Lowes Sta-Green Weed and Feed kills
existing weeds while feeding your lawn. Early spring is the best time
for you to fertilize your grass especially if you have a history of weed
problems like crabgrass.
Feeding
your lawn in the spring strengthens roots and gives it a good start for
the growing season. Most lawns will need added nutrition and also weeds
that need to be killed.
It allows a
homeowner to effectively tackle both issues with a single application.
If your lawn has weeds throughout, it is important to use a weed and
feed product instead of just fertilizer because fertilizer can
contribute to both grass and weed growth.
Sta Green Weed & Feed is comparable to Scotts Plus 2 and kills dandelions, chickweed, knotweed, plantains, henbit, spurge, and other broadleaf weeds with the ingredient Trimec.
Weed and Feed is a common fertilizer that contains a post emergent weed killer, but will not control weeds like crabgrass. Crabgrass needs to be controlled with a pre emergent product like Sta Green Crab Ex Plus.
To
be effective, you must start by knowing what weeds you need to control
and checking the label to see which weeds the product will treat. We
can help you find the right product! A healthy lawn is a deep green
color and the ability to grow back year after year and regular mowing.
Sometimes, however, grass needs some extra help in the form of nutrients that are not readily available in the soil to stay healthy. You can apply a lawn fertilizer that will revitalize the soil and provide your lawn with the nourishment it requires.
Lawn fertilization is not difficult and almost any homeowner can quickly learn the right type of fertilizer to buy and how to apply it properly.
Fertilizer
can help you grow a lawn that will fight weeds while standing up to
disease, insects and foot traffic. Sta-Green brand fertilizers are only
available at Lowes Home Improvement stores.
Weed & Feed products, like Sta-Green Weed & Feed, usually contain Trimec 2,4-D or other post-emergent, selective herbicides. They’re designed to selectively kill broadleaf weeds without harming grass. However, weed & feed products with Trimec can kill warm season grasses like St. Augustine and Bermuda grass, so check the label to see if it’s safe for your type of lawn before using.
The United States has three zones for grass seed. Cool, Transitional and Warm Season. Cool season areas can use a Trimec based weed and feed. Transitional areas can be difficult as they may have a combination of cool season and warm season grasses.
If you live in the south, you will have a warm season grass and will need to use Sta Green Southern Weed and Feed. It contains Atrazine instead of Trimec and is safe for warm season grasses
Read more here about Southern Lawns: Southern Lawns
Always read the label and follow instructions carefully.
Sta-Green
weed and feed kills as many as 150 weeds, including dandelions,
chickweed, knotweed, thistle and many broadleaf weeds. It also
encourages greening, increases the lawn’s ability to absorb water and
nutrients and extends nitrogen feeding.
Whether
you have warm-season grass like Bermuda or St. Augustine, or your lawn
is cool-season bluegrass or fescue, all lawns require regular feeding
throughout the year for growth. Having a regular fertilization
schedule, and applying the correct type and amount of fertilizer will
help keep your lawn attractive and healthy year round.
Warm season grasses
like Bermuda, Centipede and St.Augustine lawns can generally be
fertilized from March to October. A fall fertilizer treatment is also
very important to maintaining a healthy lawn. It is during the fall
months that the greatest amount of root development takes place.
Applying a fall fertilizer treatment will help develop a strong, deep
root structure.
Cool season grasses
like Kentucky blue and ryegrass can generally be fertilized March to
June and again in the fall. Avoid fertilizer late June to September. As
temperatures rise during summer, growth slows down and lawns require
mowing less frequently. This is known as summer dormancy.
Roots
can be damaged when temperatures are above 85 F. During this time
weeds such as crabgrass, foxtail, clover, nutsedge and spurge can thrive
because they are more competitive in warm weather.
- Pre-emergents,
are used to prevent crabgrass, and must be applied before the weeds
germinate. They are ineffective if the weeds are already growing.
Pre-emergent weed killers are often mixed with fertilizer and are
designed to be spread in early spring. Crabgrass normally germinates
when the ground temperature reaches 55° F — the ground temperature at
which forsythias begin blooming. Use Crab Ex Plus Crabgrass. - Post-emergent
types of weed and feed fertilizers are contact killers, and are
effective only if the weeds are already actively growing. The Trimec
granules stick to the wet blades of grass. They will not kill weeds
which have not yet germinated. Use Weed and Feed or Southern Weed and
Feed depending on your state and grass type.
Why Fertilize In The First Place?
Your
soil supplies some of the nutrients that grass needs but most soils are
not able to provide all of them during the entire growing season. How much and how often
should you fertilize? Well, it depends. Mostly on the type of grass,
time of year, kind of fertilizer you use and the amount of time and
money you have to invest in a your lawn. Fertilizer helps your lawn stay
healthy by:
- Promoting new leaf and root growth
- Aiding in recovery from foot traffic and pest damage
- Reducing and controlling weeds
How to Read a Fertilizer Package Label
Ever wonder what those numbers on the bag mean? It’s not as complicated as you may think. The three numbers on the fertilizer package indicates the amount of its three primary ingredients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizers have a range of different formulas.
So, depending upon the types of grass you are working with, you are sure to find a formula that works for you.Sta Green, like many other fertilizer brands are using less phosphorous in all products.
Overuse of phosphorus in fertilizer is a serious threat to water quality because it enters waterways through the storm drains. You will likely see many fertilizers with ratios of zero phosphorous, such as 30-0-3.
These three numbers tell you the percentage of the nutrients by weight. The three main components are:
- Nitrogen (symbol N) for blade development and deep green color.
- Phosphorous (symbol P) for root growth.
- Potassium (symbol K) for root development and disease resistance.
For
example, a bag marked “30-0-03” contains 30 percent nitrogen, 0 percent
phosphorous and 3 percent potassium. In this case, the other 67 percent
is usually inert filler material added to aid distribution by your
spreader. There may also be secondary elements added such as calcium,
magnesium or iron.
So if the bag
weighs 50 pounds, you would have 50 x 30% for 15 pounds of nitrogen, 50 X
0% for zero phosphorous and 50 X 3% for 1.5 pounds of potassium.
That’s right, 16.5 pounds of actual fertilizer in a 50
lb bag! But don’t feel cheated by the inert material in the fertilizer
bag. It’s needed to help distribute the fertilizer evenly and prevent
chemical burn on your lawn.
Easy To Follow Steps To A Better Lawn
Before
fertilizing, it is always a good idea to do a quick soil test to assess
the nutrient status and pH level of your soil. This is important
because when the pH of your soil is either too high or too low, it
reduces the ability of grass to grow.
Most
grasses grow best in soils with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. A soil pH
below 5.5 is considered to be acidic, and anything above 7.0 indicates
an alkaline soil condition. If the pH level of your soil is below 5.5,
you should consider an application of lime, and if it’s above 7.0, you
likely need an application of gardener’s sulfur.
When To Start Mowing
Mow
your lawn two to three days before weed and feed application to
stimulate weed growth. Yes, you want those weeds growing. Mow the lawn
at normal height, not lower or higher. Do not mow immediately before
application or you will cut the weeds too short, which prevents the weed
and feed product from sticking to the weeds.
Determining Your Lawn Size
Lawn
fertilizer is usually sold in 5000 square foot and 15000 square foot
bags. Simply measure the width and length of your lawn in feet. You can
just pace this out by walking. Multiply the width by the length. This is
the square footage of your lawn.
A
70 x 100 lawn is 7000 square feet. Then measure the square footage of
any non-lawn areas like your garden, patio or deck, driveway and the
home. Subtract those square footage totals from your lawn’s total square
footage for an accurate number to use in determining how much weed and
feed to purchase and use.
Fertilizer
will generally keep for a year, as long as it doesn’t get wet. so if you
can use the bigger bag in a years time go ahead and buy the larger
size.
How To Apply Weed & Feed For Best Results
Do not apply a Weed & Feed to any newly seeded lawns until after the second mowing to allow the grass time to mature. This is usually about 6 weeks after planting. Once the lawn has been mowed a second time, you can apply according to the directions on the packaging.
Mow your lawn to a normal height one to two days prior to application. Also, make sure temperatures are above freezing and below 80 degrees. Extreme temperature changes will lower your lawn’s ability for excellent results.
5 Easy Steps To Apply Weed and Feed To Your Lawn
- For northern grasses, your lawn needs to be wet, either through rainfall within the previous 24 hours or through watering the day before application. The moisture enables the fertilizer to stick to the blades of grass and to the weeds. It is also important that there is no rain predicted for 24-48 hours after application. Turn off any automatic watering system so that the Weed & Feed product has sufficient time to work. For southern grasses, your lawn needs to be dry when applying weed and feed. After application you must water in the product to activate it. You must use a weed and feed for southern lawns.
- Set your drop spreader to the correct setting according to the instructions on the bag. Fill the hopper with fertilizer. Fill it while on a sidewalk or driveway as you do not want to get a concentrated amount of fertilizer on the lawn should you spill some.Be careful not to get weed and feed on surrounding plants, as it will likely kill them. The spreaders have settings on them to control how much fertilizer is used. The correct setting will be listed on the fertilizer bag.
- Walk at an even pace, running your spreader around the outside borders of your lawn first, then in straight lines across the lawn. Do not overlap your application as it will apply too much fertilizer in one area and there is a possibility of burning the grass.Do not stop in one spot with the release lever open, as this put too much fertilizer in one spot and burn the grass. Never try to apply by spreading it with your hands or shaking it out of an old coffee can.
- Check the weather forecast before applying. Rain should not be forecasted for at least 24 hours after applying the fertilizer. The fertilizer should be applied on a calm day when there is little or no wind.
- When the lawn is complete, sweep away any fertilizer that has gotten on the sidewalk or driveway. Also, rinse out your spreader with plain water and allow it to dry. Make sure children and pets stay off the lawn until it dries completely, as the chemicals can be harmful to humans and animals.
Warm-season varieties like Bermuda,
zoysia, centipede and St. Augustine grow vigorously throughout much of
the year and tend to be a bit more high-maintenance. If you’re using a
high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer, an application every 90 to 120 days — at
the start of spring, summer and fall — will help keep your lawn green
and healthy year round. When using all-purpose fertilizers that
generally contain less nitrogen, you will want to fertilize every six to
eight weeks.
Cool-season varieties,
on the other hand, grow more quickly in the spring and fall. Fescue,
Kentucky bluegrass and rye are all examples of cool-season grasses.
Since cool-season grasses tend to be semi-dormant during the summer, you
can probably skip any summer applications, although you may want to
apply an insecticide from during July or August.
- Tip 1:
Avoid using weed and feed if you plan to reseed your lawn in the same
season. As a general rule, you can apply weed and feed in the spring and
overseed in the fall and be safe. Like all fertilizers, misuse can
result in damage to your lawn. Weed and feed is a handy product for
lawns that need added nutrition and weeds that need to be killed. - Tip 2: If
you have crabgrass, applying a weed and feed product won’t help you.
Yes, it will fertilize your lawn, but crabgrass preventer needs to be be
applied before the grass starts growing. Use Sta Green CrabEx Plus with
Fertilizer. - Tip 3: If you don’t have a crabgrass problem, just apply the weed and feed. Use Sta Green Weed and Feed.
Sta- Green Fertilizer at Lowes
Description 5000 Square Feet Bag
Sta-Green All Season Lawn Fertilizer (29-0-5) $12.97
Sta-Green Crab Ex (30-0-3) $17.97
Sta-Green Weed and Feed (28-0-4) $15.47
If
you don’t have a weed problem, consider just straight all purpose Sta
Green fertilizer. Or even an organic product like Milorganite or Scotts
Organic Choice.
If your lawn has weeds, it is important to use a weed and feed product instead of straight fertilizer because fertilizer alone will contribute to weed growth in the same way it contributes to grass growth. Lowes Sta-Green Weed and Feed products work great, kill the weeds while it fertilizes the grass and gives you a lush green lawn you can be proud of.
by Victoria Stone
The post Sta Green Weed and Feed: How To Apply appeared first on LowesEmployees.com.
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Hassan Abram 