# Safety around Scotts Weed and Feed help please



## Cobalt (Jul 27, 2007)

I would prefer a natural method but my husband bought a $50 bag of Scotts Weed and Feed. It goes on dry and you water it in 3 days later. The store said to keep the dogs off for 3 hours. 

Any advice on how safe this is and when the dogs can go back on the grass? I have young dogs and they have their noses in everything. 

Have you used it? Does it need to go back to the store?

Thank you!


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Thank you for posting this. I'm looking for a dog friendly solution as well.


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## Cobalt (Jul 27, 2007)

I googled a bit and called my vet. Seems the Scotts Weed and Feed is trouble. They prefer that you separate the weed and feed and just treat the weeds you see. But, we have crabgrass and need the stuff that stops that.

There is a product called Corn Meal Gluten that does something to the weeds roots. It's marketed under the name Safe n Simple but I can't find it where I live. 

For us, we'll put the Scotts Weed and Feed on the front lawn, house is on the market yada yada yada and not where the dogs go. 

The other issue is that all of the weed killer washes off of the clay soil and into the storm sewers, into the lakes and oceans etc. 

Any more info or solutions would be helpful!

PS Hubby will not be happy. Oh well...


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

To make sure the weed and feed doesn't wash off, get a plug core airator and use it on the soil first. It removes a core of soil creating holes for the fertilizer to be caught in and will help loosen the clay soil. 

As far as safe solutions, you need to go to a full blown garden center (Nursery), not the Big Box Home improvement stores to find most of the really good, safe organic products. I've worked for Lowes (As the Live Nursery Specialist) and although they're great, I've often had to refer people to specialty stores for things we didn't have.


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## Cobalt (Jul 27, 2007)

Thanks Carla.

We have a nursery 1 mile away that I had forgotten about. 

As a compromise DH will do the front yard but not the back.

We did the core thing last fall, the dogs loved the little plugs. 

Great, my vegetarian wear no leather daughter is talking to the dogs,
"Is mom going to poison you and the ocean"? She is right but she can be such a pain.


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## MrsJohnnyG (Jan 31, 2009)

They say it's safe after 3 hours, but I personally don't want to take the risk of the lingering chemicals leading to cancer down the road or who knows what.

I just ordered organic fertilizer and organic weed killer from a site called www.gardensalive.com that gets rave reviews. Their website says that you only have to put their fertilizer down twice a year (once in spring and once in fall), vs. chemical fertilizers that have to be applied multiple times per year. I don't remember the reasoning but the reviews I've found online all say that that's true and makes their lawns lush green, so I guess I'll see if that's true!


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