Fertilizer??

if you follow the directions you will probably be ok. i know for us i havent fertilized the back yard in quite a while and it looks awful, but i am trying to find a locally available (relatively cheap) organic fertilizer. as this is quite possibly the least enviornmentally friendly area in the country ... it aint happening. so i let the back yard look crappy and concentrate on the front. besides our dogs poop/pee in the back yard so what would they do for 24 hrs? []

depending on where you live in nc, there are quite a few resources for finding organic fertilizers there. i know in the asheville area almost all the brands i looked at were locally available. the organics wont do much in the form of weed control, but should help promote a healthy yard that will in turn "choke-out" the weeds.

edit: according to the lowe's web site they carry these two brands of organic fertilizer (although the stores in my area dont seem to stock either one)...

roductId=17619-1558-9330&lpage=none>http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&roductId=17619-1558-9330&lpage=none
roductId=77483-48795-FP1440&lpage=none>http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&roductId=77483-48795-FP1440&lpage=none

the first one is about the same price as scott's the other one is a little more costly.

i dont know much about this one as i just saw it, but it says it is high in iron and seems pretty cheap....
roductId=97821-1321-97821&lpage=none>http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&roductId=97821-1321-97821&lpage=none

We just fertilized ours a few weeks ago.  I was hesitant too, but my husband also insisted.  We'd had some nasty crabgrass (I think that's what it was) starting last year and he wanted to make sure it didn't pop again.  We used the Scott's weed preventer type and I have to say, the lawn looks lush.  It's barely quit raining her more than a day or so though, so who knows if the fertilizer helped or not.

ORIGINAL: cakana

We just fertilized ours a few weeks ago.  I was hesitant too, but my husband also insisted.  We'd had some nasty crabgrass (I think that's what it was) starting last year and he wanted to make sure it didn't pop again.  We used the Scott's weed preventer type and I have to say, the lawn looks lush.  It's barely quit raining her more than a day or so though, so who knows if the fertilizer helped or not.

scott's is a great fertilizer, but it can be harmful to dogs. when/if they get it on their paws and lick it off it can make them sick (or worse). i use scott's on our front yard as the dogs are rarely in the front yard, but like i said i have been heistant to use it on the back yard for quite sometime now.

Thanks gals. It is the Scotts, but it is the fertilizer ONLY - no pesticides, no herbicides. I gave a quick call to the customer service there, and did some research online. Everything I come across says that it is OK to use fertilizer in the following situations (with dogs):

1. It contains no pesticides or herbicides
2. Water immediately
3. Do not allow pets back for 24 hours, and until grass has dried.

We don't plan to let the pups back out until tomorrow night, or that next morning, so we're good there.

I use a corn by-product fertilizer that also has a seed suppressant in the spring and just the fertilizer in the fall.  I must live in an area that needs micronutrients because I don't get yellow spots in the lawn ever and I have had up to 6 dogs at a time (all 50 lbs or more). 

Mickey and now Maelee think that the spreader is a treat machine.  I have to keep the pigs off the yard when I spread the fertilizer; not because it would hurt them but because they are trying to eat it all!

I fertilized my lawn today.. here's how I do it.
 
Fertilize the backyard, water it well. Only take the dog to potty/play out in the front yard for at least 24 hours. After 24 horus is up, I fertilize the front yard, water it well and only take Gracie out to potty/play in the backyard.

Max has a doggy door to the back and is used to going in and out whenever he wants so I guess I'll just have to keep looking for something completely safe for the back yard.  It won't make much difference what we use in the front because he's only there going to or coming home from a walk.  Maybe we can just put some new dirt in his holes, toss out some grass seed and hope for the best in the back.  It's not like Sunset Magazine is coming to take pictures.[]

we've just given up on our grass in the backyard.....