Why Weed & Feed Products Can Actually Be Detrimental to Your Lawn’s Health

Two of the most important aspects of landscaping maintenance are ensuring that your lawn is adequately fertilized, and that it is kept free of pesky weeds. That’s why weed & feed products, which are marketed as both weed control and fertilizer in one product, are so popular with many homeowners. The idea of streamlining lawn care chores into a single easy step is an appealing one, but there is some truth to the old adage about things that are too good to be true.

In today’s busy world, it’s understandable that homeowners would want to save time in any way that they can, using one-step products to shave hours off of their lawn care routines. The problem with these products lies within the fact that they contain two separate substances — a chemical fertilizer to feed the lawn and an herbicide to kill weeds — that shouldn’t necessarily be applied at the same time.

Your lawn needs fertilizer during the spring, when it’s actively growing. Herbicides come in two types: pre- and post-emergent. Pre-emergent herbicide is most effective when it’s applied before the lawn begins to grow, very early in the season. Post-emergent works best when weeds are growing, but after grass growth in your lawn is beginning to slow. In order to apply one aspect of a weed & feed product at the right time, you’ll be forced to use the other either before it’s needed or after it’s too late to do any good.

While applying a fertilizer that’s chosen specifically with the unique needs of your lawn in mind and applying it at the right time of the season and then tackling the separate chore of applying herbicides can be more time consuming, it’s almost always a far more effective method than using a single-step, all-in-one product.