HELP ! I’VE GOT SOOOO MANY WEEDS !!

HELP! I’VE GOT SOOOO MANY WEEDS!!

It’s what I hear every day at the counter here at the store. If it makes you feel any better, you’re not alone. If it doesn’t… sorry!

Why Is This Happening?

Take a look at the weather pattern we’ve been dealing with:

• Lots of rain and moisture in the fall
• Extended warm weather late into the fall
• Constant temperature swings from Christmas until now

Welcome to the Sandhills.

When winter stays warm, weeds respond. The goal of every plant is to reproduce. (When God said “Go forth and multiply,” the weeds clearly took notes.) Most of what you’re seeing are winter weeds that think spring is here. They’ll die once real heat arrives, but before that happens, they make a final aggressive push to produce seed.

“That’s Nice… But I Want Them Gone.”

Here’s the hard truth:

• Most weed killers don’t work well when nighttime temperatures are below 50°F
• Tough weeds often require two applications
• Even if you catch a warm spell for the first spray, the second application (10 days later) often hits cold weather again

Result: you feel productive, but you’re likely wasting both time and money.

So What Does Work?

The best long-term solution is a strong pre-emergent program.

• Apply mid to late September
• Apply again mid to late February

This prevents many weeds from ever germinating in the first place.

For now:

• Keep the lawnmower sharp and running
• Keep mowing the weeds down
• Wait until temperatures stabilize before applying post-emergent chemicals

It doesn’t fix everything today, but it keeps you from buying products that won’t work in current conditions.

The Recap

• Winter weeds – aggravating
• Sandhills temperatures – unreliable
• Chemicals in cold weather – not dependable
• Pre-emergent program – GOOD