How to Use Weed and Feed for Lawns

When it comes to the revival of your lawn to bring it to the best condition both visually and health-wise, a lot of homeowners and lawn service companies in Oakville and Mississauga rely on the classic combination of fertilizer and herbicide, better known as weed and feed.

While the fertilizer here contains elements such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, the herbicide is a more toxic substance designed specifically to kill the existing weeds and prevent new ones from growing at the same time.

This combination of weed and feed for lawns is available in multiple forms, such as powder, pellets, and liquid, and is often applied as soon as weeds are visible.

In this post, we explore the concept of weed and feed for lawn revival, the right time for application, and how to use the same for the best possible results.

What is Weed and Feed?

Weed and feed refers to a specific type of lawn care product that includes both fertilizers for grass growth and weed killer for harmful weed control.

Using a combination of weed and feed for lawns under the guidance of the best lawn care in Mississauga can be great for the overall health of your lawn.

However, to get the best results, it is important to know the details of the product well, along with aspects such right time of application, ways to apply, and the precautions to take while using weed and feed products.

When is the Right Time to Apply Weed and Feed?

The best time to apply weed and feed is when weeds are actively growing. It is important to keep in mind that applying weed and feed during the wrong time, such as colder months, won’t have any impact as such on the lawn.

This is the reason why the best lawn service companies spread or apply weed and feed on wet grass by using a sprinkler to ensure that the chemicals or granules of the product stick nicely to the relevant parts of the weeds.

Other things that the best lawn care services ensure about the timing of the weed and feed application are as follows:

  • Choose the appropriate time when no additional rain is expected for the next few days for weed and feed application.
  • Avoid watering the lawn during this period, as this allows time for the herbicide to properly absorb into the leaves.
  • Professional lawn care in Oakville also takes into account the probability of rain, as it will wash off all the granules from leaves, and chemicals cannot be re-applied immediately due to the risk of chemical scorch.

Details and Usage of Weed and Feed Products 

The usage of weed and feed products can be summarized below:

  1. Any weed and feed formula should be applied to a damp lawn. It is also important to make sure that the lawn is neither mowed nor watered for at least 1 day or 24 hours.
  2. b. Top lawn treatment service providers suggest that the application of weed and feed chemicals is best suited in either spring or fall season when the weeds are actively growing.
  3. Lawn clean-up services also ensure to not apply weed and feed products to lawns that are located near drainage ditches, water supplies, or storm drains.

Apart from these, every weed and feed product or package should also offer a detailed list of the type of plants it kills, along with all the instructions for application and frequency.

How to Apply Weed and Feed – The Best Approach 

The easiest and fastest way to apply weed and feed to your lawn is by using a spreader set to the correct spreading rate.

For liquid weed and feed labels/products, it is best to use the sprayer recommended on the label and follow all the label instructions for both mixing and spraying.

For granule weed and feed products, it is recommended to use a drop-type or rotary spreader. This is simply because drop-type spreaders apply fertilizer in a precise manner in a narrow band directly below the spreader, whereas a rotary spreader applies the product over a much wider area.

If you wish to partner with a professional lawn care provider with expertise in landscaping for Oakville, they will ensure to mark out specific square meters on the yard or lawn space using either canes or pegs and string.

Further, the best lawn care in Mississauga also takes care of various other aspects while applying weed and feed. Among these are:

  • Wearing appropriate gloves and sprinkling the product evenly at an adequate rate of 1oz per square yard.
  • Ensuring to not overdose the lawn with fertilizers as it can damage lawns completely. They first spread the recommended amount of chemicals over one of the squares, wait to see the impact, and then follow the cue for the rest of the space.

Details of Herbicides in Weed and Feed Products

Most of the weed control or weed and feed labels come in multiple forms, including the following:

Selective herbicides

As the name suggests, these are the herbicides that kill certain specific weed species without leaving any impact on the growth of other herbs or plants.

Non-selective herbicides

Non-selective herbicides kill or wipe off everything they are applied on.

Contact herbicides

Contact herbicides typically kill plants on contact but often leave the rhizomes intact on the plants.

Systemic herbicides

Systemic herbicides refer to herbicides that are easily absorbed and spread throughout the plants, thus killing them completely.

Having a detailed knowledge of the kind of weeds you have helps, especially when choosing the correct herbicides in your chemicals/weed and feed label or product.

Precautions to Take During Weed and Feed Application 

When it comes to weed and feed treatment to revive your lawn, even the most professional lawn services in Mississauga ensure to follow certain precautions. Among these are the following:

  1. Keep pets and children away

It is best to keep children and pets away from the area of application. They can, however, use the treated areas once the weed and feed product has been completely watered in.

  1. Treatment of new lawns

All lawn clean-up services make sure to not use this product on the new lawn or the freshly-sown grass, especially within the first five-six months, or newly-laid turf or sod Oakville and sod Mississauga within the first few months, until the same is fully established.

  1. Keep grazing animals away

Another important thing to keep in mind is to keep grazing pets, such as rabbits, squirrels, etc., away from the treated areas for at least 4 weeks, as there is a risk of them swallowing the harmful chemicals.

  1. Follow environmental protection guidelines 

Another very important thing that lawn care companies in Mississauga take care of is following various environmental protection guidelines such as:

  • Using weed and feed chemicals or products only where there is a recognized need.
  • Not contaminating water with the chemicals/product or its container.
  • Never exceeding recommended application rate of the chemicals in use.
  • Avoiding emptying the residual products into drains.
  1. Maintain safety instructions 

Following all safety instructions is another important requirement for successful weed and feed lawn treatment. Among some of these are:

  • Always comply with various instructions for use to avoid risks to people and the environment. Keep away from food, drink, and animal feed.
  • Always wash hands and exposed body parts thoroughly after application.

In a Nutshell 

Weed and feed for lawns is an excellent way to promote a visually appealing lawn with healthy grass. Fundamentally, weed and feed is nothing but an effective weed killer that also serves up as a fertilizer.

When applied the right way or under the supervision of a professional lawn service by following all the instructions carefully, you can achieve your dream of the healthiest lawn within no time.

Choosing a professional service provider for weed and feed application and lawn care in Oakville offers a range of other benefits as these professionals have the required experience and expertise in terms of identifying the amount of product you need, where to apply it, when to apply and the best possible technique for weed and feed application.

By hiring a professional like Dependable Lawn Care, you not only ensure to give the best possible care to your lawn but also save a great deal of money that is otherwise spent on lawn maintenance.

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