How to Get Rid of Weeds (April 15, 2001):

The best thing to do right now is to rake your lawn. You may want to rent a power rake to pull out all the dead thatch. Get the lawn cleaned up first before you do anything else. Did you have crabgrass or water grass last year? If so, now is the time to put down a crabgrass preventative. You can get this with lawn food in it, or without. Usually you would use it with the lawn food to give your lawn a spring boost. If you use a crabgrass preventative, with or without lawn food, do not put grass seed down with it. It will not allow the grass seed to germinate. You can get crabgrass preventive for seeding, but it runs a lot higher in price.
If you don't want to use chemicals, you can use corn gluten meal. This can be used as a weed preventative. However, it does not give you as much of a window of time as the chemical, which is time released.

If you don't want to use a chemical lawn food, then use a product like Milorganite, which is an organic lawn food. Milorganite has been around for years and is often used by golf courses. It is time for your first spring feeding, whether you use chemical or organic, however, it’s too early to use a weed killer. If you are sowing grass seed don’t use a weed preventative or weed killer with it. Use Milorganite, or a starter fertilizer only, until you have mowed the new grass at least 3 or 4 times.

If you have a lot of dandelions and broadleaf weeds, then you will want to use a lawn food with a weed killer; but it’s too early for that yet. You may be seeing some dandelions on the south side of your lawn, but they probably aren’t all up yet. The broadleaf weeds must be killed by contact with the leaf. You need to wait until they are up before you can kill them. This year has been too cool for them to really start to come up. I would wait till mid to late May before putting down a broadleaf weed killer. If you see some that are really bothering you, get a spray bottle of Weed B Gon and spray the ones you see.

How much chemical is too much? I feel that most lawns don’t need the 4 and 5 step programs. Keep an eye on your lawn and only use what is needed. Don't use it just because the ads on TV suggest it. You may want to go to an organic like Milorganite, which helps Mother Nature by putting all the bacteria back in the soil and speeding up the rotting process. Organics don't work as fast as chemicals, but over the long run, you don't have to worry about chemical run off, and if you have pets or kids you don't have all the worries. Organics also speed up the decay of thatch and uses it as food. Organics work great with mulching mowers. Take time to think about what will work for you. If you have any lawn questions feel fee to contact us! Scotts, the lawn care company, has a good web site with a lot of information on it. And, they will email you reminders of best time to use a product. Remember to use only what you need, because you may not need every thing they suggest. Have a great Spring!