Forsythia's early yellow blooms
Friends and neighbors often ask me questions on how to take care of their lawn. I’ve noticed over the years that not much would happen after the advice was given. We are all busy, and if you don’t act immediately, it is easy to forget the details of any advice given.
The other issue is too much information. There are plenty of websites with treatment calendars. Many will give you several options but no specifics. I plan to be very specific about the type of grass in your yard.
The first-yard treatment for a new growing season is to apply pre-emergent treatments to crabgrass. Yes, pre-emergent herbicides will treat other weeds, but crabgrass is the one weed most of us are familiar with. Treating the others will be an added benefit.
In North Georgia, it is easy to know when to apply pre-emergent. As you drive through your neighborhood and notice the Forsythia blooming, it is time to head to your Super-Sod Outlet to buy pre-emergent.
Super-Sod stocks the best products for homeowners: 0-0-7 25% Barricade. You don't want to add nitrogen this time of year to warm-season grasses like Bermuda, Zoysia, or Centipede. What you see here is all you need: 0-0-7, not 19-0-7. If you have cool-season grass-like fescue, then go with the 19-0-7.
25% Barricade with 0-0-7 is available at all the Super-Sod Outlets.
19-0-7 for cool season grasses like Fesque
Pre-emergent has to be watered in to be effective. I don’t know about you, but February or early March is not a time of year when I want to drag hoses and adjust lawn sprinklers. So, as soon as you see the Forsythia bloom, buy the 25% Barricade and watch the local weather forecast. Apply the herbicide when the forecast is rain in the next day or two.
The rain will move the herbicide into the soil, where it will bind and be available for about three months to kill the crabgrass when it germinates. Those new crabgrass roots will absorb the herbicide from the soil and die.
Criss-cross when you apply. Put down half the herbicide in one direction and then the rest as you go across, north/south, and then east/west. This ensures a uniform application with no misses. Ask your Super-Sod Rep on how much to buy to cover your lawn.
In the next blog, I will discuss scalping Bermuda grass and a follow-up pre-emergent treatment, which will protect against tougher-to-control weeds like goosegrass.