Five questions with Michael Wohltmann

1. Why is it important to use a weed preventer?

Most gardeners would agree that weeds in your garden or landscape bed are unwelcome guests, but [what] most gardeners don’t realize [is] that those same weeds are competing with their flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees for the all the necessary resources such as water, nutrients, space and sunlight. Applying a weed preventer like Preen in early spring stops those weeds from ever sprouting allowing your desired garden plants to get off to a quick, strong start that can be enjoyed all season long and produce a healthy, vibrant garden.

2. What is the difference between a weed killer and a weed preventer?

A weed killer is designed to be absorbed through a weed’s roots or leaf system to kill weeds that have already sprouted in your garden or landscape bed. The problem is that once the weed killer has done its job, your garden is most likely covered with unsightly dead weeds that still need to be removed by hand. A weed preventer works by stopping weeds before they start growing. Preen Weed Preventer works by stopping the weed seed from germinating in the first place. No pumping and spraying that nasty weed killer. When applying Preen Weed Preventer as directed, you won’t have weeds. No weeds, no hand-weeding!

3. What are the advantages of using Preen weed control products versus manual weed control?

We know that all gardeners enjoy a beautiful yard full of their favorite ornamentals, but we also know that their number one frustration when working in their gardens is the appearance of weeds. Manually weeding is time-consuming, labor intensive and at times ineffective if the weed isn’t removed root and all. Weeds can be quite hardy and — if the root system has been well established — can grow back quickly. Applying Preen Weed Preventer blocks weed seeds from ever sprouting by preventing the weed from germinating roots in the first place. One application of Preen Weed Preventer can stop weeds from growing for up to 6 months, allowing gardeners to spend more time enjoying their gardens and less time weeding!

4. How can gardeners best . prepare their flower beds, vegetable gardens and yards for spring?

As with any household project, planning goes a long way in determining the ultimate success of the task being tackled. Preparing your garden for the spring and beyond is no different. Gardeners should assess the condition of their yard to determine how much damage was sustained over the winter months, for example.

A quick sketch of their garden area plans can help create a checklist of items that need to be purchased, such as certain seeds and fertilizers, live goods, garden tools, mulch, and garden weed preventer. Helpful how-to videos, tips as well as care and maintenance advice can be found year-round on preen.com and other gardener helpful websites.

5. How can retailers better educate their customers on the benefits of using a weed control product?

Retailers do a good job providing their customers with a broad assortment of products for all levels of gardeners. Preen continues to work with our retail partners to provide a wide range of weed preventer products that fit each consumer’s needs.

We are also working with our retailers to better educate consumers as to the benefits and advantages of using weed control products versus spraying weed killing products, for example, through how to sessions, in-store point of purchase displays and easy to follow tips and suggestions on our partner websites and to their garden club members.

For more information: www.preen.com