It is TOO EARLY for crabgrass treatments!!!

[Powerstroke]

I am writing this because the company I hire to provide food and weed control for my lawn showed up today and put down the "early crabgrass treatment".

I have always paid to have an extra treatment applied because my yard faces south and I have always had crabgrass issues. I pay because the treatment works.

It gets discussed on this site every year the proper temperature range that Crabgrass Pre-emergent (Pre-M) needs to be applied at. Generally, if you can get the pre-m down when soil temps are between 52-55 degrees you've hit it perfect. The treatments last for 6 weeks and depending on the spring warm up, that is all you should need.

Well, my company came and applied TODAY, March 18th. I know its sunny out and Minnesotan's everywhere are in speedo's and bikini's, but the ground is still frozen and so are the lakes. After seeing the little lawn sign and finding the paperwork on my door, I took my soil probe and took a few temps in the yard. Not a single one measured above 40 degrees.

Please DO NOT let your lawn company tell you it needs to get done early because of early spring. While the air did get warn for a week, the soil is still cold and not ready to grow. Dont waste your money. Thats exactly what you are doing.

I called and complained and spent a good 10 minutes explaining what I knew from 10yrs of lawn care experience. ALl I got is a free treatment coming in a few week to make sure I get the coverage I paid for. Needless to say I may be shopping for a new company. I'm not gonna share their name here because they generally have been a good company, but please look out for yourself and your hard-earned money.

Whether you pay for it or do it yourself, it is TOO EARLY for lawn care. Wait until April 1.

[Scott K]

I have had my previous lawn care company, come in and spray right before a storm came in like 20 minutes, and dumped several inches of rain. I called and complained, and all they told me was they cant predict the weather. But the black clouds that were in the sky, and the prediction of heavy rain, should have been a good hint. Then later in the year, they applied 2 treatments in a dry August, and burnt my grass. I dropped them right after that.

[fishersofmen]

I can't believe there are companies putting down applications already. (Unless their name is Chemlawn) I would do it Powerstroke but I don't go quite that far, yet. I heard the Lawn Ranger went bankrupt last fall and wouldn't mind getting some of their customers.

[otterman91105]

In my opinion i would wait till the ground temp gets up to 52 degrees. Otherwise they says it to early and it won't help.

[lawdog]

Its MARCH 18!!!??? insane...

[bobberineyes]

Any truth to the old saying of when the lilacs start to bloom is when to apply?

[H2O Milfoil]

I'm an old turf agronomist. Yes, the lilac bloom is an indicator, it's based more on soil temps and photoperiod than just air temps. But you need to pay attention to many signs...the ice going out is another one of them, as is knotweed germinating. But so many factors come in to play...the exposure of the site, etc. The real problem is, lawn care companies can't treat all of their customers during a 5 day period. But to me it sounds like you were being slammed. Grass seed on the other hand can go in this early in the year. But not if you are planning a herbicide program on the same area.

[Powerstroke]

Lilacs blooming is a decent indicator.

I realize that predicting the weather etc is tough, but lets be real, in my almost 10yrs of applying lawn treatments for a national company (not tru-green, we never treated lawns before APril 1st. For a long time I thought it was a law. It wasn't. It was a policy my boss believed in because he knew customers would call because they wanted to rake and mow as early as possible. The truth is soil temps always tell the story.

By the time I left that company, I was planning routes and timing and was in charge of these things, it wasn't that hard to manage.

The treatment this week was easily 1 month early.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I wish it was law, but sadly it isn't.

[Tom7227]

Saw True Green truck at a neighbor's house last Saturday. I wonder if the chemicals were able to sit on top of the ice on the lake for any length of time.

[fishersofmen]

And this is the largest application company in the country. What is wrong with people......

I just got another one of their customers last week. Said he got tired of all the late night phone calls, pushing 6 applications a year, and poor weed control. The same thing I hear time and time again from folks.

They are what they are from marketing and marketing only. I think people just assume because they are such a large company they have the best trained employees and use the best products. Both are completely false.

If anyone out there uses this company or knows someone who does run and run fast if you haven't already.

[otterman91105]

I can't remember is your soil suppose to be 52 degrees in the morning or when it hits 52 its just time to put it down. Thanks

[Twin bunks]

I've also read something in an article about a particular temp range that I can't remember. I do remember the article going on to say put it down when the lilacs bloom.