Have used five different brands on the lawn. A gardener said that the ONLY good way is to use 15-15-15 every three months and to not use Iron such as Ironite. Which fertilizer and schedule is the best for California ?
#2
Teds
Get your soil tested. That's the best way. It's not expensive, and you can apply what is actually required/needed. pH is important as well. It doesn't matter what you put down, if the soil pH is wrong the nutrients will be unavailable to the plant.
Like a fins single malt, well aged port or just plain old beer.
There is not such things as best for everyone everywhere.
There is the right one, for the right plants , growing in the right soils at the right times.
What you use in spring & summer will be different to what get used in winter & autum .
Then there is the soil type & soil moisture and you can have dozens of them in a single yard.
I bought a soil test kit from Ace Hardware last year and discovered I didn't have any problems over most of the lawn. I get some moss in some shade areas and some toad stools in a couple spots but spreading lime pellets helps that problem. Kit was low cost and I had instant results instead of having to send a sample off someplace.
Tom
#6
tom3
I can tell you what not to use. I've always had good luck with Scott's Weed and Feed, granules in the drop spreader. Have to get up early while the yard is wet to apply. But then I saw some Scott's liquid W&F, in the bottles with a hose attachment, got two bottles, seemed like a really good way to go. Just spray it on anytime conditions are right. Total disaster here. Killed maybe 50% of the weeds - ground ivy and such - and at least 30% of the grass. Big brown splotches and the weeds still thriving. My yard looks the worst ever since we moved in here 25 years ago. And a super wet and hot summer. Learned that lesson! I'd like to plow this all under and start over.
I bought a soil test kit from Ace Hardware last year and discovered I didn't have any problems over most of the lawn. I get some moss in some shade areas and some toad stools in a couple spots but spreading lime pellets helps that problem. Kit was low cost and I had instant results instead of having to send a sample off someplace.
