The Grass Doctor

What should be my next step after laying fertilizer and watering my lawn?

I laid Weed & Feed fertilizer 4 days ago. I followed the instructions and am now watering my lawn with 1 inch of water every other day. What should my next step be? When should I start seeing difference in the lawn? It was suggested to me that I lay Scotts Turf Builder With PLUS 2 Weed Control in June. Does that sound right? Also, I have some dead spots that I'll need to lay seed on. What about using Scotts Patch Master? Thanks for the help.

Public Comments

1. You are doing all the right things. The most important thing to remember is to never let the lawn dry out until the roots are established. Once it has grown out for mowing never mow less that 3 inches. Lawns need the leaf blades to absorb the nutrients to build strong roots.So don't cut to short. Good Luck
2. You should be fertlizing about once a month, you should notice a difference in color in as soon as 1 week. As for dramatic changes they wont be realized for a season or two. Dont expect to have a perfectly plush lawn from a few applications of fertilizer. As for irrigating, your 1" every other day is a little too much. I like to see it done at 1/2" everyother day. As forf addressing thinning and bare areas in the lawn, you may try to address it now, but you CANNOT apply any form of weed control to it for at least 4-6 weeks after the grass germinates. AND, most of Scotts weed control products are contact kills BUT are residual, and can stay in the soil for up to a month. This would be best done in fall anyways, the summer heat wreaks havoc on newly eastablished lawns. Be sure to never apply these powdery products(WEED AND FEED) when there is moisture on the grass, as it will collect on the wheels of your spreader, and either overfertilize the wheel tracks and leave it a darker green, or cause nitrogen burn to the wheel tracks.