Remember those awful stickers that you endured this spring?  October and November is the time to prevent them.  If you wait till they come up in the early spring you are too late.  Once that the plant makes its sticker it is too far gone.  You can spray and kill the plant itself but not the sticker.  

There are several ways to treat your yard for prevention.  One is to spray Atrazine.  Atrazine controls both emerged weeds and weeds from seed in St. Augustine and Centipede.  Use 4 1/3 oz. per gallon of water to treat 500 sq. ft.  Atrazine controls many other kinds of weeds including spurge, poa annua, and clovers.  It is a very old chemical but still does a good job.

Another product is Hi Yield Turf and Ornamental weed and Grass Stopper.  The chemical is Dimension and it provides pre-emergent control of crabgrass and many other  weeds when applied prior to germination and emergence.  Turf  and Ornamental weed stopper can be applied up to 4 weeks later than other pre-emergent crabgrass preventers.  Use 4.6 lbs. to 9.2 lbs per square foot.  

Another product is good is the BCF Weed and Feed 1.15% Atrazine.  THis atrazine is even labeled for Bermuda grass.  Use 2 pounds per acre.  It is a 0-0-7 fertilizer product and I have a hard time seeing how you can only spread 2 lbs per acre.  I’m guessing that the fertilizer is the carrier of the chemical.  

Don’t forget that the week of the 19th is our parish Jr. Livestock Show.  These kids have worked on their projects all year for this week.  Let’s support them by showing up.

(Mitzi Thomas owns Minden Farm & Garden LLC. Watch for her column on Fridays in Webster Parish Journal. Email Mitzi questions at  mitzithomas40@yahoo.com.)