michaelr7170
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 8:38 am

Fall maintenance with chickweed

Hello folks, I'm new to the forum (and pretty new to lawn care). We just purchased a new home last winter - the build was completed during Summer/Fall of 2015 with new sods laid during that time. We have had a pretty bad chickweed problem this year, which is strange how it's really the first year for the lawn, so it makes me think the chickweed seed was in the sod or topsoil already.

Regardless, I'm very pleased with how the lawn has been doing otherwise, it's come a long way from where the builders left it - there are a lot of areas where very thick, green grass is taking over so I feel like next year will be much better.

This brings me to my question regarding my fall maintenance. I plan on dethatching late August or early September (thatch later about 0.5 to -.75" thick, and wondering if I should overseed and fertilize with a fall mix - or if I should put a weed and feed fertilizer down (corn gluten meal) instead. I know I can't do both, as the gluten meal will prevent the overseed mix from germinating as well. Appreciate any help! Thanks

ButterflyLady29
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1030
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 9:12 pm
Location: central Ohio

I would do the weed & feed. Chickweed is very difficult to get rid of. The little flowers are easy to miss and when you touch dried seed heads they fling seeds everywhere.

Then if you have no chickweed over the winter (it sprouts and grows very well in late winter) try the overseeding in the spring. If you have chickweed coming up just pull it. It takes longer to produce flowers and seeds in the spring, and it's easier to pull then.



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