Cold, rainy weather delaying lawn care

The cold temperatures in central Indiana have thrown off a lot of things. Baseball and outdoor activities have been pushed back. As of April 1, lawn care has also been pushed back. But with it being so cold and wet, what do we do now? 

Terry Jungles is the owner of TLC Total Lawn Care on the near west side. His company focuses on an organic approach to lawn care. He says that homeowners are still in good shape despite the cold weather and the large amount of rain. Jungles suggests if you want to start doing something, now is a good time to put what’s called pre-emergent crab grass control down. Ultimately believe it or not, this weather has only pushed us back a little bit. 

“I think we are about two weeks behind,” said Jungles. “Typically it’s going to be a little warmer at the end of this week, next week it’s going to be back down in the 30’s and 40’s at night. So, I still think our soil temperatures will be under 50 degrees by the end of next week, which is typically what we think of as the middle of April to have our crab grass control down. So, I’d say two weeks behind.” 

Something very important to note, don’t seed in the spring, especially if you put pre-weed treatment down. They almost cancel each other out and the seedlings won’t grow as well and won’t survive the hot Indiana summer if both crab grass treatment and seeding are down at the same time.

 Also, don’t put out any perennial flowers or plants. A frost could kill those. Right now, Indiana’s soil temperatures are at about 45 degrees, which is typically lower than years past. You want to get that pre-emergent down before it reaches 55 degrees.