Proper Fertilizer / Weed Killer for Combined New and Old Lawn
jgelman7
8 years ago
I recently completed a project in which I re-seeded parts of an existing lawn. The front half of the lawn is new and the grass is healthy. The back half is old and there are weeds and discolored spots. You can see from the picture where the new grass is...the picture just shows the hay, but it is now healthy grass.
I would like to fertilize properly before heading into the winter, and the end goal is obviously to have one healthy lawn. I'm new to all this and am not sure what products to use. Should I fertilize the entire lawn with a winter fertilizer and weed killer, like a Scotts Weed and Feed? Will that have a negative impact on my new grass? Or I was thinking to first use a concentrated spray weed and feed only on the old grass, wait a month or so and then use a fertilizer over everything...but is this overkill that will lead to burning some of the grass?
Basically, looking for any assistance on how to prep this lawn for winter that will help me create one nice lawn as opposed to two separate lawns as I currently have. Thanks!
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (8)
owlnsr
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Non-Atrazine Weed Killer for Floratam Lawn?
Comments (11)The dollar weed is the one you have worry about first. There are three kinds of plants that grow in lawns. One is classified as grass or your target turf grass (these include common lawn grasses like turf type fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, St Augustine, hybrid bermuda, centipede, zoysia). Another is broadleaf weeds (clover, dichondra, pennywort, spurge, horse herb, black medic, creeping charlie, and others). The third category is grassy weeds which do not tame well (sedges (nutgrass and ), Johnson grass, crabgrass, common bermuda, barnyard grass, annual bluegrass, goose grass, and others). The broadleaf class of weeds are the bane of St Augustine lawns because they will easily shade out new growth. The St Aug will thin out fast and disappear in just a few months. With grassy weeds, the coarse blades of the St Aug usually shade them out. Fortunately there are different kinds of chemicals which kill the different kinds of plants. Broadleaf weeds are killed by the 2-4,d chemicals in Weed-B-Gone. Unfortunately St Aug is sensitive to 2-4,d also. Most plants are killed with atrazine but St Aug is not. I have not heard of penoxsulam, but then I don't pay much attention to herbicides. There is also Grass-B-Gone and Sedgehammer for the other weeds. Again, unfortunately, lawn grasses are killed by the Grass-B-gone product. The one good herbicide specialist is Sedgehammer. You might try the penoxsulam in a small spot as a test. Otherwise look for something with atrazine. Occasionally you see it as I described above. Your middle picture looks like crabgrass compared to St Aug, but it is the wrong time of year for crabgrass. I'm going with centipede. It looks like St Aug in many ways but it has pointy blades where St Aug has a boat-tailed shaped blade at the end. Simply taking care of the lawn with water and fertilizer will kill the centipede. Here is a picture of the two grasses. Then the prescription is to get a broadleaf weed killer that is safe for St Aug. My comment about this not being the time of year to kill weeds has to do with the plants not being in a fast growth state. You can try it. It could be your area is warm enough that everything is growing. I would fertilize with organic fertilizer, wait 3 full weeks, and then spray. You want the weeds to be growing and healthy before spraying. In the mean time raise your mower all the way up and weld it in place. There is never any reason to mow St Aug lower than full height. And keep the water off as much as you can....See MoreWeed n Feed for new centipede lawn?
Comments (3)I'm in Eastern NC and last year's drought caused a lot of dead areas in my lawn. This spring every weed in NC started to pop up. It was(is) a sight to make a grown man cry so I found a very good landscaping Co nearby and they said it was beyond repair. So today the entire lawn was sprayed with industrial weed killer and in 3 or 4 days they will remove all the old grass & weeds and re-sod with Centipede and by Fri I'll have a new lawn and large water bills. I do not know the secret to eliminating weeds but I bought a stand up weed puller(Grand Daddies) and it works well with no bending over. They say Centipede is drought tolerant but I found that in extreme conditions is does need a lot of water....See MoreNew House, Old Lawn
Comments (2)Congrats on the new home! A complete redo is fairly simple in theory. Basically, get some roundup and spray anything green. Wait a week. Spray anything else that is green. Wait a few days. Mow everything as low you can and rake up the debris. If you are spreading new topsoil or compost, do so then. If you aren't spreading any new soil, you should rent a core aerator and make several passes in cross directions to break up the soil. Put down some seed and fertilizer and a sprinkling of straw (optional.) When to plant - Mid to Late August usually works well in you area. You are looking to time it so you seed as temps are starting to drop to 80 or below, so that varies from year to year. What to plant - in your region, KBG is the dominant grass. It grows great in sun but does require a fair amount of water to stay green in summer. There are several threads with recommendations about type of KBG. If you are seeding some shadier areas, you will want a mix with some fine or creeping fescue in it. Avoid any mixes with annual rye, but a little perrenial rye would be OK in your area....See MoreNewish sod, weed killer?
Comments (4)You don't want to use a weed killer when it's hot because the weed killer will not work as well on the weeds, but it is also more volatile and may damage plants that you want to keep (such as flowers, shrubs, trees). Typically, you should wait until you've mowed at least three times before using a weed killer on grass, so you should be well past that by the time it cools off enough to use a weed killer. What kind of grass do you have? If it's St Augustine, check the label carefully to make sure you use a product that won't kill the grass. I'm not a fan of the combo fertilizer/weed killer products. I'd rather use a fertilizer first, get the weeds growing vigorously, then hit them with the weed killer so it's more effective. I'd also rather spot spray the weeds than blanket the lawn (but if you've got as many as you describe, spot spraying may not be the best option this time)....See More
dchall_san_antonio
8 years agojgelman7
8 years agojgelman7
8 years agodchall_san_antonio
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoowlnsr
8 years agolincann
8 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESGet on a Composting Kick (Hello, Free Fertilizer!)
Quit shelling out for pricey substitutes that aren’t even as good. Here’s how to give your soil the best while lightening your trash load
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDES5 Ways to Naturally Win the Weed War
Show irksome weeds no mercy with these tricks for combating them sans chemicals
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESHow to Switch to an Organic Landscape Plan
Ditch the chemicals for a naturally beautiful lawn and garden, using living fertilizers and other nontoxic treatments
Full Story
EARTH DAYThe Case for Losing the Traditional Lawn
Work less, help the environment and foster connections by just saying no to typical turf
Full Story
EDIBLE GARDENSNatural Ways to Get Rid of Weeds in Your Garden
Use these techniques to help prevent the spread of weeds and to learn about your soil
Full Story
LANDSCAPE DESIGN15 Great Ideas for a Lawn-Free Yard
End the turf war for good with hardscaping, native grasses and ground covers that save water and are easier to maintain
Full Story
GROUND COVERSGive Your Lawn a Taste of the Wild
Consider the joys of an irregularly trimmed meadow lawn: It’s ecofriendly, visually interesting and still good for romping
Full Story
LANDSCAPE DESIGNGet Along With Less Lawn — Ideas to Save Water and Effort
Ditch the mower and lower your water bill while creating a feast for the eyes with diverse plantings and gathering places
Full Story
SAVING WATERHouzz Call: Are You Letting Go of Your Lawn?
Many facing a drought are swapping turf for less thirsty plantings. If you’re one of them, we’d like to hear about it
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESHow to Prep Your Ground for a Healthy New Lawn
Seed or sod that falls on weedy, lumpy soil is a wasted effort. Follow these steps to ensure that your new lawn will thrive
Full Story
dchall_san_antonio