Gila, the "old timey" guide for preemergents is after the forsythia blooms and before the lilacs bloom. Seed, on the other hand, should be going down now, so it takes full advantage of the spring moisture.

Hope this is of some help.

Doesn't it need to get warmer before the seed will germinate? I live in Somerset county, and we are still getting frost fairly often.

Also, how established would the newly planted grass need to be so the pre-emergent doesn't kill it?

Christine

that's what i'm wondering - I'm in Somerset Co. too with clay soil and afraid the seed would rot so early.

LIsa

Lisa and Christine, the seed will sit dormant until the temps get into the 60's - which they are supposed to do later this week!!!!!

The frost/thaw process will help move the grass seed down into the soil. I've seeded on top of snow and, if the birds didn't get the seed, had fairly good results.

Thanks for the posts; NJTea, I saw one of my neighbors put down some seeds and saw a whole host of birds coming down on his lawn and I am wondering whether I should wait till the fall to overseed! The scotts stuff that allows you to seed (with the active ingredient called Siduron) is fairly expensive if you have a large lawn. Does anyone know of a similar product that is less expensive?

Gila

I had success last year by putting a layer of peat moss over the grass seed so the dratted birdies don't see it. It's easy to spread thinly and it's inexpensive, and it looks better than straw.

Christine

Christine, thanks for the great idea! I have a couple of bags of peat moss in my shed from last year!

Now does anyone know how to get rid of creeping charlie and chickweed??

Gila

Creeping charlie - try a solution of borax (do a web search) or fertilize using Espoma's Plant Tone which contains boron in the proper percentage. It might take a couple of applications over a couple of seasons to start to bring it under control.

If you're not averse to chemicals, brush-b-gone can also help to control creeping charlie (ground ivy) - it might brown or yellow your grass for a while but should not kill it.

As I posted in the stilt grass thread, when I lived in CA, ground ivy was sold by the flat for $15 as a ground cover!

Check with your County Extension service - they have fact sheets to guide you to renovate your lawn. They are listed under County in your phone book
Good luck
John