spring time applications

[Kodiak]

i got a sprayer this year and i was wanting to spray my herbicides and still spread granular fertilzer on my lawn.

what month's and what products do you suggest instead of just a granular weed feed.

spray herbicide?? and when??

granular and when?

thanks in advance!

[Powerstroke]

To choose the best herbicide you need to know what you're targeting as far as weeds.

For the very first application its important to get your Crabgrass Pre-emergent applied. How you do that is up to you, but the easiest and cleanest way is to have it in the granular fertilizer.

This should be done in late April to early May. Many try to do it as soon as the snow melts, but the product only lasts about 6 weeks and crabgrass doesn't start germinating till mid-late May. It may be done before all the weeds come up and you would need a second app.

I usually time the broadleaf herbicide with the second fert around Memorial day.

[Moose]

Kodiak,

I'm not sure what type of sprayer you're talking about but if it is mobile you will need to calibrate your speed, sprayer pressure, and tip size with the product you are going to spray. Typically your 1st application is pre emergent for crabgrass this needs to be put down when the ground temp is around 58 degrees and going up. That is the temp crabgrass germinates at and you want you product right there at full strength when it germinates. Pre em is a nasty chemical to put through a sprayer as it turns everything yellow and is impossible to get out. Your best bet is to purchase it as a granualar and spread it with a broadcast fertilizer spreader. Make sure your not putting the chemical down on new seed or sod as it will prevent it from germinating also.

Next I would put down a broadleaf control chemical such as weedBgone or threeway. Those are both sprayable chemicals and need to be purchased @ full strength and mixed with water in your spray tank. You will also need to calibrate your system with these chemicals. This needs to be down when the dandelines are active and growing. Preferably in the morning when the wind is down and there is less chance of evaperation off the plant leaves. You want the plants to suck up the chemical when they are in their active growth cycle.

Make sure this is a 2-4-d product and not herbicide like Roundup. The bottles look the same check the label. 2-4-d works in grass and non selective products like roundup kill grass. The label on a non selctive product like roundup should have the word geophosphate somewhere on the label.

Next I would put down a good slow release fertilizer. Usually the bag says polycoated or something like that. Read the label and make sure it has at least 12% coated material for slow realese. I would do this in early June if your Pre emergent had fertilizer in it already wich most do or mid to late May if you spray Pre emergent. Try to put this down in the early morning also and give it a light shot of water to keep the fertilizer from burning the grass leaves if it should happen to get hot that day.

Next I would put down another fertilizer application in late July.Try to pick a cooler cloudy day. Also remember that most cities have a phospherous ban so the middle # on the bag should be 0 unless you have new sod or seed. The #s go Nitrogen 1st then Phospherous then Potash or Pottasium.

Next I would do your final fertilizer application in late September that way the plant still gets some nutrients before it goes dormant for the winter and it still has some slow release laying there for spring green up.

After the first light frost I would spray again for broadleaf control. Usually you will get a much better kill in the fall than the spring but if you have bad dandelines I would do both applications for a couplle of seasons and just do the fall on after that.

One of the most important things for nice lush green grass is to keep your mower hight as high as possible. In the summer my walk behind Toro Personalpace mower is up as high as it will go. This keeps the Kentucky Blue Grass we grow around here happy and only cuts off the top 1/4" cutting it once a week. Kentucky Blue likes to be over 3" to not stress in the summer heat. Also do not bag your grass. When you side discharge or much it it put down a nice layer of thatch that helps keep your plant roots moist in the hot season. If you live in clay soil conditions you can airefy but dethatching just hurts your turf right at the beinning of the growing season.

Hope this helps Moose

[TKO_PUNCH]

Very nice post, Moose

[Moose]

Thank you, TKO

[hotrod1]

I believe 2,4-D is a systemic herbicide.

I'm guessing Moose meant make sure you use a selective herbicide such as 2,4-D. Not a non-selective herbicide such as round up.

[Powerstroke]

Hotrod is correct. Systemic or not does not decide whether it will harm grasses. I'm sure it was just a faux pa since the rest of the post was right on.

Trimec is a great product for broadleafs.

Selective or non-selective will decide whether you kill a target or everything. Round-up is an example of a NON-selective herbicide.

[Moose]

Hey guys thanks for catching that. Must hae had a brain hickup I changed the post to reflect the proper language.

Moose