With our warmer-than-normal January, is it too early to apply the “early green-up” 15-5-10 called for in my fertilization schedule?
Having received numerous emails on the subject, I sense some important issues need to be cleared up before we apply it about two weeks earlier than normal. Some examples …
- Randy, you hinted that it may be time to put down the 15-5-10, but isn’t it too early, considering your schedule says "end of February, early March?"
Answer: It’s warm enough, and even if we get another cold front, it doesn’t appear that anything on the horizon will take us below freezing for extended periods. It’s mostly about soil temperature, anyway. One night with a few hours at 35 degrees is not enough to reduce soil temperatures that have warmed up considerably during the past few weeks. So, yes … apply now without any problems. Or, if you want, wait and stay true to the schedule.
- I been seeing 15-5-10 weed-and-feeds, with either Trimec or Atrazine. Which one do you prefer?
Answer: I don’t typically recommend any weed-and-feed products. You should only use a fast-acting, fertilizer-only formulation, the most common being Nitro-Phos Imperial 15-5-10. But how bad is your weed problem? If you have lots of broadleaf weeds, I will make a rare exception and allow the use of Trimec-based Nitro-Phos 15-5-10 Weed & Feed in the aqua-blue bag. BUT avoid the dark-blue bag that is Atrazine-based. Anyway, if you follow my schedule long enough, you’ll have a healthy yard and won’t need weed-and-feeds in the first place.
- I’ve been following the schedule, and the results have been great. In fact, my yard is already greener than any others near me, so do I really need the 15-5-10?
Answer: If you’re a longtime GardenLine listener, successful in all your gardening work, you should already know that the early green-up 15-5-10 is totally, completely, undeniably and most certainly OPTIONAL. If you’ve had success with the basic slow-release fertilizers and winterizer, you do not have to put out the fast-acting 15-5-10 at all. It’s only good for 30-45 days anyhow, and if you’re green now and you put the April 1 slow-release formula out per the schedule, you’ll be doing just fine. No one is going to force you to do anything else.
Now, if you still have questions about applying 15-5-10, give me a call on the radio show this weekend. Or, you can come meet me 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at The Arbor Gate in Tomball, where I’ll be doing an impromptu book signing for New Decade Gardening – A Gulf Coast Guide. Plus, I can show you all the appropriate products you’ll need to get busy with the schedule. And I can put a “pair of eyes” on samples of gardening problems you may have. The Arbor Gate is on FM 2920 about 1.5 miles west of State Highway 249.