It's Spring and we all have the itch to get started on our lawns. To effectively manage lawn problems it is critical to understand the problem and the choices available to correct those problems and choose your options wisely. Your yard is an extension of your home and should be treated accordingly. Avoid the urge to use more. More is not better. Products for your yard should be used at recommended doses as prescribed on the label. And the label rate will work if you have chosen the right product for the problem you have. Identify, diagnose and follow directions accordingly.
The first step in lawn weed management is preventing crabgrass. Refer to the blog by Mark Urbanowski for details on that step.
Soon you will begin seeing spring weeds showing up in your yard. Especially if you suffered the effects of drought last year. Open turf invites weeds. Promote thick lawns by fertilizing with the recommended rate and frequency and mowing at the recommended height for your turf. This will discourage weed growth.
But we all still end up with weeds in our yards. These can be handled very effectively with one of the combination weed control products available from retail garden centers or mass merchants. They have been tested and proven to give you optimum weed control at labeled use rates. No need to overdose to control the weed.
If you are trying to control broadleaf weeds (dandelion, clover, etc) pick a broadleaf weed control product. They are available as liquid applications or on fertilizer products (Weed & Feed). If you use a fertilizer product to control your weeds be sure your grass is moist (in the morning while the dew is on the yard is a good time) because the particles have to stick to the leaves to control the weeds. Again, don't use more than the label requires.
If you are tyring to control grassy weeds you need to be sure you identify the grass you are trying to control. At this time of year you are not going to see crabgrass yet. So you don't need a broadleaf product that also controls crabgrass. If you have undesirable grasses mixed into your lawn you might be best asking a professional to help you with that as it is difficult to selectively remove certain grasses from your lawn without hurting desirable grasses, and even harder to properly identify them.
Later in the season when crabgrass escapes appear in your yard you can use a crabgrass control product to selectively remove that from your lawn.
Let me know if you have any questions.