My lawn is not even established yet (it's only been a year) and it's been taken over by crabgrass. I'm growing fescue but when the weather gets warm, the crabgrass takes over. Not just a few, I'm talking the whole thing!
So the question is, what kind of preemergence weed control do I get and when do I apply it? Fall, spring? What ground temp?
mdschutz
Favorite Answer
Scott's sells a fertilizer with HALTS, a preemergent treatment. The label says to treat the lawn when the ground temperature reaches 65 degrees. Since most people do not measure ground temperature, the label says to apply in the spring when the forsythia blooms. Near Chicago, where I live, forsythia blooms fairly consistently in early to mid April. I have been advised by some that this is too early to apply preemergent treatments. In my experience, however, it is better to apply too early as opposed to too late - once the seeds from last year's crop of a widespread crabgrass infestation germinate, you are done. Several other sources cite a ground temperature of 55 - 60 degrees for applying preemergent treatments, supporting my "better earlier than later" advice. An article on the web by Purdue University specialists also suggests to apply early (as early as March 1 for northern Indiana), as the application will still be effective all season.
Anonymous
Scotts fertilizer has a type with a preemergent (crabgrass) preventive ... HALTS I think they call it.
In the mid-Atlantic, they say apply while the forsythia is in bloom.
If you're overrun now, pay a kid in the neighborhood to pull it up manually. Apply the Scotts/HALTS next Spring.
meathead
Get chemical called Atrazine. The only downfall
with this pre-emergence weed controler is that
you will need to apply it in Feburary while the grass
is dormant. Otherwise it will kill your grass. After you
spray it, it will have a residual control on weeds and
will kill them. You can find it at a agriculture chemical
dealer and I think at Wal-mart or Home Depot.