yeah we've had very cold temps for the last 3 days. unfortunately the yard is covered with sleet and snow right now, so i'll have to wait for a melt off to do anything. what kind of time frame would I need to have for using RoundUp before my Bermuda starts coming out of dormancy? Also, i have infestations of different weeds everywhere in my yard.

Thanks for the follow up dchall. I live in eastern nc. Out of the last 30 days it has rained 20 of them. Pretty good rain at that. Probably 8 inches or more. I try to cut my grass every 4/5 days weather permitting. I can't really cut lower than 2 inches without scalping in a lot of places. I'm in the process of leveling out my lawn. I've been reading all of your advise on the subject. I've been trying to find the list where the guy leveled his yard and it showed his contraption he pulled behind his lawn tractor. I can't find it anywhere. If any one has a link I'd appreciate it. Back to the button weed. I fertilize my lawn every month but every time I do we get a bunch of rain days after. I've only lived here 4 months. House been empty for two years prior. My fertilize guy sold me some triplet to spot spray on the weed and it work kinda. Hurts the grass a little too. But it is spreading out of my control. That is why I'm looking to use a hose end sprayer for a larger application. Any help would be Appricated. Thanks.

Is is okay to use fertilizer/weed control in this area of California in the Fall? No. What about in any other part of California? No What about outside of California? No. Why? Those product waste your money and give you false hopes of being an effective fertilizer and an effective herbicide. They are not. If you want to fertilize, use a fertilizer. If you want to kill weeds, use a herbicide. Forget about the crabgrass. It will not last into the winter. You can spot spray the dandelions with something like Weed-B-Gone. I would not use anything out of a hose end sprayer on newly seeded grass. Where do you live in Northern California. And if you say you live south of Yuba City, I might come unglued. If you live south of YC and north of Bakersfield, you live in Central California. Sorry but that is geography. Now if you live in Central Cali, are you toward the edge or back inland? It makes a difference because of the temperature and humidity differences back toward Sac'to and then up the mountains. What kind if grass did you seed? How did you prepare the soil for the new seed? I'm surprised you're getting many weeds.

To get a healthy lawn that will resist what we call "weeds" you need to start with the soil. The University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service does not do soil testing but they can supply you with a list of labs that do. What you need to know from that soil test is soil pH and the amount of major nutrients, Phosphorus, Potash, Calcium, and Magnesium, and the balance of those and what you need to do to correct any deficiencies. Then dig in with these simple soil tests to see what else might need to be done. 1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsâ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. It will take time to get to that healthy soil and then grow a good thick lawn that will make it difficult for the "weeds" to grow, and this will not prevent all "weeds" from growing, but the thicker the grass is the fewer of those unwanted plants there will be. Also mow the grass high, 3 maybe even 4 inches, because the more of the grass blade exposed to sunlight the more nutrients will manufactured to feed the roots which will then grow more grass.