When Should I Apply Weed And Feed?
When Should I Apply Weed And Feed?
For North Florida lawns we recommend clients apply Weed & Feed fertilizer and herbicides no sooner than March 1. Applying Weed & Feed fertilizer at the proper time is critical to its success in providing nutrition to your grass and eliminating and/or preventing new weeds. The University of Florida recommends considering the application of weed and feed beginning on February 15 for Central and South Florida and March 1 for North Florida. Some suggest waiting until the warm-season grass begins to green up on its own or until April to fertilize. “Waiting allows for more efficient use of the fertilizer. You will not injure your lawn by waiting to fertilize, but you can certainly injure your lawn by fertilizing too early,” writes Larry Williams, the Residential Horticulture Agent for the UF/IFAS Extension Office in Okaloosa County.
“Knowing how to manage and prevent weed intrusion is an important part of integrated pest management (IPM),” University of Florida Gardening Solutions. “Gardening Solutions has an extensive list of common weeds, and identifying plant pests is the first step to managing them effectively.”
Weed and Feed Fertilizers Additional Ingredients
Be aware that most weed and feed products include fertilizer and a post-emergent herbicide to kill existing weeds. At the same time, many also have a pre-emergent to prevent the germination of new seasonal varieties. Always read the product label and know that Weed and Feed fertilizer products are developed for specific grasses that may harm them if applied to other grasses. Read product labels along with purchase and use the appropriate time weed and feed designed for your specific lawn.
Crazy Weather Impacts When To Apply Weed and Feed Fertilizer
Average high and low temperatures per week heading out of Winter is the critical factor in when to apply weed and feed. North Florida lawns experience widely varied high & low average temperatures coming out of Winter. Rainfall is another crucial factor and is challenging to forecast with changing climatic conditions. Lower average temperature and increased precipitation would undermine any potential benefit of weed and feed application in North Florida in February. Applying Weed and Feed fertilizer too early results in the nitrogen in the fertilizer component benefiting the existing weeds and little to no benefit to the dormant sod. Excessive rain can result in Weed and Feed fertilizer being washed away and polluting nearby surface waters such as the St. Johns River, its tributaries, and area lakes.
Is Applying Weed and Feed Fertilizer Best For You?
Using fertilizer and spot treating for weeds is an alternative to Weed & Feed fertilizer. Be sure to test your soil pH, dethatch and aerate the soil, and have a system to ensure proper watering heading into Spring. Water restrictions for the City of Jacksonville loosen during Daylight Savings Time (Second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November), allowing twice-per-week residential landscape irrigation. You can learn more about Free Soil Testing in Northeast Florida.
Services
- Landscape Design & Installation
- Paver Patios, Paver Walkways, Paver Driveways
- Firepits, Retaining Walls, Seat Walls
- Landscape Lighting, Drainage design & Installation,
- Lawn Care Services, Lawn Maintenance, Lawn Fertilization
- Lawn Pest Control, Lawn Weed Control
- Aeration and Top Dressing
- Water Features, Koi Ponds,
- Waterfalls, Bubbling Fountains
- Garden Center & Pond Supply Store
General Services Areas
Jacksonville (Jax), Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Ponte Vedra, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Orange Park, St. Johns, Nocatee
Location
GARDEN CENTER
12501 Beach Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32246
LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS
(not open to the public)
St. Johns Bluff
1119 St. Johns Bluff Rd. N.
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Hours
Monday-Saturday 9-5
Sunday 10-5
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
New Year’s Day • Easter • Memorial Day
July 4th • Labor Day • Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve • Christmas Day
Seasonal Lawn Fungus Threats
Seasonal Lawn Fungus Threats
The seasonal lawn fungus threats are at their peak in Spring and Fall when nights are cool and humidity is high here in Northeast Florida. A good lawn fungus application is recommended. There are natural solutions such as baking soda and neem oil but rarely do lawn care pest control companies go that route for commercial applications.
A well-maintained lawn is the best defense against most lawn issues. A healthy lawn is less susceptible to long-term fungal disease outbreaks. Plus, minor outbreaks may go away on their own as some die with seasonal temperature variations and increases or decreases in rain and watering. Those same variations in temperature, water supply, and nutrition put the poorly maintained lawn at greater risk of damage from disease when an outbreak occurs. To understand this better consider that a healthy body heals quicker than a sick one.
Dethatching and aerating the turf along with the proper type of fertilizer at the proper timing for fertilization improves turf disease resistance. Mowing the grass at the proper height with a sharp blade likewise reduces turf disease susceptibility. And no good deed goes unpunished as putting out that same high nitrogen fertilizer you were using earlier in the year will mostly grow weeds and forms of fungus in the Fall. Reduce the days and duration of watering in the fall and increase again in spring.
Lawn fungus appears in many forms including white, yellow and brown patches, multiple colored spots on the grass blades, a powdery or stringy coating on the grass and slick, slimy darkened colored grass. Whatever type of fungus you may have, know that it spreads by spores. So walking on it increases the risk of spreading the spores to other parts of your lawn.
There are two types of lawn fungicides, foliar liquids and granular systemic. The liquid is fast-acting with less residual benefit whereas the granular works its way up through the root system over time. For long-term treatment, alternate both modes of application foliar and granular since different fungicides absorb differently and build resistance to treatments.
For seasonal lawn fungus here at Earth Works we use and recommend a broad-spectrum fungicide that is available in both foliar and granular form by the brand name HeadwayG with azoxystrobin & propiconazole. This treats various brown patches, rust, ring spots, powdery mildew, blight, red thread, and root rot. Typically treat twice and fourteen days apart. The untreated fungus can spread and be very damaging to the lawn over time. So don’t mow when the fungus is present which would encourage its spread.
Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Stop by our retail center or contact us online or by phone at 904-996-0712.
Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Services
- Landscape Design & Installation
- Paver Patios, Paver Walkways, Paver Driveways
- Firepits, Retaining Walls, Seat Walls
- Landscape Lighting, Drainage design & Installation,
- Lawn Care Services, Lawn Maintenance, Lawn Fertilization
- Lawn Pest Control, Lawn Weed Control
- Aeration and Top Dressing
- Water Features, Koi Ponds,
- Waterfalls, Bubbling Fountains
- Garden Center & Pond Supply Store
General Services Areas
Jacksonville (Jax), Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Ponte Vedra, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Orange Park, St. Johns, Nocatee
Location
GARDEN CENTER
12501 Beach Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32246
LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS
(not open to the public)
St. Johns Bluff
1119 St. Johns Bluff Rd. N.
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Hours
Monday-Saturday 9-5
Sunday 10-5
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS
New Year’s Day • Easter • Memorial Day
July 4th • Labor Day • Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Eve • Christmas Day