Gardening Tips – February 2021

FEBRUARY 15-28: 

DO apply a pre-emergent herbicide on cool season grasses to prevent annual crabgrass and some broadleaf weeds. 

Cool season grasses include tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescues and perennial ryegrass. 

When the Forsythia bushes bloom it coincides with temperatures warm enough (above 50 degrees for several days in a row) to germinate the weed seeds left in the soil from last year. The granular herbicide must be dissolved (ideally through snow/rain) so that a barrier is formed on the soil. After weed seeds germinate they are killed as they pass through this barrier. 

DON’T wait any later to apply a pre-emergent or you will have to apply a post-emergent herbicide. (More about that next month.) 

DON’T disturb this shallow barrier (no raking or core aeration) for 45-60 days. 

DON’T apply to new sod or seed for 6 months as it could impede root development. 

PRODUCTS: pendimethalin (Halts), prodiamine (Barricade), dithiopry (Dimension which also has some post-emergent control) 

FEBRUARY 15-MARCH 7: 

DO apply a complete (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) lawn fertilizer to cool season grasses. 

DON’T wait any later to apply as it can promote brown patch disease to develop in the hot, humid summer months. 

(The next time to fertilize will be September.) 

PRODUCTS: Due to the overlap in application dates, this is an ideal time to use a combination product such as Scotts Turf Builder with Halts, Super Sod”s 16-4-8 with Barricade, or Hi Yield Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper with Dimension. These are only examples as there are many products and herbicides available, just look for the key words “pre-emergent” (or the herbicide name) and “complete lawn fertilizer”. MV will be using the Super Sod product on the lawn at the entrance. 

NOW UNTIL MARCH 15: 

DO finish any winter pruning of TREES while they are still dormant and you can see the tree structure easily. I refer you to the resources for proper pruning practices. 

Happy Landscaping! 

Carol Walp 

Beautification Committee Chairman 

 

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