Best - great memory! That is yet to be seen, as those problem spots browned faster in the hot summer sun - so far so good though. Vicki - I did reseed with compost the year I started, which filled in a lot of the bare/crabgrass spots I inherited from the previous owner. The best weed prevention is more grass! Having said that, the key to CGM is 1) timing & 2) lay it on heavy. I'm sure someone can chime in with more precise temperatures, but I believe most (weed) seeds germinate when the soil temps hit around 65F. Since CGM (I use Blue Seal brand) seems to resist being washed away better than the more soluble synthetics I've tried, I put it down as soon as the air temp hits 60F. Last year, it was Feb! This year I put it down in April, right before that big rain storm we had (since you appear to be local). And by lay it on thick, I use 30-40 pounds per 1000 sq. feet. Due to the way organic fertilizers like CGM works, you can't over-fertilize (unless of course you totally bury your lawn with it!). I know it was the CGM (plus fairly thick, tall grass) that kept the dandelions out because I put very little on my lawn. I do CGM at 30-40 lbs / 1000 sq feet in the early spring when the air temp hits 60F and then I'll put soybean meal (also fairly high in protein) down in the fall sometime. Other than that, I mow high and water deep -that's it! Good luck and thanks for the kind words.

IF you are going to use a chemical "weed and feed", better carefully read the label as the product will kill a lot more than weeds. Also, contrary to popular belief, St. Augustine needs 5 or 6 hours a day of sun shine. Now, before Lou starts in about shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine, yes, there are some new strains, they are expensive and it involves resodding your lawn. To reiterate about CGM, an application of less than 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq.ft. has limited effectiveness, and a heavy rain immediately after application will render the weed killing effect nill. If your desire is to use a natural approach, you need to understand how products work and what to expect of them. Most of the grassy weeds will die out in the heat. Others will be crowded out as the grass regains its vigor as it comes out of dormancy. The best way to control a lot of weeds is with a healthy lawn. Further, I have been praticing organics for 50 years and my present property for 35 years. Don't expect a property to turn around in 1 or 2 years as it will take that long at least to get the toxics out of your lawn and garden.

Iowa State Universtiy research indicates that the preferred application rate for CGM is 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet on turf grass. The link below will get you to most all the research they have done on what CGM does although they re in .pdf format which means you need the Acrobat Reader (free and included with most of the newer compuster operating systems). Here is a link that might be useful: Iowa State CGM page

The active ingredient in Halts is Pendimethalin and is used to prevent grassy weeds like crabgrass, dallisgrass, goosegrass, etc. The active ingredient in Portrait is Gallery and is used to prevent broadleaf weeds like dandelion, clover, plantain, henbit, etc. These are the chemicals you want to check into to find if they are banned in Canada. If so, penalties can be severe for attempting to smuggle them. If they are not banned, you can transport them for a fee. I don't know how much, but shipping grass seed from Canada to the US is $60 American money.