Spring lawn care

[Link_Crim]

Hey guys,

pretty much new to everything related to lawn care...in the past all I've been doing is pretty much mowing and watering. this year, I actually want to start taking care of it and greening it up for real lol. Just need some advice as to what I should be doing at around this time so that I can have a healthy lawn in the summer. Right now the lawn looks pretty bad, with small patches green here and there, I've started raking (hard), and picked up all those dead grass. What else should I be doing? I'm assuming spreading seeds and applying fertilizers? How is this actually done, and which fertilizer/grass seed should I be using. I'm also thinking of aerating, manually, my lawn is not that big how and when should this be done? sry for all the questions, but any suggestions would be great. Thanks all!

[TrevorK]

Here's a link that may be of interest:
http://www.cityline.ca/homeandgarden...goryName=Lawns

When trying to grow grass I am told that you can do it before summer, because the extremely warm temperature may cause problems with it drying out.

[Grassgreen]

Good link already posted.

Make sure that you aerate your lawn, and overseed it in the spring.

[joshmxpx]

what about corn gluton and stuff like that? when should that be applied?

[almostfreeman]

what about corn gluton and stuff like that? when should that be applied?

As soon as the snow melts. I put some gluton on last week. The spring application will prevent dandelion and crabgrass seeds from sprouting as well as fertilizing the lawn.

[ashio]

I've been looking for this. Where can can you buy corn gluton?

[inntents]

As soon as the snow melts. I put some gluton on last week. The spring application will prevent dandelion and crabgrass seeds from sprouting as well as fertilizing the lawn.

I've been looking for this. Where can can you buy corn gluton?

Corn Gluten Meal is hit-and-miss to find stores that carry it. I got mine at a farm feed-supply store in Aylmer - it is used as livestock feed. I checked a few places like Crappy Tire and TSC stores, but none carried CGM. I didn't bother checking gardening centres, 'cause I usually find you pay more for smaller amounts, but they may well carry it. I think once more people start asking about it, more places will carry it.

As for application, you're supposed to put it down when "the forsythias are in bloom", which could be anywhere from mid-April to mid-May. For crabgrass, anyway, the idea is to apply CGM just when the crabrass seeds are starting to germinate, which apparently happens while the forsythias blooms are out. Now, if I could only figure out who has a forsythia bush near me that I could spy on........

I think snowmelt might have been a bit early to apply CGM, but maybe it works on different weeds then........

[almostfreeman]

I've been looking for this. Where can can you buy corn gluton?

CT now has CGM products but if you live near a livestock feed store it is about half the cost.

[Rembrandt100]

As for application, you're supposed to put it down when "the forsythias are in bloom", which could be anywhere from mid-April to mid-May. For crabgrass, anyway, the idea is to apply CGM just when the crabrass seeds are starting to germinate, which apparently happens while the forsythias blooms are out. Now, if I could only figure out who has a forsythia bush near me that I could spy on........

Forsythias do not need to be "in bloom" but it must be applied before they lose the bloom. CGM it touted as a seed germination surpressant. This also includes grass seed. Crabgrass does not germinate until very late June if it is hot enough but mostly not untill July. If you had it last year you would have seen it turn purple and die back when the temps drop in late Sept. early Oct.

So if you reseeded or overseeded your lawn you need to wait till those seeds germinate before applying CGM

Dave

[inntents]

Forsythias do not need to be "in bloom" but it must be applied before they lose the bloom. CGM it touted as a seed germination surpressant. This also includes grass seed. Crabgrass does not germinate until very late June if it is hot enough but mostly not untill July. If you had it last year you would have seen it turn purple and die back when the temps drop in late Sept. early Oct.

So if you reseeded or overseeded your lawn you need to wait till those seeds germinate before applying CGM

Dave

Maybe I'm an idiot (OK, OK, probably), but if CGM must be applied before forsythias lose their bloom, doesn't that mean that they are "in bloom"? As in, before the flower falls off, isn't it still on? Everything I've read says that timing is crucial, so I thought that CGM had to be applied while the flowers were open, on the branches - not before, not after. If you can apply it any time after the snow melts, until late June or July when the crabgrass seeds are germinating, then a 4 month window hardly sounds like "crucial timing". If experts are only talking about not applying CGM around grass seed germination, I'd think that they would specify that that is the "crucial timing" they are all referring to. Those last two possibilities sound fishy to me.........

[Rembrandt100]

Maybe I'm an idiot (OK, OK, probably), but if CGM must be applied before forsythias lose their bloom, doesn't that mean that they are "in bloom"? As in, before the flower falls off, isn't it still on? Everything I've read says that timing is crucial, so I thought that CGM had to be applied while the flowers were open, on the branches - not before, not after. If you can apply it any time after the snow melts, until late June or July when the crabgrass seeds are germinating, then a 4 month window hardly sounds like "crucial timing". If experts are only talking about not applying CGM around grass seed germination, I'd think that they would specify that that is the "crucial timing" they are all referring to. Those last two possibilities sound fishy to me.........

I certainly do not think you are an idiot but I do think that you read incorrectly. I did not say you can apply CGM till June or July. I said that it must be applied before the forsythia loses its bloom. But that does not mean that you can not put it down a week before bloom. The only thing I said about June or July is that then is the time that the crabgrass begins to grow and is noticable. I overseeded a few places this week and will wait untill the last week of bloom to apply CGM.

Dave

[M_Matt]

I picked up a 9L pail of CGM at Terra Greenhouses for $19.99 (regularly $31.99).

Thanks for the pointer on the correct order of applying CGM and over-seeding. The guy at the store said I could CGM, wait three weeks, and then over-seed. Your thoughts?

[Rembrandt100]

I picked up a 9L pail of CGM at Terra Greenhouses for $19.99 (regularly $31.99).

Thanks for the pointer on the correct order of applying CGM and over-seeding. The guy at the store said I could CGM, wait three weeks, and then over-seed. Your thoughts?

Lets think about this for a minute or two. The official booklet from the city of Toronto says and I quote:

" CGM a by product of corn that prevents the germination of dandelion and crabgrass seed. Does not control estabilished weeds"

If that is so, and we know that we only apply CGM once per season, then how is your grass seed going to germinate if you apply it after you apply CGM?

Unless your application of CGM is only good for three weeks, or someone tells me that CGM can tell the difference between crabgrass and good grass, how does this make sense?

BTW I am not ragging on you but I am going at "the guy in the store"

Dave

[M_Matt]

Thanks for the response. I'm just new to this CGM stuff; I did ask him how it works with respect to weeds and his response was evasive, so I knew right then he didn't know.

[inntents]

I certainly do not think you are an idiot but I do think that you read incorrectly. I did not say you can apply CGM till June or July. I said that it must be applied before the forsythia loses its bloom. But that does not mean that you can not put it down a week before bloom. The only thing I said about June or July is that then is the time that the crabgrass begins to grow and is noticable. I overseeded a few places this week and will wait untill the last week of bloom to apply CGM.

Dave

Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. Lots of "ballpark" info on many sites, but hard to pin down the best, most accurate info. I think I've got it sorted out now!