Question
Hi, I have a house in the North Fork which is developing a bad case of 'crabgrass'. The lawn grass is 'fescue', but it is being overrun by crabgrass. My first question is, What can I do to stop the crabgrass from taking over the whole lawn? The second question is, what can I do now to prepare the lawn to be healthier and better next spring? I don't live in the house year round, but we go there on most weekends and spend the whole summer there. Is overseeding a good idea now? can you step me through on how to go about it? fertilizing go with overseeding?
I would appreciate your recommendations for things to do, materials to use and places where to get them, Home Depot? Lowes?

Thanks in advance.

Serafin  

Answer
Serafin, This is such a complicated - but typical, and very solvable - problem I have wanted to really sit down and give you some serious information.  But I am afraid it's getting later and it is important to address this fairly soon.  We are at a time of the year when certain things in the garden must be scheduled or they have to wait.  So let me give you the details I can give you right now.  You may not like some of the answer here, it can be a bit overwhelming and even confusing at times, but right now, this is where things stand as I see it.

Crabgrass can be perennial or annual.  Take a look at the Purdue University Extension page on this very subject (www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tips/2003/crab318.htm).  What do you think?

Like any grass, Fescue has pro's and con's.  Fescue is famous for its ability to thrive in clay soil we are famous for on Long Island.  And it's incredibly tolerant of heavy foot traffic.  Plus, as a cool season grass, it's green all year round... Almost.

In mid-summer, Fescue can't sweat it out.  This summer was murder on the Fescue.  Those triple digits on the thermometer weakened Fescue without mercy.  

Sounds like your weekend plans did not involve round the clock bedside care for that poor Fescue lawn of yours.  Can't blame you.  A summer weekend in the North Fork?  What are summers for?

Fescue, to thrive on those dreadfully hot days, MUST be watered.  Or it turns brown.  And if this is what happened to your Fescue lawn, this is why you have weeds now.  Crabgrass or otherwise.  And so it is necessary to overseed your lawn every year.  That's the best way to fill in spots that weakened or simply damaged by the searing summer heatwaves of the hottest summer in recorded history.

If you overseed now, then in the spring you can apply a pre-emergent - and I'm not talking about a Scotts product here, I am talking about Corn Gluten, which is available in many garden centers.  Read the directions carefully so that you get all the stuff down at the right time.  I do not believe Home Depot or Lowes is going to sell this.  They make a lot of money on Scotts and Ortho products.  They will sing the praises of the most toxic chemicals money can buy without a second thought.  They're nice people - they just don't know any better.

There is a patent on the application of Corn Gluten Meal as a preemergent.  That should tell you something.

Any producer of a lawn product sold for this purpose that includes Corn Gluten Meal must be licensed.  You know Scotts doesn't have one of those licenses.  So you won't find it at Home Depot etc. or in a bag marked "Scotts".  It is readily available on the internet, but shipping is ridiculous, and you can definitely pick it up in Nassau County as Hicks Nursery on Jericho Turnpike in Westbury.  That's a bit of a drive, but they have the most comprehensive organic department on Long Island and I have been very impressed with the efforts they have made to encourage shoppers to "grow green" - not an easy thing to do when most of the County is clueless about these things.

There is plenty of literature documenting Corn Gluten as a preemergent - let me know if you would like me to send you the links, they're all over the place, but it takes time to read.  I personally find this fascinating.  It was discovered purely by accident.

The CGM will decompose and fertilize the Fescue on a steady, healthy schedule all summer.  You won't need to put down any fertilizer after the CGM goes down.  It's a great soil conditioner.

The biggest problem for you will be watering on hot hot hot days and keeping the Fescue mowed at the right height.  If you can find a friendly local high school kid with a lawnmower who will take care of this for you responsibly, you will have the problem solved.

I always say first rate grass comes from first rate seed.  Order your Fescue from Seedland.com and get it down asap.  Rake and scratch in, and keep it CAREFULLY watered (this is really important - the one thing that causes almost all failure with newly seeded lawns is watering casually).  Depending on where you are spending your weekdays, perhaps you can pick up some of the Corn Gluten Meal in your area, and get it out there into the garage so you have it in the spring.  It goes down the week that the forsythia starts to bloom - not a day later, or the crabgrass will start germinating all over the place and that train will be out of the station...

Any questions?  I'm here.