Spring grass seeding
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By John
Fulton
[March 12, 2007]
With moisture falling around the county in the
past week, many may be willing to gamble on trying to establish some
grass from seed. Along with seeding, timing in the spring is
critical for some additional operations. Let's start with crabgrass
control. Crabgrass is an annual grass, meaning it comes up from seed
every year. One of the best ways to control annual weeds is to use a
seed germination inhibitor that works on that germinating seed. The
only problem is timing. These herbicides must be put on before you
see the weed (in this case, the crabgrass).
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Many of the germination inhibitors are combined with fertilizer.
They should be applied about April 1 in our area, but the timing
can vary a couple of weeks. The crabgrass seed germinates on the
basis of soil temperature, and soil temperatures need to be
about 55 degrees for 7-10 consecutive days. Without a soil
thermometer and a continuing log of soil temperatures, one of
the good indicators is forsythia in bloom. If you don't have
your crabgrass preventer on by the time you see forsythia
blooms, you had best get it on quickly. Another thing to keep in
mind is that the same product that prevents crabgrass from
germinating will do the same thing to other seeds. This means
that you can't sow new grass seed and use a crabgrass treatment
the same time of year. If you need seeding done, fall seeding is
actually the best.
Grass may be sown either March 15-April 1 or Aug. 15-Sept.
10. Spring seedings don't usually have the success that the fall
ones do, because hot weather tends to hit before lawns become
well-established. Last fall was an exception, when the dry fall
actually had seed lying dormant for months. Seeding rates should
be about 4 pounds of seed per 1,000 square foot for bare dirt,
and half that rate for overseeding thin areas. We recommend
using a blend of grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, a fine
fescue and perennial ryegrass. You can actually buy the seed
pre-mixed from retailers. Some people leave out the perennial
ryegrass, but it does provide quicker germination and some
durability.
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The seeding times are also good times to use a plug aerator
or a power dethatcher. These operations are very hard on grass,
and doing them when the grass recovers quickly goes a long way
to keeping your lawn healthy. Both of these operations are
usually done to help remove thatch layers. This thatch should be
no more than one-half inch in depth or you'll tend to have
diseases come in.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/reference/ads/current/ccaonline%20broadband%20ad%20021207.png) Fertilizer and broadleaf weed control are best applied in May,
when they work better. This early in the season, lawn weeds aren't
actively growing, and turf isn't growing actively enough to make
good use of nitrogen fertilizer. Many broadleaf weed killers need
temperatures over 50 degrees to work properly.
The age-old relationship of grubs and moles always comes up this
time of year. Moles eat grubs and earthworms for food. This really
isn't a good time to try to control grubs, since they are large in
size and won't be around too much longer. They will pupate this
spring and come back out as June bugs, Japanese beetles or green
June bugs to start the process all over again. The best control time
is from August through September. Mole control is best accomplished
by doing away with their food source so they go elsewhere. Since
many newer grub controls don't have the same reduction of earthworms
as diazinon did, insecticide treatments may not eliminate enough of
the food source to be effective. Also, with this not being a good
time for grub control anyway, you are reduced to trapping or
poisoning for moles. The loop-type and scissor-type traps seem to
work better than the harpoon traps. The new "soft baits" have shown
promising mole control but can be rather expensive.
Hopefully these spring lawn tips will get you started on the
right track for the year. If you have further questions, feel free
to contact the office at 732-8289. You can also find information
24/7 at
www.extension.uiuc.edu/logan.
[Text from file received from
John
Fulton, unit leader,
University of Illinois Extension,
Logan County Unit] |