Seasonal fertilization paired with licensed pre-emergent and post-emergent applications, timed to the Northeast Georgia calendar and matched to your grass. The licensed part is something most landscapers can't offer.
In Georgia, anyone applying herbicides or other pesticides on someone else's property for hire needs a commercial pesticide license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. That license requires training, testing, and continuing education on product selection, rates, timing, and safety.
Plenty of landscaping crews mow, edge, and plant but can't legally put down pre-emergent or spot-treat weeds. So homeowners end up hiring a second company, or the weeds simply win. Hanco grew out of a licensed pest control business, and our lawn team brings that same licensed, documented approach to turf. One company installs your landscape, maintains it, and keeps the weeds out of it.
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A pre-emergent creates a barrier in the top layer of soil that stops weed seeds from establishing as they germinate. It does nothing to weeds already growing, which is why timing is everything. Applied too late, the seeds have already sprouted.
A post-emergent controls weeds that are already up. Selective products target specific weeds while leaving your grass alone, but the right product depends heavily on your turf type and the season. The wrong choice can injure Centipede or St. Augustine.
Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures hold around 55°F, which usually arrives in our area in late February to March. Exact dates shift each year with the weather, so we watch soil temperatures rather than the calendar alone.
| Window | Treatment | Targets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Feb – Mar | Spring pre-emergent | Crabgrass, goosegrass, summer annuals | The most important application of the year |
| Apr – May | Pre-emergent follow-up + broadleaf post | Late germinators, dandelion, clover | Extends the barrier through early summer |
| May – Aug | Targeted post-emergent + fertilization | Nutsedge, spurge, dallisgrass, buttonweed | Feeding warm-season turf in its growing season |
| Sept – Oct | Fall pre-emergent | Poa annua, henbit, chickweed | Fescue lawns: aerate and overseed instead where seeding |
| Nov – Feb | Winter broadleaf post-emergent | Henbit, chickweed, wild onion | Dormant Bermuda and Zoysia show winter weeds clearly |
Northeast Georgia sits in the transition zone, so you'll see both warm-season and cool-season lawns. Each needs different products, mowing heights, and timing.
Full sun, high traffic, and fast recovery. Dormant and brown in winter. Mowed short, about 1 to 2 inches. Aerate in early summer.
Dense and carpet-like with some shade tolerance. Slow to recover from damage. Mowed about 1 to 2 inches depending on variety.
Low-input, low-fertility grass that dislikes heavy feeding. Sensitive to certain herbicides, so product selection matters. Mowed about 1 to 1.5 inches.
Cool-season, stays green in winter, prefers partial shade. Struggles in peak summer heat. Mowed tall at 3 to 4 inches. Aerate and overseed in fall.
Five quick questions. You'll get a weed pressure level and the program that fits your lawn.
Pricing depends on lawn size and turf type. Every quote is in writing after we see the property.
For lawns that are in decent shape and need to stay that way.
Quoted by lawn size
Year-round fertilization with pre- and post-emergent applications matched to your grass.
Quoted by lawn size
We handle it all, from mowing to fertilization to beds.
Quoted by property
Fire ants in the lawn? Hanco Exterminating can add fire ant treatment to your program.
Are you a landscaper? We handle weed control and fertilizer for other landscape companies' clients. See our partner program.
Every product we apply is EPA-registered and used according to its label, which is the law. We treat what needs treating, spot-spray instead of blanket-spraying when we can, and tell you exactly what was applied and when it's safe for kids and pets to return to the lawn.
Ask Us About ProductsPre-emergent only works if it's down before weed seeds germinate. Here's the calendar we follow from Jefferson to Toccoa, and what happens when the window is missed.
Read ArticleNortheast Georgia sits in the turf transition zone, so four very different grasses all grow here. A plain comparison of sun, traffic, maintenance, and weed control for each.
Read ArticleThat shiny, fast-growing 'grass' that shoots above the lawn two days after mowing is yellow nutsedge. Why pulling and mowing don't work, how drainage feeds it, and what actually controls it.
Read ArticleGeorgia requires a commercial pesticide license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture to apply herbicides for hire. Many landscaping companies don't hold one. Our applicators are licensed, so we can handle both the landscape and the weed control.
The spring application should be down before soil temperatures hold around 55°F, which in our area is usually late February to March. A follow-up extends protection into summer, and a fall application in September to October targets Poa annua and winter weeds.
Most pre-emergents also stop grass seed from establishing. If you plan to seed, especially Fescue in the fall, tell us so we can adjust the timing or product for those areas.
We apply EPA-registered products according to label directions. We'll tell you how long to keep children and pets off treated areas, which for most liquid applications is until the product has dried.
No lawn program can promise that. Weed seeds blow in, birds drop them, and thin or wet spots invite new weeds. A consistent program of fertilization and pre- and post-emergent applications greatly reduces weed pressure and builds thicker turf that crowds weeds out, but some weeds will still appear and may take more than one treatment.
Post-emergent results on existing weeds usually show within one to three weeks depending on the weed and the weather. Pre-emergent results show up as the weeds that never appear, which is why a full season is the fair way to judge a program.
Yes. We provide weed control, fertilization, and full grounds maintenance for businesses, HOAs, churches, schools, and public properties.
The best lawns are won months before anyone notices. Call now and we'll build your program around the next pre-emergent window.
