I think the comment about a new thread was directed at hottina44 and their question about indoor lighting. That was off topic. alex_g76, Some of those metals are perhaps toxic to mammals when ingested in too high a dose, but that is not the same as with plants. The plants will only take up what they need and leave the rest. Besides, if you look at the actual amounts of metals it is very tiny. Most are MICRO nutrients anyway, and are only needed by plants in very tiny amounts. They might be build up in the potting soil over time, but potted plants should be re-potted with fresh soil every few years anyway, long before the micro-nutrients will build up to any noticeable levels. So you need not worry about that imo. Btw, it's not commonly known, but almost all organic fertilizers are made for and will work best in In-Ground plantings. Organic fertilizers are made of raw ingredients, such as blood meal and bone meal, etc. Those components cannot be used by the plant as food itself. The fertilizer relies on the micro-organisms in the soil to ingest the raw ingredients and convert them to chemicals (yep, chemicals) that the plant can then uptake into it's roots. If those organic fertilizers are used in relatively sterile potting medium, not much happens. They pretty much just sit there. And your plant can starve while there is lots of food sitting right there. The components (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus [NPK] and other macro and micro- nutrients) that the soil organisms produce from the raw ingredients in the organic fertilizer, is the same at a molecular level as what you find in a standard non-organic fertilizer. The benefits of organic fertilizers in the soil is that they feed and therefore increase the soil micro-organisms, which is great for the soil structure and the roots of the plants. Unfortunately this dynamic is very, very hard to reproduce in potted container plants. Therefore I always recommend standard non-organic fertilizers in container plantings, preferably a liquid type, or a slow-release pelleted type, such as Osmocote. Also, as a side note; the metals and minerals in fertilizers cannot by law be called “organic” because the law states that a component has to have Carbon in it and be derived from a once living source to be labeled “organic” Of course these items do not contain carbon and have never been alive. So if you see a fertilizer labeled “organic and natural”, the word “natural” is in reference to the mineral and metal ingredients only. In reading the posts on the thread that bmelz linked, about fertilizing in containers with organics, it does look like some have done it with success but do note that most of what they are talking about is seasonal vegetables and some short lived ornamental plants. Those are often re-potted annually with fresh mix and compost. That works quite well as there is a lot of micro-organisms in compost and manure. But that type of mix also breaks down very quickly, usually be the end of a growing season. When mix breaks down the speed of water drainage slows down a lot. If you're re-potting every spring that's no big deal and the old soil mix just goes back on the compost pile and new mix is made. But with a long lived plant like a citrus tree that soil break down is problematic. Citrus are very sensitive to soggy soil. Most will say they're sensitive to over-watering, but it's not really the water that's the problem, it's the lack of oxygen in an overly saturated, soggy soil. Plant roots need both water and oxygen, so in a long lived plant like citrus using an open and airy mix that lasts a long time and doesn't break down fast is very important. Unfortunately the components of those kinds of mixes, such as Al's Gritty mix and the 5-1-1 mix are pretty sterile. Hence the recommendations of standard non-organic fertilizers. Now if one was to re-pot their citrus trees annually or semi-annually with a compost based mix, then I do believe an organic fertilizer would work. But for myself, I would find that way too much work.

Atrazine is used as a post emergent- when weeds are actively growing. A pre emergent is used to stop weed seeds from sprouting. A pre emergent can be very effective when applied in the Fall and again in the Spring. Night time temperatures of 50 to 55 start weed seed germination which means don't count on web site advice. Time applications by actual temperatures on your own property. Results can be slow to show but after two years you will notice a big difference. This link explains the different types of weeds and their life cycles for Florida. The article has a good list of which products to use on what and when to apply. I have printed this out and refer to it quite often during the year. Here is a link that might be useful: Weed Management in Home Lawns

From the American Rhododendron Society (rosebay) website: "Never use aluminum sulfate to increase soil acidity as it is toxic to many plants including rhododendrons. This is a most important point! Under no circumstances should you use aluminum sulfate (Al2SO4) around your rhododendrons. As was pointed out in a previous article, soluble aluminum is toxic to rhododendrons. The chemical, aluminum sulfate, is soluble in water thus the aluminum component is immediately available  and toxic - to the plants. As the pH level of the soil decreases, the aluminum component becomes increasingly soluble  and thus increasingly toxic. Therefore, although aluminum sulfate will certainly reduce the soil acidity, it can, and will, quickly injure and may even kill your rhododendrons. Even though the plants may tolerate small quantities of this material, why should any quantity of a toxic material be added to the soil when other perfectly safe materials such as sulfur are available?" And since azaleas are just a varietal form of rhododendron, the same concerns apply to them as well. So yes, Luis' comment is entirely accurate.

Taking care of your own lawn will result in a nicer lawn that you have confidence in. You'll know what's going on and why. Also you won't waste resources or damage your environment. Sod is a good idea in the spring. When you seed in the spring you get a lot of weeds coming in with the new grass. Further, new spring grass does not develop good roots before the hot weather hits. The end result is you have crabgrass in those spots by July. If you want to begin mixing Kentucky bluegrass into your lawn, that will help keep the bare spots to a minimum. KBG spreads to fill thin areas whereas fescue and rye grasses do not. Apply preemergent when the forsythia begins to bloom in your neighborhood. Spot spray weeds in April. Fertilize in late May (Memorial Day) Fertilize in early fall (Labor Day) Fertilize again with a high N (low to 0 P and K) fast release fertilizer after your grass stops growing in late fall but before the frost takes it to complete dormancy. The idea is to get nutrients into the roots without stimulating new growth that late in the season. This is "winterizer." It will help the grass come out of dormancy in the spring. In addition to, or in place of, one of the fertilizer drops, I would use an organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer works differently from chemical fertilizers. The organic will improve the health of your soil as much as helping your grass green up and grow. Mulch mow at your mower's highest setting for your lawn. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. You should not get a disease following this plan. Most bugs you see in the lawn are beneficial. There is always a chance of getting bugs that are not good. Usually you would see the damage in August, so the time to inspect the lawn for them is in late June. If you don't see a lot of Japanese beetles swarming your porch lights in May or June then you probably won't have a grub problem. Good luck taking this on. As you can see it is fairly straight forward and not hard.