Early this Spring we started our lawn on the Scotts annual lawn care program, a system designed to make it easy for homeowners to get their lawns looking great over a 12 month period. The program begins in the early Spring with application of a turf builder and crabgrass preventer, and proceeds throughout the year with products designed to kill weeds, promote root growth, and fill in bare spots. About four weeks ago we applied the late Spring weed and feed product: Turfbuilder with PLUS 2 Weed Control. The purpose: eliminate dandelions and other broad lead weeds and build strong, deep, thriving roots.
The Lawn Before a Weed and Feed Product
This is the part of the article where I show you what things looked like before we applied weed and feed. Unfortunately, due to operator error, I no longer have the picture. So, you’ll have to generate your own mental picture of the lawn. The lawn was about 95% tall fescue, and about a 5% mix of dandelions, clover, and a minimal number of other broad leaf weeds. The dandelions where tall and strong, with bright, yellow buds announcing their presence. The clover was much more subtle, but had grown to at least a 2′ x 3′ patch in one area of the lawn.
Applying Scotts Turfbuilder With Plus 2 Weed Control
We applied Scotts Turfbuilder with Weed Control using a typical broadcast spreader, one of several types of spreaders that are suitable for spreading lawn chemicals. Since we used a broadcast spreader as opposed to a drop spreader, we only made one pass over each section of the lawn, with the goal of only a slight overlap on each pass. This ensured the whole lawn was properly covered, but that no section was burned by application of too much fertiziler. We also took care to avoid garden areas completely, as weed and feed products hold the potential to destroy broad leaf flowers too.
Scotts Turfbuilder Review
We’re very pleased with how the product has performed to date. Here’s a picture of a typical dandelion about 4 days after the application of Scotts Turfbuilder Plus 2 Weed Control:
The first application has killed about 95% of all the broadleaf weeds in our yard within the first 7 days. The only exception to this has been the clover, which took much longer to die off. At four weeks, we’ve seen about 70% of the clover die off, and as the fescue builds deeper root structures and grows tall, the clover has had much less of an ability to spread.
In the latter part of our four week experiment, we had a series of days that alternated between rain and sun. Over this period, we saw the lawn take off. Here’s a shot during this period only seven days after the lawn had been mowed…
Pretty good looking right? We think so, and so would recommend Scotts program to folks considering it for their own lawns.
Tips for Using Scotts Turfbuilder with Weed Control
- Follow the instructions exactly as they are listed on the bag.
- Do not overapply the chemicals. The product can burn your lawn.
- Apply weed and feed a few days after mowing, and when the lawn is damp (either early morning, after rain, or after watering).
- Do not water the lawn within 48 hours of application. Avoid spreading when rain is imminent.
- Take care to avoid spreading in garden and path areas.
- Apply when broad leaf weeds are growing (early application is a waste).
- Don’t walk on the lawn barefoot until the first good rain dissolves all chemicals.
- Aerate your lawn sometime during the season. This promotes root growth and helps prevent thatch.
Thoughts on Professional Help
Spreading weed and feed is something you can easily do on your own, but if you’re considering professional help, Amy over at Green Gardenista offers some great advice on picking a lawn service that is a good place to start if you’re considering TruGreen or one of the other big guys.
What do you think? Have you used Scotts or another manufacturer’s weed and feed product? What were your results?
I’ve always thought it was a great product too!
When is weed and feed safe for little dogs after applying? I didn’t let my little in the yard until after it rained 1/2 inch. Is it safe now?
Have NO weeds in lawn. Have leftover Turfbuilder from Spring. Want to use for a follow-up feeding. Is it safe to use in 100% heat? Wet or Dry grass(No weeds), night time application, sprinkle before or after applying?
Thank you for assistance!
a friend recently seeded a new lawn on long island,ny and used turfbuilder plus 2 instead of starter fertilizer. will that prevent some seed germination?
I believe the Turf Builder plus is safe for new lawns at mowing height.
You don’t want to use Step 1 with crabgrass preventer. That, will prevent germination.
John Wilson,
Yes it will prevent ALL seed germination. The grass seed you put down went to waste, you now must wait till fail.
John Wilson,
Typo correction
You must wait till fall to re-seed again.
We put weed control down and my grass is burning up in different places what should i do
Terry, My non-professional advise would be to give those areas a good thorough watering to remove any additional weed control and avoid treating those areas for the rest of the season.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT AFTER APPLYING THE TB2 THEN SEEDING
I, myself applied scotts turfbuilder plus 2 weed control and I have noticed there is some yellow clover cropping up (never had this before) and I DO have a problem now with the violets creeping in from my bank!! oh…I am distressed, I have taken great strides in trying to maintain my front lawn (about 15000 sq ft) I live in upper New York and we have had alot of rain. After my application it DID NOT rain until 3 days so it did get a good start up time of killing power. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! thank you,
Gail
Do not purchase Scotts based on their rebates. I sent mine in completely filled out the first day and was denied because “It was faulty”. Usually a company mails you back the rebate materials and shows you where you went wrong.
My dog wants to eat scotts turf builder with weed and feed and its been on the lawn for three days. The pellets are still there and we watered and it rained. Worried about the dog injesting it. is it safe.
Sharon, you should water the lawn until the pellets are dissolved and not allow your pet to eat the pellets. They will make him sick.
I have used the Scotts dry drop products for years,usually with ok results.
The last two years my lawn has been invaded by a crab grass looking grass .I do not think it is crab grass considering I applied Halrts in the sp
I have used the Scotts dry drop products for years,usually with ok results.
The last two years my lawn has been invaded by a crab grass looking grass .I do not think it is crab grass considering I applied Halts in the spring and sprayed weed be gon in July.What ever it is it is still growing.
Any idea what this is and how do I get rid of it?
Ron, has it been very hot and dry where you are? Did you water your lawn throughout that period? Could be crabgrass even with Halts… the stuff is all over around here because of the drought conditions.
My dad always used this and always had a beautiful lawn. He gave us a bag which my son put down. Something must have been wrong with the spreader because it put out a lot more in some spots. The spots that got a lot were greener and denser than the other areas. (Possibly the other areas didn’t get anything at all??) I’m trying to learn about all this and will try again next year.
Question – I applied this weed and feed to my yard and approx 48 hours later it started raining and rained for a good 5 days – was that enough for the weed killer to be affective or will i need to reapply? Thanks in advance for any advice – i’m really new at growing lawns and have already burnt it once and dont’ want to risk doing it again but the weeds are taking over.
I used Scott’s turf builder plus 2 weed control on my lawn. The conditions were text book perfect. It’s been about five weeks now and the grass itself looks good but the weeds are still there. It did not touch the clover and there are still all kinds of weeds growing. The only thing it seams to have killed were the dandelion. I would not use it again. They must have changed there ingredients. I’ve had good luck in the past. I just might have to try this Pennington the have been competing with. 🙁
I applied your Weed n Feed on my lawn. I thought the rain was ‘gone’. Well, murphy’s law came to my lawn and it rained again (same day). Do I just waste the ‘weed’ part and all I really did was the ‘feed’ part?
thanks.
Will weed and feed kill the moss I am growing.
I used Scotts yesterday’s followed the directions on the bag. Today I came home from work and noticed that the lawn is browning. Less than 24 hour’s
Used Scotts Liquid Turf Builder plus weed killer twice. Weeds killed for the most part, but didn’t green up the lawn at all……dog droppings do a better job greening the lawn up but that’s spotty. Not sure I will buy Scott any more
Used Scott’s for the 1st time in May ,HORRIBLE …..had a fantastic lawn for 22yrs . It destroyed my front lawn. I never use it out back because of the dog, it burn it and now I have weeds everywhere they should pay to have it fixed .my back yard is fantastic . What’s in this crap. So mad right now grrr.
I bought and applied Scott’s Weed & Feed last April. Less than two weeks later my Havanese had a seizure and died 15 hours later before lab tests could come back. The next day the tests showed his liver was destroyed, highest count vet had ever seen. My precious Ollie had had completely normal liver on his recent blood tests. My dog was never outside but to potty. No mushrooms or any trash or things he could have gotten into. It was the weed & feed as sure as day turns to night. I’ll never get over losing Ollie. All my grass that was exposed to the Scott’s application died. All grass not exposed to it is fine. So obvious that it caused my pet’s quick and horrible death and the death of my plush green front lawn.
Have used for two years. lawn is green and nice as are the dandelions. My recommendation is NOT to rely on this product. Additionally, When attempting to claim the “guarantee” I got nothing but a runaround. I will NOT use it again.
I will no longer use scotts weed and feed it has not killed one weed and seems to have made all the weeds grow and not done any good to the grass. I have used scotts for over 30 years and the last two years something changed. My brother is having the same problem with the same results. He is looking for a better product too. I tried a cheaper brand that did work much better.
I paid over 60 dollars for this product at Lowes…I also took special care to apply as directed ..Only caused a sligh wilting of some clover which managed to come back, second time I have used this…will NOT use it again, way too expensive for obtained results
I used Scotts weed and feed and now my lawn has been taken over by crabgrass. One of the bags was damp inside and wouldn’t spread. What a waste of time and money. Now my lawn looks like sh@#$.
last year i used scotts and had ok results. Last week i used scott’s weed and feed. its been about 5 days and my yard seems to be browning. Its killing my centipede grass. can i put epsom salt down to help with the PH of my grass?