Fertilizing my lawn for initial spring application
- Thread starter spierceisu
- Start date
It is part of a soil improvement program. The city will reimburse for some of the cost. It is because of new construction not leaving the soil in good condition. The builders get rid of most of the good soil and just put the sod on hard clay. It is now a requirement from Ankeny to leave the soil decent for new construction, but for a while it wasn't a requirement. The compost helps add more organic matter to the soil.
I overseeded my lawn last fall and it it has germinated but the new growth (that was bare patches) is very short but green. I know crabgrass preventer will limit root growth. Should I put pre-emergent crabgrass preventer down or wait a year so my new grass gets some good roots growing?
Y'all should get rid of your Lawns and plant clover instead.
My back yard was basically almost nothing but clover when we bought the house last year. It's now just a bunch of mud from the dogs, going to try to get something going this year for it though.
Was just in my garden and seeing rhubarb coming through. The ground is pretty cold yet even on tilled dirt. Dig down an inch or two and it’s cold. Not too cold for earth worms though.
I put crabgrass preventer/fertilizer down last night with the hope it will get rained in today. I guess we will see how it goes. With the warmer temps coming up next week I wanted to get it down before the soil starts to warm up.
I had contacted WDM about the same program. Water quality improvements and soil quality are both programs they offer grant money on. You could have played tennis on our yard the day before they laid the sod. Bought an aerator as this is something I'll have to do for some time. Also wanted to do the same with compost to help build up that bio layer.
Pre emerge was applied today over lunch. Temps look warm this weekend into next week.
If you live in central Iowa. I'd get that stuff down
If you live in central Iowa. I'd get that stuff down
I thought these were supposed to be applied at 55 degrees soil temp, it's not even up to 45 degrees in central Iowa yet.
You want to apply before that. At around 50 degrees soil temp the crabgrass can germinate. If you put it on after that, it may be too late. With the temps around 70 for a high next week, the temps will be going up.
ISU extension says 55
Yard and Garden: Controlling Crabgrass
Summer is prime time for being outdoors, enjoying lawns and landscapes and making the most of the warmest months of the year. Crabgrass can ruin some of that fun by damaging a landscape’s appearance and overall feel.
www.extension.iastate.edu
I couldn't remember the exact number. 55 degrees is correct. You want to get it down before soil temps hit 55, not after. If it is at 55, some of the crabgrass can already start to germinate. I also wanted to get it down with some rain coming so it will help get watered in.
I put down a Fertilizer/Crabgrass preventer by Lesco from Home Depot. I have heard good things about Lesco. Scotts also makes a Turf Builder fertilizer with crabgrass preventer too. There is stand alone Crabgrass preventer from Scotts if you want some other fertilizer or no fertilizer.
My lawn is small enough that I don't even put down pre-emergents anymore, just lawn food. I've manually pulled any undesirables for the last few years. A quick 15-20 minute walk around my yard every few days is enough keep things cleaned up. Double benefit of getting a little bit of extra exercise and not spreading unnecessary chemicals on my lawn.
It looks like the forecasted temps are lower next week than predicted a few days ago. If that is the case, maybe I should have waited but not sure.
The attached photo is from today.
This is new grass as of last Fall (had a rocky soil place, tore out rocks, put down new topsoil & seed in September).
These weeds survived the winter (hoped they would not) and are now growing. What can I spray down to kill the weeds without hurting the VERY immature grass?
(edit - to clarify, there are many hundreds of these weeds. Hand picking would be a chore. I just took a close-up for clarity)
This is new grass as of last Fall (had a rocky soil place, tore out rocks, put down new topsoil & seed in September).
These weeds survived the winter (hoped they would not) and are now growing. What can I spray down to kill the weeds without hurting the VERY immature grass?
(edit - to clarify, there are many hundreds of these weeds. Hand picking would be a chore. I just took a close-up for clarity)
