Early lawn care

[nocsious3]

Good to know. Seems like it doesn't last the whole season. How much more mowing with that much extra nitrogen?

A lot in the spring

Typically I aim for about .75 lbs of nitrogen in a given application so 1lb isn't completely out of whack.

That's why i put down pre-emergent without fertilizer, but you won't find that at your regular old big box retailer. I didn't look at the specific types of nitrogen, but the Menards bag said slow release so perhaps it has some poly coated. I love my milorganite instead of the nitrogen salts.

 

[Cyfan4good]

Mowing grass high (2 1/2" or higher) will go a long way towards reducing lawn care efforts. It keeps the earth cool, delaying and reducing germination of crab grass. It also reduces evaporation and allows for a deeper root system and increases resistance to draught. Mowing high will substantially reduce crabgrass over the years. I don't seeing crabgrass until late July or early August.

I did that all last mowing season with my new sod on pretty much clay(irrigated too). I aerated in the fall and did the falI fertilizer application. It did very well but I didn't get it mowed shorter the last mowing like I wanted.
Should I aerate and or de-thatch this spring to get rid of all the long dead brown stuff and help with root penetration??

 

[Macloney]

Anybody want to weigh in on Menards brand fertilizer with Crabgrass control vs. Scott brand? It's quite a bit cheaper.

I can't speak to Menards, but I switched to Ace brand a few tears ago and it works great. I put the bags next to each other at the store and they have the exact same ingredients.

 

[nocsious3]

I did that all last mowing season with my new sod on pretty much clay(irrigated too). I aerated in the fall and did the falI fertilizer application. It did very well but I didn't get it mowed shorter the last mowing like I wanted.
Should I aerate and or de-thatch this spring to get rid of all the long dead brown stuff and help with root penetration??

Thatch buildup is relatively rare in fescue lawns. If you have a small lawn, a nice rake with a leaf rake is nice in the spring. Mow low the first time and bag, but otherwise keep it tall and mulch. A thick canopy of 4" fescue will crowd out most weeds. I'm not a fan of spring seeding. It often doesn't survive the hot summer. Aeration is also a bit over-rated. Rarely is turf compacted enough to warrant the aeration. Instead it just brings long dormant weed seeds to the surface. You are better off doing a soil test and amending the soil with deficient nutrients.

 

[cyclonebillski]

Technically crabgrass can germinate with soil temps 50-55 degrees, but most of the germination doesn't happen until soil temps hit 70. Crabgrass doesn't like cold and it dies off every winter. If it germinates too early and it turns cold again, it will never go to seed and be able to make crabgrass babies. That's why you don't really see it popping until soil temps get much warmer. I think a lot of people put their preventer down too early, and the pre-emergent wears off in late spring/early summer and they get crabgrass then. I like products with Dimension or Barricade in them as they tend to last a little longer in the soil. You need be a bit careful though with Barricade and apply it at the recommended rate though, as it can last into fall and prevent seeding germination if applied too heavily in the spring.

Crabgrass is a warm season grass. The most efficient applications are made just before germination, which would be in late April to mid-May in Ankeny. Lawn services do what is convenient, based on their huge numbers of customers, rather than what is the most timely. I have had the best luck with mid-April and late-June split application. Time your application just before a good rain. A thick, lush sod with no thin or bare spots is the best way to prevent crabgrass.

Yeah I agree with these two. Don't ever base it off of when lawn services put their product down. They have way to many customers to put it down it the "right window". I just put out some nitrogen yesterday to give my lawn a kick in the ass since I didn't do a great job of leaf cleanup in the fall(just mulched majority of two silver maples). I don't plan on putting down crabgrass preventer till AT LEAST mid April, depending on how warm it gets. I only tend to use it about every other yr anyway because I don't have a huge problem with crabgrass. Nutsedge and creeping Charlie are my only problems and dithiopyr doesn't work on those.

 

[Bobber]

Yeah I agree with these two. Don't ever base it off of when lawn services put their product down. They have way to many customers to put it down it the "right window". I just put out some nitrogen yesterday to give my lawn a kick in the ass since I didn't do a great job of leaf cleanup in the fall(just mulched majority of two silver maples). I don't plan on putting down crabgrass preventer till AT LEAST mid April, depending on how warm it gets. I only tend to use it about every other yr anyway because I don't have a huge problem with crabgrass. Nutsedge and creeping Charlie are my only problems and dithiopyr doesn't work on those.

I have a nutsedge problem by my patio. Hand pulled them after a bunch of rain when the soil was moist and that worked as well as anything.

 

[cyclonebillski]

I have a nutsedge problem by my patio. Hand pulled them after a bunch of rain when the soil was moist and that worked as well as anything.

Hand pulling nutsedge is about the worst thing you can do because it essentially doubles the nutsedge. It promotes growth to the little nutlets and your problem gets worse. If they are on a patio you could just use roundup, if they aren't around any other vegetation. I've had a little success with post emergence control with a specific nutsedge spray, but always come so back the next summer and Sedgehammer is too expensive.

 

[nocsious3]

Hand pulling nutsedge is about the worst thing you can do because it essentially doubles the nutsedge. It promotes growth to the little nutlets and your problem gets worse. If they are on a patio you could just use roundup, if they aren't around any other vegetation. I've had a little success with post emergence control with a specific nutsedge spray, but always come so back the next summer and Sedgehammer is too expensive.

Nudsedge will drive you nuts. Pulling is temporary. You could dig them up and eat the underground "nuts". Actually they are pretty tasty depending on if you have yellow or purple nutsedge. Purple tastes like menthol if my memory serves me right, but yellow nutsedge nodules have a nice nutty flavor.

I've used sedgehammer with good results and I've used the pre-mixed spray bottle that ortho sells and it works too. Probably the same chemical but I didn't check. You'll need to make it a several year battle to eradicate it all. Nutsedge thrives in wet soils so you could improve the drainage in those areas.

 

[dirtyninety]

Chemicals make life better, no doubt......but maybe it is time to think differently about suburban lawn care. Goats? millenials using push reel mowers to learn a work ethic? Pave it with asphalt? Fieldturf? Americorp pulling weeds?

 

[nocsious3]

Chemicals make life better, no doubt......but maybe it is time to think differently about suburban lawn care. Goats? millenials using push reel mowers to learn a work ethic? Pave it with asphalt? Fieldturf? Americorp pulling weeds?

There is a growing trend to use less chemicals and work to improve soil conditions via various "organic" methods. One immediate improvement I would suggest is not using weed 'n feed type products. If you have a weed your want to eradicate, spot spray it instead of broadcasting weed killer across a whole lawn where it's not needed.

 

[cyclonebillski]

Nudsedge will drive you nuts. Pulling is temporary. You could dig them up and eat the underground "nuts". Actually they are pretty tasty depending on if you have yellow or purple nutsedge. Purple tastes like menthol if my memory serves me right, but yellow nutsedge nodules have a nice nutty flavor.

I've used sedgehammer with good results and I've used the pre-mixed spray bottle that ortho sells and it works too. Probably the same chemical but I didn't check. You'll need to make it a several year battle to eradicate it all. Nutsedge thrives in wet soils so you could improve the drainage in those areas.

The Ortho nutsedge killer is what i used and sulfentrazone was the active ingredient. Works well but also kinda smoke my fescue. 1st time using it and put it on a little heavy and dinged the grass pretty good.

 

[Bobber]

Hand pulling nutsedge is about the worst thing you can do because it essentially doubles the nutsedge. It promotes growth to the little nutlets and your problem gets worse. If they are on a patio you could just use roundup, if they aren't around any other vegetation. I've had a little success with post emergence control with a specific nutsedge spray, but always come so back the next summer and Sedgehammer is too expensive.

Actually the soil was really wet when I pulled it and everything came up including the nutlets. I pulled it late summer and never noticed it coming back. Will let you know how it looks later in the year.

Round Uping it in late summer and reseeding is probably a decent idea, That's what I'll do next if this doesn't work.

 

[GoClone]

1. I agree that you can get rid of Nutsedge by pulling it when the soil is WET. In just a couple of years I eliminated a heavily infested area in the right-of-way by pulling it all.

2. I was told once that crabgrass control should be applied when the Forsythia bloom, (These are the yellow bushes) and bloom-time varies from year to year according to spring warm-up. I usually wait until they are about done blooming and put my crabgrass control down. This has worked well for me and zeroes in the best timing for application.

3. Controlling dandelions and broadleaf weeds is best done in the fall as the weeds are putting energy into their roots to overwinter. I spray about mid September with a product called PasturePro that can be bought at Mills.

4. The most important fertilizer application of the year is your fall fertilization. You want something with a high middle number as phosphorus stimulates root growth. The nitrogen can be lower as you don't want to promote lush green growth at that time. I usually get my fall fertilizer down by the first week of October.

 

[Bobber]

I like to spray Trimec in fall vs Pasture Pro. Little broader spectrum of chemicals. I usually fertilize in spring with crabgrass treatment.

 

[cycloner29]

Is there anywhere I can get a small amount of ammonium nitrate? Look for about 5 lbs for tomatoes this summer. I wanted to try the method where you turn them on the side for a few days and they will turn upward, the dig a trench and bury the rest of plant. This method calls for ammonium nitrate fertilizer during the summer.