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.

We are at the beginning of Spring fertilizer season and it’s time to prepare. The question we ask when it comes to fertilizer is the size of the lawn. The most common answer is average. We are actually looking for the number of square feet of grass. It doesn’t have to be to the foot but since the average is 1,000 to 7,000 any number is better than average.

The one thing that is for certain, we all need to apply nitrogen (the first number in fertilizer) a couple of times a year. Nitrogen is the big consumable in fertilizer. It is used for plant growth and it can also evaporate and be washed off. Phosphate and potash (second and third numbers) can be anywhere from too much to non-existent. A soil test will help you determine if there is enough or not enough of these nutrients (and others) in the soil. By the way, Wells Brothers does soil testing.

We all need to apply a measured amount of water to the applied fertilizer. Not enough water can cause burning with synthetic fertilizers (mainly from salt) and too much will cause runoff. Fertilizer runoff has been linked as one of the causes of algae blooms in lakes and ponds. If you use the correct amount of fertilizer it will take less water to get it to where it needs to be. Because some types of water restrictions are the new normal, it is tempting to get that fertilizer out before the rain. I am telling you it is a bad idea to apply fertilizer before a rain for the reasons stated above. However, it is a very good idea to apply your fertilizer after a rain when the ground is wet. You still need to put some water on it but it will only take a small amount. See more about fertilizer help by clicking here.

Some of the all-natural fertilizers we offer include Texas Tee (6-2-4), Medina Dry (3-2-3), and Make it Green (10-1-1). Our flagship fertilizer is the (almost) world famous “Dirt Diet”. It is a 4-1-2 in a 50# bag.

Synthetic fertilizers include Wells Brothers own 16-20-0 and 28-6-6. Both of these have 12% sulfur and the 28-6-6 contains 2% iron. We also carry 21-0-0, 13-13-13, 46-0-0 and the exceptional 24-0-0. Rounding out the mix is a good selection of Ferti-Lome and Hy-Yield products.

If your lawn or garden soil is in need of a particular item, chances are we have it. Wells Brothers has a fertilizer bar. Since we are happy all the time there is not a specific happy hour! Armed with detailed soil analysis and the proper nutrients, a lawn or garden can grow beyond expectation. Below are the macro and micronutrients we carry. Some of these products are available in both large and small quantities.

Macronutrients:

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S);

Micronutrients:

Boron (B), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn).

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

Within a month it will be time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to the lawn for spring weed control. What you need to know is “how many square feet of lawn you have”. Pre-emergent herbicide does one thing, stops weed seeds from growing. There is no fertilizer in pre-emergent herbicide.

The synthetic products that Wells Brothers recommends are Gallery for the control of broadleaf weeds and Dimension for the grasses. The 10-pound bag of Gallery will cover 2,000 square feet. This application will last around 4 months. Dimension is available in a 12 pound bag that covers 3,500 square feet and in a 35-pound bag that covers 10,000 square feet. Dimension can be reapplied every 4 weeks.

The all-natural product is called Corn Gluten Meal. It comes in a 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.
We get asked a lot about applying pre-emergent and fertilizer at the same time. The answer is you apply one then the other. Do not mix them in the spreader at the same time.

Check out our February coupons for savings on synthetic pre-emergents Dimension, Gallery, and all natural Corn Gluten Meal.

Check out the Wells Brothers easy to read Lawn Product Application Guides for the application of fertilizers and pre-emergent. We have guides for both Bermuda and St. Augustine lawns. I hope these will fit your need. Please note that these are guides. Weather conditions such as rain and heat will alter the timing of these products.