The Time for Crabgrass Prevention is Now!

You might not be aware, but the best time to rid your lawn of crabgrass is right now. The general rule is that crabgrass seed is "awoke" by three days of 50 degree temperature soil, which is usually at the very beginning of the growing season. The next few weeks will be the best time, as March kicks off the growing season. Here are a few products Strange's carries that can help you prevent crabgrass.

Scotts Step 1 for Seeding:Contains Tupersan Siduron. Starter fertilizer plus crabgrass preventer. Apply when seeding; allows grass seed to germinate while preventing crabgrass and other grassy weeds.

Hi-Yield Weed & Grass Stopper:
Contains Dimension. Prevent weeds & crabgrass from growing in lawns & landscape areas. Also contains some post-emergent crabgrass control.

Fertilome Crabgrass Preventer + Food:
Contains Team. Provides 12-16 weeks of pre-emergent crabgrass control. Wait at least 6-8 weeks before sowing seed.

Espoma Organic Weed Preventer:
Contains corn gluten meal. All organic -- child and pet safe. Can be used on lawns and garden beds. Don't use when seeding or over-seeding a lawn.

Hi-Yield Crabgrass Control:
Contains Balan/Treflan. Provides season long control of crabgrass & other weedy grasses. Doesn't contain fertilizer.

Fertilome For All Seasons w/Barricade:
Contains Barricade. Controls germination of grassy & broadleaf weeds. Wait at least 16 weeks before sowing seeds.

Remember -- with the exception of Scotts Step 1 for Seeding, all of the above products will PREVENT any kind of seed from germinating. The chemicals are unable to determine the difference between grass seed, vegetable seed and weed seed. Be sure to read the labels carefully before you use any of the products, and please, if you have questions, come in & ask us!

Why Grow Grass in the Fall?

Would you like a lawn that looks picture perfect?

Fall is the best time to renovate your lawn and make it look like new. With just a few easy steps, and a little bit of effort, you can give everybody on your block ‘grass envy’! If you plant grass seed in the fall, you have the advantages of lower temperatures, cooler days, and (hopefully) more rain. Grass seed gets established easier when the ground is more likely to retain moisture, and if the days aren’t so darned hot!

A good looking lawn starts with the seed. You want to use seed with a high germination rate and a very low weed seed/noxious weed percentage. This information must be listed somewhere on the bag, according to law. Be willing to put the money into your grass seed, and you’ll reap the benefits. We recommend Gold Standard (virtually weed free) for sun and light shade, and Shady Nook, for areas that have heavier shade. Follow the seed with a good starter fertilizer such as Ferti-lome New Lawn Starter, and your lawn should be off to a strong start. Another application of fertilizer about 8 weeks later will help strengthen your lawn and help protect it through the wintertime.

Lawn care really isn’t difficult (and doesn’t take a whole lot of time), so why pay somebody to do it, when you can have the satisfaction of doing it yourself? Then you can really take credit for the way it looks!

Also, at Strange's, our employees are always ready to help you with your lawn & gardening woes, so just bring them on in! We'll always have a solution for you at Strange's.

Winter Prep Leads to Spring Success!

Those of us who are dedicated to lawn maintenance often make the unfortunate mistake of assuming that the onset of winter weather gives us permission to neglect our newly established seed. However, by taking the proper precautions early we can prevent tedious weeding and root damage in the spring. A simple granular winterizer containing high compounds of nitrogen and potash can provide the proper nutrients to encourage root growth and foliage stamina in shrubs and evergreens as well as simple grass seed. Fertilome Winterizer is available in a 20 pound bag that covers at least 2,000 square feet, the size of your average neighborhood lawn. This product is especially formulated to help put your lawns, trees, shrubs, ornamentals and evergreens in proper condition to withstand the hazards of a cold winter, because it encourages the hardening of late growth and helps build root systems, as growth continues through the fall and winter. It is very important to fertilize your trees; well-fed trees not only grow faster and develop better shade, but also are not normally damaged as extensively by Tree Borers and other insects in comparison to those that are left neglected and unfertilized. Fertilome Winterizer can also be used for the fall feeding of roses, azaleas, camellias and gardenias. When used as directed, Fertilome Winterizer aids in increasing winter hardiness, helps build better root systems, aids hardening of late fall growth, and promotes sturdiness in plants weakening by too rapid growth. It is an excellent product to give your lawn and garden the boost it needs to make it through those frigid January nights that seem right around the corner.



Follow some of these tips to prevent further spring damage and weed control:

• Keep an eye out for cool weather weeds such as chickweed, clover, oxalis, wild geranium, and wild onion. A weed left to produce seeds in the fall will return hundred-fold next spring.
• Rake leaves, lest the leaves smother your grass over the winter. Consider composting them for use in the spring.
• Besides raking leaves up, you want to rake deep into the soil to remove thatch. You do not want thatch to grow into the soil because during the fall when the grass seems to stop growing, the roots actually grow deeper to prepare for the winter.
• After the lawn has stopped growing, and before the snow flies, give your lawn one more cutting to prevent snowmold from developing.

Written by Ginny Gregory.
http://www.stranges.com/

If the grass really IS greener on your neighbor’s side of the fence, we’ve got just the solution!
Saturday, September 19thCome on down to Strange’s Garden Center

at 12111 West Broad!
Participate in a variety of free seminars.

It’s a BLOCK PARTY with free donuts and coffee.

This ongoing demonstration is designed to educate the Richmond homeowner on

Do It Yourself Green Lawn Care.

Topics will include proper mowing, applying grass seed, using fertilizer, aerating and lawn preparation. There will also be demonstrations

on sprayers and spreaders.

Be sure to arrive armed with samples of weeds for identification and solutions as well as a soil sample for FREE pH testing.

Exciting Exhibits: weed identification and control, proper grass seed selection and application, irrigation recommendations and expert research on lawn care best suited

for Goochland, Hanover and Glen Allen.

Vendors: Representatives and our own Virginia Certified Horticulturists will be available for advice and information on Fertilome products, Jonathan Green, and Gold Standard Grass Seed.

Voted Best Plant Selection for 2009 by Richmond Magazine, we here at Strange’s provide the knowledge and answers you need to make your neighbors with green thumbs, fingers and toes even greener with envy!

Visit our website for more info!

www.Stranges.com

OK, everybody who has weeds, raise your hoe!

It seems like there's always 2 weeds that are a major pain in the summer -- wiregrass (aka bermuda grass), and nutsedge (aka nutgrass). Wiregrass always tries to take over my landscape beds, and I'll admit, it does win every once in a while. But I've managed to keep it under control, and even get rid of it using Hi-Yield's Grass Killer, also known as Poast. This product is known as an "over the top" type spray, so you can spray it over the top of almost any kind of plant, to kill wiregrass, crabgrass, foxtails and other pesky grasses that are growing up thru your plants. Let's face it, the only place wiregrass REALLY belongs is out on the golf course, on the greens-- not in your garden or lawn.

My other hassle is nutsedge. This stuff is like the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry-- every year it resurfaces, even worse than the previous year! If you pull nutsedge out of your lawn, you can leave behind little bulblets that will just resprout and spread even more than before. Try using GreenLight's Wipe Out. It's a granular product that you can dump into your spreader and put on your lawn. No mixing required, and it will help kill not only nutsedge, but a whole bunch of other pesky broadleaf weeds like dandelions, ground ivy and clover.
Poast is meant to used in garden beds, not on the lawn. Wipe Out is for lawns, not garden beds. Always read the label all the way thru before using any product!