Advice for applying crabgrass pre-emergent

Q: Is your advice for applying crabgrass pre-emergent still March 1st considering the early warm-up in temperature this year?

A: You have probably heard there is a new USDA map that shows that winters have not been as severe in the last twenty years and that spring has come earlier. Despite this, the timing of preemergent application will still be based on your own intuition and observations. Gardeners have observed that you should apply preemergent when the forsythia shrubs in your neighborhood are blooming. The flower buds open in response to the same temperature signals that weed seeds do. There is a whole body of knowledge called phenology in which the defined behavior of certain plants is used to tell you when to do garden tasks. Keep your eye out for the bright yellow flowers of forsythia and your