Lawn Fertiliser Advice

[Erskine]

I have been looking for an autumn lawn fertiliser without moss kille

and they seem to be few and far between. I know that Scott's produce a Autumn Lawn Builder which does not have a moss killer but I find it har to get a hold of. The same applies for the Spring feeds.

What I am wondering is how much damage a fertiliser with moss kille can do to a lawn with a lot of moss. Some years ago I remember applyin a fertilser with moss killer which left the lawn very badly patched an I had to dig it up and re-seed the whole lot.

Are more recent mixtures (such as Evergreen) still as lethal

-- Erskine

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Where have you tried to find a plain fertilizer? What types of stores, in other words? And, where do you live? Someone in this newsgroup may know of a source in your area.

[beecrofter]

Moss is more a function of soil pH, compaction, and shade

Start by testing and correcting the pH (which will also make fertilizers perform better) Increase the amount of organic material in your soil (return the clippings to the soil) Avoid products which damage your earthworms

Or be a happy idiot and blindly apply whatever is being advertised.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

He said he's looking for fertilizer WITHOUT moss killer.

[Erskine]

I live in the Paisley, Renfrewshire area and have tried a variety o local garden centres. I have also tried the larger stores such as B& and Focus but all they seem to stock is Evergreen Autumn Feed wit Mosskiller

-- Erskine

[JoeSpareBedroom]

That's ridiculous.

Does your lawn really need to be fed, or (don't be insulted) or are you just responding to an urge created by advertising?

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from Erskine contains these words:

Well, you may not realise that you're talking to a worldwide audience, some of whom are pretty hazy about the location of Britain, let alone Paisley :-).

Plain lawn fertiliser without mosskiller is certainly available at better suppliers .I suggest you try either, the big B&Q at Clydebank, Dobbies Garden Centre over at Milngavie, or Rouken Glen GC ( on the edge of the south-side park nr Eastwood.).

Janet.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I'm wondering if perhaps Erskine phoned garden centers instead of visiting, and was the victim of drooling teenage clerk syndrome. A clueless kid answers the phone and says whatever will end the phonecall quickly so he/she can get back to doing nothing.

[Erskine]

Thanks, I actually visited the large B&Q in Paisley and a few othe Garden Centres. I didn't phone but checked the internet sites fo Dobbies and Rouken Glen but I may take a run out tomorrow to see i their shop stock is different from their sites

-- Erskine

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from "JoeSpareBedroom" contains these words:

Paisley town is a somewhat depressed area for shopping. Although there's a big new retail park nearby at Braehead, it only has subsidiary branches of BQ and Focus (DIY shed chains) which carry limited garden ranges. The vast main area branch of B&Q is just across the river.

Janet.

[beecrofter]

Yes and by giving the grass the conditions it needs for optimal growth it will overtake the moss without leaving bare patches.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Do we know why he doesn't want moss killer? Possible reasons:

1) Doesn't want any more chemical ingredients than absolutely necessary.

2) Has moss and wants to keep it.

3) Doesn't have moss.

Please tell me which reason is correct, since he hasn't told us.

[Erskine]

I thought that I had said in the initial post. I don't want to apply mosskiller if it will leave bare patches. My lawn has so much moss tha I do not want to apply a mosskiller as it could leave the lawn wit vast, unsightly, bare areas

-- Erskine

[Phisherman]

Try Home Depot or Lowes. Look for the slow-release fertilizers, which most of them are slow release. "Vigaro" is at Home Depot, "Sta-Green" at Lowes. WalMart and KMart may have some, although sadly these stores have moved out garden supplies with holiday stuff. This is probably the most important time of year to fertilize a lawn (most grass roots continue to grow throughout the winter.) Generally "Weed and Feed" products should be avoided, surprisingly they are best sellers. It is also a good time to fertilize your deciduous trees too.

[Ann]

Phisherman expounded:

Do they have them over the pond?

[Erskine]

Managed to get Evergreen Autumn Lawn Builder at a Garden Centre 2 miles away.

It's down and done for the winter now!

Thanks for everyone's help :-

-- Erskine

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from Erskine contains these words:

As a matter of interest, which one?

Janet

[Erskine]

Cardwell Bay, Gourock. Smashing Garden Centre

-- Erskine