Weed & feed

   I`ve had a cold and it`s been raining for the last week so I`ve been
staying inside.    Now the lawn is greening up and I would like to know
if it is too late to apply weed & feed. I have about 2 acres of grass so
it will take at least 100 lbs.                            Thanks in
advance

 

Save your money - put down a good fertilizer with most of its nitrogen slow
release or non-soluble, then spot treat any weeds you find.  Weed and feed
is a victory of hype over substance and amounts to an indiscriminate use of
a pesticide (herbicide) where it isn't needed.  If your sod has so many
weeds that you need to cover the entire yard with herbicide you're better
off to start over --

Especially in the south, a weed-and-feed product contains a weedkiller that
is also damaging to turfgrass.  To counteract the herbicide they add
excessive soluble nitrogen to keep the grass growing.  This creates a lot of
tender growth without the supporting root system, which not only draws
insects to feed, but makes the sod more vulnerable to drought and
diseases -- plus a lot of the soluble nitrogen drains through the surface
and winds up in the water supply.

 A34E3-4@storefull-3334.bay.webtv.net...>  I`ve had a cold and it`s been raining for the last week so I`ve been

Agree.  In most cases it's better to do spot treatment with a
sprayer.   That targets the herbicide where it's needed, making it
more effective and at the same time, you use a lot less which is good
for the environment.

To directly answer your question, you can put down weed n feed anytime
the turf isn't under stress.   Perhaps it's crabgrass pre-emergent
that you're thinking of, which is time/temp sensitive.  That should be
going down when the Forsythias start to bloom, before air temps get
into the mid 70's to 80's.

 trader4@optonline.net said:

and it`s been raining for the last week so I`ve been

Actually, it's not the ambient temp that's the catalyst. The soil temp is
more important. If it (the soil temp) gets to 50F, crabgrass seed will
germinate, and it's too late.
--

Eggs

-A man who lives in a glass house should change in the basement.

 
49DA34E3-4@storefull-3334.bay.webtv.net...> I`ve had a cold and it`s been raining for the last week so I`ve been

Yes, I agree.  But since most people aren't going to measure the soil
temp, the air temp is an alternate general guide.   I always have a
crabgrass problem only in the 4 ft or so of lawn that is along the
street.  I've recently wondered if that's because that area warms up a
lot faster and it's too late by the time I put down the pre-
emergent.     So, this year, I put down pre-emergent there very early.

Of course it could be due to other factors too, like runoff, that area
is the most stressed, so it's less dense turf, etc.