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Corn Gluten Pre-Emergent

Believe it or not, weeds don't have to be a source of frustration for you. That's because you can wipe out an entire generation of weeds by treating your lawn and garden now, in early spring, with a pre-emergent herbicide.

Last fall, like many of the flowers in your garden, weeds dropped seeds in your flowerbeds and they'll begin to germinate soon. However, pre-emergent herbicides can keep those weed seeds from actually sprouting.

When using any type of herbicide you should always use caution - chemicals can be harmful to you, your children and your pets. However, in recent years, an all-natural pre-emergent herbicide made from corn gluten has been developed. Look for products like WOW offered from the mail order source Gardens Alive or you can buy corn gluten meal from farmers' co-ops.

If time gets away from you and the
weeds begin to sprout, try an earth friendly
post-emergent herbicide such
as Garden Safe's Weed and Grass Killer.

Now it's important to understand that no matter what type of pre-emergent you use, it will have the same effect on some of those desirable volunteer plants in your garden as it will on the weeds.

When I say volunteers, I mean those flowers that re-seed each fall to bloom again next year, like bachelor buttons and spider flowers. So be conscientious about where you apply a pre-emergent.