The Weekly Update for April 12, 2006

Early Lawn Care
Now, as the season just begins, it's important to evaluate your lawn and tackle any problems. If your lawn is no longer soft and spongy, walk over it and observe the condition of the turf. Are there broadleaf weeds? Did you have a crabgrass problem last year? Did the lawn get two applications of fertilizer last fall? Have voles created shallow trails across the surface of the lawn? Did salt from the snowplow kill any grass? The next thing to do is make sure any leaf debris is removed. A thick layer of leaves on the lawn can and will smother the grass.

Crabgrass
If your lawn had a crabgrass problem last year it's a sure bet you'll have a crabgrass problem again this year. You'll need to prevent the crabgrass from germinating, which means you'll need to apply crabgrass preventer at just the right time, When's that? When the soil temperature is between 52° and 54°. Since every part of your yard warms up at a different time (area next to sidewalks and curbs heat up faster than the center of your lawn and sunny spots warm faster than shady areas) buy an inexpensive soil thermometer to measure soil temperature and determine when to apply Bachman's Crabgrass Preventer. In the Twin Cities, that generally is around the first of May.

Broadleaf Weeds
Weed control is another important factor in cultivating a healthy lawn. If you only see a few weeds, pull them out by hand or apply a ready to use spot treatment product. Do this when the weeds are actually starting to grow, but before they bloom. If there are a lot of broadleaf weeds in your lawn, like dandelions and creeping Charlie, try an herbicide that hooks up to your hose. Spray on a day when there are only light winds and no rainfall is expected. If you must spray areas that kids and pets play in, keep them off the lawn for at least 24 hours.

Fertilzing the Lawn
Bachman’s Turf Food can be applied between April 15th and May 15th in the Twin Cities area. There are also Bachman's brand fertilizers that contain weed killers and crabgrass preventers. Follow labeled direction for proper application.

Seeding the Lawn
When it comes to applying grass seed to thin areas of your lawn, autumn's best but spring is a close second. Seed between late April and May.The following chart shows how many square feet can be covered with a pound of grass seed.

New lawn Over-seeding
Bluegrass 500-600 sq. ft. 1000-1200 sq. ft.

Other grasses 300-350 sq. ft. 600-700 sq. ft.

When you buy seed be sure to get a mix of many kinds. Choose mixes that have bluegrasses, perennial rye grasses and fescue grass seed. The more variety, the less likely it is that a disease will take out the whole lawn. If you have areas that are always salt damaged, use an NK product called Salt Survivor. This mix tolerates more salt than the other grass seed mixes.

Voles
Voles are tiny rodents that can damage your lawn over winter. They tunnel under the snow and eat grass crowns. In the spring when the snow melts your lawn can be riddled with shallow trails. Though vole damage looks bad in early spring, with a little seeding and time the damage usually fades away. There isn’t an easy way to keep rodents out of your yard. The only product that list voles on its label is SHAKE-a-WAY, an animal repellent that may encourage the population to move somewhere else.