Improve weed control in your nursery

Look, a lot of you apply granular pre-emergent herbicide with a spreader, whirly-bird, whatever you call it. When you make this application you apply it to the plants and simultaneously the groundcover, as a way to not only control weeds on the media surface in the pots, but also as a way to achieve weed control underneath the plants, especially around the bottom of the containers, where the media likes to accumulate and weed seeds love to germinate.

When the plants are smaller this method of application works great and you get a uniform, consistent coverage. But as the plants get larger in the container and the herbicide applicator comes through with the spreader and applies the herbicide, the actual plant itself acts as an obstacle which deflects the herbicide granule, and you don’t get that nice uniform coverage that you otherwise would have.

So here’s a solution. Here is a way you can get around this problem.

Instead of making one application of herbicide at the targeted rate, make two applications at half the rate.

So here’s how you do it.

Make the initial application at half rate while walking through the plants one way and then come back through the plants from the opposite direction making another application at half the rate. So this way you’re still applying the rate you originally intended to apply, but you’re getting a more thorough, even coverage.

Look, I know making two applications is a bit more labor intensive than making one, but how much more is it going to cost you when your herbicide doesn’t control your weeds due to the lack of uniformity of the application.

You’ll waste herbicide and labor while applying it, and then think about it, you’ll spend even more labor, which is time and money, removing weeds that were not controlled.

This is definitely a method you should consider next time you are applying granular pre-emergent herbicide to a group of larger plants that may deflect granular herbicide.

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