I live in southern Maryland (unfortunately) and I decided not to renew my contact with lawn crew for treatments. I have 12,000 to 14,000 sq ft of yard. Front gets lots of sun, rear decent amount. I have done seeding the last 2 falls, and my yard is doing well. 2 biggest problems are Bermuda grass-which I pull up, and moles.
What fertilizer do you use, weed killer, and when?
Thanks.
You should have applied Atrazine in January. Too late now. Embrace the green weeds. Do it next year.
Did you get much cold / snow this year? If so you may not be too late to stop the weeds. In northern MD last weekend was about the earliest you could have put pre-emergent down. I put mine down last week, but I had to shovel some snow piles out into the sun so they would melt before the weekend. Then we got more snow this week and may get some next week. if it has been cold/snowy, you probably have longer to get pre-emergent down. I plan to do it a second time in late march just to be sure I have good coverage. I was reading that some years 2 applications are better than one.
I wouldn’t use anything with atrazine in it if at all possible.from what I understand it is really bad for the ground water.i would put down a 2 in one preemergent like nitro phos barricade and spot treat with something like fertilomes weed beater ultra mixed with a little dish soap.not the antibacterial kind.you can spot treat for weed as long as you don’t have consistently hot days of plus 80 .i live in Houston so as far as fertilizers go I’m not sure for you.i just put down 15-5-10 two weeks ago and in two more weeks I will apply a 3-1-2 or a 4-1-2. Don’t use anything that says weed and feed.i bet you could find a local fertilizer schedule.the best way I know how to get rid of Bermuda is to let the other grass grow as long as it will while cutting the Bermuda and it should get taken over.just make sure that when you do cut the grass it is on its highest setting.
Freakin’ hippy. You probably don’t use Round up either.
Too late. You have treat these things in the fall and then in February. Pre-emergence means you go after the seeds. Once seeds germinate you have to use post-emergence which is the spray-type poisions. You can still do that but it’s easier to “get ahead” of the weeds than to play catch-up.
You can’t pull-up Bermuda. Well, you can but that’s not going to rid it.
If you think Bermuda will grow well then you should accept it and cultivate it. Bermuda is much easier to care for (you already know it grows like a weed) and it requires less fertilizer and less water. Global warming is good for Bermuda grasses.
The moles are best handled with a series of explosive charges placed around the lawn and blown simultaneously...
ps may not be 100% effective
Go to a local nursery and ask if they have a “cheat sheet” that gives you a monthly program for treating lawns in your area. They should be glad to give you one because it will bring you into their store every month. I use one for my area (Northwest Florida) and i have by far the best lawn (centipede) on the block. Some of my neighbors have lawn services, and pay much more that I do, and their lawns look like crap. Don’t go to Lowe’s or Home Depot for advice, they won’t give it to you. They will also try to sell you grass and/or plants that may not do well in your area. If you don’t know, ask around for a good nursery with knowledgeable people.
What do infants know about lawns?
Ask a good local garden store. I did a search for Richmond VA which should be at least as far south as you and March is the time for pre-emergent in Richmond. I doubt you are too late.
Depending on your location in Maryland, there are locally own and operated lawn care companies that can help you get the lawn you’d desire. I went with Blades of Green located out of Harwood, MD. You should look them up, they’re great!!