Lawn Care for Killing Stickers

Pre-Emergent Herbicides

• Stickers germinate in the spring when soil temperatures warm up. Gardeners prevent sticker seed germination by applying a pre-emergent herbicide to their lawns. Pre-emergent herbicide works by killing sticker seeds as soon as they sprout. In addition, gardeners may apply a pre-emergent herbicide that is combined with a fertilizer, as suggested by the University of Minnesota. Spray your lawn with a pre-emergent herbicide/fertilizer combination that contains active ingredients such as trifuralin and benefin. Water the lawn after applying the pre-emergent herbicide, so that the chemicals sink into the soil.

Post-Emergent Herbicides

• Stickers that have already popped up in the yard must be controlled with a post-emergent herbicide. Use a post-emergent herbicide that contains fenoxaprop, sethoxydim, metribuzin or imazaquin, as suggested by North Carolina State University. Check the label to make sure that it will not harm your turf type. For example, post-emergent herbicides that contain metribuzin should be used on Bermuda grass but may harm other grass types. Spray your stickers when you have a window of dry weather. The herbicide must absorb into the foliage to be effective.

Broad-Spectrum Herbicide

• Broad-spectrum herbicides kill stickers and any other type of vegetation that comes in contact with the spray. Use a broad-spectrum herbicide that contains glyphosate, as recommended by North Carolina State University. Glyphosate works by inhibiting the sticker's ability to produce proteins. Gardeners who use a broad-spectrum herbicide in their lawns must overseed after using the spray, because it kills surrounding grass and leaves bare areas. Bare areas are optimal environments for other weeds to pop up.

Digging

• Those who do not want to use chemicals in their yard or want instant results dig up their sticker plants. Wet the area before digging to make getting the sticker's root system easier. Press a shovel 3 inches away from the base of the sticker plant and 6 inches deep. Push the sticker plant's root system through the soil. Burn or throw away the debris, but do not place in your compost. Overseed your bare areas to prevent weed growth.