Summertime lawns can quickly turn from beautiful to ugly when crabgrass shows up for its annual wrecking of your lawn! So how do you prevent crabgrass from germinating in the first place? It comes down to the proper timing of pre-emergence fertilizer in the spring.
As soil temperatures near 55 degrees in the top inch, that is the time to apply a fertilizer with a pre-emergence weed control included in the formulation. If you go to this link, you can see the current soil temperatures in Central Indiana (If you’re not in central Indiana, just Google ‘Soil Temperatures in {your location}).
https://ag.purdue.edu/indiana-state-climate/data/
The window for applying pre-emergence fertilizer is within two to three weeks after the soil temperatures first hit 55 degrees. Two important things to know.
- Soil temperatures rise and lower far slower and more steadily than air temperatures.
- If you apply a pre-emergence fertilizer, any grass seed you plant in the spring will not grow. It is always best to plant grass seeds in the autumn.
Pre-emergence fertilizers can be easily purchased at Lowes, Home Depot, and Garden Centers, or you can purchase professional-grade pre-emergence fertilizers directly from us!
Confused about seed, and pre-emergence timing? Feel free to contact us at mbrown@genesisfarms.com and we will be happy to advise you on the proper course of action for your specific lawn care needs!
