Lawn Care 101

I have quickly discovered that beyond mowing, lawn maintenance is definitely not my forte.  With the crabgrass doing beautifully and bare spots here and there I asked Michael what I needed to do to take care of the crabgrass and help grass grow.  It was driving me crazy.

His response, "crabgrass preventer."  

So off I went to Lowe's and bought crabgrass preventer.  Once there I did have to call Michael and ask what size bag to buy.  I then came home and with help from Michael to figure out the spreader setting I applied it to the lawn.  I assumed  I was taking care of every issue our lawn had:  crabgrass, weeds and fertilizing (fertilizing the grass, not the weeds - they don't need help).  

No one could have been more surprised than me when dandelions started popping up.

First there was one, and within a few days we had a beautiful crop.  

I kept saying to Michael, "But I put stuff down!"  
(Don't you love my technical term?)

I really kind of like dandelions.  When I was little my friends and I would spend a whole afternoon picking dandelions, then we would split the stem and put them in water.  If I remember correctly the stem would curl once in the water and we would wind the stems together.   So seeing dandelions takes me back to my childhood.  But the down side to these harbingers of spring is if you don't take care of them your neighbors have to enjoy them as well, and they may not be big dandelion fans.  

So after about the 4th time of commenting on the appearance of dandelions here is the conversation Michael and I had.

Me:  "I just don't get why we have dandelions.. I put stuff down!"  

Michael:  "You have to put down Weed & Feed."

Me:  "I did!!!"

Michael: "No, you put down crabgrass preventer and fertilizer."  

Me:   "And weed killer!"

Michael:  "No that is a separate application."

Me:  "That stuff I put down doesn't kill weeds???"

Michael:  "Nope, just treats crabgrass and fertilizes the grass."  

Me:  "Seriously?  I have to do MORE???"  

Michael:  "Yes, and you have to put it down when the grass is wet so it sticks to the dandelion leaves."

(Oh, if I had $1 for every time Michael has told me this and emphasized the point by sticking his palms together!!)

Well... this was news to me!   

Why on earth would they not put all that stuff in one bag so you took care of everything at once?  That is crazy!  I thought I had done my job and now just had to keep up with the mowing. 

I went out one night and used my Dad's wonderful "weed digger" and dug up most of the dandelions in the front yard.  The next morning a new crop had replaced those I removed, and I think they brought extra buddies. 

So off I went  to the store again for the Weed & Feed.  Not I just have to wait for it to rain (again), so the grass is wet.  

I do not, I repeat, do not plan to do applications 3 and 4.  I have other things to do.  I simply want to spend some quality time enjoying the sights and sounds of nature,  sitting on the deck and drinking a hot cup of chai, enjoying the flowers, watching the birds, keeping an eye out for any garter snakes that might appear, trying to figure out where the wasps have a nest (again)...and trying to keep my flower beds as weed free as possible. 

Lawn Care 101 is over.  

Class dismissed.