Help from Lawn Care experts

Every time I throw down a couple $20 bags of weed and feed I think to myself – Self, there goes 4-5 new crankbaits down the drain….

-J.

I never liked the results from weed and feed mixed products…it always seems like it does a half fast job at both. I spray 2-4d for weeds and do 13-13-13 fertilizer often without worry of burning since it is such low nitrogen content. I probably fertilize 6 or more times a year…always strategically before a little rain or cool spell is in the forcast. I spray weeds twice…once in May after they have germinated and started growing and once in september or so just as a touch up. I only have a quarter acre of grass so it’s all super simple and only takes a few minutes here and there.

Jon Jordan wrote:

Every time I throw down a couple $20 bags of weed and feed I think to myself – Self, there goes 4-5 new crankbaits down the drain….

-J.

Especially when it down-pours hard like it did the other night two hours after I laid down the fert….

Hardware store dude said its too early for pre-emergent and said I should buy gypsum-Thoughts?

tim hurley wrote:

Hardware store dude said its too early for pre-emergent and said I should buy gypsum-Thoughts?

It may be too early depending on where you are located. In the cities it looks like we are about to enter a cold spell with highs in the 40s and low 50s and lows in 30s. That would be early for pre-emergent. Regarding gypsum, I believe its main benefit it to reduce soil compaction and erosion and increasing the soil’s ability to absorb water.

Adam Steffes wrote:

I never liked the results from weed and feed mixed products…it always seems like it does a half fast job at both. I spray 2-4d for weeds and do 13-13-13 fertilizer often without worry of burning since it is such low nitrogen content. I probably fertilize 6 or more times a year…always strategically before a little rain or cool spell is in the forcast. I spray weeds twice…once in May after they have germinated and started growing and once in september or so just as a touch up. I only have a quarter acre of grass so it’s all super simple and only takes a few minutes here and there.

Yup I am starting to do the same now, I just hooked the big sprayer and do 2-4d. I have a crap load of creepin charlie to kill.

I let the dandelions go. They come in, take over, then disappear within a 2-3 week span. I just mow more frequently to keep the heads off of them and nobody is any the wiser. Then again I am surrounded by 400+ acres of corn on 2 sides and a cow pasture to the south, so it’s only my 1 neighbor and I and neither of us care enough about the grass to do anything other than mow.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>muskycliff wrote:</div>
I hate lawn maintenance with a passion. No fertilizer, no pesticides, no watering when dry. I mow it down to 1″ of the ground and it keeps coming back.

Short of burning it, I’m trying to kill it. Bees love me because of the dandelions and weed flowers.

Sounds like someone needs to move into an apartment or a development with a maintenance association!

Yeah, because poisoning the earth with chemicals is good for fishing! My lawn gets mowed on a regular basis. I don’t understand the thought that you need a absolutely perfect green manicured lawn. I have a lot of wildlife on my 5 acres that is there because I leave over 3 acres of that “wild”. A fox family dens’ 50 feet out my walkout every year. Yeah, I need to move to an apartment. at you

Snake ii’s wrote:

Yeah, because poisoning the earth with chemicals is good for fishing! My lawn gets mowed on a regular basis. I don’t understand the thought that you need a absolutely perfect green manicured lawn.

Applying herbicides or fertilizer can easily be done in a responsible, environmentally-friendly manner. Runoff is a major concern in our waterways, both from residential areas and agricultural areas. I don’t think anyone would argue against that.

The idea behind having a nice looking lawn is that it increases property value. I am not sure about you, but I want my property to be valued highly and appearance or “curb appeal” plays a role in that.

Snake ii’s wrote:

I hate lawn maintenance with a passion. No fertilizer, no pesticides, no watering when dry. I mow it down to 1″ of the ground and it keeps coming back.

Short of burning it, I’m trying to kill it. Bees love me because of the dandelions and weed flowers.

X2!!!!!!

and I’ll put my dandy-lion crop up against the best. My Thistle crop is 2nd to none!

The farm stores carry fertilizer with Iron in it. Iron turns your grass a deep green, golf courses use it to keep them looking dark green all year long.

bigcrappie wrote:

The farm stores carry fertilizer with Iron in it. Iron turns your grass a deep green, golf courses use it to keep them looking dark green all year long.

milorganite has lots of iron in it also and is alot cheaper