The Grass Doctor

Newbie on lawn care - Am I on the right track?

I purchased some Miracle Gro Lawn Food to help my lawn. Last October, I seeded my back yard and it is starting to really take sprout. Is this product a good product to use on the new seedlings? Also, my front yard needs to be more thicker and greener. Is the Miracle Gro still a good choice? The sod in the front is 1.5 years old. Finally, what months would be best to start using the product? The grass is starting to turn green. Do I wait until it is hotter and spring is in full swing or begin now?

Public Comments

1. what state/growing zone do you live in? for new seed you should use a starter fertilizer...18-24-12
2. I have used Miracle Grow for lawns, garden beds, pine trees. All of their products are good. I've only used the liquid product that one puts in a canister at the end of a hose. Their granular products may work differently. I live in South East Michigan, and I start about mid-April, or when the Forsythias bloom, to start lawn care. I prefer granular products, but put them on half strength first, then 2-3 weeks later do half-strength again. I recommend not feeding your new back lawn too heavily at first. Don't forget to keep it watered so the roots will grow deep, and don't cut it too short or it will struggle. Figure that if you cut the grass to 3", the roots will be about that deep if they get adequate water. Same for front lawn, but since it's older, just use fertilizer, and if crabgrass is a problem in your neighborhood put some preventer on it in April. When it is hot outside lawns and plants work harder to pull water from their root system, and often the ground is drying out more quickly. So if they have to also work against too much fertilizer or weed killers, that can slow down growth. In hot months I put on applications really early in morn or after sun goes down. I don't always buy a well-known brand name; have found that those three numbers are the same in expensive or inexpensive products.
3. Miracle grow will work, but personally I like Scotts. Use the turfbuilder and weed preventer this first year. Don't fertilize when it is really hot unless you use a slow release fertilizer because it can burn (kill) the grass. Use a slow release for winter in the late fall. The following spring (by now the grass will be established) use a pre-emergence to keep down weeds and crabgrass. For a really good lawn, hit it with some kind of fertilizer 4 times per year. Pre-emergence in the spring, turfbuilder with weed preventer in early summer, turfbuilder with insect control in the mid to late summer, winterizing fertilizer in the late fall.
4. Although Miracle Gro is not too bad, there are some problems with repeated use. After multiple applications you can build up salts in your soil. Having said that, if you choose to use it again this year now would be the time. A better choice might be a fish or seaweed emulsion or even a compost tea. The fish emulsion does tend to smell a bit for up to a day, but usually only for a few hours. Compost tea can be made by filling a barrel or any large container with water and allowing it to come to ambient temperature. Then fill the leg of a nylon with compost and soak it in the water for a day or two. I like to add yeast to speed up the process, but it's a matter of preference. this tea can be used in a 30% solution on house plants or you can thin it further to a 10% solution for spraying on your yard. As for when to apply, you can spray Miracle Gro now and again about mid-June. The emulsions or tea can be sprayed as little as once a year or as often as once a week depending on how much time you have and what kind of results you want to see. And as for your front yard, lawns don't tend to hit their full stride until they are 2-5 years old. You could do something drastic, like overseed, but that would only cause a thatch problem in years to come. My advice would be patience.
5. I recommend submitting your question to experts like at www.therebels.com. Whenever I have a question, I ask them and they are usually quick to respond. Good luck!