Weeds Never Sleep – Late Winter Weed Tips

We figured Mondays were the perfect day to launch our new Expert Tips series. After all, Mondays are when where we're all thinking productivity…projects…fixing up our homes and yards. (We call it post-lazy-weekend guilt.)

Today, our featured experts are our friends from Super-Sod. They sent these tips in to us in an effort to "get good info out there and address some of the bad practices that are going on with lawns . . . we want to encourage folks in the right direction" when it comes to prepping lawns for spring. 

Here are their Late Winter Weed Tips:

• For those  Tall Fescue lawns out there, now is the time to apply a product to fertilize your Tall Fescue lawn and create a weed-resistant  barrier.
• If you plan on spring seeding Tall Fescue, omit using a pre-emergent because it will stop your Fescue seed from germinating too (and you don't want that to happen! 
• For those Warm Season lawns out there, now is the time to apply a pre-emergent weed killer to create a weed resistant barrier. On warm-season lawns, use a pre-emergent without nitrogen fertilizer because it is too early to fertilize warm season turf.
• If you have a DORMANT well-established warm-season lawn (Zoysia and Bermuda) apply 2,4d control of winter broadleaf weeds that have emerged, such as henbit and dandelions.
• Special Note: Though we recommend a "weed & feed" for Tall Fescue, we do not recommend such a combo product for warm-season lawns.

Late Winter Turfgrass Tips:

• It's still a great time to lay Elite Tall Fescue. It requires MUCH less water to establish Fescue now (when it's cool), than when temperatures start to warm.
• Apply fast-acting lime to all yards except for Centipede. Proper soil pH is crucial for a plant's ability to uptake important available nutrients. Application of lime (and all fertilizers) should be based on soil test results.
• As always, don't forget to incorporate organic compost into any new sod installation and to existing lawns for natural nutrients instead of fertilizer.