# Over fertilized - how to fix?



## Jeekinz

You have to keep watering it.....really soak it as much as possible. If you already see brown spots, there will definately be more coming. I burned two areas in my lawn last year using Weed & Feed. Now I just use Scotts because it wont hurt the lawn.

Let it run it's course. You can reseed in a month, then you'll have a nice lawn in the spring.


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## DIY4EVER

gshock---- Jeekinz is on the money. Try to flush the area with water as soon as possible. Really soak it. This will help dilute the fertilizer. It is also necessary to water the lawn very thouroughly after applying fertilizer to get the chemicals watered in and diluted so they don't have a chance to cause harm. Also, as Jeekinz said, look for a brand that says "Will not harm/burn lawn" on the label. Once the grass turns brown, the damage is already done. You will just need to let t run its coursse. This is commonly referred to as burning. don't feel bad....it is very easy to do and everyone does it until you get the hang of it. 

I would recommend to set your spreader according to the instructions on the bag of fertilizer. It is also a good idea to match your spreader to your fertilizer...for example, Scotts spreader with Scotts fertilizer. Also, never leave any fertilizer in the spreader between uses. Any humidty or moisture will start to dissolve the fertilizer and clog the openings....not good! Hose it out and let it air dry between uses.


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## gshock

Thanks for the tips. It rained the next day after the fertilizer was put down. Hopefully, the damage won't be too bad. But I have a TON of seed that I can use to reseed the lawn. I think she does have a Scott's spreader, and Scott's fertilizer. She told me that what she got was part of a 4-step plan to kill the weeds and crab-grass, but she calls everything fertilizer. So I didn't realize that this was "fertilizer." I thought it was like Scott's turfbuilder, or something similar. 

I'll let it sit for a few more weeks, then I'll reseed and water the crap out of it.

Thanks again, Fellas.


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## rjordan392

Some or all bags of seed have a "use by date". Check and see what you got.


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## gshock

rjordan392 said:


> Some or all bags of seed have a "use by date". Check and see what you got.


I didn't realize that. I have some stuff from last year. Will it hurt the lawn if I use seed that's out of date? Even if it doesn't grow, it can't hurt to put it down, can it? After all, it's no good anymore, right?

Thanks for the advice.


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## rjordan392

It won't hurt anything except your expectations if it does not grow.


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## gshock

Nah, I don't mind. I have a big bag of landscaper's mix that I used to replant my lawn, and it worked really well. I also have a little left over from last year in separate bags. I'll just dump it all on and see what happens.

Thanks for the help.


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## Sammy

The proper position to take here is to tell you Girlfriend that the brown spots are supposed to happen because you are preparing the soil for the normal fall "overseeding" and this will help eliminate the weeds. [but water it a lot in the meantime] Then overseed in Sept or so and next spring it will grow like wildfire.


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## gshock

Sammy said:


> The proper position to take here is to tell you Girlfriend that the brown spots are supposed to happen because you are preparing the soil for the normal fall "overseeding" and this will help eliminate the weeds. [but water it a lot in the meantime] Then overseed in Sept or so and next spring it will grow like wildfire.


Sammy, I like your thinking here. She's already stressing about it and wondering if it will come back. It poured this afternoon. There aren't too many spots that are really bad. Just the areas where the spreader was turned around. I'll keep watering as much as possible. Thanks for the tips.


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## Sammy

Tell her this is the plan and EVERYBODY overseed's in the fall during half time of the football game and it will all look nice next spring after all those nasty weed have been killed off by that good fertilzer you just put on. 

You'll be a hero! 

Good luck!


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## dienam3less

well i came on here to help you guys out but its all been covered... but i must say that sammy has the right idea lol.:thumbup:


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## Beaching12

I have badly over-fertilized parts of my yard TWICE in 10 years!! This time I over-spread Scott's Turf Builder. Urgh! I usually let the gardeners take care of this but didn't think they were fertilizing enough as the neighbors lawn STAYS green. (You'd think I'd learn, better not to fertilize at ALL!!!) To fix this problem, I buy Vigro Fast Grass, put over the burnt spots quite heavily, and water the yard every 1.5 to 2 hours all day in the hot summer sun. People say you can't plant grass in the HOT, HOT sun - but yes you can!! I watch very carefully and water as soon as I see the ground beginning to dry! Just never, ever let the soil get past DAMP. You can do it!! You will have beautiful grass in 2 weeks but new grass starts to show in about 4 days.


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## stick\shift

Welcome to the forums, Beaching. Might want to take a look at the dates on threads next time; this one is nine years old.


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## Beaching12

No matter how OLD this forum's responses are, the problems and solutions apply to this date. I found this forum in a search because of a friend having this same problem.


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