Frank you won't find an 'enthusiast' here that believes in anybody's so called step program because it is a marketing gimmick - nothing more.

An enthusiast applies what is needed, when it is needed - and *IF* needed.

We apply solo pre-emgents without fertilizer.
We treat weeds WHEN we have weeds, without fertilizer.
We treat for bugs, IF and WHEN we do have bugs, without fertilizer.
We apply a urea based nitrogen in fall - not potash.

All of an enthusiast's practices are based upon university agronomy studies, not on the manufactures hype to boost its retail sales.

And this works and works very well, so there is nothing *new* to try for us.

So a question now to you is - why are you not happy / satisfied with your prior practices / results? We can explain and help ... that's why we read and post here - we love turf grass.

Building on what Gary said, if you want to make the leap, you'd probably want to start with a soil test. That will tell you if you need to add any P or K and if so, how much. Where I am, there is plenty of P and K, so I only need to add N.

A general guide follows.

Always mulch mow at the mower's highest setting. Water deeply and infrequently.

If you have problems with annual weeds germinating in the spring, apply a pre emergent when the forsythia is in bloom in your area.

Use a fertilizer in the late spring. The particular fertilizer you use would depend on the soil test. In the absence of a soil test, I used to think a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10, 16-16-16 etc) was best, but now lean toward a nitrogen only fertilizer (21-0-0, 39-0-0, 46-0-0 etc). The reason is that P and K stick around pretty well, so they may have been building up over time. When you fertilize, use enough to apply 1 lb of actual N per 1000 sq ft of lawn. I ignore the spreader settings and get the amount of fertilizer I calculate I need, set the spreader fairly low and keep spreading until it's all gone, making multiple passes in multiple directions to try to get even coverage.

If you have broadleaf weeds, you can spot spray them when they are actively growing (a week or so after fertilizing will probably do the best). Don't spray when daily highs are abouve about 80-85 F.

DON'T fertilize in the summer unless you use an organic fertilizer. And even then, apply at a lower rate. Fertilizing in the summer makes the grass grow fast and use more water when you really want it to slow down and use less water.

In the fall, you can fertilize once it cools off a bit, and the final fertilization should be after the top growth has stopped but while the grass is still green. For that one, always use a nitrogen only fertilizer and apply 1 lb of actual N per 1000 sq ft of lawn.

You need a soil test for everything other than the Nitrogen.

As far as Nitrogen, I put it down around May 15th, September 1st, and mid-October.

Nitrogen more important in Fall than in Winter. Many go earlier than May 15th, but I believe in letting roots get going good before taxing them. Early fertilizer can lead to thin grass shoots because roots aren't ready to go yet.

As far as the Step fertilizers, if you don't have a broadleaf problem, the stuff with Plus 2 weed control is useless and wasted money. That stuff has to stick on the weed and stay there for 24 hours.

I can see using the Step that has insect control.

Step 4 probably has a lot of Potassium in it, but if you have plenty of K, it's just a waste of money.

I just use Scott's myself, but I only use Nitrogen because soil test shows I have plenty of everything else. I also put down some Soy Bean meal to keep my soil microbes somewhat happy.