After I put down weed/feed this past spring, my grass turned neon
green/yellow. I assume that I overfertilized. It still hasn't recovered.
Should I winterize now or hope for the best?

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 02:12:17 GMT, "cledus" opined:

After I put down weed/feed this past spring, my grass turned neon
green/yellow. I assume that I overfertilized. It still hasn't recovered.
Should I winterize now or hope for the best?


If you have used a weed and feed like Scotts, or some other synthetic fertilizer
I recommend you switch over to a quality, certified organic product which also
has trace elements. Home Depot sells LadyBug Brand, which is made right here in
this area, is certified organic and will cover more than a bag of synthetic
stuff. The weed part (atrazine) found in synthetic fertilizers is found in high
levels at Barton Springs and should be avoided.

If you can, go buy a bag of LadyBug and follow their recommended application
rate. Fall feeding is more important than spring feeding, regardless. The up
side is that, after being organic for a few years, less and less fertilizer is
necessary for turf. I feed my turf maybe once a year in fall with a granular
fertilizer, and a few times during summer I use liquid seaweed in a hose end
sprayer to deliver trace elements (about 60 of them) which come in the seaweed.
My turf is lush, thick, green and I think I watered it about 10 times from April
till October.

Victoria

Thanks for the tip. I will give it a try.

"animaux" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 02:12:17 GMT, "cledus" opined:

After I put down weed/feed this past spring, my grass turned neon
green/yellow. I assume that I overfertilized. It still hasn't recovered.
Should I winterize now or hope for the best?


If you have used a weed and feed like Scotts, or some other synthetic
fertilizer
I recommend you switch over to a quality, certified organic product which
also
has trace elements. Home Depot sells LadyBug Brand, which is made right
here in
this area, is certified organic and will cover more than a bag of
synthetic
stuff. The weed part (atrazine) found in synthetic fertilizers is found
in high
levels at Barton Springs and should be avoided.

If you can, go buy a bag of LadyBug and follow their recommended
application
rate. Fall feeding is more important than spring feeding, regardless.
The up
side is that, after being organic for a few years, less and less
fertilizer is
necessary for turf. I feed my turf maybe once a year in fall with a
granular
fertilizer, and a few times during summer I use liquid seaweed in a hose
end
sprayer to deliver trace elements (about 60 of them) which come in the
seaweed.
My turf is lush, thick, green and I think I watered it about 10 times from
April
till October.

Victoria

"cledus" wrote in message ...
Thanks for the tip. I will give it a try.

THE WEED & FEED MYTH

The only way a weed killer works is as a PRE-emergent so it must be
applied before the broadleaf weeds come up. In Austin that would be
February. The only way a fertilizer will work on St. Augustine is
when it starts to grow. Around here that is in April. This weed and
feed thing is a ripoff. If it seems too good to be true...

I agree that organic matter is the best way to have a great healthy
lawn. A 1/4 inch if good compost applied Spring and Fall will create
a lush lawn. As the grass gets thicker it will crowd out the weeds.

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 13:04:04 GMT, animaux wrote:

If you can, go buy a bag of LadyBug and follow their recommended application
rate.

You've sold me as well - I'm going to pick up a bag of this
for my St. Augustine front yard. I've got zoysia in the back,
will this work well for that too?

Thanks,
Dave

On 22 Oct 2003 05:12:05 -0700, (jabee) opined:

"cledus" wrote in message ...
Thanks for the tip. I will give it a try.

THE WEED & FEED MYTH

The only way a weed killer works is as a PRE-emergent so it must be
applied before the broadleaf weeds come up. In Austin that would be
February. The only way a fertilizer will work on St. Augustine is
when it starts to grow. Around here that is in April. This weed and
feed thing is a ripoff. If it seems too good to be true...

I agree that organic matter is the best way to have a great healthy
lawn. A 1/4 inch if good compost applied Spring and Fall will create
a lush lawn. As the grass gets thicker it will crowd out the weeds.

Some weed killer components do include broadleaf weeds, not only their seeds,
but even those are strong enough to damage or kill a tree. I've seen it happen.
To solve this whole problem, corn gluten meal used in the open window for
pre-emerging seedlings is the answer. Corn gluten meal also has 10% nitrogen,
so also serves as a very slow release fertilizer, adding organic matter to the
soil at the same time.

I've not used either of these methods. I mow the weeds before they went to seed
and now don't have weeds in the turf. Of course, there is clover, but I planted
that.

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:15:00 -0500, Dave-tx
opined:

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 13:04:04 GMT, animaux wrote:

If you can, go buy a bag of LadyBug and follow their recommended application
rate.

You've sold me as well - I'm going to pick up a bag of this
for my St. Augustine front yard. I've got zoysia in the back,
will this work well for that too?

Thanks,
Dave

Yes, absolutely. LadyBug Brand is suitable for any application, but it is
recommended by the Texas A&M, after a thorough study. The findings where that
8-2-4 outperformed all other fertilizers. It's made locally, has a molasses
component which gives soil microbes some carbohydrates, and the turf some iron,
it is a great all around, granular fertilizer. Do read the label since I
believe it will fertilize a much larger area than the synthetic fertilizers.
It's about 18 dollars, but it goes almost twice as far.

Victoria

In article , animaux
wrote:


Yes, absolutely. LadyBug Brand is suitable for any application, but it is
recommended by the Texas A&M, after a thorough study. The findings where that
8-2-4 outperformed all other fertilizers. It's made locally, has a molasses
component which gives soil microbes some carbohydrates, and the turf some
iron,


well here's a follow up queston:

i spread corn gluten meal a few weeks ago. i think
i read somewhere that putting on the ladybug 8-2-4 in
addition to the cgm might be over-doing it...possibly
too much nitrogen?

i've got a bag of 8-2-4 waiting to see if i should
deploy.

thanks,
marty.


________________________________________

Making the World a Noisier Place

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 13:11:17 GMT, animaux wrote:
On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:15:00 -0500, Dave-tx
opined:

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 13:04:04 GMT, animaux wrote:

If you can, go buy a bag of LadyBug and follow their recommended application
rate.

You've sold me as well - I'm going to pick up a bag of this
for my St. Augustine front yard. I've got zoysia in the back,
will this work well for that too?

Thanks,
Dave

Yes, absolutely. LadyBug Brand is suitable for any application, but it is
recommended by the Texas A&M, after a thorough study. The findings where that
8-2-4 outperformed all other fertilizers. It's made locally, has a molasses
component which gives soil microbes some carbohydrates, and the turf some iron,
it is a great all around, granular fertilizer. Do read the label since I
believe it will fertilize a much larger area than the synthetic fertilizers.
It's about 18 dollars, but it goes almost twice as far.


Thanks! Now I've got something to do on Saturday morning.

-Dave

i spread corn gluten meal a few weeks ago. i think
i read somewhere that putting on the ladybug 8-2-4 in
addition to the cgm might be over-doing it...possibly
too much nitrogen?

i've got a bag of 8-2-4 waiting to see if i should
deploy.

thanks,
marty.

You'll probably be alright unless you've got legumes or natives which
don't like much nitrogen.
See UW - Turf http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/turf/CornGluten.htm


________________________________________

Making the World a Noisier Place

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 04:13:35 GMT, "marty lester"
opined:

well here's a follow up queston:

i spread corn gluten meal a few weeks ago. i think
i read somewhere that putting on the ladybug 8-2-4 in
addition to the cgm might be over-doing it...possibly
too much nitrogen?

i've got a bag of 8-2-4 waiting to see if i should
deploy.

thanks,
marty.

Corn gluten meal has a 10% nitrogen content. So, what you may want to do is add
some Texas greensand for potassium, but do not overdo that. You don't need
much. In this incidence I would tell you not to use the additional fertilizer,
but save it for April when the next application rate is done. In the meantime,
you can use a hose end sprayer and put some seaweed on the turf to add in the
trace elements, amino acids and minerals which are not found in the corn gluten.

OR, you can do nothing. Turf is such an incredible waste of time!

Victoria