Weeds and soil aeration

[lilograss]

So I have a tttf and kbg lawn that is nice but right now I have lot of crabgrass as well. What's the best product to target the crabgrass specifically.

Also, I have pretty compact soil in some places where no grass grows but now some crab grass is growing there recently. this is probably a silly thought but is there any basis for letting the weed grow to aerate the lawn and the kill it later before over seeding? I plan on putting down soil conditioner as well(blsc) what is the best time to do this?

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[TimmyG]

What's the best product to target the crabgrass specifically.

Quinclorac herbicide, notably on cool-season grasses such as yours. That's what you find in multi-way herbicides such as Ortho Weed B Gon "Plus Crabgrass Control". But for targeting crabgrass specifically, you'll have better success using a dedicated quinclorac product such as Drive XLR8, if your infestation and budget warrant the cost of entry.

Then be sure to apply a pre-emergent (pre-M) herbicide every spring so that you can forget what you need to kill crabgrass.

[lawndad]

Are you looking to try and kill your weeds then aerate and overseed later?


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[lilograss]

Yes. I want to kill the weeds and the aerate and oversees later.

On a side note I wanted to know if there was any sense in keeping the weeds in areas of my lawn that are very compact as a way to aerate theuntil I am ready to overseed. It sounds crazy but could weeds help aerate really compact soil patches?

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[TimmyG]

lilograss, it is generally a good thing to keep roots in the soil. In other words, any ground cover is better than bare soil. There's a whole ecosystem in the soil that depends on roots. With that in mind, I've been known to let weeds of all types, including crabgrass, germinate and flourish in areas where I have yet to get around to incorporating in either the lawn or beds, etc. Compaction, however, was not my concern. Regardless of your objective, though, absolutely positively keep those weeds mowed to avoid reseeding!

[lawndad]

I always thought that if someone has a decent amount of crabgrass/weeds and wants to aerate and overseed they should first get rid of what weeds they can.

I know August isn't the best time to attack weeds due to their summer survival mode but I would think overseeding on top of crabgrass/weeds would be counter productive. Of course the crabgrass would die off in the winter and in Spring you could apply a pre-m but you can't really overseed on top of a crabgrass bed, right?

I have read the triangle approach on weeds but maybe someone could weigh in and clear up on how to overseed a lawn with crabgrass/weeds in the Fall? What is the best practice?

[TimmyG]

lilograss wants to "kill the weeds and the aerate and oversees (sic) later". Obviously, yes, you want to eliminate the weed competition before you seed or overseed. But is it necessary to do it months before? Some people successfully scalp, roundup, and seed all on the same day. But if you have obnoxious perennial grasses like Poa trivialis, you want to start killing weeks in advance.

Anywho, I simply gave one reason why one might might to keep weeds in place until they're ready to seed.

[lawndad]

lilograss wants to "kill the weeds and the aerate and oversees (sic) later". Obviously, yes, you want to eliminate the weed competition before you seed or overseed. But is it necessary to do it months before? Some people successfully scalp, roundup, and seed all on the same day. But if you have obnoxious perennial grasses like Poa trivialis, you want to start killing weeks in advance.

Anywho, I simply gave one reason why one might might to keep weeds in place until they're ready to seed.

I know some have aerated, overseeded and sprayed for weeds all in the same day but if you have a decent amount of crabgrass and weed coverage would it be better to kill what you can 3-4 weeks before, then aerate and overseed after?


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[HoosierLawnGnome]

I murdered my crabgrass the other day unapologetically with Q4 plus. That sh1t is toast now. Temps didn't exceed the label for the next several days and I pulled the trigger. Screw crabgrass.

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[lawndad]

I murdered my crabgrass the other day unapologetically with Q4 plus. That sh1t is toast now. Temps didn't exceed the label for the next several days and I pulled the trigger. Screw crabgrass.

[ Post made via Android ]

Ha, Are you doing a complete renovation or overseeding in the Fall?


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[TimmyG]

...if you have a decent amount of crabgrass and weed coverage would it be better to kill what you can 3-4 weeks before...?

...yes, you want to eliminate the weed competition before you seed or overseed.

...then aerate and overseed after?

Aerating is not in my repertoire.

[GeorgeH]

...if you have a decent amount of crabgrass and weed coverage would it be better to kill what you can 3-4 weeks before...?

...yes, you want to eliminate the weed competition before you seed or overseed.

...then aerate and overseed after?

Aerating is not in my repertoire.

It is in mine when it fits my plan. You will need to check other sources to get advice on when, why and how to do it.

[GeorgiaDad]

Do not disturb the soil......ever. All you will accomplish is bring weed seed to the surface.

[Southernguy311]

I would go ahead and spray Drive(Quinclorac) as mentioned above to go ahead and get rid of the crabgrass. Getting on a good pre-emergent program after your Reno is done should prevent most of it from coming back. I was eaten up with it last year and with preM I haven't seen any this season

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[GeorgeH]

Do not disturb the soil......ever. All you will accomplish is bring weed seed to the surface.

OP, responses like this validates my previous point; you are not likely to receive much advice on aerating or other common practices discouraged on this site. While the dominant posters may have developed practices that give the results they want, absolutes are not helpful in my opinion.

Nothing wrong with the beliefs many rigidly adhere to on this site, you will just need to seek outside resources to get a balanced view of alternative practices. There are times the soil benefits from being “disturbed” although that is not typically the best description, and the benefits outweigh the concern of bringing a few weed seeds up in many cases.

My results aren’t too bad either and I use many of the discouraged methods when my plan calls for it.

[TimmyG]

...absolutes are not helpful in my opinion.

+1
There's actually quite a bit of good advice in old posts on this site that support aerating where appropriate. But, yes, it can be difficult to sift through the far more vast number of posts advocating against aerating, including those that are absolute and unyielding.

When I replied earlier about aerating not being in my repertoire, I meant specifically that, that it is not a practice that I regularly perform or habitually use (per the definition). It simply is unnecessary and counterproductive for my particular needs. Sure, if I had mechanical compaction or didn't want to topdress when I seeded, I'd consider core aerating.

[Southernguy311]

My name speaks for where I'm from, but in the south, we support core aeration.

Next month I will have mine done for the second time this summer. Aeration's positives far outweighs the negatives.

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[lawndad]

I have always found aeration to work out well for me. I'm not sure of all the cons other than opening the soil for weeds but with my lawn thick I have not had that problem (knock on wood). This year I plan to do a light thatch then a week later aeration. Some may say it's too much but I'm thatching to get rid of some dead grass from fungus. I plan to not go deep...


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[Nixnix42]

My name speaks for where I'm from, but in the south, we support core aeration.

Next month I will have mine done for the second time this summer. Aeration's positives far outweighs the negatives.

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+1



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