Its seems like there is no normal anymore. We have had a very mild winter as you all know. Now it seems like a lot of plants are emerging and blooming well ahead of normal. Also, maybe it is just my imagination, because I need to be spraying, but it seems like it has been a windy spring.
We used to say that crabgrass germinates about the same time as the Redbuds blooming. Beings crabgrass preventer needs to be spread and watered in before crabgrass germinates then we are in trouble. I don’t think that is the case though. Normally we would have until the end of April before we would feel like soil temperatures are warm enough to germinate crabgrass. I think it is early but I think some plants, as far as when they bloom, are soil temperature driven and some are daylight driven. So, that brings me to what we are doing this spring. Normally we would start applying crabgrass preventer around Feb 15, weather permitting. Then we would be back around April 1 to spray for weeds and put on a second application of fertilizer. Because of the windy spring and the mild winter we are combining our 1st and 2nd application. It seems like the best way to get the crabgrass preventer on soon and also spray for weeds earlier than normal. We have already done some of your lawns and are hoping to get to the rest this next week. (As I am writing this I see it is supposed to be very windy every day this week.) On a different note, I want to tell you what we are putting on your lawns this spring. I don’t want to bore you with the details so skip over this if it doesn’t interest you. I am someone that feels like if we only spread fertilizer we are doing nothing to improve your soil. Fertilizer is only feeding the grass. If your soil is healthy your grass will look good with less water and less fertilizer. We are spraying a product called Sanctuary 11-21-21. You will hear me talk more and more about the benefits of Mycorrhizae. This photo shows the much more vigorous root system and healthier plant with mycorrihza. 
This is beneficial bacteria that feeds the microbial activity in the soil. The more microbes the healthier your soil and thus healthier grass. I can’t tell you enough of the benefits. We mix Mcorrhizae with the dirt around every tree and shrub that we plant. It has greatly reduced the number that we replace due to dying. Notice the pictures of grass with and without Mycorrhizae. Also we are spraying Rapture_4-0-4 which is micronutrient package. This will feed your grass with numerous minerals that will help your grass continue to be healthy through the hot part of the season. Iron greens your grass up without the fast growth that is hard on your grass. Lots of nitrogen actually causes grass to grow rapidly which if the weather conditions are not perfect stresses the grass, causing it to need more water to sustain the rapid growth. Also mowing so much of the leaf off, because you do not have time to mow multiple times a week, is also hard on the grass. On the flip side we all want dark lush green grass. So we try to balance the right amount of nitrogen yet not to much to cause rapid growth.
Please feel free to email me with questions. I know some of you get frustrated that you can’t get me on the phone. I have not been carrying it when I am working, so you will often just get my voicemail. So email is probably the best way to reach me or send a text. windyridgelawn@yahoo.com 316-835-0343