# Winter Fertilizer in Wisconsin



## Dimerien (Oct 18, 2018)

Good Afternoon,

I hope this is the correct place to post...

Not sure what grass-type I have as I am taking care of my mother's lawn and the unexpected passing of my father. But since in SE Wisconsin I'm guessing it's a cold grass.

I gave the lawn a dose of Scott's Weed + Feed in Spring but did not fertilize yet this Fall. Is it too late? Should I go straight to the Winterizer Lawn Fertilizer 32-0-10?

I should add that I live in SE Wisconsin and dandelions started popping up again in low numbers at the end of September. I plan on mowing it on the highest setting one last time before I apply. We have already had a frost are in the low 40's for daily temps, although temps can greatly vary in SE Wisconsin. Should I use JUST the weed + feed and skip the winterizer since dandelions have been popping up?

Thanks,

Jordan


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes use the weed and feed. It has a higher percentage of fast nitrogen (ideal now). It won't fully take care of the weeds. Weed b gon would be faster.

I don't recommend keeping the lawn at the highest setting(4in?) going into winter. I think 2in is ideal and other members like the 3in height.


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## Dimerien (Oct 18, 2018)

g-man said:


> Yes use the weed and feed. It has a higher percentage of fast nitrogen (ideal now). It won't fully take care of the weeds. Weed b gon would be faster.
> 
> I don't recommend keeping the lawn at the highest setting(4in?) going into winter. I think 2in is ideal and other members like the 3in height.


Thanks for the speedy response. I plan on mowing in a couple hour here once it warms up so thanks. I will be applying weed and feed afterwords. Should I skip the special winterizer fert all together since my weed and feed is so late?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Try to get 1lb of Nitorgen per ksqft. The products are all made from the same stuff at different ratios with a marketing term (winterizer). Since you are late and have the weed and feed at hand, use it. Avoid mowing if there is frost on the lawn.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Dimerien said:


> g-man said:
> 
> 
> > Yes use the weed and feed. It has a higher percentage of fast nitrogen (ideal now). It won't fully take care of the weeds. Weed b gon would be faster.
> ...


@Dimerien, wet the grass slightly as per the instructions if you want the herbicide in the weed and feed to work, and then don't water in for several hours or wait until the next day. Not doing so would be a waste, imho.

Personally, I would not use the 32-0-10 past August or September because the potassium might increase snow mold (disease) issues. I was using Scotts Step 4, which is basically the same thing, in the Spring to get some Nitrogen and Potassium down. Scotts got their timing wrong!


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

I posted to your other response on ATY but I will comment on here as well. You have had your first few frosts already as I live west of you so I know for sure. The grass is going into survival mode now getting ready for winter. It is not a good time to fertilize to promote top growth. You missed that window. You will want to wait till top growth has COMPLETELY stopped and then you have roughly two weeks to put down a winterizer. So that means when you go out to mow at your winter height of cut which should be lower than summer. Roughly 2"-3". And you don't cut anything. That's when it's time to"winterize" Straight urea. Not a big box store "winterizer".


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## Dimerien (Oct 18, 2018)

Thanks for the responses... I actually went ahead and put down the scott's fall weed and feed today after a shortish lawnmower cut. I was in a rush to get out there before our light showers tomorrow and didn't read replies on time.

i lightly applied two 15,000 sq ft bags to my 40,000 sq ft property. I chose the weed and feed because the dandelions were bugging me and I was told the weed and feed would help stunt weed growth next spring. Also because I believe the grass is still growing, the weather somehow got to almost 60 degrees today.

Could I still apply urea in a month once the grass completely stops growing or would that be overkill?

Thanks for the replies.


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

Looks like you got your answer over on ATY. Its going to be hard to tell if your top growth has stopped long enough before the roots are done taking in food for winter. Might just have to leave it till spring now.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Rucraz2 said:


> Looks like you got your answer over on ATY. Its going to be hard to tell if your top growth has stopped long enough before the roots are done taking in food for winter. Might just have to leave it till spring now.


Yes. And...It's possible this app will actually kind of function as the Winterizer even though the timing is off, especially due to the trickle from the methylene urea. It wasn't a really high rate that was applied, so it probably won't push growth that much in the short term. I was actually more interested in whether the OP applied it to wet grass in order for the herbicide to work. If not, the dew might help in the morning after the frost melts, though. All-in-all, it's not really the end of the world (lawn). It may not be optimal, but a lot of people do things at times that aren't totally optimal, but they still kind of function.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Dimerien said:


> Not sure what grass-type I have as I am taking care of my mother's lawn and the unexpected passing of my father. But since in SE Wisconsin I'm guessing it's a cold grass.


Sorry about that major loss of your father.


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## Dimerien (Oct 18, 2018)

Thank you, I'm only 24 years of age which makes the loss more challenging in some respects. I have zero home owner experience aside from chores such as occasionally mowing and pulling weeds as a kid. I enjoy the process of learning new things and appreciate the help.

I applied the weed and feed to damp grass from the previous night's dew. It also rained lightly for 1-2 hours today. I can't necessarily use a hose to reach the back end of the almost 2 acre property so wetting the grass seemed to big a task yesterday. I might do a light application of urea in a couple weeks once growth stops completely.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Dimerien said:


> Thank you, I'm only 24 years of age which makes the loss more challenging in some respects. I have zero home owner experience aside from chores such as occasionally mowing and pulling weeds as a kid. I enjoy the process of learning new things and appreciate the help.


A friend of mine lost his dad when he was around 22.

I was about 24 when I really started to get into this stuff. I always had an interest to some degree, but didn't do much with it until around 2010. There was a lot to learn overall the first year especially. Now I focus on specific ideas I want to understand better. But my motivation was having a nice lawn.

The most important thing I wish someone had told me about lawn care in the beginning, 8 years ago, is that the research and ways of doing things will change. You're not necessarily totally "wrong" by doing something at the supposedly "wrong time" with respect to the weather. Also, sometimes doing something is better than doing nothing. That said, you get better with timing things like fertilizer or watering as you go.

If you're really interested, use the heck out the knowledge of people with more experience, but don't be intimidated by anyone. That's one way to gain experience faster. Lawn care is also a really good way to calm down when things are bothering you. I think that's why a lot of people do it.

As far as the weed and feed, you did it as best anyone could. But there's a limit to how well those products work, because they're granular. Hopefully it will kill some weeds for you.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

As far as fertilizer...

Sounds like the last time before this was Spring, so you were due for more...just a few weeks late. Being late just means that the grass probably won't use most of it, and some of what it does use might promote new growth that could be damaged in the Winter, or might cause it to not slow down as soon as it should. But it's not the end of the world and here's why...

Some of the Nitrogen is slow release...about 1/3 of it.

We can calculate everything if you'd like to see how much of what was being put down...


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

Completly agree green. I wish I knew as much years ago as well. I always did what everyone else said to do and still couldn't get that "elite" lawn I was looking for. I didn't find out about this site and ATY till right before we moved. So I got a little bit of practice before jumping from an easy 8k lawn to a 42.5k lawn. Just read and you will find out who knows their stuff and learn. I know I don't know much compared to many on here. Or that's how I feel anyways. And what works for one guys yard might not for another. Ive mentioned before lawncare is similar to healthcare. You can give everyone the exact same dose of medicine our vaccine. But it might not work on everyone. Same as turf. Just follow Connor ward. He breaks every rule in the book and his lawn is gorgeous. Just check his YouTube channel.


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