# Ornamental Bed Weed Control



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

Any recommendations for putting down pre-emergent?

Beds were mulched 5 + yrs ago and have decorative plants, roses, crawler vines, shrubs. Won't be mulching again. Beds never had pre-emergent and weeds sprout out-of-control come late May. Have always been hand-plucked. Many snapped off to be sure.

Someone recommended snapshot but don't know if TG or DG. _Pricey._ Could go with 25lb given the area but which would be better? Obviously don't want to kill what's there.

Ideas?


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## NJ Contractor (Nov 12, 2016)

I just mulch not a big fan of chemicals in my soil.


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## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

Are you fighting grasses, or annual weeds? If grasses, there's plenty of grass select options. Clethodim can be sprayed right in the beds & will only kill the grasses, so long as you don't have ornamental grasses in the bed. 



Preen is a good pre emergent for flower beds to combat annual weeds.


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## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

pinwheel said:


> Are you fighting grasses, or annual weeds? If grasses, there's plenty of grass select options. Clethodim can be sprayed right in the beds & will only kill the grasses, so long as you don't have ornamental grasses in the bed.
> 
> 
> 
> Preen is a good pre emergent for flower beds to combat annual weeds.


 Really not any grass that I can remember.

Lots of big dandelions, crabgrass, foxtail, giant stalks of I don't know what,


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Amaze, preen, portrait, each for specific situations.

You don't know the right one if you don't know what the weeds are. Probably amaze.


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## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

hdavis said:


> Amaze, preen, portrait, each for specific situations.
> 
> You don't know the right one if you don't know what the weeds are. Probably amaze.


 Searched my old pics, nothing shown for weeds as they were taken after cleanups. Best of my memory is above.

Dandelions are shooting up.


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## ct123123 (Nov 27, 2018)

prodiamine is the best pre emergent. It may give a yellow ish color on white rocks but usually fades away. It's yellow on the molecular level so not much you can do about that. dithiopyr is second best and is clear but it doesn't cling to soil as good as prodiamine. 

I don't like chemicals either but those are you best options. 
Need tank sprayer for them AFAIK they only are sold in granular form. I think Preen might use dithiopyr. 


I don't like chems either, so maybe plant more stuff, stuff like groundcovers that'll fill in but not climb and take over the ornamentals, i.e vina minor should be fine. English ivy will climb though. there are so many other nice options to fill in the bed without it looking over-planted though besides mulch and it sounds like they're not crazy about mulch either since it's been 5 years they re mulched it.


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