You can't tie a preemergent weed controller to a date on the calendar. There has been a LOT of discussion about this topic over the years. For awhile, recognizing that timing was critically important to the success of the product, there was not much more than lamenting the inability to predict the time. Then one of the gurus suggested using one of Mother Nature's "whispers" to tell. The blooming of the forsythia plant was the time. Well, not everyone has forsythia. My personal refinement on timing is to apply it after the soil temps hit 50 degrees AND a spring rainstorm hits. The soil has to be warm enough and there has to be sufficient, sustained moisture for crabgrass to germinate. I strongly suspect these conditions precede the blooming of the forsythia, but I'm one who does not have that plant to go by. I do have a cherry tree down the road that always blooms in Feb, so I go by that. Then again I don't have a crabgrass problem so I don't use preemergents. If you use the shampoo two times separated by two weeks, you won't need the aerator. Normal soil is soft when wet and hard when dry. But it should soften again when it gets wet. So called, compacted soil, does not soften when wet. The problem that prevents the soil from softening is the lack of an adequate population of beneficial fungi in the soil. Deep watering with a little soap will create the environmental conditions to foster the rapid growth of these microbe helpers. Use only clear shampoo. The cloudy stuff has oils in it that do not help. My personal opinion is that spraying insecticide because you think you might have a problem is not helpful. There is an organic solution to grubs. It is called beneficial nematodes. These little guys bring an insect disease to the grubs and paralyze them. Then they feed on the insects and procreate. I get BN locally but the original source is this place in Colorado. Apply them with a hose-end sprayer. But first, apply about 3/4-inch of water (or a couple days of rainfall). The BN must have a film of water to move on. They cannot move in dry soil. So first get the soil wet, then apply the BN, then finish with another 1/4-inch of water. Milorganite is fine. I never use it because it has more heavy metals in it than alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) and alfalfa is lower cost. Probably the reason you did not see any greening effect is you were starting with virgin soil. By next June the soil will be depleted enough to see a greening effect as well as the turf becoming more dense. Here is a demonstration photo showing the effect of alfalfa pellets on a zoysia lawn. This apparently is a very effective photo. I have had clerks at the local feed store tell me about more and more people coming in to get alfalfa pellets for their lawn. The alfalfa was applied in May 2011 and the photo taken in June. Organic fertilizers typically don't show results for 3 full weeks. If you are really indifferent about the soil test, then I would go to Logan Labs. You will get a better read on that test. If you search Google for "logan labs, andy, morpheuspa" you will find a place where you can get guru level help for free. They have been reading LL soil tests for many years. Do not add more topsoil unless you need to change the way your yard drains...because topsoil WILL change the way your yard drains. If you don't start with it right up against the house, then water will drain toward the house. If you do not have 4 full inches of foundation visible below the sill plate on your house, then you should be removing topsoil instead of bringing new soil in. The sill plate is the top of your foundation where the ground floor starts. As you can tell, I am not a fan of topsoil. Oh, and it always has weeds in it. When I need "topsoil" to fill a low spot, I get a local product that is 50/50 sand and "compost." What it really is is half sand and half fresh horse dung. That stuff is hotter than a pistol when it's delivered. Weed seeds cook off in such hot conditions for any amount of time. Plus the sand is very easy to deal with, spreads easily with no clods, and takes roots well. Compost is nice if you can get it for free. Use no more than 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet of lawn. For gardens you can pile it deep, but lawns will smother underneath compost. I see it in my neighborhood every year. There is one lawn that has not recovered in several years. Another keeps repeating the mistake every other year. Their lawn almost completely recovered from an app last spring before the grass stopped growing last week or so. It is sad to see the huge emphasis on compost by the radio show garden experts. They seem to recommend 2 cubic yards per thousand. That will smother even a bermuda lawn. In my neighborhood compost costs about $75 per yard to have it delivered. That means $75 per 1,000 square feet. Or I can apply alfalfa for about $5 per 1,000 square feet. I get a huge bang for the buck applying the alfalfa and almost nothing from compost. Add that to the agony of spreading compost and the possibility of smothering the lawn, and I just keep away from it. I can apply 15 apps of alfalfa for the cost of compost.

Best picture: Fame (blossoms stay on the bush for weeks and even if faded they add color to the garden) Best actor in a leading role: Mellow Yellow (planted front and center, always blooming, "look at me" kind of bush) Best actress in a leading role: Julia Child (love those bright yellow blooms, bushy bush) Best actress in a supporting role: Betty Boop (blooms and blooms, never has any issues with mildew, no need to deadhead) Best actor in a supporting role: Christopher Marlowe (just a small bush, blooms regularly, trouble free) Best visual effects: Gourmet Popcorn (a mini which really does look like popcorn) Best foreign language: Yves Piaget (love the blooms on this bush, but sadly, a tree is shading it and it suffers mildew but blooms on) Best visual effects: Dark Lady (love the blooms, but another mildew magnet) Lifetime achievement: Snowfire (has been in place well over 30 years in a difficult, hot location. It carries on year after year.)

Dee No worries about your review of the URI article. I was a bit put off by the lawn/imidocloprid thing myself. Usually the URI entomology articles are quite good, but that one wasn't. I did however, find a link through that article to Arbico Organics that sells a variety of different kinds of beneficial nematodes. I've been looking for Steinernema Carpocapse for some time. Not only does this nematode control grubs, it also is the only beneficial nem that will control foliar nematodes. Foliar nems are a real problem in Hostas and are hard to control. The link is below. Thanks for the Prarie Sun ID. Lost the tag on that one. H. Cracker Crumbs is a mini. I little bright gold thing. Bella Anna is always pink, regardess of pH. The only drawback is that it flops like Annabelle does. I need to get some Peony supports for it. I bought that one for $5 at Weston Nurseries in November after the pallet sale broke up. It's grown well. Enjoy the weekend. It's going to get hot next week. Remember, nothing lasts in the garden. Steve Here is a link that might be useful: Arbico Organics

I know we've moved on to January landscapes now, but I just wanted to comment on some of the gorgeous winterscapes that I admired but was too busy with holiday stuff to write about. NHBabs, the photos of your trees covered in snow are breathtaking. They look like antique postcards, the colors almost muted to black & white. I love the lights on the spirals too. I love your snow skirt decorated in maple leaves, PM, although I imagine it has disappeared under a much wider blanket of snow now. Isn't it fun to see the animal tracks in the snow, Pixie? It is almost like the snow becomes a hidden camera for activity that otherwise goes unseen. And Claire, your Christmas lights against the backdrop of ocean are magical. Water adds such a dimension of beauty to any landscape, but especially to a landscape of lights; I guess it is the contrast between warm and cold that does it. And your water is the mightiest of all! It has to be wonderful to have the great Atlantic ocean in your back yard. Now moving on to January, and trying to shovel and snow blow myself out of the January snowscape... This post was edited by spedigrees on Thu, Jan 2, 14 at 15:58