The Grass Doctor

How often should I fertilize my lawn?

I bought a new home recently and the previous owners never really took care of the yard besides just mowing it. The grass is nice and green in some spots, and it others its pretty dry. Not too mention a lot of clover, chickweed, and regular weeds. I put down Scotts turf builder a couple weeks ago. It really doesnt seem to be making a difference. How often do I need to fertilize? The next time I fertilize I want to put down weed and feed to kill all the weeds.

Public Comments

1. Scott has a web site..all the answers..they will tell you 4 times, but I would go slowly for the first year till you get the hang of it.
2. There are several steps to a beautifully maintained grass. Like you said you need to put down a fertilizer with a weed killer to take care of the weeds. You can do this as often as you need until your lawn is weed free, once a month for the next few months or so. However, your hands on will begin in the beginning of next year. First, you will need to dethatch, get rid of as much as you can to let the new grass grow. Second, you will need to aerate, this allows grass to get oxygen. Third, water, water, and more water. You can water as often as your bylaws allow. Fourth, you will need to spread a good quality black earth as a topping and in areas where there is no grass, you will need to sprinkle seed. This must be done early in the year before the hot weather sets in. You can get this at your local nursery if you choose. And finally, adjust your height on your lawn mower. You should leave it at the highest setting during the extreme summer months and only cut an inch at a time. You may have to mow every 4 to 5 days depending on how fast it grows. The only thing you need to do after all that to maintain your lawn is to fertilize once a month and water generously. Good luck! http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-002/430-002.html http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/lawn/Dethatching.cfm Tip-Fertilize when you know it will rain, less work for you.
3. You may want to switch brands of fertilizer for a start. I would have a slight difference of opinion of how often to fertilize and would recommend once ever 2 months, remembering never to use more than manufacturers recommendations. Even if you're using a granular weed and feed I would still hold off applying too much of it.