Best time to apply fertilizer to lawn?

[TheGoodTexan]

I'm not talking about time/season of the year. I'm asking my question with respect to rain. I've got a bag of 10/10/10 that I need to apply. I haven't put down anything at all yet.

I've heard people say apply the fertilizer just before it rains, and I've heard the exact opposite of that too.

What's the correct answer?

If the answer is just before it rains....how much time are we talking about? A few hours? A full day?

[getbent]

if there is no herbicide in your fertilizer try to apply it an hour or two before the rain. If it does have an herbicide.. apply shortly after a rain (like an hour)

[mudbean]

I would think that would depend on how windy it is ... you don't want your fert to blow away. I usually just water the lawn right after I fertilize.

mud

[CharlieO]

It depends on what type of fertilizer you are using. If you're using a "weed and feed" fertilizer, it's probably best to do it after it rains because the weed killer supposedly needs to sit on the weeds for a couple of days to do its job. It would stick to the weeds better if they're damp, I guess. I used to do it early in the day, when the dew was still on the lawn. If you're using standard fertilizer, you should do it before it rains, or water it in.

I used to do my first fertilizer application of the year very early when I lived in Wisconsin. Sometimes I'd do it in late February or March when the ground was still frozen. Of course, it wouldn't do anything until the ground thawed, but my lawn greened up earlier than my neighbors' did.

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by getbent

if there is no herbicide in your fertilizer try to apply it an hour or two before the rain. If it does have an herbicide.. apply shortly after a rain (like an hour)

I don't know if it's got herbicide in it or not. I guess probably the package would say...but I don't have it in front of me right now.

I do know that fertilizers have three numbers associated with them...but I don't know what they mean. What I bought was 10/10/10.... recommened by my neighbor, and the lady in the garden department at Lowes.

[getbent]

the 10-10-10 thing is the proportion of Nitrogen- Phosphorus- Potassium

it'll say on the package...you won't hurt anything if you fertilize with herbicide included prior to rain (or water) but you'll minimize the benefit...

[DrewB]

Are you just wanting to green it up? If so, I have a "recipe" that'll knock your socks off, if you're interested for future feedings. It takes a bit of work, but it works so well, it's worth it to me.

[boris bubbanov]

Build a compost heap and apply the finished compost to the lawns and flower beds.
Otherwise, water when needed, cut occasionally, and put the natural gas that goes into making that fertilizer to more appropriate use. Natural Gas is the key component in anhydrous ammonia. Aerate your soil with a pitch fork or aerator.
Don't bag or even collect your clippings unless it contains noxious weed seeds or other weeds parts that may regenerate.

Or, do what my neighbor did, apply chemicals just as it was starting to storm, so the poisons can go into the water supply.

[pseudocat]

Originally Posted by DrewB

Are you just wanting to green it up? If so, I have a "recipe" that'll knock your socks off, if you're interested for future feedings. It takes a bit of work, but it works so well, it's worth it to me.

I'm interested.

[TheGoodTexan]

I just started this lawn in August of 07. Seeded the topsoil (fescue) then spread straw (hay) over the entire yard, then proceeded to water the crap out of it for several weeks. We got a great start last year, with no chemicals whatsoever - just water. Very thick and green...naturally.

But this year it has not yet come back so strong, and there are weeds and wild-flowers and clover that are beginning to show up. It wasn't a big deal...I was just pulling them by hand at first....but then they finished the house next to me, and the new neighbors had it sodded...voila!...instant perfect yard. Plus, they've employed a yard company that cuts and sprays the yard once a week.

So my yard doesn't look as great now...in comparison.

The other problem is that small rocks continue to work their way to the surface of the soil...palm-sized and smaller. So the yard is "bumpy". I need to roll it with a heavy roller-something-or-other....I guess.

[Hockey Rocker]

Here in Northern Jersey the soil gets really acidic from the rain above and the rocks below. A landscaper that I used to play hockey with once told me, "more lime, less fertilizer". It proved to be good advice for this part of the world. I put down lime about three times a year now. Also, cutting often with really sharp blades helps. I sharpen mine twice a year and cut just about twice a week. What a pain. Plus I pull weeds with hand tools just about every other day when my little one is chasing around birds and chipmunks.

[DrewB]

As I said, it takes more effort than dry fertilizer, but it's less expensive, shows results more quickly and treats the soil, so the benefits are greater in the long run.

Jerry Baker's All-Season Green-Up Tonic

1 can of beer (not light beer)
1 cup of ammonia
1/2 cup of liquid dish soap (not anti-bacterial or concentrated, trust me)
1/2 cup of liquid lawn food (get this at a nursery or farmers' supply)
1/2 cup of clear corn syrup

Mix in large bucket, pour into a 20-gallon hose-end sprayer and spray on everything (grass, bushes, flowers) every three weeks. One batch covers approximately 1500 square feet.

http://www.jerrybaker.com

Jerry Baker arrived at this concoction by studying ideal soil and vegetation conditions, then applying it practically in trial-and-error tests to validate its effectiveness. Each component contributes to the overall goal: healthy plants and healthy soil for them to thrive in. I first tried this out about five years ago, and I'm totally sold on it. My grass has dramatically improved since I began using this approach, as well as the following.

Thatch will kill your grass if you don't keep it under control, which isn't terribly hard. Rake the entire yard well (dig the crap out) in the early spring to get all the dead grass and debris out before the grass goes into heavy grownth. Jerry Baker has a good thatch-control tonic on his website.

Keeping your mower blade sharp is extremely important; I sharpen my blade almost monthly. A clean cut seals up faster, which helps the grass retain more moisture. It's also a good idea to mow in the late afternoon or (better) early evening to allow the fresh cuts time to seal before the sun beats down on the lawn.

Using a mulching mower provides a constant source of food for your grass: itself. As was mentioned, keep the weeds under control and make sure the dandelions aren't being fed back into the lawn if you're mulching. Another great advantage of mulching is that the seed your grass produces is overseeding your yard every time you mow.

Never cut off more than 1/3 of the height of your grass. If it's too long, set the mower up and mow it once, wait a couple of days and mow it again at normal height.

Using tools to remove weeds is a good idea, too. I use a monster screwdriver to remove dandelions and their roots. The dandelion is out of the yard, and the hole from the screwdriver aerates the soil.

Pelletized lime is a necessity if you have oak and/or pine trees. Acorns and pine needles are extremely acidic, so you need to get the acorns and needles picked up and neutralize the acid. I work my tail off in the fall and early winter cleaning up the leaves and acorns from two 70' oak trees, but I've seen what happens to the grass the next year if I don't get that all out.

[pseudocat]

Originally Posted by DrewB

As I said, it takes more effort than dry fertilizer, but it's less expensive, shows results more quickly and treats the soil, so the benefits are greater in the long run.

Jerry Baker's All-Season Green-Up Tonic

1 can of beer (not light beer)
1 cup of ammonia
1/2 cup of liquid dish soap (not anti-bacterial or concentrated, trust me)
1/2 cup of liquid lawn food (get this at a nursery or farmers' supply)
1/2 cup of clear corn syrup

Mix in large bucket, pour into a 20-gallon hose-end sprayer and spray on everything (grass, bushes, flowers) every three weeks. One batch covers approximately 1500 square feet.

http://www.jerrybaker.com

Jerry Baker arrived at this concoction by studying ideal soil and vegetation conditions, then applying it practically in trial-and-error tests to validate its effectiveness. Each component contributes to the overall goal: healthy plants and healthy soil for them to thrive in. I first tried this out about five years ago, and I'm totally sold on it. My grass has dramatically improved since I began using this approach, as well as the following.

Thatch will kill your grass if you don't keep it under control, which isn't terribly hard. Rake the entire yard well (dig the crap out) in the early spring to get all the dead grass and debris out before the grass goes into heavy grownth. Jerry Baker has a good thatch-control tonic on his website.

Keeping your mower blade sharp is extremely important; I sharpen my blade almost monthly. A clean cut seals up faster, which helps the grass retain more moisture. It's also a good idea to mow in the late afternoon or (better) early evening to allow the fresh cuts time to seal before the sun beats down on the lawn.

Using a mulching mower provides a constant source of food for your grass: itself. As was mentioned, keep the weeds under control and make sure the dandelions aren't being fed back into the lawn if you're mulching. Another great advantage of mulching is that the seed your grass produces is overseeding your yard every time you mow.

Never cut off more than 1/3 of the height of your grass. If it's too long, set the mower up and mow it once, wait a couple of days and mow it again at normal height.

Using tools to remove weeds is a good idea, too. I use a monster screwdriver to remove dandelions and their roots. The dandelion is out of the yard, and the hole from the screwdriver aerates the soil.

Pelletized lime is a necessity if you have oak and/or pine trees. Acorns and pine needles are extremely acidic, so you need to get the acorns and needles picked up and neutralize the acid. I work my tail off in the fall and early winter cleaning up the leaves and acorns from two 70' oak trees, but I've seen what happens to the grass the next year if I don't get that all out.

Looks good; I'll give it a go this weekend. I've watched a few of Jerry Baker's videos, and he seems to have the goods. I like that (overall) he uses more natural approaches, as well.

[WisconsinStrings]

Originally Posted by TheGoodTexan

I just started this lawn in August of 07. Seeded the topsoil (fescue) then spread straw (hay) over the entire yard, then proceeded to water the crap out of it for several weeks. We got a great start last year, with no chemicals whatsoever - just water. Very thick and green...naturally.

But this year it has not yet come back so strong, and there are weeds and wild-flowers and clover that are beginning to show up. It wasn't a big deal...I was just pulling them by hand at first....but then they finished the house next to me, and the new neighbors had it sodded...voila!...instant perfect yard. Plus, they've employed a yard company that cuts and sprays the yard once a week.

So my yard doesn't look as great now...in comparison.

The other problem is that small rocks continue to work their way to the surface of the soil...palm-sized and smaller. So the yard is "bumpy". I need to roll it with a heavy roller-something-or-other....I guess.

Most seed had quite a bit of annual rye mixed in with the perennial grass. They do that because it germinates faster and shades the good grass. The reason your lawn wasn't so nice the second year is you lost the rye.

In my experience it takes at least 3 years to get a good lawn. I wouldn't fight the weeds too hard the second year. Just give that grass a chance to take hold. Once it gets good and thick it should choke most of the weeds out on its own.

I know a lot of people are against chemicals and I understand that. However I use Scotts and it really does do what it advertises. I should look into some safer methods however.