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By Mark CzarnotaUniversity of GeorgiaPansies are easy to grow, they come in a myriad of colorcombinations and they can take cool weather when few other plantscan. No wonder they’re one of the Southeast’s premier beddingplants. But even pansies can be troubled by weeds.The weeds in pansy plantings are usually annual plants such ascommon chickweed and annual bluegrass. In small plantings, mostcan easily be controlled with mulches and occasional hand weeding.In larger plantings, though, people often turn to herbicides tocontrol their weed problems. The number of chemicals you can usein pansies is limited.A few pre-emergent products are out there: Dimension (dithiopyr),Pendulum and Corral (pendimethalin), Pennant (metolachlor),Snapshot (isoxaben and trifluralin), Surflan (oryzalin) and XL(benefin and oryzalin).That’s allThe list is short. But these products can provide excellentcontrol of many weeds coming from seed. They’re designed tocontrol germinating seeds. They need a rain or watering of aboutan inch within a week of when you apply them.Some of them come in both granular and sprayable forms. Granularherbicides are more popular with homeowners. They don’t requireany mixing. And they’re more forgiving when you don’t apply themjust right.None of these products, though, control all possible weeds. Thereare no “silver bullets” when it comes to herbicides. Most ofthese products or combinations of them will control 80 percent to95 percent of the weeds from seed.You will likely have some weeds you can’t control withpre-emergent herbicides. But most of those can be easily removedby hand.’Established’All of these products are meant to be used on establishedpansies. The plants have to be in the ground for some time, andthe soil has to be settled around the root ball. You can settlethe soil by firmly pressing it around the root ball as you plantand then watering the plants in.Labels often stress that word “established.” The key is to avoidletting pre-emergent herbicides reach the roots of plants.Once weed grasses have emerged in pansy beds, only one product islabeled to control them: Vantage (sethoxydim).Vantage is mixed with water and sprayed over the top of pansiesto control emerged and actively growing grasses. It won’t keepseeds from germinating.Don’t apply Vantage on hot, sunny days. It can cause minor damageto pansy plants then.But wait…All of these herbicides were labeled for use on pansies when thisarticle was written. But labeling can change. Make sure you readand understand the label before using any pesticide.As herbicides go off patent, many third-party manufacturers maymarket them under different trade names. Glyphosate, the activeingredient in Roundup, for instance, is now available in morethan 50 formulations.Before using any herbicide, always consider the health of theplant. Make sure to consider the plants’ cultural requirements,too. A quick canopy of pansy flowers and foliage will helpoutcompete the weeds.Plant pansies where they’ll get only 4 to 6 hours of directsunlight. Make sure the site drains well and the soil is amendedwith some organic matter. Test the soil. Make sure the pansiesare getting adequate fertilization.Most important, make sure the pansy bed is mulched after youplant. Besides adding organic matter and maintaining soilmoisture and temperature, mulches help keep weeds fromgerminating.A good 2-inch layer of pine bark, pine straw, or shreddedhardwood bark should help make for healthy, happy pansies.(Mark Czarnota is an ornamental weed control specialist withthe University of Georgia College of Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences.) read more