What Is Your Soil Temperature? (crabgrass, concrete, weeds, spring)
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For those of us with cool season grasses it is critical of the timing every spring and fall to prevent crabgrass in the spring and to prevent cool season weeds especially annual bluegrass.
The calendar doesn't tell you much as to when to put down an application for a specific product, instead of the soil temperature is all that matters.
You put down your crabgrass prevent her in the spring too early and you're losing optimal time ahead likewise if you put it down too late you run the risk of crabgrass germinating and defeating the purpose of putting the product down to begin with.
Soil temperatures can be best tracked and following:
As of today, I still have a couple degrees to go to get to that magical 70° for cool season grasses in the fall before applying pre-emergent for fall weeds particularly annual bluegrass.
That was the surface temperature. Highest I've seen is 160+F.
What's interesting, is the soil might be 130F, and the concrete sidewalk 107F, but the black asphalt is "only" 122F. The black asphalt is cooler than the tan dirt. Sun shining on both areas. Breeze effect the same.
But yet, when walking on the dirt barefoot, it doesn't "feel" hot. But, walk on the asphalt, and it'll have me dancing like those Celtic dudes on PBS!
The meter seems fairly accurate (+/- 1%) and shows good repeatability.
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