The first round of your lawn care program contains a pre-emergent formulated to control crabgrass. It will not control broadleaf weeds such as dandelions. The second treatment contains a weed control product to treat dandelions and other broadleaf weeds.
The pre-emergent is formulated to keep crabgrass from germinating but will also keep new grass seed from germinating. If your lawn has been recently seeded, you would also want to wait until the grass grows (approximately six weeks) before a pre-emergent treatment.
It can take two to four weeks for the grass to grow, depending upon several factors such as seed variety, weather conditions, and irrigation. Kentucky Bluegrass is the slowest growing and takes a good four weeks to start growing.
Watering at night is never recommended. A watering schedule for your lawn will depend on the maturity of the grass and the amount of rainfall. After the initial watering, newly seeded areas need to be irrigated lightly and frequently – two or three times a day, if possible – until the grass begins to establish and mature. Then the intervals between waterings can be lengthened, and the amount applied at any one-time increases.
Aeration is an important part of your lawn care regimen. A weak or sickly lawn can result from too much thatch or hard compacted soil.
Thatch is the layer of light brown roots, stems, and other plant parts just above the soil. Thatch can prevent water and nutrients from easily reaching the soil and make a cozy home for turf-attacking insects and diseases. Regular aeration helps to reduce the thatch layer. As the soil core crumbles and dissolves into the lawn, they speed up thatch decomposition.
Hard compacted soil can also prevent the roots from expanding and growing deep. Aeration loosens hard soil and creates thousands of mini life-saving pipelines. Water and nutrients end up where the roots can better reach them. Looser soil and better availability of water, nutrients, and air lead to thicker, deeper roots, meaning a denser, healthier lawn for you. Annual aeration prevents a lot of potential problems and keeps things looking good.
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