weed and feed

dubtom

Is it too early to weed and feed my lawn.I usually do it in september but will be away this year and the weather is more autumn than summer at the mo.I usually use that stuff called weed and feed ironically, but earlier in the year I got some stuff recommended by a 'pro' which made a mess of the lawn, hence my eagerness.

Kashkai

Hi Tom,

While I'm no expert gardener, I've had some good and some bad experiences with the weed and feed stuff.

Early spring is the recomended time for feeding the lawn as this is when the new growth starts. There is also plenty of rain to wash the granules into the soil. I made the mistake of spreading this stuff in June when the weather was very dry and despite plenty of watering with a hose, the stuff I had used didn't disolve into the soil and burned the lawn instead.

There is another type of feed that you can apply in September that provides nutrients to feed the grass during the winter months. It also contains moss killing chemicals. Again, you need to have plenty of rain to wash this stuff into the lawn. Despite the recent heavy showers, the soil is still quite dry so I'd wait until the current dry spell is well and truly over before attempting to spread the fertiliser on the soil. You will do more damage than good if you use it now.

Irish Gardener

Good advice from Prosperous Dave there.
You don't want to give the lawn a chemical burn.

Autumn lawn feeds normally don't have a weedkiller in their mix.
They will contain a root feed and a moss killer which will also burn the top growth of weeds only.

dubtom, if you have to feed the lawn soon I would suggest you keep an eye on the 5 day weather forecast.
When you see two wet days in a row coming up, then you can apply the feed without worry.

dubtom

Thanks lads, chemical burn is probably what happened to my lawn earlier in the year, I think it was march when I put it down.I think we have a wet spell coming but I'll double check.Cheer's.