cooler winter months as a time of growth, once the temperatures start to warm up again, it’s an opportune time for many pesky weeds. This type of growth may not be visible to you as the homeowner, but once the optimum temperatures hit, weeds will start to germinate in the soil.

Every weed has a different germination point, and while these temperatures may feel a little brisk to you, weeds find them ideal. Different weeds germinate at different temperature points, which is why it’s important to get pre-emergents applied before the temperatures start to warm.

If pre-emergents are applied late, they may not be effective as the weeds have already germinated:

WeedGermination temperature
Crabgrass55 degrees for at least three days
Dandelion50 to 70 degrees for seven to 21 days
Thistle52 degrees for a minimum of 12 hours
Poa AnnuaBelow 70 degrees, will germinate throughout the winter with several flushes
Spurge60 degrees when moisture is available, but ideally 75 to 80 degrees

With average North Texas January temperature in the high 50s to lower 60s, College Fund Landscaping keeps a late December/early January schedule for applying pre-emergents. This follows our year-round, targeted, weed control approach to keeping our clients’ yards in tip-top shape.

Our pre-emergent application is among the most recognizable for our use of blue dye in the treatment. While you can see the blue dye, what you can’t see is the barrier that is being applied at the surface to stop those pesky weeds from germinating.

Weeds are ugly, there’s no getting around that fact. But what you can’t see is that allowing weeds to germinate also reallocates the vital nutrients that your lawn needs to flourish throughout the growing season. Your lawn may be dominant now, but as the temperatures increase, there is activity going on below the surface.

As part of our comprehensive approach to the never-ending battle with weeds, we also include post-emergent treatments with every application throughout the year. This gives weeds that may have already germinated, as well as those who have developed some resistances to pre-emergents, a one-two punch.

If you haven’t talked to us about scheduling your pre-emergent treatment with College Fund Landscaping, give us a call!