Sta Greencan I Use Sta Green From Lowes Weed Feed in Early Spring

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.

Lowes Sta Green Weed and Feed

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

johnsonoplauddly.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.lowesemployees.com/sta-green-weed-feed-fertilizer-application-instructions/

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