[drjoeshmoe]

I think I already know the answer, but...
Overseeded tall fescue 4/22.
I messed my opportunity to apply a pre emergent,. I am seeing alot of crab grass springing up,... short of ripping what I see out by hand, is there anything that can be done, or am I stuck waiting till June when I can apply a pre-emergent?

I don't want to damage my new tall fescue.

 

[BXMurphy]

It is not too late for pre-emergent. It will not kill what has already sprouted but it WILL stop new weeds from coming up.

Dithiopyr will kill crabgrass and prevent new weeds for 30 days.

Edit... I missed the overseed part. Tenacity will prevent new crabgrass and can be used on an overseed. Check label for tolerance for your grass type.
In any case, don't worry. You will bring this under control next year if necessary.

 

[drjoeshmoe]

@BXMurphy thanks, from what I was told, when overseeding I could not use a pre-emergent. I was just worried the tall fescue that is still just starting out would not grow properly.
As a lawn newbie,...I am having a hard time telling if what I have now is my new fescue,..or the winter rye that may have came back to life when I aerated, top soiled, and had cooler weather. The lawn is looking really nice,...aside from the crabgrass I am finding.

 

[drjoeshmoe]

Here is a pic of just after I aerated,..the winter rye was dying off,....the pic with a healthy lawn was taken today.

 

[drjoeshmoe]

@BXMurphy ,...I see your edit now...thanks for that.

 

[BXMurphy]

@BXMurphy ,...I see your edit now...thanks for that.

Yeah, you are going to be fine. I think you will find by reading around that seeding is done in the fall and weeding is done in the spring.

I would recommend shifting your focus to weed control at this point so that you go into fall with a fairly blank slate.

You said you were new, right? Look for the post entitled, "What would you tell your sister?"