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Old 07-05-2010, 07:35 PM posted to rec.gardens
brooklyn1 brooklyn1 is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2009
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Default Spot re-seed grass - Wait how long to apply pre-emerge?

On Fri, 07 May 2010 13:29:52 -0400, "Dan L."
wrote:

In article ,
brooklyn1 wrote:

On Thu, 6 May 2010 09:10:27 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

Pete E. Kruzer wrote:
I'm trying that new grass seed that Scott has, guaranteed to grow. It
seemed to work for the neighbor.
How long should I wait before I have pre-emerge applied to prevent
crabgrass?

I'd probably wait until all the grass has started growing.


I'd wait until next spring. There is only a short window for applying
pre-emergent crabgrass killer... once the crabgrass seeds sprout it's
too late... read the directions for when to apply in each zone.
Crabgrass pre-emergent has nothing to do with turf grass, it only
prevents crabgrass seed from germinating. For this season all one can
do is dig up grabgrass by hand... defoliants work but then there will
be lots of large bare spots.


I find the best and non toxic way to keep crabgrass and other weeds down
to a minimum, is to put down a fast growing perennial grass seed like
rye or a tall fescue in early spring that does not spread by stolons.
The faster growing grass tends to over crowd the slower growing weeds.

I have had it with the so called slow growing Kentucky Blue Grasses or
any grass that spread by the stolons. It is much easier and far cheaper
to over seed the yard each spring than to use the old WEED and FEED
toxic garbage. With grass that does not spread by stolons, it is also
easier to maintain a natural looking edge without those plastic or metal
edging materials 6 inches in the ground.

My opinion - the rye grasses look better than the blue grasses.
A nice organic yard will take a few years to get but worth it.

Ok, I'm off my soap box now. Start the insults I can take it!


I don't use any chemicals, my lawn is composed of probably a hundred
different plants... I mow, it's green, the critters fertilze.

My first mowing this season... yesterday:
http://i41.tinypic.com/11jvpg2.jpg