Q: I want to put out my pre-emergent weed killer today over my whole yard because I hate crabgrass, and I know what to do there. My dogs have ripped up one section of my yard so I also need to put out some fresh Bermudagrass seed next month. What should I feed that fresh seed with?
A: There is a problem with this as stated. Good ideas – just not at the same time.
Grassy pre-emergent herbicides are important – they’re our single best way to control weed grasses in North Texas, spreading them to control the weed grasses before they germinate. They work, and we strongly recommend them.
The issue here is that grassy weed pre emergent also prevents desirable turf grass seeds from sprouting. This isn’t a problem in an established lawn, as the lawn is coming up from well established root systems and isn’t dependent on fresh seed – but it will stop your Bermuda grass seed you intend to spread from coming up properly as long as the herbicide is active. (Three to four months, depending on how heavily it is applied and how much rain we’ve had.)
Skip areas you intend to freshly seed this year when spreading the herbicide. Fertilize the whole lawn area this March with our Covington’s Premium 21-7-14 slow-release fertilizer with iron. Deal with a few weeds by hand in the newly-seeded area for this spring, and you will be fine to apply pre-emergent herbicide as normal in September.