Question
Hi. We just had a new lawn put in about 6 weeks ago. We have a lot of weeds. How soon can we fertilize to combat the weed without destroying the new grass? Thanks.

Answer
De-weeding your Lawn after you put down seed or sod is like baking the cake before you put in the flour.  This would have been so easy.  Simply solarizing your soil for a month would have destroyed everything down there -- cheaply, safely and perfectly.  And I do mean PERFECTLY.

Now you want to -- let me guess -- buy something made by the Scotts companies that will hurt all the local birds, the local Earthworms and butterflies, the pets, the children, the mailman, the milkman and all your neighbors, not to mention YOU!

Right?

I know, I know.  Those chemicals are 'safe', right?

People die all the time using those 'safe' things you want to use.

Let's say the didn't kill anyone.  They just killed the birds.  Is that a good idea, Susan?

I know you would agree if you had all the facts.  They work night and day to keep those facts away from you.  There are some very nice people here at allExperts who will even assure you, with the best of intentions, that weed killer is 'safe', because they think it's safe.

Susan, there are uneducated people who think putting sugar on your grass will kill weeds.  It won't, but God bless them for trying.  There are uneducated people who think Weed B Gone is going to kill weeds and is perfectly harmless.  It isn't, and someday, just like the truth about Nicotine, the truth about these 'safe' products will be known.  And all those people will say, 'But we didn't know!'

But we do.

Take that product called Scotts 'Summerguard'.  Nice name, isn't it?

You have children?  They love to run through the sprinkler, barefoot, on a hot day?

You like to hang out in your yard?  Feed the birds and squirrels?  Watch your dog chase butterflies?

Maybe you have friends over for a BBQ on July 4th?

You want to breathe and maybe work out there, mow, prune, fertilize, water the Grass?

Then keep away from all things Scotts.  People who work in the factories making this stuff get very sick.  They have shorter lifespans.  Their children are not well. They all get weird diseases.  Like people who make a living out of cleaning swimming pools, men who make a living out of putting that stuff on people's lawns are dying proof that those bug killers (which kill every insect on the ground including the ones that feed the Birds that live in your trees) are not something you would ever want to play with if you really knew.

I know... it's sort of like me being a vegetarian.  I'd rather not think about it.

Besides, the pictures in the ads are so pretty.

Summerguard in scientific English is a 75-letter chemical that begins '2-Methyl{1,1'-biphenyl}-3-yl)... etc.

Did you know that it is ILLEGAL In New York to use this within 100 feet of water?

Why is that?

What kinds of things would anyone need to kill that badly?  Because you can do it better if you DON'T put this stuff in your own lawn.  MUCH better.  MUCH safer.  With NOTHING to worry about.

They tell you right on the box: "Avoid tracking product into the home".  Guess why?

Because it won't degrade in your house.  It will be there until a human being wipes it up.  Or your infant crawls on it, drops their pacifier and gets a little bit up each time.  Or your dog licks it up.

All their products are like that, Susan.  And you don't want to put fertilizer down -- what you want is an herbicide, because someone told you this was how it should be done.

I have such a headache now thinking about this I can hardly figure out what to tell you. Because it's not your fault you don't know how to do this.  It's that marketing-advertising machine, The Scotts Family of Products.

I'll tell you what I would do if this was suddenly a Lawn I wanted to take care of.  New, beautiful Grass.  You're already mowing, and there are weeds all over the place ruining it.  It's Weed season now.  Cool season Grass is slowing down.

First, I would make sure that every Dandelion sprout was pulled up by the roots.  By hand.  By the person who thought it would be such a great idea to sow Grass and then deal with Weeds after the Grass was growing.  If you are married to this person, get a divorce right now.  I'll help you.

Dandelions are perennial Weeds.  They will come back every year, and they will flower and multiply faster than cockroaches.

Get every single one out of the ground.  Fast.  Before the weather turns into the 260 degree Fahrenheit global warming Summer we are expecting this year.  Who wants to pull up weeds when it's 260 degrees F?  Not me.

Next: Water your Grass when it's dry, and mow mow mow that Lawn at the perfect height.  If I knew what kind of Grass you had, I'd give you the height, but for now, it will have to be my best guesstimate which is 3 inches.  It's very important to get that perfect mowing down.  Because you weaken Weeds when you mow that height and you strengthen your Grass at the same time.  The Better Lawn and Grass Institute (www.turfgrasssod.org/lawninstitute/guide.html) points out: 'Proper mowing, watering, and fertilizing practices develop a lawn that needs less chemicals to control weed, insect, and disease problems. This is particularly true when you have established your lawn with improved grass varieties.'

Mowing at the ideal height is a secret weapon you didn't know you had.  It invigorates grass to mow it right. Invigorated grass is strong -- stronger than Weeds.  Check The Lawn Institute website above or Organic Lawns
(www.organiclawncaretips.com) for the best mowing height for your Grass.

Put down Nitrogen fertilizer.  This is in addition to keeping the clippings on the Lawn.  Milorganite is a great fertilizer, slow release and steady.  I'd prefer Bloodmeal or Alfalfa, but I don't think Mr Wonderful is going to spring that for anything they don't sell in Lowe's.

The reason all this is important is that a lot of those Weeds are annuals; you don't want them to ever reach the point where they can set seeds.  The ones that are perennials will suffer from the regular mowing, and will not be able to compete with the Grass.  Bit by bit they will drop out of sight.  

Weedkiller?  Weeds do not overtake a lawn because there is no Weedkiller.  They overtake a Lawn for lots of reasons.  There are many things you can do to win the war on Weeds.  And they won't make anyone sick or crazy.

Did you know, Susan, that Lawn Grass and Weeds do not like the same kind of soil?

Weeds thrive in Acid soil.  Turfgrass likes Alkaline soil.  That's why some people do a soil test and find they need to put Lime down.  The Lime makes their soil more Alkaline.  A big dose of Pelletized Lime in your soil right now will begin to raise the pH enough to weaken weeds while your new Grass is growing this Summer.

Something else you won't like about chemicals is that they generate THATCH by destroying all those microbes living in your soil.  You NEED micro flora and fauna in our soil to feed the Nitrogen cycle.  You NEED Earthworms and other organisms to build healthy soil and grow beautiful Grass. So those chemicals are of no use whatsoever as you can see, unless you are a stockholder.  See?

Going back to the question of when you can 'fertilize', you actually SHOULD fertilize.  Nitrogen is one of your best weapons for whacking weeds.

University of Illinois tested Nitrogen fertilizer on Tall Fescue Grass (www.turf.uiuc.edu/research/summaries/1994/94_3.1.pdf#search='university%20test%20mowing%20height').  And they found:  'Even a low annual rate of Nitrogen fertilization can decrease broadleaf weed populations and reduce or ELIMINATE the need for herbicide control.'

Next Spring, when your new Grass is just beginning to stir, and the Forsythia is turning out that yellow wash all over the block, get out the spreader and throw down the Corn Gluten.  It needs a dry period to be most effective so watch those instructions carefully.  The timing is also critical.  You need to get new Weed Seeds just as they are germinating.  And with Corn Gluten you will not need any further Nitrogen
fertilizing for the season.

Mow carefully, correctly, and your weed population will be ELIMINATED.  No fuss.  No muss.  And so very GREEN.

And you can Fertilize with your Milorganite tomorrow.  Happy mowing.  Thanks for writing.