doopstr

I'm trying to figure out what type of fertilizer I want to use on my lawn. What I have found searching the web is that there seems to be three types I can purchase in a bag. Those being chemical, biosolids (sewer sludge), and true organic.

I have read from people on both sides of chemical and biosolids. I can't find much on true organic other than the fact that its expensive.

I can't seem to find any facts about safety of any of this stuff. Just speculation.

What do you use and why?

Scrib

What kind of grass do you have?

I follow the Scotts 5-step program. Plus I do some applications of ironite throughout the season. Scotts is well-known and doesn't put shit in their products that do anything more than promote a healthy lawn.

Spring (around Easter) - Turf Builder With Halts; Step 1
Late Spring (Memorial Day) - Turf Builder® With PLUS 2® Weed Control; Step 2
Late Spring - Ironite Application
Mid June - GrubEX Grub control
Summer (Forth of July) - Turf Builder With SummerGuard; Step 3
Summer - Ironite Application
Late Summer (Labor Day; depends on temperature) - Turf Builder; Step 4
Mid September - Ironite Application
Late September (every other year) - Core Aerate
Late October, early November - Winterizer; Step 5

doopstr

I just moved in the house a few weeks ago. There is a good amount of bare areas and areas with moss. Most of the bare/moss stuff is under large trees. I think there is also a lot of areas with dead grass in it.

The best spot on my lawn has a pretty good chunk of Zoysia. I have experience with this type of grass. It's hardy but a pain in the ass to grow in NJ because the heat doesn't last long enough here.

Other than that I have the run of the mill Blue Grass/Rye/Fescue going on in my backyard. Crab grass seems to do well there too. In the front I get very little sun and I think the grass growing there is fine fescue.

A bunch of large trees were removed in a backyard within the last 8 years. As a result the backyard is very uneven. Hell there are rotting holes of crap in my backyard. I think am going to need to dig that out and put in topsoil. They basically ground up the stumps and did nothing with the resulting holes of ground up wood.

The area of "grass" between the sidewalk and the street is a complete disaster.

Since it's too late to seed, I'm just looking to give the ground some fertilizer to hold it over until next year.

I'll take some pics.

AcuraTL

Damn, that's alot of work.

JWhite1301

I follow this same system. At Home Depot they have a calendr you can hang up. It tells when do to everything. I do not do everything above, just the Scott's five fertilizers.

AcidHorse

I have Bermuda, and I just use a mix of Vigoro and Scotts. In the spring, when the weeds are rampant, I use Scott's Weed and Feed. Two months later, I use Vigoro Fertilizer only to get ready for summer. During the summer, Vigoro Fertilizer only to main tain the green during the summer. Before fall, I apply a mix of Scott's Winterizer and Weed Feed.

So far no problems and my lawn actually greens up in the spring first ahead of my neighbors'.