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amirasol

Growing new grass and controlling weeds in Michigan

Andrew Mirasol
10 years ago

I moved into a new home a few months ago in Michigan, and as an overeager first time homeowner I decided to patch up some dirt spots with grass seed in July without doing much research. I've now learned that's a huge mistake (most of it has died), and that Aug-Sep is probably the best time so that the roots can build up strength over the winter. But I still have some questions:

First, is it too late to lay new seed in Michigan, or should I wait until next year? Weather can be so up and down, so I worry it will frost too early and kill the seed again. I'd be laying it down in the next couple days if it's feasible with Pennington 1 step complete seed.

Second, there's a bit of a chickweed problem in the lawn. We pulled a lot out, but I'm not sure if we got all the roots and some of it is still there, so I'd like to treat it with something like Weed-B-Gon Chickweed, Clover, & Oxalis Killer. If I apply this to the lawn, will it prevent new grass seed from growing? I'm wondering if I should focus on killing the chickweed now, and then just wait to plant new grass next fall. Ideally I'd like to do everything now, but I want to get it right this time, so better safe than sorry.

Lastly, when is a good time to fertilize the whole lawn before the winter? And should I avoid applying it to seed areas?

Sorry for the lengthy post, but this is new to me and it's not always easy to find info specific to my area. Appreciate any info anyone can provide!

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