Rain & Weed Killer

It’s that time of year you’re thinking, ‘it’s such a beautiful, warm day, I’m going to go out and put down weed killer’ or whatever it might be, and then all of a sudden, you’ve got this big thunderstorm.  If it does get rained on or anything like that, do you have to reapply?

It does depend on what you’re using. Say you put down weed killer or preventative stuff. As long as it has enough time to dry and kind of work itself in, that’s usually the best. The warmer weather helps tremendously. 75 degrees and above is usually the best time to do it. It definitely helps.

I am a fan of using the natural weed killer, the vinegar and salt mix, and it is always good to do it on a sunny day. You don’t want to do that on an overcast day. It kind of works, but not nearly as well as it does when the sun’s out. Once you put it down, as long as a few hours or maybe half a day or something like that, then you’re protected from having to reapply. The weeds have already sucked it in, so once the weeds have dried, you’re good to go. With the sprays, as long as they dry, it should be okay.

Now if you have a granular weed killer, and you’re usually told to not put it down if there’s any sign of rain or moisture coming up, because you have to put it down and let it stay for at least 24 hours before it gets wet. The granular, each one is different. You still want to get, water on it so it’s not sitting too long without it. So if it says 24 hours before rain, but you still want to get some type of water onto it after the fact. Each one is different. Liquids and stuff, it’s fine as long as it dries. With the granular, on the turf and build stuff, they specifically say let it sit for a while without rain.

I know certain fertilizers, certain weed seeds, you have to get water on them pretty quickly or they’re going to burn your lawn. Certain ones may just be a little different where it needs to sit and, you know, work into the soil or just have no washout, which could be part of what they’re saying, so it just doesn’t wash and pile up. It could be different for each one. The way I look at it is the seed part doesn’t bother, the rain doesn’t bother. The weed part has to stay on the leaf so that it gets absorbed into the leaf for a period of time without being washed away.

It depends on the product that you’re using, right? It does, because there’s a lot to have like pre-emerge that, you’re better off getting water into, and the types of fertilizer you’re better off getting water, but then you also need to let it sit so it can do its job. It really depends on what you’re using.

Granular or spray, you can get both at either of our locations! Questions? Email us at [email protected] or call one of our two locations: Portage (330-499-0101) or Everhard (330-492-1243).