Lawns

Dandelions are so Annoying

Dandelions are so annoying. I dig them, they grow back and just keep popping up again. It makes you wonder if there is a secret to their multiple lives. Well, the secret is out. Dandelions have long roots that go deep. I found if I dig them and leave out part of the roots, it will send up a new weed to replace the one you thought was never to be seen again. Digging dandelions or pulling them out is definitely hit or miss.

Unlike crabgrass that are eliminated by pre-emergent herbicides, dandelions are perennials. Now that you see the rosettes and before they bloom is the time to control them. Apply weed and feed to damp lawn. This allows the chemical to go through the leaves of dandelions and be transported to all other parts including the roots. It only takes days for those nasty dandelions to curl up and wither. Better yet you do not have to wet your lawn before applying if you use a spray like Weed-B-Gon, just make sure they is no breeze when applying.

Also remember not to apply this on a rainy day if you don’t want your weed killer to just be washed away by rain. Finally, one more thing to keep in mind is to feed your lawn regularly. Eliminating the weeds is always just 50% of the battle. Fortify your lawn against weeds by regular feeding, at least four times a year. Keep your grass length to 2.5 up to 3 inches tall after you mow to help keep the weeds from germinating.

Garden Pests, Lawns, Real Estate (Farm & Ranch Land)

Get Rid of Crabgrass in Your Lawn

Crabgrass is an annual grass with broad blades that are coarse, pointed and short. It doesn’t blend in with lawn grasses in color, habit or texture and can be very competitive. If left alone, it will invade your lawns, flowerbeds and gardens. So, it is important to get rid of crabgrass before it germinates.

Crabgrass is highly adaptable. It prefers full sun exposure but will grow even where the soil is nutrient poor, dry and compacted.

As this weed develops during the summer, it leaves plenty of seeds before it dies in the fall. Most often the seeds are spread by birds. Borrowing unclean lawn mowers is another common way of introducing crabgrass into your lawn.

How can you get rid of it!
Prevent it from growing: Apply a pre-emergent in the spring when soil temperature is around 50 degrees and crabgrass begins to germinate. Look for lilacs getting ready to bloom plants as an indicator that it’s time to apply a crabgrass preventer.

Types of pre-emergents to use: Synthetic formulas include Scotts Halts, Scotts Turf Builder Plus Halts, Scotts Step 1 of the season-long lawn care program, or Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer plus Greenup.

Leave it alone: Once applied, the pre-emergent will work by creating a barrier that stunts the development of crabgrass. Thatching, power raking or aerating the lawn will break this barrier, so do this maintenance before applying the treatment.

A second chance: There are post-emergent treatments available if you miss your opportunity to apply a preventer. To eliminate most mature crabgrass plants, use Bayer Crabgrass Killer for Lawns, Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer Plus Green Up or Ortho Weed B Gon Max + Crabgrass Killer. Otherwise, dig out large, mature clumps of crabgrass and reseed or sod the bare spots left behind.

Common crabgrass impersonator: If you’re seeing large, grassy weeds in May or June, they probably aren’t crabgrass. You generally won’t notice crabgrass plants until well into the middle of summer. They are likely something like bromegrass (perennial), foxtail, or quack grass.

Gardening & Landscape, Vegetables

Wide Row Gardening

Wide row gardening is a technique that I have been using for years. I got the idea from a book called the Victory Garden. Basically, rather than doing skinny row planting, you sow blocks (mine are about 2 ft by 2-3 ft, depending on the plant) with a thick covering of seeds. This works with crops like turnips, radishes, beets, lettuce and other greens, carrots, peas, etc. Depending on the size of plant, you do it a bit more thickly or thinly as needed (carrots a bit more thickly than peas, for example). This allows for fewer paths in the garden and less compaction.


No making lines to follow, no trying to separate individual seeds or carefully measuring out your plot. My method was to prepare the block of soil, grab the packet of seeds, try to distribute them evenly over the area, then cover with a bit of soil (Miracle moisture retentive garden soil). So easy!


More recently, the second benefit from wide row gardening I see is that even though I have done basically zero weeding, after the blocks are so full of plants that there isn’t a whole lot of room for weeds to grow. This has been especially true with my radish, spinach and lettuce. Carrots and parsnips take longer to get big and leafy tops, so that patch is certainly a bit weedier, as is my beet patch where there is poor seed germination and therefore very few plants. Overall, though, this technique definitely has its perks!