Weed n feed granules okay next to roses?
nummykitchen
11 years ago
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Comments (11)
lucillle
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Misused Weed & Feed, repairable?
Comments (10)Sara is right about the grass needing to be wet before you apply wnf products. This is counter intuitive because no other products go onto wet grass. It's also a pain in the butt because the grass you watered will often dry enough before you get to it that the wnf again goes onto dry grass. You almost need two people to do it right. Your grass seeding plan is almost certainly doomed. It is too late for even a spring seeding. Spring seeded lawns typically end up being weedy with crabgrass by July. The new grass plants cannot compete in the heat against crabgrass, so the crabgrass wins. Fall is the time to seed. Furthermore you should not rototill prior an area for a lawn. Scott's recommends rototilling, but it is our contention that they do it so they can sell more products later on when you try to fix your lawn. Rototilling destroys the soil structure and kills off much of the soil microbes. It can take months to restore the biology and years to restore the structure. Once the structure is repaired, the surface is left bumpy. Still further, don't add more topsoil unless you have low spots that need to be raised to correct poor drainage. Adding topsoil always changes your drainage. At worst it can redirect water into your basement. At best it will correct low spots. Adding topsoil simply because you're seeding is not a good reason. Mother Nature does not add topsoil when She seeds. Yes, lots of newbies screw up their lawns, but so do lots of experience lawn folks. I had been taking care of my lawns incorrectly for 40 years before I found this forum. I had 40 years of experience to unlearn before I got things turned around. The Scott's approach is expensive because you are applying fertilizer at the wrong time of year and end up applying extra later to fix the damage caused by the original poor timing. It also makes the blanket assumption that all yards need to be treated for weeds and insects. This is not true and is a waste of insecticide and herbicide. These products do harm the soil microbes. Lastly (at least all I can think of for now), Scott's fertilizer program does not address the primary issues with lawns of improper watering and mowing. Fertilizer is last on the list of importance in the elements of lawn care. If you're watering and mowing right, you likely will not need either herbicide or insecticide. Oh one more thing. Scott's advertising would have everyone seeding in the spring. I can't remember seeing seed advertising in the fall. Spring seeding sells a LOT more herbicide as people try to stop crabgrass from its inevitable domination of the spring seeded lawn. When lawns are seeded in the fall there should be no crabgrass the following year....See MoreMiracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed
Comments (19)Larry, that is about the way I did it back then. I let the fertiliser drop right onto the rocks of the waterfall, so as it would mix in with the turbulence. As I said I did not notice any harmful effect to fish or flora in the pond. The waterfall rocks looked like brand new with the algae cover gone and that was the only noticeable change that occurred. Like your situation, the plants were growing well, lots of Water Hyacinths and Watercress to suck up the nutrients. The only two things I add now, are Muriate of Potash and some Chelated Iron, but I don't go overboard with those. The lilies get a few chunks of broken up shrub spikes once a month. That's it for fertilising. A side note about cleaning off waterfall rocks, is about the experiment our old friend David [DRH] did with Hydrogen Peroxide. He turned the water off to the waterfall and poured the HP over the rocks while they were still wet. The HP foamed up upon hitting the algae covered rocks, he then let it sit for a few minutes, then sprayed it with water from the hose. All trace of the algae was removed completely. Buyorsell888, your are so correct. That's why I would be reluctant to suggest to anyone that they arbitrarily go around pouring any old fertiliser into the pond. You don't know what you maybe adding that could cause harm to the fish etc. I remember at the time, all this discussion was going on, someone contacted the manufacturer of Miracle-Gro, about using their product in a pond. The answer back, was that they would NOT advise that it be used that way. Sandy, great explanation once again! "Horton"...See MoreMy roses like me better now that I'm feeding them
Comments (34)Sherry, one thing I've noticed about your garden is how fast your roses grow, and I've read about your soil prep so I know how much you rely on organics, manure, etc. Just the difference in the Natch N pictures makes me wonder if the bloom problems in the second pic were because of fertilizer needs. Your good soil prep and and climate seem to be so conducive to growth, that coupled with your sandy soil and constant rain lately, that I wonder if the N is being depleted really quickly, so something like a fast acting nitrogen is a good fix for right now. Makes me think that your feeding program next year needs more N overall...? I have been using Milorganite; some people don't like it because of suspicions about heavy metals, etc., but my roses sure like it. Anyway, just a thought. just one more anecdote, Hermosa for me started getting those washed out blooms like your NN. I got so disgusted that I cut it down to 6 inches and started feeding it Miracle Grow frequently. It snapped out of it, regained its lost growth and the bloom color went back to normal. That is purely anecdotal, but it makes me wonder if that's what caused the NN problems too. I don't know, just thinking aloud, so you know what that's worth! Love ya, Gean...See Moreis scotts weed and feed safe when i have a dog?
Comments (11)The best weed control is proper cultural practices. The most important thing is having the correct grass for the situation. If you have a full sun grass planted in the shade, then no amount of care will prevent the grass from getting thin and weeds popping up. Assuming your lawn is appropriate for the location, then it comes down to caring for the lawn with proper watering, then mowing, then fertilizer. Here are the basics. Basics of Lawn Care After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct. 1. Watering Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in El Paso your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, temperature, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week. 2. Mowing Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush. 3. Fertilizing Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it (unless you use organics in which case you may overdo it without fear of hurting anything). At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide....See More
kingcobbtx7b
11 years agohenry_kuska
11 years agonummykitchen
11 years agomori1
11 years ago
dublinbay z6 (KS)
11 years agonummykitchen
11 years agodublinbay z6 (KS)
11 years agohenry_kuska
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11 years ago
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