Weeds are just beautiful little plants growing in the wrong location. Most are only obvious when they do bloom and they can be annoying. There are a few things that we can prevent but most weeds have to be growing in the lawn for an application to be successful. Two clients Diane Finley and Matt Heferin both asked if digging up weeds was a problem.

The real question here is why can’t I pick some of the weeds in my lawn, after all, I got all the roots? The answer is that anytime you dig in the soil you create more weeds. Our soil is full of seeds just waiting to be placed at soil level. When we dig, shovel, or do anything else, that puts soil that was below the surface on the surface resulting in weed seed germination. There is a better than even chance you did leave some roots there as well but it's the new seeds that are an issue.

I purposely delay the application as long as I can and still get everyone done so that I kill as many weeds as I can on that initial trip. If it just drives you crazy to see the blooms just pick the blooms and leave the plants for me to kill.

I’ve had several of these questions as well but the first came from Andrew Hardesty so let's blame this part on him. Generally, I use a crab grass prevention product in the first spray. Crab grass, as you may remember, is an annual, meaning it grows from a seed each spring. This product is not smart enough to know good grass seeds from crabgrass seeds. If you seed before I spray, it will keep both seeds from germinating. That’s not the result either of us want so what’s the better answer?

After I spray, give it a good couple of rains not on the same day and then follow this procedure. Use a garden weasel, or a shovel to break up the surface of the soil. My treatment is a chemical barrier that does not allow the tap root to be successful but if you rough up the soil, The chemical barrier is defeated and your grass seed stands a better chance. Yes, you will also have crabgrass in these areas but that’s something I have tools to deal with in the summer.

Rob Yoder is a favorite client and a good friend of Diane and mine. We know how excellently Bella has him trained. Bella has been delivering joy to her family for about a year now taking good care of both of her younger humans, Gavin and Gabe. They have learned how to take her to the bathroom when needed and especially how to turn on the bathroom sink when she needs a drink from the magic faucet. This is particularly handy when cleaning up from a pupacino from Star Bucks, as mustaches are not in style at the moment.

As you notice from the photo, she has taught Rob how to get a warm blanket on a chilly night. The list of other tricks Rob will do for Bella gets longer each day as Rob is a fast learner. Among Diane’s favorite is a little video showing her helping him know her word for bacon so he knows when that special little treat is appropriate. Diane hopes that everyone can enjoy the love of a pet just like the Yoder’s. She believes you can live without a dog but who would ever want to. Thank you, Rob, for sharing Bella!