On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:34:31 -0400, 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?


That is the trouble with drop spreaders. There are broadcast
spreaders with some having a side guard to prevent spreading the
product on one side.

Weed-and-feed products are popular but very harsh on the lawn overall
and rarely recommended. Get yourself a good garden sprayer with a
brass wand and spot treat (on a windless sunny day) with Bayer,
Weed-B-Gone or Spectricide. If you clean out your sprayer each time
it will last a very long time. Eventually, if you are overseeding
you'll see fewer weeds each year--weed treatments would disappear, but
should become less time-consuming. Now, I just use a 32 oz trigger
spray bottle for the few weeds I get on an entire 1/2 acre of lawn.