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Florida Gardening

Pre Emergent Herbicides

cocoabeachlorax

11 years ago

I'm not sure I'm using the correct terminology, but I'm wondering what people here think about the chemicals you can add to your bed to stop weed seeds from germinating.

We live in Cocoa Beach. I think long and hard before I add anything to my yard and I'm not even on the canal. I just recognize that what goes down on my dirt eventually goes down into the water. I've seen articles before that are very critical of round up even.

So, is there anyone willing to render an opinion on the safety of these pre emergent herbicides.

My ultimate goal with all my beds is to have the intended plant material so bountiful that the weeds have scarcely any room to grow, but while I wait for my intended ground cover to spread, I need to explore my options !

Thanks

Comments (5)

starryrider
11 years ago
Round Up degrades quickly but is not a pre-emergent.

There are organic varieties that use corn gluten that should be pretty safe. I use Bayer Durazone. Kills exisiting weeds and prevents new ones for 6 months. It bonds to the soil to provide a barrier to stop weeds.
Michael AKA Leekle2ManE
11 years ago
My local stores don't seem to carry much in the way of pre-emergents. Especially the organic ones. About the only one I've seen is Preen and for some reason I think this stuff would prevent all new growth and not just weed seeds. Though admittedly I've never even read the label on the stuff...

The only stuff my local stores seem to carry are the chemical weed killers that are fairly turf specific. These are out for me as my 'turf' is some mix-matched blend of different grass types, so using a turf-specific weed killer would leave me with brown patches and areas. Maybe some day I'll splurge and get some St. Augustine to lay down over my lawn areas and homogenize my lawn, but for now, I have other things I would rather spend my money on.

But I would love to hear other people's experiences with these pre-emergents, especially the organic ones. If they work, they might be worth ordering a bag online. Especially if they stop Southern Sandspur. I'm just worried about also ending up putting a halt to Mimosa seed germination and other types while trying to halt the weeds.
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Since it prevents seed germination, it may not bother your raspberries which are growing plants. However, the label says to put in your transplants first, then let the soil settle before applying the herbicide. Some soil mixing would have occurred during planting, so the new roots may contact the herbicide and suffer some damage. The herbicide does not appear to be labeled for food crops, so for a first year when you won't get any fruit it will be OK provided the plants aren't injured. Next year, use something else such as a product containing trifluralin (Treflan, it was an active ingredient in Preen) as this will go after most of the annuals that Barricade controls, plus some others. Since the plants are in the ground, I would just watch and wait and learn from what happens.
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Hey All Thanks for the comments. I have several types of weeds, crabgrass is one, but not as bad as Oxalis. I think I read here that Oxalis has tubers, but not sure. They do put out seeds -- the turtle doves love them around my house. I also take it that an application now, not knowing all the weeds I have, may be a good thing. Also I'll need to apply in late winter around here to be sure I get it down early enough -- no fertilizer yet because of the Zoysia. Thanks again, Mike
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cocoabeachlorax
Original Author
11 years ago
Leekle, it will put a stop to all seed germination indiscriminately as far as I understand, mimosa too.

I'm hoping someone will chime in regarding potential long term impacts on watershed, like you said, overall growth of existing plants (in theory it should not impact plants, only inhibit germination of seeds, but I wonder...), does it lead to soil toxicity in the long term. Really I'm interested in any first hand experiences or even opinions.
jane__ny
11 years ago
I recently moved to Florida from NY. In NY we had well and septic and I gardened organically. Years earlier I used Preen on a few large flower beds. It did work if you put it down early spring. It does nothing after weeds germinate. It worked but I stopped using it for obvious reasons. I had no idea what it would do to the soil and water.

I grew many large beds, both flower and vegetable without any chemicals. I composed heavily and did weed by hand and hoe.

Florida seems to be a different story. Weeds appear before your eyes. I'm having the same issues as you have. I do think as I continue to add thick layers of compost, I will get a handle on the weed growth.

My daughter lives in Connecticut and also gardens organically. She has been using corn gluten on her lawn for about 4 years. It is slow going and takes a few years to start making a difference. It is also expensive if you have a lot of lawn. Her property is beautiful as is her lawn, which is a mix of grasses and green weeds!

Jane
starryrider
11 years ago
Preen has an organic variety for vegetable gardens but obviously you could also use it in flower beds. It is corn gluten. The problem with weeds in Florida is that many weed seeds blow in so you will always be fighting new one. If you use a lawn service they can carry all sorts of weeds and disease on their equipment.

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