Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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fun4me2
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Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by fun4me2 » September 12th, 2020, 8:41 am

Found this at Walmart.....

Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III it has prodiamine. $7.00 for 5M

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Expert-Garde ... gIPH_D_BwE

Wondering what opinions are on this for the Spring app.
I actually used the Expert Gardener Fertilizer 30-0-4 with Iron for my Labor Day App and love the results so far. :good:

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andy10917
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by andy10917 » September 12th, 2020, 8:58 am

If you're doing the Fall Nitrogen Regimen, you won't likely need to be applying that much Nitrogen when the Forsythia bloom in the Spring, but it's your call. That's the time/window for Spring Pre-M app.

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ken-n-nancy
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by ken-n-nancy » September 12th, 2020, 9:35 am

fun4me2 wrote:
September 12th, 2020, 8:41 am
Found this at Walmart.....

Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III it has prodiamine. $7.00 for 5M

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Expert-Garde ... gIPH_D_BwE

Wondering what opinions are on this for the Spring app.
As Andy mentions, applying this at the time of forsythia bloom in the spring is earlier than preferred for that much nitrogen.

However, if one has issues with Poa annua, it would be a good product to put down at the end of the summer (now, or a couple weeks ago), in order to use a pre-emergent to reduce the incidence of Poa annua germinating at this time of year.

The label indicates that it is mostly quick-release nitrogen, (about 20% of total weight) but does have a significant fraction (10% of total weight) of slow-release (polymer-coated) urea, so one needs to be a little more cautious when using it as the first fertilization to kick off Fall Nitrogen Regimens.

fun4me2
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by fun4me2 » September 12th, 2020, 2:17 pm

Thanks andy and ken-n-nancy I guess I'll pass on the $7.00 deal.
I did apply milo bag rate on Aug. 15 to "wake up" the lawn.
Due to heat and lack of rain early on never applied a
synthetic fertilizer this season to the lawn.
I applied the whole bag of 30-0 4 expert gardener fertilizer with iron just before Labor Day at bag rate.
Lawn is liking it all.
I'm doing the "standard" fall regime, so I guess the next time I apply the 30 0 4 will be around mid November.
Although I did wonder if I could drop another bag of 30 0 4 at the beginning of October seeing the lawn did not
get any May fertilizer and omit November or.... drop another bag in November.
Maybe too much?
this is the one I used
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Expert-Garde ... /703225522

fun4me2
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by fun4me2 » September 12th, 2020, 2:29 pm

Ok, I'm hitting myself on the forehead.....
What ever made me think that I can drop another whole bag of 30 0 4 ...30 days after the first one.
when I will probably will be experiencing "the pause".
I think it's my graceful aging taking a left turn. :no:


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ken-n-nancy
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by ken-n-nancy » September 12th, 2020, 4:07 pm

fun4me2 wrote:
September 12th, 2020, 2:17 pm
I applied the whole bag of 30-0 4 expert gardener fertilizer with iron just before Labor Day at bag rate. ...

...this is the one I used
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Expert-Garde ... /703225522
I'm having trouble reconciling what you say above, specifically the part below:
  • "... the whole bag of 30-0-4 ... at bag rate ..."
with the lawn size listed in your profile (1000 - 3000 sqft) as "bag rate" would be the whole bag on a 5000 sqft lawn.

How big is your lawn?

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andy10917
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by andy10917 » September 12th, 2020, 4:16 pm

Hahaha, K&N !!! I caught the same item and was in the process of writing:
I applied the whole bag of 30-0 4 expert gardener fertilizer with iron just before Labor Day at bag rate.
Lawn is liking it all.
and then saying =I'm glad the lawn liked it" as often a double-dose (a 5,000 bag used on a lawn of < 3000 sqft is going to conjure up a name called "disaster". I'm not trying to chide you, but man, read the bag multiple times before applying things like that. You will only need a single experience of too much Urea at once to remember it for life. It happened to me 40 years ago and the result didn't make Dad a happy camper....

fun4me2
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by fun4me2 » September 13th, 2020, 6:57 am

OMG!! ...I see why the confusion.
My profile is 1000-3000 sq ft however my whole lawn is 5,000 sq ft.
Last year my back lawn was a disaster and deceided to only concentrated on my front (2,500 sq ft).
so I changed my profile at that time.
This year I was doing the whole front and back lawn (5,000 sq ft)
So......the whole bag applied was for the entire 5,000 sq. ft.
I forgot to change it on my profile, will do so now.
I apologize.
So I guess my next drop will be in Nov. to the "whole" 5,000 sq ft. as I've done since 2013 :good:
and in the Spring get some Prodiamine for my pre M
I saw on Ebay that they sell it in smaller quantities,
which would be easier on my finances. (70 yrs + and doing the best I can on a fixed income) :)

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andy10917
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by andy10917 » September 13th, 2020, 9:30 am

Alright, that clears up some questions, but I'd like to hear what you're thinking for the "November" application. Is that the last "winterizer" app? If so, I'd encourage you to read the "Pause" and Late Fall sections of the "Fall Nitrogen Regimens" thread for the signals and timing of that last app - there are things that you need to understand about making that app at the right time.

After you've read it, let's chat about the open question you may have. OK?

fun4me2
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by fun4me2 » September 13th, 2020, 12:01 pm

andy10917 wrote:
September 13th, 2020, 9:30 am
Alright, that clears up some questions, but I'd like to hear what you're thinking for the "November" application. Is that the last "winterizer" app? If so, I'd encourage you to read the "Pause" and Late Fall sections of the "Fall Nitrogen Regimens" thread for the signals and timing of that last app - there are things that you need to understand about making that app at the right time.

After you've read it, let's chat about the open question you may have. OK?
pulls up a chair.....
Ok.... reread the Pause and Late Fall Sections...
My interpretations is...
When we have the first frost you are suppose to stop nitrogen applications (which I have never done the aggressive regime)
so there's that.
So now using the standard I keep mulch mowing the grass and the leaves until...
when I think the grass may have stopped growing...
checking with my grass catcher and...
if I still see grass....keep mowing and check it again later.
Once there is no grass...it means the grass stopped growing.
There is a 3 week window that the grass will store the fertilizer.
I can then apply my last application of fertilizer all at once during this period.
This has been always just before Thanksgiving (November)
This is what I've been doing all along with my synthetic fertilizer.
I'm thinking you're going to tell me it's not the right thing to do with synthetic fertilizer. :confused:
I do have a question, I have been using a "light frost" as a marker. Is that ok?

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ken-n-nancy
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by ken-n-nancy » September 13th, 2020, 10:02 pm

fun4me2 wrote:
September 13th, 2020, 12:01 pm
Ok.... reread the Pause and Late Fall Sections... My interpretations is...

When we have the first frost you are suppose to stop nitrogen applications (which I have never done the aggressive regime)
so there's that. ...

... checking with my grass catcher and... Once there is no grass...it means the grass stopped growing. ...

This has been always just before Thanksgiving (November)
A good summary. You got the most important part right, which is how to tell when the grass growth stops. Then, and only then, should you apply that final fertilizer. Not when the grass has slowed down significantly, not when it has mostly stopped, but when it has actually stopped.

However, there is one minor discrepancy in your recap, but an important one. The goal is to stop nitrogen applications (i.e. commence "the pause") about one month before top growth is going to stop. The time that Andy recommends in the article for when to commence the pause is to use the "average first frost" for your location. That recommendation presumes that people haven't previously paid close attention to when growth stoppage typically occurs in their lawn, and also has a few weeks of margin built in for safety's sake.

You should *not* use the actual first frost date as that indicator (whether light, medium or heavy). The actual first frost date can easily vary by as much as a month or more (2-3 weeks earlier or 2-3 weeks later than the average) and will not be as well correlated with the stoppage of top growth as the average first frost date. In five years of keeping close track of "growth stoppage dates" for our lawn, it has varied by less than a week for each section of the lawn, while the actual first frost date has varied by over a month.

However, it sounds like you have kept track for a few years and have learned that your growth stoppage happens just before Thanksgiving. I'd suggest backing up 5 weeks from then, and using that date as the date to commence "the pause" in your lawn. However, if you're going to start the pause to only 5 weeks before top growth stoppage, make sure any fertilizer applications you make in the month leading up to that are all fast release, so that you don't have fertilization continuing into the pause by the slow-release nitrogen becoming available.

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andy10917
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by andy10917 » September 14th, 2020, 8:17 am

+1. "The Pause" is used to be long enough to let the grass return to its normal rhythm and end the growth-promotion properties that come from Urea applications. It's critical, as the grass will not approach stoppage if Urea use is continued. Frost does not stop grass growth, but is correlated with the cooling of the soil. First Actual Date is not correlated well with the cooling cycle. Always use the Average First Frost date unless you have enpirical evidence of when actual growth stoppage occurs.

fun4me2
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by fun4me2 » September 14th, 2020, 11:54 am

Thank you both for your very helpful explainations.
I very much appreciated your time.

Jackson
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Re: Expert Gardener Crabgrass Preventer Plus Fertilizer III

Post by Jackson » September 16th, 2020, 2:09 am

Thanks for the heads up. Picked up a few bags.

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