So, you’ve noticed some weeds in your lawn, and maybe you forgot to fertilise a few weeks ago too. It might be easy to go straight for the ‘Weed n Feed’ and solve both problems in one go…but wait!
When you use combination products like ‘Weed n Feed’, you are doing a mediocre job of both removing your weeds and feeding your lawn.
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What is weed n feed?
Weed n Feed normally consists of a broadleaf herbicide and some sort of fertiliser component. It comes in a bottle which you attach to your hose and spray onto your lawn. The goal being to kill your weeds and to give your lawn a boost at the same time. Unfortunately, the results aren’t usually what you are hoping for.
Weed n Feed herbicide component
The active constituent in Weed n Feed is Dicamba. The rate of Dicamba present in Weed n Feed bottles is very low and isn’t very effective on most broadleaf weeds (hence the very cheap price of Weed n Feed) and you will usually need 2 or 3 applications to get a result.
Dicamba cannot be used on Soft-Leaf buffalo lawns such as Sir Walter DNA Certified, as it will cause the lawn to die back and turn yellow. This greatly limits the products use in the domestic market as a lot of home lawns in Australia are soft leaf buffalo.
Weed n Feed fertiliser component
Weed n Feed adds very little nutrient value to the grass. The fertiliser component mainly contains Nitrogen and Iron, which will give the plant a short boost of green colour, but usually contains zero Phosphorus and Potassium, so it does virtually nothing for the root strength and development of the plant. Which means it is hardly a fertiliser at all.
What should you use instead of Weed n Feed?
We recommend using a broadleaf herbicide and a lawn fertiliser separately to get the best results. This way you can ensure your lawn is getting all the essential nutrients it needs to thrive and then kill the weeds with a targeted herbicide.
Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser and Exceed Liquid Fertiliser are great options to give your lawn a full boost of essential nutrients. Exceed liquid fertiliser will give a quick but shorter boost while the granular premium fertiliser will slow-release over 8-12 weeks.
It’s important you use a broadleaf herbicide that is safe to use on your turf variety before application and that it is effective against the types of weeds you are spraying for. If you’re not sure which weeds you have, you can try to identify with our weed finder here or email through pictures and we can identify for you.
All Purpose weed control is great for a huge range of common broad leaf weeds and comes in an easy hose-on pack. We also have a range of herbicides for stubbourn and hard-to-kill weeds like winter grass killer for winter grass (poa annua).
Quality lawn care products don’t cost much more and will provide better results for you and your lawn. Shop our range here.
As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any help.
