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Fertilizing is optional after dethatching. However, the period immediately after dethatching is generally considered the best time to fertilize your lawn because the thick debris is now gone. As a result, applying water and fertilizer as the final steps of dethatching can help to spur incredible growth.

Sometimes, pulling nutgrass can cause it to spread. If you do not discard the plant and rhizomes, the nutlets attached to the roots may each sprout. However, if you pull nutgrass repeatedly over the course of several weeks and discard the plant each time, it will weaken the plant significantly, eventually leading to its disappearance.

A spot herbicide for weed control is effective at killing crabgrass and not grass, but it depends on the type of herbicide. Always check the label to ensure that your herbicide is safe for grass but tough on crabgrass. Overall, spot treatment is ideal because it puts fewer herbicides into the soil, which can damage the soil. If you’re wanting a natural remedy to crabgrass that also won’t harm surrounding grass, you can also hand-remove crabgrass or even pour boiling water or 5% vinegar over crabgrass as a spot treatment.

Clover lawns stand up better against dog and cat urine than traditional turfgrass. If your pets love to hang out on the lawn on a sunny day—or if you find yourself with a lot of visiting neighborhood dogs—you could save yourself from yellow and brown patches by making the switch to a clover lawn.