Sping tips for a healthy lawn

Lawn Fertilization
Fertility should be referenced to a soil test report for your lawn.
Contact the Quay County Extension office for a soil test kit.
Apply fertilizer every six to eight weeks. To lengthen the greening between fertilizer applications use a  50  percent or more of nitrogen slow release form. (21-0-0) An organic method is to apply a half inch of well decomposed compost evenly across the lawn twice a year.
Dates for fertilizing your lawn for Quay County are:
April 15, June 15, Aug. 15 and Oct. 1 for bermudagrass.

Pre-emergent weed
control
Timing is of the utmost importance with pre-emergent herbicides.
For Tucumcari and North Eastern New Mexico make applications around March 15 and June 15.
For summer annual grassy weeds, use benefin, dithiopyr, prodiamine, pendimethalin or other labeled products. For winter weeds around Sept. 20, using two different pre-emergent products applied separately on the same day. For grassy winter annuals, use one of the products listed above. For prevention of winter annual broadleafed weeds, apply a second product, isoxaben.

Post Emergent weed
control
Broadleaf weeds are treated with a herbicide containing 2,4-d. Apply when temperatures are 55 and 86 degrees. Grassy weeds are controlled with DSMA or MSMA between May and September. Nutsedge can be controlled with several seasons of treatments of halosulfuron-methyl or imazaquin applied between May and September.
Tom Dominguez is an agent with the Quay County Extension, NMSU Extension Service. He can be reached by calling 461-0562 or emailing todomingu@nmsu.edu.