March 1 to April 1 is the time to apply fertilizer to your lawn here in North Texas and choosing the correct fertilizer can be tricky.  The first thing you need to know is how many square feet of lawn do you have? Everyone knows the answer, right?  Need help calculating the square footage of your lawn, click here!

Synthetic Fertilizers

In the Wells Brothers line of pro-grade fertilizer blends, we have 16-20-0 with 12% sulfur (been keeping Plano lawns green for over 50 years) and the high powered 28-6-6 has the 12% sulfur and 2% iron (for a little extra green). Wells Brothers also carries Ferti-Lome and HyYeild products. Rounding out the mix are some the proven performers 24-0-0, 13-13-13, 21-0-0 and 46-0-0.

Organic Fertilizers

The organic/all-natural fertilizers we offer include Texas Tee (6-2-4), Medina (4-2-3), LadyBug (8-2-4), Make it Green (10-1-1) and our flagship fertilizer, the world famous “Dirt Diet” (4-1-2).

All dry fertilizers require that they are watered in. I am now cautioning you about timing the rain. Too much water and you get runoff (a large factor for algae bloom in lakes) and too little water can cause damage with some products. This is one area that we can control and we should. Most folks have sprinkler systems. The question I ask is “how long does it take for the sprinkler system to put out 1 inch of water?” Most of the time, folks don’t know. The following link will help you calibrate the sprinkler system.

Now is the best time to apply pre-emergent herbicide. The synthetic products that Wells Brothers recommends are Gallery for the control of broadleaf weeds and Dimension for the grasses. A 10-pound bag of Gallery sells for $29.00 and will cover 2,000 square feet. This application will last around 4 months. Dimension is available in two sizes; a 12-pound bag that covers 3,500 square feet for $15.10 and a 35-pound bag that covers 10,000 square feet for $40.90. Dimension can be reapplied every 4 weeks.

The all-natural product is called Corn Gluten Meal. It comes in powder and granulated. The powder works faster but is a mess to deal with. The granulated is slower to activate but easier to apply. The application rate for both is 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. The price this year is $32.00 for a 40-pound bag of powder or granulated.

We get asked a lot about applying pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer at the same time. The answer is you apply one then the other. You do not mix them in the spreader at the same time.

Want to know the what, when and how much of lawn products? Follow our easy Lawn Product Application Guides for both Bermuda and St. Augustine lawns. Follow our plan for a healthy, weed free lawn!

Bermuda

St. Augustine

The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are slowly sinking. Now is the time to keep an eye peeled for fungus. Especially Brown Patch fungus. It will affect all types of grass but really likes St Augustine. The best ways to prevent Brown Patch fungus (and other lawn fungi as well) is to change the way we fertilize, water, mow, and maintain the mower. You should have already fertilized but if not stay away from water-soluble nitrogen (fast release), instead look for water-insoluble nitrogen (slow release or time release). During cool weather, we should only water in the morning and never in the evening. This methodology applies to spring watering. At the first sign of brown patch, start bagging the lawn clipping. The final step is mower maintenance. (Important safety tip to follow) With the mower turned off spray the tires, blades and underside of the deck with a 50% mixture of water and bleach. This will kill any attached fungal spores and keep it from spreading. Let it dry for about 20 minutes and you are good to go.

You should be on the lookout for fungal issues during this time of the year. Detecting a problem early makes it much easier to cure. If you find yourself with a fungal problem, there are both all-natural and synthetic fungicides available. One of the best in the all-natural arena is horticultural cornmeal. On the synthetic side is Ferti-lome’s Liquid Systemic Fungicide and their best is called F-Stop. Wells Brothers has F-Stop granulated in 10lbs, 20lbs bags, and F-Stop 32oz ready to spray. Fungicides only work if a fungus is present. There are no preventive fungicides, they are all curative. Remember this is a process, not an event. Please read and follow the label directions.