Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

The best time to prune many types of trees and woody shrubs is late February, just before they begin to bloom with leaves.

March is a good time to put down pelletized lime on your yard, if you need it.

Pre-emergent crabgrass and weed killer should be applied in March, too, but the type of product depends on whether you intend to spread grass seed on the lawn in spring and the type of weeds you want to control.

You can save mulch bags and use them throughout the growing season to throw away yard debris.  Don't forget the Falls Church High School mulch sale in late March.

To kill Wild Violet, Wild Strawberry, Clover, Black Medic, Oxalis, Chickweed, Ground Ivy, and other hard-to-kill weeds in the LAWN, use the following formula:

4 oz. Ortho Brush-B-Gon and 1 oz. any weed killer in 2 gallons of water.

Spray the weeds and repeat in 10 to 14 days, and that's it.  The weeds will die (wild violets take 6 to 8 weeks to die).  It is not necessary to keep spraying.

The best time to kill these weeds is when they are actively growing.  If it rains within 24 hours of application, the formula will not work.

If you use this formula on your lawn, wait at least three weeks to seed the area where the weeds died.  It takes that long for the chemicals to disappear from the soil.

NOTE:  Brush-B-Gon will not kill your lawn, but you will be very unhappy if you spray it on plants that you want to keep alive.  It really works!

• Clean up your lawn, flower bends, clogged gutters, and any wood that is lying directly on the ground.
• Prune trees and roses, but wait for flowering shrubs like Azaleas to finish blooming.
• Fertilize shrubs and lawn, but avoid liquid fertilizers, which produce quick results but wash away quickly, too.
• Apply pre-emergent products to lawns, flower bends, and ground covers to prevent crabgrass seeds from sprouting.
• Transplant perennials, shrubs, and roses as early in the spring as possible.
• Plant new plants, seeds, and trees, but avoid trees that sat at a nursery all winter long.
• Apply lime as needed, remembering that more expensive pelletized lime is easier to spread and lasts much longer than powdered lime.
• Apply gypsum and grub and mole control if needed.
• Mulch generously, but beware that 3 inches or more of the popular shredded hardwood mulch will compact and actually form a barrier to rain.  Expect harmless, unsightly mold to grow, too.

Most lawns in our area are too acidic and need to have lime applied every few years.  The powdered form is cheaper, but the granular and pelletized forms will stay on the ground and not blow away in the wind or wash away in a storm.  Although the best time to lime is between November and March, anytime except the hot summer months are good.

The best time to overseed an existing lawn or reseed bare spots is 1 September.  If part of your lawn is such a disaster that you want to kill everything and start over with new seed, begin about 14 August with an application of Roundup, and repeat with a second application one week later.  You can seed and fertilize on the 1st of September.

Overall, September and October are the best times to seed grass, followed by late March through April.  Anyone who tries to convince you to seed during the winter is trying to make money during the slow season for lawn and garden centers.  No matter when you seed in the winter or spring, the grass will not start growing until the outside temperature repeatedly hits 70 degrees F.  Seeding in winter ensures that more seeds are washed away or eaten by birds before the growing season begins.

There are three types of grass to consider for your lawn:

• Bluegrass.  100-50% sun, reproduces well in fall, browns in summer, contains some ryegrass.  The less ryegrass, the better, as ryegrass lives only three years.
• Tall Fescue.  100-30% sun, grows well in tough, clay soil, grows in clumps that get fatter over time.
• Fine Fescue.  50-0% sun, good for under trees.

March and April are the best times to apply pre-emergent crabgrass products.  A few products can be used at the same time you seed, but the most powerful products will kill any new seed.  Check the product labels carefully, and use the product that is appropriate for your needs.

The best time to apply broadleaf weedkillers is April to mid-May and again from mid-August through September.  Again, be careful not to apply weedkillers until any new grass seeds have grown enough to be mowed twice.

Fertilizers work best when applied in spring and fall.  With new grass seed in the fall, it would be a good idea to start with a fertilizer that promotes root growth, and follow-up a month or so later with a fertilizer that promotes top growth.  If you are not seeding your lawn in the spring, you can fertilize and apply weedkiller at the same time.

Merrifield Gardens at the intersection of Lee Highway and Gallows Road has many handouts that cover the gamut of lawn and garden care needs.  Even if you don't buy anything from them, it's worth a stop!