SOUTHERN SCOTTS LAWN SCHEDULE
You will want to put down some Halts crabgrass preventer before the warm temperatures arrive, because once you get a few warm days the weeds will pop right up. Here in Georgia, due to our very rainy Februaries, Pre-emergent in the past has leached out of the soil too quickly, sometimes,making a second application necessary 1 month later.
If you still had some weeds then you need to put some Scotts Turf Builder +2 Weed and Feed. There are rules to follow with this. If you don't follow directions exactly, you will fertilize your weeds. Directions say to put down in the morning when there is dew on the ground, because it sticks to wet weeds better. Put it down on an uncut yard because it has to have a weed to stick to and do it with no rain in the forecast for 24 to 48 hours so it does not wash the weed killer off the weed.
If you were so fortunate to not get weeds in April then straight Turf Builder will do the job.
Scotts Turf builder Summerguard is recommended towards the late spring- early summer. It will kill ants, as well as Grub worms in the soil that turn into the Japanese Beetles that like to eat your plants.
Scotts Winterizer has higher Potassium that will allow your lawn to get a deeper root system that will become more insulated from the cold weather.
A fall application of Halts crabgrass preventer will help prevent cool season weeds like Poa Annua. Even though Poa Annua is more visible in spring, you must prevent it in the fall. Just remember that you cant put this down in the fall if you are going to overseed with fescue.
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Hey byself.
I see you are in the New York area, therefore I have made a schedule that will be more ideal for your area.
In the north it more common to use cool season grasses like Perennial Ryegrass, Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass and not the warm season grasses of the south. With this being the case, overseeding is a little more common with your grasses and the best time for overseeding is in the late summer/ early fall once the heat has sudsided.
NORTHERN SCOTTS LAWN SCHEDULE
February-March
Since we are overseeding the lawn in the fall, you will need to throw down some Halts crabgrass preventer in the late winter, before the warm weather arrives to keep the weed seeds that are in the ground from germinating.
April- June
If you still had some weeds then you need to put some Scotts Turf Builder +2 Weed and Feed . There are rules to follow with this. If you don't follow directions exactly, you will fertilize your weeds. Directions say to put down in the morning when there is dew on the ground, because it sticks to wet weeds better. Put it down on an uncut yard because it has to have a weed to stick to and do it with no rain in the forecast for 24 to 48 hours so it does not wash the weed killer off the weed. Low temperatures must be above 55 degrees to properly kill weeds with this product.
April- June
If you were so fortunate to not get weeds in April then straight Turf Builder will do the job.
June- August
This is where we differ from southern (warm season grasses) and the northern (cool season grasses). Cool season grasses thrive in cool or cold temperatures but can struggle in the summer heat. A high nitrogen fertilizer is not recommended when temperatures are in the high 80's and 90's as this puts the grass under extra stress. Instead, It is best to put down an insecticide like the Ortho Bug B Gon to kill the grubs and other insects that eat the roots of your grass to keep it working efficiently. By killing these grubs, you have also killed the food of Moles, preventing them from coming to your yard.
These cool season grasses need water now more than ever to help them survive these hotter temps. I recommend getting a timer for your hose and setting it to water the lawn deep (30 minutes per zone), every other day or at least 1 time every 3 days.
September- November
Once the high temperatures subside and are back in the 70's, you will be ready to overseed or plant your grass seeds. Starter fertilizer is what you will want to put down with your seed, as its high Phosphorus will help your new seed establish a strong root system as well as any existing grass.
September- November
If your lawn does not need overseeding then you will be better off using Scotts Winterizer, who's higher Potassium will allow your lawn to get a deeper root system that will become more insulated from the cold weather.
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Scotts lawn care program- schedule
What are the numbers on fertilizer? What are the different types of grass?
Ingar_HD_ATL - a bit late in thanking you, but thank you very much. This is of great help.
Just to confirm --- for Virginia lawns, I should follow the Southern schedule?
can I have program for sacramento california?
Thanks for the input!