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emund_gw

Fertilizer in Summer

My spring heavily overseeded TTTF back lawn is looking yellow in many places. The guys at the local turf store claim I should apply 12-12-12--even though they didn't see the lawn. I'm also getting some weeds since I have only used Tupersan/Siduron to control weeds this year. I'm thinking about re-applying Anderson's 12-24-12 with Siduron around the 4th of July but am concerned about stressing the lawn with the hotter July and August months around the corner. Normally I would not consider this, but I am concerned about the lawn Nazi (HOA) coming down hard on me for the yellow lawn. As a result, is there a material risk to my lawn--under normal conditions--to applying the Anderson's 12-24-12 at the beginning of July in Michigan? Thanks for your insights!

Comments (4)

  • yardtractor1
    9 years ago

    Nearly all turf programs recommend no more than 3# of N per year for fescue and most recommend 2#. The consensus is 1# in September and another lb. as a winterizer in November. Some recommend a lb. in the early spring. As with any turf summer apps generally should be avoided due to higher incidences of disease, and as I recall, fescue has a higher likelyhood of disease due to N apps. You might be better served looking into the addition of iron. A soil test could help you determine if and what the deficiency is.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    9 years ago

    You can apply an organic fertilizer like alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) any day of the year without fear of hurting anything. A lawn guru called morpheuspa, in eastern PA, tried overdosing with soybean meal and Milorganite by applying twice the bag rate every single weekend throughout the year. Here was his lawn in July 2010.

    {{gwi:81154}}

    I should mention that his grass is not the same variety of Kentucky bluegrass as his neighbors, but their lawns are obviously highly stressed and his is gorgeous! He also fine tunes his soil chemistry with annual soil testing.

    Note also he has no weeds. He does not use any herbicides, so don't rely on the Scott's commercials to inform you on how to get rid of weeds. Weeds are controlled by proper watering, mowing, and fertilizing. Watering should be deep and infrequent (1 inch all at one time every week). Mowing for northern grasses should be at or near the highest setting on your mower. Fertilizing should be once in late spring (Memorial Day) and twice in the fall. If you want to do something else, then use organics whenever you like. Obviously it works.

  • Emund (USDA Zone 6a)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Awesome, thanks for the feedback. My local ACO hardware is selling 50lb Milorganite bags for $4.39 given its transition to ACE hardware. Everything must be liquidated first. Nice price so I loaded up for the rest of the season.

  • morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
    9 years ago

    Mind you, I irrigated as well once a week, all at once, about 0.75"-1" at a time.

    I did set off a slightly whiffy odor at times, but other than that...I found out that no, you cannot overdo organic fertilization on KBG, at least!

    There's no need to go overboard. Using Milorganite, 20 pounds per thousand square feet per month will provide more than sufficient feeding for any lawn. For fescue, I'd probably hit it in July, September, and October--and the only reason I recommend July is because you're reporting yellowing.

    I put my blog in the URL link, there are photos from yesterday up. I've stepped back on feeding since 2010, and now only water when it's really badly shocked. I watered right after photographing the lawn and gardens--it's shocked.

    Here is a link that might be useful: My organic lawn/gardening blog