Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
msjam2

Lesco weed and feed?

msjam2
15 years ago

I applied SBM in March but my lawn is full of weeds! Dandelions everywhere!! So I bought a bag of Lesco 18-0- I forgot the last number, but anyway, I put it down yesterday and it rained. Did I just waste my 42 bucks? Any chance at all that it will work?

Lesson learned, read the instructions!!

Comments (8)

  • dchall_san_antonio
    15 years ago

    For $20 you can get a Weed Hound tool that allows you to stand up and pluck dandelions out of the ground.

    How high are you mowing?
    Where do you live?
    What kind of grass do you have?

  • msjam2
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Hi Dchall, I live in Flwermound, TX (by DFW). I mow at the lowest setting because I have Bermuda.
    I do have the weedhound and use it a lot but it doesn't look like I'm winning at all. There's a lot of baby dandelions everywhere that's why I bought a bag of Lesco weed & feed.

    Do you think I should apply the Lesco again? There's about a quarter of a bag left.

    Kimmsr, I know that the weed & feed isn't organic but with a 5 month old baby and a full time job, I only have an hour a day to take care of my yard, if that. I used to use CGM, it works great as a fertilizer, that's it.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    15 years ago

    I know that the weed & feed isn't organic but with a 5 month old baby and a full time job, I only have an hour a day to take care of my yard, if that.

    This is a consideration we never make in this forum, and maybe we should. Sometimes the use of a certain non-organic approach can whip a yard into shape quickly and then the owner can get back to an organic program immediately without the embarrassment of an ugly condition...but not in this case with that Lesco product. Weed and feed products have several issues. For the person trying maintain organic turf, the W&F product spreads herbicide over the entire yard whether it needs it or not. IF you were looking for a chemical product with much less of an impact on the yard, something like Weed-B-Gone spray allows you to spot spray only the leaves of the individual weeds without "terrorizing" the microbes in the rest of the yard. There are other reasons not to use W&F but for you that might be the most important. In a few words, W&F products usually do not produce the results you expect. If you still have weeds in two weeks (in other words let the current app of W&F try to do its job), then please consider a spot spray approach rather than the broad spectrum again. The organic spot spray is vinegar. It is a non selective plant killer but I've never seen it do any harm to bermuda. You might want to protect surrounding bermuda from overspray.

    The big picture issue is you have bermuda and you have limited time to care for it. Furthermore you are trying to be organic with it. Are you absolutely locked in to bermuda or would you be willing to convert to Floratam St Augustine which requires much less time to keep it looking nice. One thing to consider in the change is watering. St Augustine must be watered weekly throughout the summer or it will die out. For an alternative that will not die out but requires less input, there is Tech Turf, a variety of buffalo grass out of Texas Tech. It is a little expensive but it is very easy to handle at any mowing height. The issue with that is shade. It will not grow under any shade. The same company, Turffalo, that sells Tech Turf also sells a very shade tolerant zoysia called Shadow Turf. It is also expensive, but both grasses spread to fill in one season. If you planted Tech Turf in the full sun and Shadow Turf under any trees, they will blend at the edges.

    I'm just afraid that trying to maintain an excellent looking bermuda lawn on a limited time budget is going to be a headache for you whether you are organic or not.

  • janie_gzlz
    14 years ago

    Hello, I live in Fort Worth, Tx and my husband purchased a bag of Lesco Feed & Weed. I don't see any setting for the Scott's Drop Accugreen 3000, would anyone know what setting would have to be used. Thanks

  • garycinchicago
    14 years ago

    >"would anyone know what setting would have to be used"

    Spreader settings can be found at lesco.com or call your local dealer.

  • atlntcblu
    14 years ago

    I am wondering why a TOXIC SYNTHETIC fertilizer is being discussed on an Organic forum. I don't know if you are aware that sythetic fertilizers are just industrial toxic waste. For proof check this site. http://www.pirg.org/toxics/reports/wastelands/WasteLands.pdf Heavy metals that have horrible negative health effects, which may include cancer if herbicide is in the mix. Or that they only feed the grass but strip the soil of vital nutrients and organisms. Or that Dandelions roots are actually a medicinal plants for Alternative Medicine. We are POISONING THE PLANET. And the Effects on human and animal health is almost to the point that no one will be immune to knowing someone dying of cancer. We need to realize that POISON BY ANY NAME IS STILL POISON. Stop Poisoning America. It could mean your life or someone you love. Here is a link for Organic Lawn care that works pretty well. You need a little patients and some tolerance for a weed or two. It may not be perfect but then NOTHING On this planet will ever achieve that anyway, so stop trying. Here is the link for a safer way to care for you lawn. You really can't be caring for your lawn if you are POISONING IT. http://www.healthylawnteam.org/lawnCare-seasonal.htm

  • texasredhead
    14 years ago

    At one time on the old Prodigy garden boards, there was a board headed, "Integrated Lawn Care". It was an interesting mixture of organic and inorganic methods.

    I have received a couple of emails lately asking for sources of corn gluten meal in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Evidently they saw some of my old posts about the product. The interesting thing about CGM is that it's really only effective on annual weeds. On the other hand, it does a marvelous job of fertilizing perennial weeds such as dollar weed and wild strawberries.

    Bottom line, this time of the year, I use Scotts Bonus S, which is formulated for St. Augustine lawns. Sorry guys.