On Jul 9, 12:34*am, blueman wrote:
First, I use a drop spreader rather than a rotary spreader since I
don't want the herbicide to hit the plantings bordering the yard.

So here is my paradox.
The Scott's weed & feed says to wet the lawn before using (presumably
so the herbicide granules can stick to the weeds better). However,
when I wet the lawn, some wet grass inevitably ends up running against
the drop-feeder slit which causes the fertilizer to cake-up and clog
the slots.

In summary:
1. If I don't wet the lawn first, then it spreads but it doesn't stick
* *to the weeds, so the herbicide doesn't work
2. If I wet first, then the drop spreader slits clog and I get neither
* *fertilizer nor herbicide action (or I end up opening the slits
* *wider by some random amount and get a random, uneven coverage)

So, what am I doing wrong and what should I be doing?

I never wet the lawn first but, if you do spreading in the morning,
grass here is usually wet with dew.
I use weed and feed sparingly, maybe every other year or less if weeds
become evasive. Otherwise it's pull them or spot spraying.