Get ready boys......

[LwnmwnMan2]

With today's rain, things will be waking up after the second snooze alarm.

If you haven't done so already, you can get out and rake the yard, clean things off for the season.

Fertilizing and crab grass should still be held off, however if you REALLY think you need to put it down, don't think you're going to be arrested for doing so.

There are two reasons the ads are running and you may see little green with white flags in people's yards saying their yard was treated.

The large tru-ly green company will have to start applying to get 6 rounds of fertilizer in. If you're using a quality fertilizer at full rate, you will only have to put down 3 applications of fertilizer, 4 at the most.

Even the ads for hardware stores offering the special of all 4 apps for %54.95 should show that you only need 4 applications, and if you don't have an insect problem, you don't have to put down insecticide.

The biggest issue with putting down your crabgrass preventer too early is this. If you put it down too early, the chemical barrier may dissolve too early. This chemical will only last 4-6 weeks. One of the reasons that t-green is applying already is because they'll run a split application. Basically charging the customer for 2 service calls when 1 is all that's needed.

With the weather that's coming, with highs in the 50's and lows in the 30's, ground temps will hold steady, then drop slightly.

Like I've said before, in 2002 it was 90 degrees on Easter. 3 weeks later I drove to Texas for a week and I was freaking out the whole time because I wanted to get back and do cleanups and get the preventer down. While I was down in Texas, it snowed 6".

If you're out and about this weekend, look for a crabgrass preventer called "Dimension".

It used to be found at Home Depot.

If you cannot find it, other guys on here will tell you it can be found at John Deere Landscapes.

The Dimension will allow you both pre-emergent protection, as well as some post emergent protection, just incase you have 1 or 2 blades of crabgrass that have popped up early.

Most national brands don't do that, which is another reason they promote such early applications.

[chasineyes]

Is it ok to Power Rake the lawn? Or still to early.

Thanks

[311Hemi]

If you're out and about this weekend, look for a crabgrass preventer called "Dimension".

It used to be found at Home Depot.

Is that made by Lesco? It's on HD's web site.

[LwnmwnMan2]

You can pretty much do whatever needs to be done on your grass now, short of fertilizing.

I was out checking temps this morning, along with a buddy who was checking his temps and we're right at 50 degrees, if not a degree or two below.

With the weather this week coming, highs in the mid 50's and lows in the 30's by Wed., these temps aren't going too much farther.

With that said, the Dimension product that I'm talking IS the Lesco fertilizer.

Yes, it CAN be found on Home Depot's HSOforum, but it can also be found at a John Deere Landscapes center near you.

Once again though, I want to remind everyone that the J.D.L. stores are commercial places. As a homeowner you're more than welcome to shop there, but have the common courtesy that if there are professionals trying to get in, get product and move on, that you let these guys get their jobs done.

There's nothing that drives someone crazy more than going in, knowing exactly what you need, and you're waiting for a homeowner with 100 questions.

Not to be rude, just saying.....

[311Hemi]

LM2, any thoughts with the extended outlook on when you may think about putting down crab grass preventer?

Just trying to figure out when to get the power raking done before the time comes to put down the preventer.....is it an ASAP thing or could we have a few weeks if temps stay where they are at?

[LwnmwnMan2]

If the temps stay where they're at, you have a few weeks.

You can pretty much start getting it down anytime now.

I was on a property yesterday which had a fair amount of crabgrass already up, but it's one that's a VERY VERY bad property due to over salting for 3-4 years, and basically killing everything around the edge of the parking lot.

Nothing else grows 1-2 ft around the parking lot BUT the crabgrass.

I've almost got it under control, but without getting authorization to remedy the situation (fix the dead areas) this property is going to always have problems.

[MuleShack]

There are two reasons the ads are running and you may see little green with white flags in people's yards saying their yard was treated.

The large tru-ly green company will have to start applying to get 6 rounds of fertilizer in. If you're using a quality fertilizer at full rate, you will only have to put down 3 applications of fertilizer, 4 at the most.

I couldn't believe that, they had treatment signs up already on March 29th....Gotta love it when things are done for the money instead of the process and effectiveness.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Originally Posted By: LwnmwnMan2

There are two reasons the ads are running and you may see little green with white flags in people's yards saying their yard was treated.

The large tru-ly green company will have to start applying to get 6 rounds of fertilizer in. If you're using a quality fertilizer at full rate, you will only have to put down 3 applications of fertilizer, 4 at the most.

I couldn't believe that, they had treatment signs up already on March 29th....Gotta love it when things are done for the money instead of the process and effectiveness.

Correct, which in the other thread about "Lawn Service too soon"....

The application that the o.p. had about having done, it's not going to kill the grass, it's just that the effectiveness of the application is going to be so minimal that it doesn't pay to have the application performed.

It was done at 1/2 rate from "typical", which for this time of year it SHOULD have been, but then the next application will most likely be done in 2-3 weeks, at which point the first application could have just been held off for another 2-3 weeks, or mid week next week.

[DTro]

Here's effective for ya.

I finished up my dethatching on Mon and put down leftover winterizer from last year when i was done

It's greening up already.