Invasive weeds can really ruin the overall look of your previous lawn. Once you’ve used the weed killer to get rid of them, you’re eager to restore the luscious look it has, and look to replant the grass.
That’s why you visited this Lawn Advisors’ guide, looking to know how soon after weed killer can I plant grass, and for that, we’ve reached out to our experts, and got the answer you seek.
In this guide, you’ll know How Soon After Weed Killer Can I Plant Grass, how different weed killers require different attention/ care, and what you should do after using weed killer on your lawn.
Read through to learn more.
Should You Spray Weed Killer Before Planting Grass?
You should always get rid of the weeds first, before planting any new seeds. In fact, you should even wait for a couple of weeks before attempting to do anything with your lawn after applying the weed killer.
Therefore, poor looking grass, weeds, and anything that would weaken the new grass should be removed first, before planting new grass.
How Soon After Weed Killer Can I Plant Grass
You should wait around 28-32 days after using weed killer before planting new grass, as planting the seeds sooner than that would prevent the new seedlings from germinating as properly as they would under normal circumstances.
However, you should always check the label on the weed killer you’re using and the instructions that come with using it, but to make things shorter for you, here is how soon after weed killer can you plant grass for different weed killers:
- Veri-Green Crabgrass Preventer + Lawn Fertilizer: 4 Months
- Season Long Weed Preventer: 3 Months
- Corn Gluten Weed Preventer + Lawn Food: 2-3 Months
- Veri-Green Weed & Feed Lawn Fertilizer: 1 Month
- Lawn Weed Control: 1 Month
Why Should You Wait After Using Weed Killer Before Planting Grass?
Applying weed killers as a weed controlling measure always leaves residual effects on the lawn. These effects stay for a specific period after applying the weed killer, before dissipating for good.
Managing to wait the whole specified period explained above is essential so that the new grass doesn’t get affected by the residual effects left on the soil.
Additionally, you’d want the newly seeded grass to grow properly and have the best germination possible to restore the good-looking lawn you enjoyed before the weed invasion started.
What to Do After Killing Weeds in Lawn?
After using weed killers to kill weeds, you need to prepare the soil for the new seeds you’re going to plant soon.
To prepare the soil, rake up as much of the dead weeds as you can, you’d even notice some weeds are still trying to survive, remove them as well.
Don’t hesitate to use a tiling fork to pull out any extra weeds if necessary.
Most importantly, don’t rush things up by planting as soon as you remove the weeds. We already established that you should wait for at least 28 days before attempting to do so.
During those days, you can use the pre-emergent fertilizers if you feel you’re in a rush, but waiting after planting the seeds to fertilize accordingly can be the best course of action here.
Here’s a video helping you decide what to do after killing weeds in lawn:
Can You Put Grass Seed Down over Weeds?
It’s not advised to put grass seed down over weeds, as the new seeds require much space and little competition to germinate as effectively as they need.
Therefore, you’ll need to get rid of the weeds for good, and give your soil some time to recover, before attempting to plant the new seeds.
Additionally, in some situations, you can spot treat the area you want to plant the new seeds in, and remove the weeds as soon as possible to give them the much needed space and little competition over fertilizers & food to germinate properly.
Summary
To respond to How Soon After Weed Killer Can I Plant Grass, you should give your lawn 28-32 days (or 1 month) before planting the new grass, and then we explained in this guide why it should be that long.
Additionally, since you have much more things to do in that period, we explained what you should do after applying the weed killer as well.
Feel free to ask us in the comments section below if you have any additional questions.
