Nebraska Extension Blog by Jenny Brhel
Hope you had a blessed Easter with your families/friends! It was wonderful for those who also received some rain! Quite a bit got planted last week with the warmer soil temperatures. Continue to monitor soil moisture for individual fields to have proper seeding depth into moisture. Eric Hunt, Extension Meteorologist, mentioned March 2025 had the highest wind gusts on record in Nebraska. That’s not a desirable stat, but it does help explain why so many asked if it’s normally this windy, why the surface soil moisture dried so quickly, and why small grains and pastures haven’t grown much in spite of warm soil temps. For vegetable gardens, I placed the planting guide at: https://jenreesources.com/2025/04/14/vegetable-planting-reference/.
Crabgrass Preventer for lawns is best applied when soil temps have been 55F at 4” depth for several days. Last week we were fairly close; watch soil temperatures this week at: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/soil-temperature/. For new lawn seedings, there are options of a couple of products to prevent crabgrass. Siduron (commonly sold as Tupersan) and mesotrione (found in Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action Built for Seeding) are available options.
Roundup Products for Homeowners: It’s important to read the active ingredients on the label when shopping for products. “Typical Roundup” contains the active ingredient glyphosate, which is non-selective and will kill any green plants not resistant to it. Any product containing glyphosate that is sprayed on the lawn will kill the lawn.
The product labeled “Roundup for Lawns” does not contain glyphosate, which can be confusing. Active ingredients in this product include MCPA, quinclorac, dicamba, and sulfentrazone. These herbicides are effective on a broad range of weeds that might infest the lawn, such as dandelion, crabgrass, and nutsedge, without harming the lawn when used properly.
“Roundup 365” is a product that contains glyphosate, imazapic, and diquat. This product can provide 12 month control of weeds and is labeled for use on driveways, patios, sidewalks, and gravel areas. Just know that nothing can be safely planted back into that area for at least 12 months.
To remove undesirable trees that grow within evergreen trees or hedges like lilacs, use glyphosate instead of Tordon on the cut stumps. This is because the glyphosate doesn’t have additional soil activity and stays within the root system of the plant it’s been applied to. Just be careful to only use a product with glyphosate with nothing else added to it. Ultimately, please read the labels to ensure you’re using a product that is labeled for the place you wish to use it, for any restrictions on the product, and what pests it lists to control.
Tree Planting: With Arbor Day this week, it’s important not to plant trees too deeply. Kelly Feehan shares, “If a tree is planted at the same depth it was in its container, and the soil in the planting hole beneath the root ball is loosened, odds are very good the tree will be planted too deep. Since planting trees at the same depth they are in their containers and loosening soil in the bottom of planting holes is often done, too deep of planting occurs frequently. To plant a tree at the correct depth, wait to dig the hole until after the tree’s first lateral root at the base of the trunk is located. Soil may need to be scraped off the top of the root ball to do this. Only then dig the hole just deep enough so the root ball will sit on firm, undisturbed soil and the first root is just below ground level. Dig planting holes one to two times wider than the root ball’s diameter to loosen soil and encourage outward tree root growth.”
