The Grass Doctor

When should I apply pre-emergent fertilizer/weedkiller combo in the Chicago area?

Scotts website says "february to april" is when to apply it, was wondering if anyone could be more specific.

Public Comments

1. After the final layer of snow has melted away. This is when the grass starts regrowing and it's when it will be jonesing for the pre-emergent.
2. Yup, after the final thaw before the dandoliens have a chance to show their heads.
3. pre-emergent around here would probably be the first week of May or last week of April. I'm not sure it would still be effective for crabgrass though since crabgrass typically doesn't start to really go nuts until July or so? Another option is to try corn gluten meal...it has been found to stop any seed from germinating, so it would work for both dandelions and crabgras, let alone any other weed seed that has found its way into your yard.