Wrong Scotts seed used... help

9 years ago

I used some Scotts winterlawn fall lawn food (red bag) in my yard in the fall. 2 weeks ago I accidentally used this fall lawn food in my yard instead of the scotts turf builder (green bag)

This week I've gotten some dandelions and clover patches. I used some chemicals on the clover which helped last year. How long should I wait to use the correct turf builder (green bag) in the yard? The rest of the yard other than the clover patches is coming along nicely and looks very green.

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dchall_san_antonio

8 years ago

Max did you mean to link to grubex? You were talking about weeds and linked to insecticide. Now is not the time to apply grubex. Wait until after you can diagnose them in your grass. Dig up 1 square foot of turf, and if you have fewer than a dozen grubs, don't apply at all. If you have an uncountable slimy mess of them, then use it.

Most people do not have good luck with weed n feed products. The main reason is they don't read the label and the secondary reason is that it really takes two people to do it. One needs to moisten the untreated grass (not the treated grass) so that the wnf will stick to the blades. Read the directions 2 or 3 times. But seriously, it is much better to spot spray the individual weeds with Weed-B-Gone CCO than it is to use weed n feed. But you seem to be hooked on the Scott's 4-step plan. We're not. We see their plan at best as a waste of money and time. At worst it can send your lawn spiraling into the abyss where the owner watches helplessly as he applies more and more Scott's products and getting worse and worse results.

Here's the entirety of a good lawn care program. This is the sum of the best practices as collected here and at other forums over the past 12 years.

Water - deep and infrequent. Deep means one inch all at one time. Measure an inch using cat food or tuna cans placed around the yard. Time how long it takes to fill the cans and use that time every time you water. Infrequent means no more than once every month when temps are below 70 degrees. Once every 3 weeks with temps between 70 and 80. Once every 2 weeks with temps in the 80s. Once per week with temps in the 90s. And once every 5 days with temps above 100.

Mowing - mulch mow every week at the highest setting for most grasses. Mulch mow at the lowest setting only for bermuda, centipede, and creeping bentgrass.

Fertilizer - first application around the end of May (Memorial Day is easy to remember). Second app on Labor Day. Third app around Thanksgiving. If you want to use organic fertilizer, you can do that any time without fear of hurting anything. There is some argument for waiting to apply the first app until early May, but you can continue to apply all summer without fear of damaging the lawn.

If you are following that plan you should have a deep green lawn, zero to minimal weeds, zero thatch, few insects, and zero disease. If you have a fescue lawn you will need to reseed most years in the fall. Never seed in the spring no matter how many Scott's commercials you see on TV. Spring seeded lawns are most often dead and replaced by crabgrass by mid July.

That is all there is to lawn care. There is no assumption that you need weed n feed. No assumption that you need to treat preventively for insects. In fact if you can restrain yourself from using insecticide and herbicide, the lawn and soil will work wonders for you. No assumption that you need to top dress every year. No assumption that you need to core aerate every year. No assumption that you need to dethatch. And no assumption that you need to rototill for a good start. It's pretty simple watering, mowing, and fertilizing. But if you do it wrong, then you will be very tempted to buy the entire catalog of Scott's products.

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Comments (12)

beckyinrichmond
9 years ago
If you have a cool season grass, like Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, or rye, fertilize in the fall instead of the spring.
dchall_san_antonio
9 years ago
People who grow grass for profit fertilize once in the late spring (around Memorial Day) and twice in the fall (early and late). So you were way early applying anything. But since you did apply already, your grass is going to need the booster in late May. Early fertilizer stresses the grass.
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maxmodder
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Way early? I used the scotts lawn care plan based on my southern ohio location and it says to use:

Scotts® Turf Builder® Halts Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food between april 11 and May 2nd. (30-0-4) and also early June for a weed and feed (28-0-3)

Since I used this product on accident a few weeks ago which is a 32-0-10, https://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/prod/prod100052

should I just wait utill late may/early june use the weed and feed (28-0-3)
beckyinrichmond
9 years ago
Scott's is selling fertilizer. Your grass will be stressed with that much nitrogen in the spring. Try to make sure not to cut off more than 1/3 of the leaf when mowing. Next year look for a pre-emergent without nitrogen.
maxmodder
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
It's been 7 weeks since I used this Scotts lawn food product:

https://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/prod/prod100052

I have clover and dandelions in my yard. Otho didn't work. Can I apply this now?

http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/prod/prod70458

Then hit it with this in a few weeks? Scotts says to use the yellow bag weed and feed in May. Is this the "booster" being referenced in post #2 above?

http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/turf-builder-weed-and-feed/prod100064
beckyinrichmond
8 years ago
You can use the Scotts Weed and Feed around Memorial Day. If you have a grub problem (what signs are you seeing?), you can use the Grubex. Follow directions on the product about when to apply. Generally it's best to use plain fertilizer when you need to fertilize and plain weedkiller when you need to kill weeds. Weed B Gon works well on many broadleaf weeds and Weed B Gon CCO will kill some that Weed B Gon doesn't.
maxmodder
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
The link is for the Scotts® GrubEx®1 as I have patches of clover and dandelions covering 25% of my yard. Is this the correct product to use? The grass is rye/fescue. I tried weed b-gone and it didn't work. What should I do? What fertilizer that is not scotts do you recommend for the 3 time per year application? Can you please link a product that I can buy locally?
User
8 years ago
Actually, now is the time to apply GrubEx for grub control through summer--mine went down early this week. But only if you already know you're going to have grub problems. I know I'm going to have grub problems...

However, GrubEx won't do jack against clover and dandelion; and the standard Weed B Gon won't do anything against clover. For that, and for tough dandelions, Weed B Gon Clover, Chickweed, and Oxalis works.
maxmodder
Original Author
8 years ago
After applying the Weed B gon clover, Chickeed and Oxailis, how long until you should see results?
beckyinrichmond
8 years ago
Scott's makes plain fertilizer as well as combination products. The brand is not important. You might also want to consider using an organic fertilizer like Milorganite every now and then. David's lawn care tutorial is excellent advice. I would add one more thing: keep your mower blade sharp. If you notice jagged or torn edges when you mow my, sharpen the blade.
beckyinrichmond
8 years ago
Scott's says you will see results from Weed B Gon CCO in 2-6 weeks:

http://answers.scotts.com/answers/4814-en_us/product/prod70214/ortho-ortho-weed-b-gon-chickweed-clover-and-oxalis-killer-for-lawns-concentrate-questions-answers/questions.htm?sort=recentq

If you have already applied regular Weed B Gon and plan to use your Weed and Feed soon, you might just wait and see what they do. Although you can do repeat applications on herbicides, you must follow directions on how long to wait between applications. Also follow directions on air temperature (apply when the temperature is between such and such degrees). Your early fertilizer has put stress on your grass and herbicides also put some stress on the grass so be careful about overdoing things.

Wrong Scotts seed used... help

dchall_san_antonio

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