Now’s the time to stop Crabgrass

Lawn weeds can be classified into three categories: Broadleaf Summer Annuals, Broadleaf Perennials and Grassy Summer Annuals. Broadleaf Summer Annuals include spurge and purslane. Broadleaf Perennials include Dock, Plantain and Common Mallow. 

Grassy Summer Annuals include Crabgrass, Orchard Grass and Quack grass. Of these three weed categories, Crabgrass and other Grassy Summer annuals are best controlled now, before they show up in your lawn later in the season. This can be accomplished because crabgrass is an annual. It completes its life cycle in one season. Crabgrass seed germinates in early spring, when the soil temperature has reached fifty to fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit. 

Once germinated, crabgrass matures quickly and will seed-out throughout the summer season until the first hard frost kills it. These seeds lay dormant in your lawn until the following season, when the soil is warm enough to sprout new crabgrass plants and perpetuate the cycle.  The time to control crabgrass is now, by using lawn products that contain a pre-emergent. Pre-emergents work by allowing the crabgrass seed to germinate, then killing the young plant before it has a chance to get established.

 Pre-emergents are available in  Fertilome's For All Seasons II. This product feeds your lawn and acts against any seed that may have wintered over in your grass. 

Organic-based pre-emergents are also available, in the form of corn gluten. Corn gluten products are very effective pre-emergents, controlling seeds before they have time to root. Corn gluten also supplies Nitrogen to feed your lawn. In order to work well, pre-emergents must be applied before the soil gets warm enough for seeds to start sprouting. Normally, that’s between mid-March and mid-April. It’s important to note that pre-emergents act to control any seed that may be present in your lawn. Don’t use a pre-emergent if you’re planning to over-seed your lawn this spring. 

It’s also important to note that coarse fescue and other perennial broad leaf grasses are often mistakenly identified as crabgrass. Pre-emergents will not work on perennial grasses. If you’re uncertain, bring us a sample. We’ll help you determine the best solution.

The Flower Bin Lawn Care program 2019

In order for your lawn to look its best spring, summer and fall, it needs nutrients. The Flower Bin Lawn Care program is built on the idea that regular fertilization, along with aeration and good mowing and watering practices, is key to maintaining a strong, healthy lawn. A healthy lawn is more likely to have fewer weed and disease problems. The Fertilome® brand of lawn and garden products is the mainstay of our program and includes four steps designed to keep your lawn healthy throughout the growing season. 

When you purchase all four bags of The Flower Bin Lawn Care program at once, you will save 20% of the cost of the program and you will continue to save 20% on every Fertilome® product you purchase throughout the year, including a wide selection of garden fertilizers, plant starters and weed controls. 

Additional benefits of the program include the satisfaction of knowing you are applying the right product for your lawn at the right time of the season, when it will benefit your lawn the most. 

The program begins with Step 1, Fertilome’s® For All Seasons II fertilizer and weed preventer. One of the most effective ways to control weeds in your lawn is to prevent them from showing up in the first place and this product works to keep weed seed from germinating. This includes crabgrass. Step 1 is applied between mid-March and mid-April. 

Weed-Out Plus Lawn Fertilizer is step 2. This product works to control weeds you can see. It’s called a post-emergent. This is the product to apply for dandelions, mallow and other weeds you can see in your lawn. Weed-Out Plus also feeds your lawn and is applied around the first of June.  

Step 3 is Lawn Food Plus Iron and this is applied in early August, right when your lawn needs nitrogen and iron. 

Step 4 is Winterizer and is applied around Halloween, when your grass is storing up energy for the winter weather ahead.  Your lawn will green up faster, the following spring.  Stop by and learn how The Flower Bin Lawn Care program will help your lawn become thicker, healthier and more weed and disease resistant.