Polo, thanks for the thorough explanation. I put down pre emergent in the fall and stayed weed free in the winter. My cool season lawn is about one year old. Should I dethatch and aerate first and then put down pre emergent? Thanks again!
Hello Timeless, my question to you is this? Why do you want to dethatch and aerate in the spring? Are you dealing with a thick layer of thatch? If it was my lawn, I would save the dethatching or aeration until the fall. Doing it before the spring will either dig up or maybe expose some weed seeds that may be lingering around, and as soon as that seed gets adequate sunlight and water, it will grow. I just wouldn't beat my lawn up with a dethatcher or aerator before the spring. I would just apply my Pre-emergent to keep those pesky weeds at bay, THEN after the summer, depending on how your lawn looks and has performed throughout the summer, THEN I would determine if it needed dethatching or aeration. Hope this helps Timeless 🙏🏾
Great tips ! My Question ... I put half of the application down last month and now we have 5 days with soil temp around 54-55 and then cooling off again ,but also have some young weeds growing (Fescue lawn) should I put the other 1/2 application of pre-emergent down or rather treat the active growing ones and wait for the next warm up to put the rest of the pre-emergent down that it's getting colder again ? Super confused ...thanks!
Hello little Princess of Heaven ( I love the name, by the way) Here's what you do: 1. If you're doing a split application of a pre-emergent, STICK TO THE PLAN. You put down your first application, wait 45 days after your first application, and then make your second application. Just make sure that you DO NOT EXCEED the maximum application rate per calendar year for your grass. 2. If you see weeds growing, "SPRAY THEM" with some weed control. If your soil temperatures are around 55° it should be warm enough to spray them. You'll probably see winter weeds, so use a weed control that will take care of those particular weeds. 3. Don't worry about the temperatures going up and down. That's natural for the temperatures to yo-yo (going up and down) when it's about to change. 4. Don't worry. You're on the right track, and I'm proud of you for that. If you need any more assistance, I'm just a message away. Thanks, and have a blessed day 🙏🏾
Hello Terri, in my opinion, doing all of that activity to your lawn, it wouldn't hurt to add a pre-emergent afterward. If you're gonna be adding seed after you do all of that work, don't apply a Pre-emergent. Let the new grass seed grow and get a few mows on that new grass before you spray any weeds that may pop up.