February Lawn Tips

Follow Nature's Bright Yellow Sign...the Forsythia Bush

Forsythia is a shrub with yellow flowers that is one of the first shrubs to flower in spring.

The rule of thumb is to apply spring pre-emergent herbicide when Forsythia starts blooming. That's why every year we say, "Forsythia is the Signal."

In a typical year, if you don't have a Forsythia bush to signal you, apply pre-emergent between February 15th and March 1st to kill weeds before you even see them. 

Any later than that window and it's too late to kill weeds with a pre-emergent herbicide (you'll have to switch to a post-emergent to apply directly to the weeds).

Pre-emergent Herbicides

What does pre-emergent mean? It's an herbicide applied to the ground to stop emergence/sprouting of weed seeds so that you never even see the weeds.

Again, Forsythia is the Signal! Any later than March 1st and you'll need to switch to the post-emergent herbicide program until autumn.

ACT NOW due to the warmer soil temps.

• Pre-emergent herbicide for Elite Tall Fescue lawns: Prepare to apply 16-4-8 with .25% Barricade to help create a weed-resistant barrier. We have this in stock.
• Pre-emergent herbicide for Warm Season lawns (Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede): Prepare to apply 0-0-7 with .25% Barricade to create a weed-resistant barrier WITHOUT nitrogen fertilizer as it's too early to fertilize warm season turf. We have this in stock.

Post-emergent Herbicides

What does post-emergent mean? It's an herbicide applied directly to existing, visible weeds to kill them once they have already sprouted. 

We stock Trimec post-emergent herbicides to apply directly to weeds that you can see now, such as henbit and dandelions.

Alternative Weeding

Exercise & Organic Lawn Care Tip Combo: Can't make it to the gym this week? Spend a few hours weeding by hand! You'll burn calories, plus you'll be practicing organic lawn care.

Winter Turfgrass Tips

• It's still a great time to lay Elite Tall Fescue sod. It requires MUCH less water to establish Fescue now (when it's cool) than when temperatures start to warm.
• Although it seems counter-intuitive, it's fine to install dormant Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia grasses at this time of year. Follow the link for more information or call us with any questions.
• Apply our Dolomitic Limestone to all yards except Centipede. Proper soil pH is essential for a plant's ability to uptake important available nutrients. Application of lime (and all fertilizers) should be based on soil test results.
• Fertilizing Tall Fescue: Use our 16-4-8 + Iron. Come by and pick some up.
• Don't apply fertilizer to warm-season lawns just yet. Wait until after green-up in spring.
• As always, don't forget to incorporate our Soil3 organic compost into any new sod installation and to existing lawns for natural nutrients instead of fertilizer.