Dockside Chat - What weed and feed?????

Ok, this year it seems that I have an amazing amount of weeds in the lawn. I want a golf course looking lawn. What do I use to kill these little bast*&ds and make my lawn look good?? I don't want any pu$$y stuff. I want the best. What is it? What kind of spreader is better?? Braodcast or drop, and what setting to put it on? I don't know if the mower I use has any effect on the look or not? I have a 52" commercial Bunton with razor sharp gator blades and I just got a regular push bagging mower.
Thanks

I used Virgo Weed and Feed this year and it worked well. I believe it's been improved. I used a boadcast spreader with the setting at 5 1/2. The bag suggested I use a setting of 4.75 for my spreader, but it didn't look like it was putting enough out.

I prefer the braodcast spreader. I can't stand the line of unfertilized grass that can happen with a drop spreader.

Kill those buggers.... and Semper Fi

PS; The weed and feed works on broad leaf weeds. All I need to control is a little crabgrass so the Vigro product worked well for me.

tinmarine - 4/29/2007 11:43 AM

Ok, this year it seems that I have an amazing amount of weeds in the lawn. I want a golf course looking lawn. What do I use to kill these little bast*&ds and make my lawn look good?? I don't want any pu$$y stuff. I want the best. What is it? What kind of spreader is better?? Braodcast or drop, and what setting to put it on? I don't know if the mower I use has any effect on the look or not? I have a 52" commercial Bunton with razor sharp gator blades and I just got a regular push bagging mower.
Thanks



You ask for the best, well, here it is!

http://www.ipisafetystore.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IPI&Product_Code=TS-363&Category_Code=WC

HH

HeadHunt, Might as well use Agent Orange. :)

Definitely use a broadcast spreader.

I have used Lesco for years and have been very happy with it and recommend it. It used to be used a lot on golf courses.

What I do when I have a lawn with lots of weeds (and recommend that you do instead of the weed and feed) is get Ortho Weed-B-Gone Max concentrate and use a hose to spray your entire lawn. You can buy either a hose end sprayer for $10 or so or you can buy the Weed-B-Gone in a bottle you can attach to a hose. Make sure it is warm and the weeds are growing actively when you spray as they need to draw the weed killer in for it to be effective. I try to keep the weeds away the rest of the year by using a 2 gallon hand sprayer to spot spray weeds (or crabgrass, if that invades your lawn), thus limiting the amount of chemicals that are used. If your weeds are bad enough (or if your neighbors have a lot of weeds so that their seed is blown into your yard), you may need to spray the entire lawn again with the hose.

Then, put down a Lesco fertilizer without any weed killer in it. You need to fertilize at least 4 times per year and don't bag your clippings as they will decompose and add extra food to the lawn. If you use a fertilizer mixed with weed killer, the lawn needs to be damp so that the granules stick to the weeds and dissolve; otherwise, the weeds won't get much of the weedkiller.

If you want your lawn to really take off, for one of the early feedings use a fertilizer with a large middle number - a lawn starter fertilizer or a 10-10-10 fertilizer. It promotes growth, particularly of the roots, which I think is a good thing for developing a strong lawn. Just be prepared to mow a lot.

Next year, say in early March, put out Lesco pre-emergence fertilizer. The fertilizer includes chemicals that put a barrier in the soil to kill crabgrass and weed seed (it stops them from germinating). This will really cut down on the amount of weeds you have during the rest of the year. Just be careful not to hit the lawn with the pre-emergence fertilizer and a weed killer too close together or you will shock the grass and it will take weeks or more to get growing.

Check out the latest edition of Consumer Reports if you can get it. There is a feature article on maintaining a lawn that pretty much mirrors what Frank wrote.
Just remember though, a good looking lawn means that you're not spending enough time fishing!

Ok, if I go the weed killer seperate from the fertilizer, how long in between do I have to wait before applying the fertilizer??

Hydro - 4/29/2007 4:20 PM


Just remember though, a good looking lawn means that you're not spending enough time fishing!



Don't I know it!!! Which is how I got in this dilemma in the first place. :bashhh:

tinmarine - 4/29/2007 10:08 PM

Ok, if I go the weed killer seperate from the fertilizer, how long in between do I have to wait before applying the fertilizer??



Anyone??????








Anyone??????










Bueller????????

You can apply the fertilizer right away, but it needs to be watered in to work and I would wait at least two days after applying weedkiller before watering. When it gets warm (no lower than 50 at night), I would cut the lawn, wait 3 days and put the weed killer down, cut the lawn again 3 or 4 days later, and then put the fertilizer down a couple of days later (either just before it rains or water it in with a sprinkler). I would then fertilize every 6-8 weeks or so while the grass is growing, spot spraying weeds with a 2 gallon garden sprayer as needed, and then put down a winter fertilizer around the end of October - mid-November.

D*mn...I thought this was going to be about some good herb and Mallowmars. D*amn. :) :) :) :)

Hey Frank, that ortho weed killer is awsome stuff, I sprayed about half the front yard yesterday and the weeds are dead, gotta go get some more to do the rest. Thanks

get goats :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

One thing that I think has been overlooked here, MOWING. Frank said to mow a lot, but that's about it..

First thing - do not cut the grass too short. You didn't stat what kind of grass you have, but if it's a fescue, St. Augustine, Bermuda or something like that, set the mower in the middle o height (2 1/2 - 3 inches) and you're doing great with the sharp blade. I have a Zoysia in my front yard and cut it one notch shorter than the fescue in my backyard. At the height (maybe I should say HEAT) of the summer, raise the cutting deck a little more. Taller grass=deeper roots.

Second thing, do not over fertilize.. I use a lawn tonic every month or so and space it between my fertilizing and it looks great. Do a search for "Lawn Tonic" you won't be disappointed.

Third, water deeply, less frequently..

The key here is a good, strong lawn and that is the best defense against weeds. Cutting the grass too short will stunt growth and allow weeds to propogate more easily. Taller grass shades the weeds and the deeper roots can reach water when the weeds cannot (true for most weeds, not all). Pull up as many as you can, root and all. Lastly use the weed killer as a last resort, but use it smartly as people have mentioned - when the weeds are growing and between mowings. The more surface area of the weeds (i.e. taller weeds), the better the product will work. Be careful and don't overapply. Weed killers affect grass too, but there is a fine line between killing and slowing growth..

Good luck! :thumbsup:

Reel Work is right about mowing...leave the grass at 2.5-3 inches. This will help with Weed Control as the tall grass will shae out the weeds, plus the grass roots will be much stronger and inhibit weeds from taking over.

Anybody use this "lawn tonic" on centipede? I have a area where my dogs stay that is zoysia and might try it there but does it do ok with centipede as well?

Reelwork and the others make good points about the mowing height and watering. You likely have some sort of fescue. You should cut it abut 2.5-3" in the cool seasons (Spring and Fall) and let it go to 3.5" or a bit more in the heat of the Summer. Also, water deeply and less frequently - 45 minutes or more (per spot) every 4 or 5 days is a lot better than 10 minutes every day.

While we are at it, you also need a good de-thatching every handful of years and a good aeration (with a machine that takes nice plugs the size of your little finger so it looks like geese have been walking around your yard) every couple of years.

Great advise, and thank you all. As far as what kind of grass I have????? Who friggen knows??!! No clue. I do know the person who lived here before me, and from what the neighbors say, screwed up the lawn. I heard the original owner of my house kept it as nice as a golf course. Last dufus let it get burnt, get patches that he just grabbed a bag of seed from Home Depot and threw it on. Sooooooooooooooo, I have different types of grass mixed in. IF, I can salvage the yard, I won't have to rip it up and sod it. I'm hoping I don't have to. If I do have to, then I'll just put a sprinkler system in at that time also. Gotta look at the glass half full. It doesn't look that bad in the front, just weeds, and needs a little manicure. The back REALLY needs help, has big bare spots. Not too concerned because of the dog and all. Dog has alot of fur (it's a mountain dog, loves cold weather) so she digs to get cool, even though she doesn't spend that much time out there. Anyhow, I'm starting to ramble. How do I find out what kind of grass I have?? I want to prep the back and reseed it in the late fall with the same kind of grass as the front and let it germinate during the winter.
Thanks again everyone.

2020is - 5/3/2007 8:50 PM

Anybody use this "lawn tonic" on centipede? I have a area where my dogs stay that is zoysia and might try it there but does it do ok with centipede as well?

As mentioned, I have Zoysia in the front and use the lawn tonic there too. The only problem with Zoysia is it's not very responsive to fertilizers (at least not like Fescues or Ryes) and one has to be careful not to over fertilize Zoysias.. Personally I find the best thing for Zoysia is spring and then a late summer fertilizer. Mix that with a good, deep watering routine and it's tough to beat! :thumbsup:

I feed the weeds.......my yard looks green year round. :thumbsup:

I kid you not. ;cool;

PLUG...(finger size...I like the geese example ) about every three months...and I use Scotts Weed and Feed..
mow to 2"....I plug in Oct really heavy....weed and feed and then lay the winter rye thick.......my rye is still chugging
along even now !!!! Keep in mind though I could care less what the neighbors think...I am last on a dead end circle..

tinmarine - 5/3/2007 11:31 PMHow do I find out what kind of grass I have?? I want to prep the back and reseed it in the late fall with the same kind of grass as the front and let it germinate during the winter. Thanks again everyone. Good plan. You probably can plant in early to mid September while the ground is still warn enough for it to grow (~50 degrees or better) and get a couple of mowings in during the Fall, and then let it take off in the Spring.

You could take some blades to a specialty farm or lawncare store (I don't think you have Southern States up where you live) or take it to your local county co-op office. I think you probably have Kentucky Bluegrass or one of the fescue varieties.

You could probably go to your county agents office and pick up a boat load of information on maintaining your yard, and he might come out to look at your lawn and create a customized plan for you to get things into shape again. (At least that's what I do for my clients)

No one has mentioned it, but the key to controlling weeds is killing them BEFORE they germinate... "Pre-Emergence" needs to go dwn early in the spring...I see you're in MI, so March/early April (no later). It is design to do two things: 1) Keep weeds from germinating and 2) usually contains a "boost" fertilizer to help the root system of your grass to get ready for the growing season. You do not have centipede in MI...nor do you have Bermuda or St Augustine....I would be careful following the direction of the "southern guys" when it comes to products like triple threat. Yea, it works...but some northern perenial grasses can be wiped out by weed killers designed for southern "creeping" grasses like bermuda.

I know going to Ohio State for anything in MI is a no-no....but they have a great Ag Extension / turfgrass sciences dept that can offer alot of help for you.

Here...this should help: http://buckeyeturf.osu.edu/podcast/?p=56

Cut it high, cut it often and leave the chemicals on the shelf at the store.

I hate to complicate this, so given where we are in the year, I suggest you follow the above recommendations (mine) for this year - kill the weeds with Weed B Gone and touch up sparingly as needed with a hand sprayer (waiting at least 3-4 weeks before a second application or longer if the label says to wait), fertilize every 6-8 weeks during the growing season, use 10-10-10 for your second fertilizing, water deeply and less frequently, cut the lawn high when it gets pretty warm, keep the mower blades sharp, and put down a Winter fertilizer late in the year. Sometime this Summer, take a number of soil samples from different places in your yard to your agricultural coop for testing as you need to know whether the soil is acidic. If so, you will need to put down lime over time (nice rhyme :) ) as lawns do poorly if the ground is acidic.

Start the cycle next year with a pre-emergence in March.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!