[Batdad]

So we’ve been trying to get away from lawn chemicals, and I understand that topical herbicides (ie. weed killers) should be avoided if our pets roam and eat our grass every day. However, I’ve seen discussions around herbicides also being in pre-emergents. What’s a pre-emergent?

[Sally Jones]

First, a pre-emergent is a type of herbicide that you apply to your soil to prevent weeds from growing in the first place. If you’re looking for pet-safe herbicides, we at Canine Journal highly recommend Sunday’s products. They only offer non-toxic, entirely pet-safe weed killers, fertilizers, etc. And they have a fantastic pre-emergent called Dandelion Doom. Check out my colleague’s review of Sunday Lawn Care, including her personal experience with their products.

[Alex Schenker, Co-Founder/CEO]

Pre-emergents come in granular and liquid forms (as do fertilizers). All of these lawn products may contain ingredients that are harmful to pets and children, so be sure to read the label as well as post-application instructions. As Sally points out, if you are concerned for your pet, the only completely safe solution is to avoid herbicides altogether (as Sally points out, Sunday Lawn care is a good DIY solution). This may not result in a perfectly green lawn, but ask yourself how important that really is in the grand scheme of things. Research has shown that herbicides can also reduce biodiversity, as well as negatively affect our water table, ecosystem, and pollination populations (bees).

[Rilbie Dilbie]

Herbicides (both pre and post-emergent) I’ve been able to remove from our lawn regimen (we use Sunday lawn care as well), but I had a more difficult time with fertilizer. Sunday’s dandelion killer didn’t get rid of all the weeds for me. If you live in a hotter, more humid climate (weeds thrive in hot conditions); it’s going to be more difficult to go the all natural route. But ask yourself: peace of mind over a few weeds? No brainer for me. You could also forego grass completely and go with some non-grass landscaping.

[Author]

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