Scotts Weed Control Fertilizer Killed Our Lawn!! HELP!!!

[MICHELLE H.]

Every year, we try to do the cycle of Scotts Fertilizers on our lawn ( Crabgrass Fertilizer, Weed Control Fertilizer, Summerguard Fertilizer, Regular Fertilizer, and Winterguard Fertilizer), and usually have no problems.

We usually do the "Scotts Weed Control" one around Memorial Day weekend in May, but this year my husband didn't get around doing it until a few days ago.

Because its so late into June, we were going to just skip the "Weed Control", and just do the "Summerguard", but we opted to still do the "Weed Control", because our lawn was OVERRUN by clovers this year.

We usually have clover throughout the yard every year, but this year was the WORST, and we have never seen it this bad!!!! On one side of our house, where we use to have nice grass, the clover spread like wild, and the whole side of the house was just one big field of clover. When you walked on the side of the house, you weren't walking on grass, you were walking on pure clover.

But anyway, we watered the grass to get it nice and wet ( so that the fertilizer sticks to the weeds ), just like the bag instructs, and we set our "drop spreader" to the 5 1/2 setting like the bag says, and applied the fertilizer.

Well, the next morning when we went to the window, we were horrified, as we saw that not only was the clover dead, but all our beautiful Green grass is now a Yellow eyesore!!!!!

The clover started to turn Brown, and slowly die off, but the grass was all Yellow the next morning!!! Now all the neighbors have nice Green lawns, and our lawn is all Yellow.

So, did the Scotts "Weed Control" kill the lawn?? So far, we have gotten two different opinions.

We talked to a neighbor, and he told us that "clover" is high in Nitrogen, and that the Nitrogen from the clover, and the Nitrogen from the fertilizer was probably to much for the grass, and it just killed everything.

The sales guy we talked to at our local hardware store, said that we probably put down the Scotts "Weed Control" to late in the season, and that the high temperatures ( mid 80's in our area ), caused the "Weed Control" to burn the lawn. According to him, he said that "Weed Control" is suppose to be applied BEFORE June 1st???

If this is true, then why do they still have it on the shelfs!?

So is there any truth to the above two explanations?? And now the important thing, how do we fix/repair the lawn??? According to the "Scotts" bag, you CAN'T put down new grass seed until 4 weeks after applying the "Weed Control"???

What if we were to spread around some new topsoil ( Topdressing I think they call it? ) first, and then reseed?? Or do we have to wait the full

4 weeks???

We have watered the lawn "deeply" for the past couple of days, but that didn't really help. The grass is still all Yellow.

Any help and or suggestions about what to do now would greatly be appreciated!!!

Thanks!

[bearing guy]

It happened to our neighbors for the last 2 years. I think it was trugreen came and did their lawn in the middle of july. The next thing you know the grass is dead. They came back and tried to tell them it was grubbs but grubbs don't act overnight. I think the guy at the hardware store is partly true and your neighbor is also. A lot of little things that added together caused the problem. I would try putting some topsoil in a small spot and see how it takes to reseeding and go from there. Otherwise it will be 4 weeks or more depending ont he weather.

[enigma]

[e-mail] (MICHELLE H.) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

lovely. a chemical dependant unnatural lawn...

did you know that until the mid-1950s, when the chemical companies developed broad leaf weed killers, clover was considered the *most* desirable lawn? not grass. clover. unfortunately, the new weed killers killed clover, so the chemical companies started an ad campaign telling everyone that clover was an "undesirable weed" and in order to have a pretty green lawn, everyone should buy their poisons. it was a good ad campaign, at least for the chemical companies. not so good for the birds, or insects or pets or children that played on the poison lawns... but they were pretty, right? so what if you can use them.

aw, what a pity... i am happy to see clover. it means my yard is healthy.

yeah, but you didn't read the part about temperature, did you?

see my tiny violin? i bet all that grass you killed will be overrun with weeds now, and not of the desirable clover either.

no, you did. you didn't read the instructions.

well, you could, but it won't grow. just leave it until fall & reseed then. a yellow lawn is really a small price to pay for NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS. you might even consider seeding it with clover. think of the time & money you would save...

topdressing isn't going to help. bringing in 3-4 *inches* of new topsoil might let you reseed sooner, but reseeding this time of year is going to gain you mostly weeds anyway.

yup... and by "deeply", how many inches of water? you are probably just compounding the stress of poisoning it by drowning the remainder.

neh, i bet my suggestions aren't at all appreciated. my lawn is nicely green. it's mostly clover & strawberries... i don't have to mow it much, pamper it, poison it, or water it. i don't have to worry about my child or pets being poisoned by playing on it. i'm not a slave to it. lee

[MICHELLE H.]

On the back of the bag, they have a little "calender" thing for when to put down fertilizer, and for the Scotts "Weed Control, it says April-June. So we figured that this meant ALL of June, as it doesn't say a specific June date.

The monthly calender schedule reads as follows:

1) Early Spring: February - April

"To prevent crabgrass":

Scotts Turf Builder with Halts Crabgrass Preventer

2) Late Spring: April - June

"To kill weeds":

Scotts Turf Builder with Plus 2 Weed Control

3) Summer: June - August

"To kill bugs":

Scotts Turf Builder with SummerGuard

4) Early Fall: August - September

"For Fall root growth":

Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Fertilizer

5) Late Fall: October - November

"For a thicker greener lawn now, and next spring":

Scotts Turf Builder Winterizer

Also, just so you know, on the back of the Scotts "Weed Control" bag, it says "Do not apply if temperatures are below 60 or ABOVE 90". When my husband applied it last week, it was like between 82 and 84 degrees out, plus it rained the next afternoon. So we followed all the directions EXACT to the "T", but the next morning when we woke up, all the grass was Yellow, less than 24 hours after putting down the Scotts "Weed Control".

[MICHELLE H.]

We try to keep the lawn the lawn as "natural" as possible, as last year we ONLY did the Scotts "Weed Control", as we had a problem with Dandelions EVERYWHERE throughout the yard. Not like 1 or 2 Dandelions, but hundreds!!!

This year, there was hardly any Dandelions at all, just TONS of clover growing everywhere at a rapid rate. Our whole side yard, was almost nothing but pure clover.

2 years ago, we only used the Scotts "Weed Control" for the Dandelions, and the "SummerGuard", to kill the fleas being brought into the yard by chipmunks and squirrels constantly running through our yard.

Also, yes, the grass was wet when my husband applied the "Weed Control", because the directions on the bag say that "the grass should be wet so that the fertilizer particles can stick to the weeds".

My husband uses a "Scotts Accu-Green 1000 Drop Spreader", and its about

10 - 12 years old, so could it be possible that the spreader is defective, and too much fertilizer came out???

[Billy]

Sounds like a good argument for organic. Scott, Monsanto, Dow, they aren't your friends. I, too, remember people being proud of their clover lawns.

[FarmI]

I'd consider myself extremely fortunate if I had anything that green and that covers bare earth in midsummer. I always have brown by midsummer, but since that is the natural cycle I'm not going to waste water trying to have greeness.

[David Hare-Scott]

With that regime I am amazed anything grows.

Tell me it isn't so!

What is so wrong with clover? It's a ground cover that will sometimes grow when grass won't. Who told you that clover is bad?

Why should the fertiliser stick to the weeds, what would that do?

Well that's the beginning of the end of your reputation. To avoid eternal shame you should act overnight before too many people notice.

Facts partly true conclusion not.

More likely

They expect people to read the instructions and to think, don't ask me why. It would be better if such chemicals were under The Controlled Substances Act which would force responsible conduct on the vendors, lobby your local politicians.

You could in fact sod over it but there is a better solution - see below.

Fertiliser burn on the grass will do the same to shoots on seedlings only quicker.

Choose between concrete, astroturf and pavers. Astroturf encourages frollicking which brings on carpet burn for the unwary, something that clearly says "Don't frollic" would be better in your case. I would go for the concrete as you might get living organisms in the cracks between the pavers. Your karma is already in bad shape and won't stand any more genocide.

David

[enigma]

[e-mail] (MICHELLE H.) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

yeah, i have lots of dandelions. they're delicious in the spring, & the yellow flowers are so cheery. makes a nice wine too. i also have plaintain, both broad & narrow leaf. the tortoises are particularly fond of those (as are the goats). i rather like the plaintain growing along the garden fence. it's choked out the grass that used to runner spread into the veggies. hate that grass. of course, plaintain grows best in compressed soil... see, a "natural" lawn in my area isn't likely to have much actual grass in it. grass, at least pretty, fine leaved grass, isn't really a native plant. so, most of what i have is what Scott's would call "broad leafed weeds". i could waste hundreds of dollars on weed control, grass fertilizer, etc, but why? to grow something that isn't natural? seems pretty silly to me. also, fescues, which are a large proportion of lawn grasses, tend to be host to a fungus that is extremely toxic to livestock. might not seem like a problem in suburbia, but grasses seed & birds transport those seeds.... lee

[jeff]

Nope.

I'm not a believer in grass and as a city dweller on a small shady lot I can get away with that.

I wonder what the opinion of clover is in the suburbs? If you mow it will it pass for grass? I'm thinking of my brother who lives in a fussy suburb. It's a shame as the backyard is a glacial valley (don't fall). The neighborhood still had farms when Dad built the house in the 40's.

Jeff

[MICHELLE H.]

I don't know the actual square feet of the lawn, but do know that it is

0.11 acres, and we used 2 full bags of 5,000 square foot Scotts "Weed Control" fertilizer.

[enigma]

[e-mail] (MICHELLE H.) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

0.11 acres is 4791.6 square feet, so you over fertilized & killed your grass. if each bag was for 5000 square feet, you've *really* got a problem now! i seriously hope you don't live anywhere near a pond or stream, or an aquafer... don't they teach reading comprehension and basic math in school anymore? i was lacking sympathy when you called clover a "weed", but dumping double the amount of fertilizer/weed killer on an area is egregarious stupidity! you should be reported to the EPA. sheesh. lee

[MICHELLE H.]

The entire yard/house is on 0.11 acres. The property measurements for our entire lot/yard is 50 feet x 100 feet. We have 50 feet in front. 50 feet in back, and 100 feet on the sides of our property.

So thats it, its official, our Scotts Drop Spreader must have malfunctioned, and even though it was set at 5.5, it must have came out at like a 10 or 11!?

Well, I guess its going straight to the curb for trash pickup in a few days, and we have to invest in a new one!!!

Everyone says to invest in a "rotary type" spreader, but is a "rotary spreader" really that good for our SMALL lawn??? I always thought that drop spreaders were good for small lawns, and rotary spreaders are better for bigger lawns???

[Val]

It's the fault of bag instructions, it's the fault of the calendar, it's the fault of the spreader, it's the fault of pretty much everything and everyone else but your own? Mostly it's the fault of having your head buried so far up the deep recesses of your ass that your brain has ceased to function. In other words you are an irresponsible dumb f*ck.

[brooklyn1]

"enigma" wrote in message news:Xns9C3C6D88D9365enigmaevilnet@199.125.85.9...

Why do you need to be such a negativeity pinhead (don't bother to answer, I already know you are an ignoranus). It's obvious that the 0.11 acres (gleaned from a tax plat or survey) is a small city/surburban lot, and is the entire lot (house, driveway, walkways, patio, bedding plants, etc., and lawn), so there's probably no more than 2,500 sq ft of actual lawn, likely less. Not everyone lives on rural property with acres of lawn. With many subdivisions and village properties one has no choice but to maintain a "standard" lawn, and if not the elected officials will and charge the property owner. To me it appears that this person is a lawn newbie and is attempting to learn, why else would he post here for help. When chemicals are applied properly they do no environmental harm. In this case the OP has applied more than four times the recommended amount and probably underwatered. The lawn is damaged but not destroyed. Water generously every day without applying any more chemicals until the lawn revives. And then continue with the Scott program (which also includes proper mowing) but I would recommend applying no more than 1/2 the recommended quantity of chemicals and only increase the amounts as one observes and learns how that particular piece of ground responds... using lawn chemicals is exactly like adding salt to stew. There is much to learn about growing lawns but when chemicals are applied intelligently there are no negative aspects whatsoever. Many, like myself, who have acres of lawn would also like to keep a golf course lawn for at least a portion, but for the expense. I live within walking distance of four major golf courses that each maintains hundreds of acres of pristine lawn, when chemicals are properly applied there is no negative environmental impact... just because you are totally ignorant about lawns (and most everything) doesn't mean everyone else is.

[brooklyn1]

Get rid of the drop spreader, none of them work very well. For your size lawn a hand held broadcast spreader is best.

[Gloria P]

That sounds like ~4500 square feet, including the footprint of the house so you applied the Scotts at least twice the recommended strength.

When you say you have "clover" in the lawn, do you mean real clover or oxalis? (Clover has leaves that are compound and each petal is round. The flowers are red or white. Oxalis has heart-shaped leaf petals and the flowers are little lavender and lily-shaped.)

gloria p

[Charles]

There is also burr clover, we use it for a lawn weed in southern California

[MICHELLE H.]

Brooklyn1,

I just wanted to THANK YOU for all of the great info, you posted, I really do appreciate it!! Also, you are very smart, as you do seem to know about how a small city works!!!

First off, you are absolutely right about the 0.11 acres being the entire lot ( house, driveway, sidewalks, lawn, etc, etc. ).

Second you are almost right about where the 0.11 acres came from, and that is both from a tax bill/invoice, and our citys yearly home assessment that they do.

Third, you are correct about the greedy elected officials and their FINES against homeowners. In our city, we have whats known as "Code Violations". The "Code Violations" can be anything from trash/debris in your yard, lawn/tree/shrub overgrowth, peeling paint, unregistered vehicle in driveway, building without a permit, fence violations, etc, etc. Our city has a website, where people/neighbors can go to, and ANONYMOUSLY report you for a "code violation", and then you get fined by the city unless you fix the problem.

The rule in our city is that if your grass at least 6 inches tall or higher, than you get a fine of $50 dollars A DAY, until the lawn is mowed!!!!! Same goes for overgrown trees and shrubs/bushes.

Nice to see that there is somebody out there, who understands these things!!! So thanks again for all the great info!!!!

[MICHELLE H.]

Gloria,

Yes, its real clover with the 3 green leaves, and the little White flowers that popup everywhere.

It looks like this:

White Clover - Google Image Search