Question
Kenneth, I've used you before and you were quite helpful.  I killed everything last fall and planted Falcon III.  It's now March and my lawn is pathetic.  Tons of spurge (purple flowers)and I believe chickweed.  I want to apply a pre-emergent for summer crabgrass but need to address these weeds asap.

I really expected a nice green lawn over the winter and into Spring because of the Falcon.  I didn't winterize because I had to seed several times due to torrential rains and a hurricane.

Does the Scotts Halts Plus address the weed issue? or should I go right into the weed & feed product.

Thanks - Randy Polley - Chesapeake / Va Beach, VA

Answer
Scott's with halts will prevent new weed seeds from germinating, such as corn speedwell, common chickweeds, and crabgrass. apply early in spring (about now) but check a local garden center for the exact timing. you should apply sooner rather than later, because once the seeds germinate, the herbicide is too late.

Existing weeds can be treated in spring. I recommend buying a bottle of weed-be-gon (check lable to make sure weeds are covered). Alternatively you can use Scott's 2+2 (weed-and-feed) in late spring.

e.g. fertilize now using Scott's with Halts and fertilize in early May using Scott's 2+2.

Apply Scott's with Halts to a dry lawn, and then water in well to ensure the product is activated.

Apply Scott's 2+2 to a moist lawn (wet leaves) and let the product say on the grass and weed leaves for 24 hours before watering in. Do not apply when daytime temperatures are consistently above 85 deg F.

I recommend using weed-be-gon as spray bottle, or even the type of bottle which attaches to a gardenhose, instead of fertilizer, but you can use both.

If you use Scott's with Halts, you can not overseed this spring. In such case postpone this to fall.

Overseeding is the process through which you spread grass seeds over an established lawn to thicken it up. Buy same grass seeds as you did last year, and spread in early fall just as the warm summer temperatures are on the way down. E.g. early September would be a good time. Apply a starter fertilizer at the same time. Keep the lawn consistently moist by watering daily for about 2 weeks to ensure germination. Then reduce watering frequency, but increase amount of water you apply. The lawn should be in much better condition next year.