Time to Preen

This fall, we’ve had rain on three separate occasions thus far, totally just a smidge over 1". That isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s enough for this to happen:

Front yard a few blocks away

Yep, weeds are sprouting enthusiastically, and it’s just the beginning.

In our front yard a few days ago

I admit, shamefacedly, that I let things get out of control this past spring:

April 2023

I ended up spending a lot of time pulling weeds when I could have prevented them (or at least most of them) in the first place.

This year I will be more proactive. I’ve had great results using a product called Preen Extended Control in cactus pots, and I plan on applying it on a larger scale to prevent weeds from sprouting in other areas where they aren’t wanted. Which, technically, is everywhere since they’re never wanted, haha.

Preen is a pre-emergent herbicide that prevents seeds from germinating. It’s not selective – it works on flower seeds just as effectively as it does on weed seeds. Weed suppression is achieved using corn gluten meal, a byproduct of corn milling. Depending on the product (Preen Extended Control, regular Preen, or Preen Natural), the amount of corn gluten meal ranges from 98% to 100% percent. Preen Natural is 100% corn gluten meal, regular Preen adds one herbicide (trifluralin) and Preen Extended Control two (trifluralin and isoxaben).

Corn gluten meal is harmless (it’s also used in animal feed) and quite effective at suppressing weeds. It technically doesn’t prevent weeds from germinating, but it stops the germinating seeds from forming roots. The end result is the same. Here is a more in-depth discussion of corn meal gluten as a weed preventer.

The difference between the three Preen products is how often they need to be applied: Preen Natural (100% corn gluten meal) needs to be applied once a month, regular Preen (containing trifluralin) every three months. Preen Extended Control (containing two herbicides) is good for six months.

I don’t want to go into the complex issues surrounding the use of herbicides. Whether you use them or not is a personal decision. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t use herbicides, because an ideal world wouldn’t have weeds in the first place.

Some people find weeding therapeutic. For me, it’s my least favorite chore. Because I want as little work as possible, I use Preen Extended Control. I’m aware that it may be harmful to the environment, like any weed control product. I use as little of it as I can to keep my garden reasonably weed-free. Because I really don’t want to see this again:

I should add that Preen doesn't work on weeds that have already sprouted. In fact, since it's about 10% nitrogen by weight, it gives them an extra boost. It's best to get rid of existing weeds first before applying Preen.

Note: Some readers got the impression that this post is a paid advertisement for Preen. Far from it; it's simply my personal experience. I've never been paid to promote a commercial product. And if it ever happened, I would be very clear about it. Transparency and honesty are very important to me.

© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.