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The best time to fight crabgrass with pre-emergent herbicide is when forsythias tend to bloom. In the mid-Atlantic region, this is usually between April and May. Even if you're late to apply the herbicide, it’s effective as long as the crabgrass plant has fewer than five leaves.

Technically, dandelions aren’t bad for your lawn, and they don’t directly kill grass. In fact, they appear in areas that are nutrient-deprived, and their long taproots can loosen the soil and bring nutrients closer to the surface. 

However, dandelions do spread quickly, and they can take over your lawn, eventually crowding out grass. This is why a healthy lawn is the best defense against dandelions.

No, definitely not. Pulling weeds by hand is the single most effective way to remove them because you're eliminating the entire plant—roots and all—so it won’t have a chance to grow or spread. Setting time aside a few times per week to pull weeds can keep them at bay. If the number of weeds gets overwhelming, then you can resort to other methods.

Too much clover in your lawn can indicate several issues with your soil. Clover can thrive in soils with abnormally high pH, low-cut grass, and low nitrogen. Amending these issues can push clover out for good.

Hardy perennial clover loves the low nitrogen and compact conditions that often come with poor, infertile soils. But other factors also contribute to a clover explosion, including drought conditions, cool temperatures, under fertilization, and over-irrigation. You’ll need to evaluate all these elements when planning to kill off the clover.