[Sstengel1]

Hello,
Long time listener, first time caller.
I'm 45 miles west of St. Louis missouri. I have a tall fescue/kbg front yard that I care about(I'll worry about the backyard slowly). Last year I made a ton of progress using milorginitie and some general pre-m. I want to maximize my use of time and money this year. I did a soil test that recommended micro nutrients. The rest was pretty good. I have a problem with crabgrass since my neighbors yard is 100% weeds. My question is about timing. Can I put down micronutrients at the same time I put down pre-m? Also, can I put down extra pre-m? Or should I just apply it every month or so?
As a side note, my dogs urine burns the grass and leaves a perfect lawn looking sporty, what can I do to combat this? Is there a product that works?

Here is a picture of my lawn, if that helps. I've got some scorching problems on the edges it seems.

Thank you all in advance, be brutal if you need to be.

 

[g-man]

Welcome. Your yard looks nice.

Micro? Who recommended ? Which one? How they recommend to apply them?

Crabgrass - you should be in the window to apply prem now. Check the gdd site. If you have weed pressure from the neighbors, ensure you hit the rates I recommend (from Purdue research) in the main cool season post. It should cover you until July.

For dogs, train them to go in a mulch area. Here is a post about it. https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1558&hilit=Dog

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to TLF.

 

[Sstengel1]

I did a soil test. Sent it off and they sent me the recommendation back. I'll have to check the rates if they recommended one. Everything else looked fine, ph was on the high side of normal it said.
Gdd site? Can you link to that? And that site tells me how much I should put down of pre-m in my area?

Edit: it didn't give a recommended dose of micro, just said it would benefit.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can you post the test?

 

[Budstl]

I'm in the stl region as well. Probably not too far from ya. I put down my pre m this past tuesday since we were expecting rain. Don't put down pre m monthly. Get some ortho weed b gone + crabgrass and some ortho cco for post emergent control. Welcome to the forum and the your front yard looks nice

 

[g-man]

This is the section from the main post with the info in PreM, GDD website and rates:

• Start a log. Write down what you applied to the lawn and when. It helps understand mistakes and keep track of nitrogen levels. I use an online excel file that I could access from the phone. Here is an example of it: Log + Tenacity + Prodiamine Calculator
  

Spring
The lawn is starting to wake up from the winter break. There might be some matted down grass and some snow mold. A light rake will help it not retain moisture. The winter winds could bring some debri so it is good to pick up any leaf piles. The mower could use some tune up and fresh gas.

If grubs have been a problem in the past or if you dont want any risk with them, then spring is the time to apply a grub preventer. GrubEx (chlorantraniliprole) is my choice. Apply as soon as your lawn greens up. A second product is imidacloprid, but there are studies that link it to environmental issues (bees). MSU Grub Article

Tier 2/3 - Collect your soil sample and get it analyzed. A soil test is the best way you are providing the nutrient the lawn needs.

Tier 3 - It is possible that you might see some Poa Annua. If you did the PreM in the fall, it should only be a handful, so pull them by hand. Otherwise, Tenacity herbicide is an effective tool. Using the 2oz rate, do a blanket application. This will turn the poa annua white so you could see it. Then do spot treatment applications at the 2oz rate every week for 2 weeks. A higher rate seems not to be as effective since it stops the poa annua from absorbing and it bounces back. YMMV.

Pre-Emergent
One of the key activities to perform is applying a pre-emergent control of weeds. It is easier and cheaper to prevent the weeds from growing than to kill them later. A pre-emergent (PreM) product will last a couple of months and it creates a barrier that prevent seeds from developing (weeds or good seeds). The PreM should be applied when the forsythia blooms and/or use this tracker from MSU: GDD tracker Timing matters, so have the product at hand by mid February.

The best two PreM are prodiamine (brand name barricade) and dithiopyr (brand name dimension).
Tier 1 - Most stores will sell a Pre Emergent product mixed in with fertilizer. Try to find one with one of the names above and low on nitrogen. This is an old article but a good one: How to Select a Crabgrass Preventer

Tier 2 - I would leave the option of going with the Tier1 approach or trying the Tier 3 granular dithiopyr.

Tier 3 - Two options
Dithiopyr is sold as water soluble and granular (apply at 0.5ai/acre rate). It is more expensive in granular form. It provides some post control to crabgrass. It is best to source it locally since shipping cost would be high (50lb bag). On of the advantages of granular is not dealing with water in the cold weather. Lesco Site One sells is as 0-0-7 at some sites (ask).

Prodiamine WSG is sold as a water soluble granulate (apply at the 0.65ai/acre rate for spring). It is applied in liquid form and it is the cheapest per area. It does require the use to a sprayer and the practice to do it correctly. It is best to practice in the summer with just water on your concrete driveway to get the handle of things. Once you have done it, it is easy. Here is a prodiamine calculator Log + Tenacity + Prodiamine Calculator
GrassDaddy shows How to apply liquid crabgrass preventer in this youtube video.
I've seen a couple of post of members being able to buy prodiamine in granular form (0-0-7). I did the math once (and I hope it is correct), but the Prodiamine WSG is around $0.15/ 1000 sq ft. Depending on the size of your yard, using granular will be expensive.

This Turf Tip from Zac Reicher shows in a nice graph why to use the rates I recommend

I have never seen a soil test actually recommends micro adjustments. I know Andy at ATY does recommend them. He suggest mixing them in with milo. I agree with Ridgerunner, post the results and to see how to help you.

 

[VaBeachEmpireZ]

For dogs, train them to go in the neighbor's yard...

Sorry, couldn't resist :twisted:

 

[Sstengel1]

Alright first of all, thank you for the responses. I'm glad I have help. I do fine on my own, but I know I'm missing a lot of potential and want it to get better.

I'll add the results down below. I bought a random test off amazon and sent it off. What test SHOULD I have bought? I don't mind doing another one.

I'll cgeck out that post, looks like a lot of good info.

 

[gene_stl]

Welcome to the forum. I am in west St. Louis county. Maybe a bunch of us from Cardinals land could meet up for coffee or bier.

 

[Ridgerunner]

bier

Kinda morbid, no?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sorry @Sstengel1 but I can't help you with a Soil Savvy test.
I don't know who they are. I don't know what studies or supporting documentation they have regarding the validity of their tests. If they are looking to get my money without proof of test accuracy and calibration, I can tell you I don't have money to waste, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. If you put that test away now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will shake a finger at you.
There are a number of good labs. Missouri is considered in the North Central Testing Region, Any lab that employs those procedures will do. For a first test, you may want to have all Primary, secondary and micro nutrients tested (P,K,Ca, Mg, B, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe) I believe Mo has a number of areas that are high pH soils, so you may want testing done with Ammonium acetate for accuracy. Also I'm thinking some areas of Mo are high in salt, so you might want to select a lab that can do a soil salinity (electrical conductivity) test if needed.
Missouri State is an option (call first and ask which tests and nutrients they will test and the cost). After the initial test, a basic nutrient test can be used for most follow up testing.
For other lab options, See:
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1088&start=40#p32958
Also, do follow the recommended procedure for taking soil samples that you will find near the beginning of that thread.