Hello All -

This is my first time posting to this group. I live in Princeton area
NJ and was wonder if I've missed the boat for applying Scotts 4th Step.
I know it says Aug - Nov, but the temps are between 35 and 55 degrees
now. Will it be okay if I applied this weekend?

Thanks for the help!

"This is my first time posting to this group. I live in Princeton area
NJ and was wonder if I've missed the boat for applying Scotts 4th Step.

I know it says Aug - Nov, but the temps are between 35 and 55 degrees
now. Will it be okay if I applied this weekend? "

Yes, it will be fine. The grass will still be growing into December in
your area. Just for the record, I'm not a big fan of the 4 step
concept. The second step applies herbicide to the entire lawn, the
third insecticide. If you take care of your lawn properly, you
shouldn't have a weed problem so extensive that it requires blasting
the whole lawn with chemicals. It's more effective, better for the
lawn and better for the environment to use a tank sprayer to spot treat
any weeds. For insect control, unless you know what insect you'reafter
and do it at the right time, it's likely you're just putting down more
chemicals that may not do any good.

Besides a sprayer, do you recommend any package program in granuals
that is better for the environment?

Also, have you ever had to deal with Crane Flys? The Scotts Step that
takes care of insects doesn't combat these and this is my second year
of them. This year wasn't as bad as last but there larvai ate up
several spots of my back yard. They are a nusance.

"Besides a sprayer, do you recommend any package program in granuals
that is better for the environment? "

No, because using any granular, you have to distribute the herbicide
all over the lawn, which is the basic problem. That can be OK if the
lawn is a real mess, with weeds everywhere. But a well maintained lawn
should only have some spot weed problems. Those can be treated by
applying the herbicide with a tank sprayer directly to the weeds,
therby using an order of magnitude less herbicide and delivering it
right on target.

I'm also not a fan of putting feritlizer down in the summer, which the
"step" programs advocate. The best times to fertilize are fall and
spring. Come summer, I leave it alone, as excess nitrogen combined
with hot weather can be a path to disease and fungus.

As for the crane fly problem, I can;t help with that. No crane fly
problem here at the shore and I don;t have any experience with them.
Suggest you contact the Rutgers county extension service for your area.
They are a good source of local info on what works best.

wrote:
I'm also not a fan of putting feritlizer down in the summer, which the
"step" programs advocate.

What the "step" programs really advocate is buying lots of stuff from them.

The best times to fertilize are fall and
spring. Come summer, I leave it alone, as excess nitrogen combined
with hot weather can be a path to disease and fungus.

And when that disease and fungus comes, they have another product to sell
you. Heaven forbid you some day figure out that they essentially got you to
pay them to sabotage your lawn so they could sell you even more stuff.

Which brings us back to..

because using any granular, you have to distribute the herbicide
all over the lawn,

Which means you buy even more stuff.

The best times to fertilize are fall and
spring.

I'd be tempted to change that to the best times to fertilize are fall OR
spring.

As for weed, moss and fungal control, combining any of those with fertilizer
is nothing more than a way to sell more chemicals. If the entire "lawn" is
weeds, or moss, or fungus, then fertilizer isn't the right thing. And if the
whole lawn doesn't have those problems, why spread the control chemicals all
over the whole lawn. The chemicals don't belong together. It would be like
mixing Preparation H and body lotion, and marketing it to people who have
hemorrhoid problems. Would you spread Preparation H on your face because you
have hemorrhoids? (Well, maybe if you were Bobby Brown, but that's something
for another newsgroup to discuss.)

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

This fall, vacuum up your leaves instead of raking:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blac...r/blowers.html

"Guitarist511" wrote:
Hello All -

This is my first time posting to this group. I live in Princeton area
NJ and was wonder if I've missed the boat for applying Scotts 4th Step.
I know it says Aug - Nov, but the temps are between 35 and 55 degrees
now. Will it be okay if I applied this weekend?

Thanks for the help!

The food will work just fine, the weed control powder may not work at all.
(if you're using the weed -n- feed)

"Warren" wrote:
Heaven forbid you some day figure out that they essentially got you
to pay them to sabotage your lawn so they could sell you even more stuff.

The sky is falling, run away.

"The food will work just fine, the weed control powder may not work at
all.
(if you're using the weed -n- feed) "

Scotts 4th step is just a fall fertilizer, isn't it?

yes, just a fall fertilizer

Damn dude... You go man!
I've been trying to wean people off that crap for years. SOD or is it SON
now. How people mis interpret that also, and what DO those little numbers
REALLY mean on the front of the bag??? I think its some sort of government
messaging system to track people's spending habits, or does it have
something to do with Roswell area 51?? Quick, they're telling us something
else to magically get our lawn green.....SHHHH!!!


"Warren" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I'm also not a fan of putting feritlizer down in the summer, which the
"step" programs advocate.

What the "step" programs really advocate is buying lots of stuff from
them.

The best times to fertilize are fall and
spring. Come summer, I leave it alone, as excess nitrogen combined
with hot weather can be a path to disease and fungus.

And when that disease and fungus comes, they have another product to sell
you. Heaven forbid you some day figure out that they essentially got you
to pay them to sabotage your lawn so they could sell you even more stuff.

Which brings us back to..

because using any granular, you have to distribute the herbicide
all over the lawn,

Which means you buy even more stuff.

The best times to fertilize are fall and
spring.

I'd be tempted to change that to the best times to fertilize are fall OR
spring.

As for weed, moss and fungal control, combining any of those with
fertilizer is nothing more than a way to sell more chemicals. If the
entire "lawn" is weeds, or moss, or fungus, then fertilizer isn't the
right thing. And if the whole lawn doesn't have those problems, why spread
the control chemicals all over the whole lawn. The chemicals don't belong
together. It would be like mixing Preparation H and body lotion, and
marketing it to people who have hemorrhoid problems. Would you spread
Preparation H on your face because you have hemorrhoids? (Well, maybe if
you were Bobby Brown, but that's something for another newsgroup to
discuss.)

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

This fall, vacuum up your leaves instead of raking:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blac...r/blowers.html

"KCnRichmond" wrote:
Damn dude... You go man!
I've been trying to wean people off that crap for years. SOD or is it SON
now. How people mis interpret that also, and what DO those little numbers
REALLY mean on the front of the bag??? I think its some sort of
government messaging system to track people's spending habits, or does it
have something to do with Roswell area 51?? Quick, they're telling us
something else to magically get our lawn green.....SHHHH!!!

Lay off the hooch.