27th Year NO 132-PS Time to Chase the Weeds a beautiful TO T HE O W N ER of lawn, nothing is quite so con- spicuous as ugly weeds in a smooth expanse of velvety green turf. lawn is the elimination of soil-sapping weeds. the ground and promise Time to fight weeds is before they fall produce and ripen seeds which future to trouble. Weed control shouldn't be neglected and there is no longer any excuse for putting it off because now it is easy and quick. The old way to fight weeds was to dig them out. This laborious way left parts of roots in the ground to shoot three or four plants where only one grew before. Some people still spend valuable weekends hand-digging weeds. Several years ago chemical spraying replaced hand-digging, but that too is now considered old-fashioned and bothersome. Newest and easiest method is the application of dry granules through a spreader which distributes the correct rate evenly over the lawn. 4-XD is the material. Though a dry material, it is not a dust so it is clean and easy to handle. It supercedes the old spray method because it eliminates lovely This blemish on the complexion of an otherwise is not the only reason weeds are taboo. They also fight with grass. The whole lawn eats at the same table and whatever food and moisture weeds consume, are no longer available to the grass. Most weeds are fast growers and therefore heavy eaters. the grass gets only the crumbs. In a weedy lawn, The extent to which weeds can com- pete with other plants is evident in a recent issue of the Stanford Law Re- view. This publication reports that kill- ing weeds in the State of California has increased rice yields by 30 to 4 0 %. In Canada the use of weed control on 500,000 acres of wheat produced an additional 1.5 million bushels. No wonder then that part of the program of maintaining a strong beautiful lawn Copyright 1954, O M Scott & Sons Co combination food for grass and weed killer. As one reader so aptly put it this product sort of thing. It's definitely " f o r" grass and "against" weeds. is a Pro-Con WEED & FEED, like 4-XD, is dry and granular and easily applied with a Scotts Spreader. to use since one easy trip across the lawn achieves the weed control action of 4-XD plus a feeding. is economical It first This two-jobs-in-one material has been a faithful lawn aide since 1947 when Scotts Lawn Research in- troduced it. Many LAWN CARE readers use it at least once a year in their main- tenance program even when weeds are not too troublesome. It gives grass an extra boost and checks chance invaders from neighboring they can multiply and take over. lawns before Although 4-XD and WEED & FEED control practically all common broad- leaved lawn weeds, there are a few exceptions such as Oxalis and Yarrow. If there is any question in your mind, weed specimens can be sent to Scotts at Palo Alto identification. Best protective wrappings are aluminum foil, plastic freezer bags or waxed paper. for "We've been finding Scott products to be tops and surely enjoy Lawn Care tips." No Hollywood, Calif. W S PENN JR Partial List of Western LAWN WEEDS YOU DON7 HAVE TO DIG Dandelion Plantain Buckhorn Jap Clover Bur Clover Chickweed Filaree Spurge Sagebrush Speedwell Thistle Mustard Morning Glory Wild Geranium Mallow Shepherds Purse Heal-all Field Maddler False Dandelion Nettle Daisy Dock 4-XD Untreated As long as there are vacant fields, careless n e i g h b o r s, birds and breezes, weeds will always be around. Keeping them out is im- possible but keeping them controlled is easy. all the mess and bother of measuring and mixing a solution, carrying water, fussing with easily plugged-up spray equipment. Now you just wheel out the spread- er, fill it with 4-XD granules, set it at the mark prescribed in the directions and walk across takes about 20 minutes to spread an aver- age size lawn. lawn. the It Because the particles drop right down on the weed leaves, there is no mist drift to harm roses, vegetables, or other desirable plants. Maybe the whole lawn doesn't need treating. The easy spreader application can be used for sectional treating too. Simply walk over the infested areas, using handy off and on control to drop the particles wherever weeds appear. If you have just a few weeds here and there, spot treating is simple. Use the shaker tab provided on the small box of 4-XD or punch holes in a can and shake the granules lightly on the weed leaves, like sugar on the morning cereal. Double Action As weeds begin to die, grass needs to be stimulated. This en- courages the weakened spots once occupied by weeds. While Turf Builder will do this, WEED & FEED is the easy way. It is a fill in it to Multi-Purpose Scufl Treatments SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION in 1950 SCUTL has become the widest used the crabgrass controls because of of effectiveness and ease of application. year, treatments can start anytime after mid-May. If the Crabgrass has not yet made its appearance, applications need be made only once every two weeks. But if the plants are already on the scene weekly applications are required for a few weeks. Scutl has benefits beyond that of controlling Crabgrass. One of its extras is the substantial amount of mercury it carries—just about the best fungicide for control of grass diseases. This is important especially in summer periods of high temperatures and humidity when turf disease such as Brownpatch and leaf spot may severely weaken grass plants. Keep Scutl on hand; easy and applications will quickly check most fungus diseases. immediate The best known use of Scutl is keep- ing that annual visitor Crabgrass sub- dued. One of the most effective times to treat is while the Crabgrass plants are still young. This means early sum- mer in most localities. The wide range of latitude and the great variations of altitude and climate the West make it difficult to set any exact date for its likely appearance. How- ever, in areas apt to be heavily infested with Crabgrass or wherever Crabgrass is known to have been growing last throughout It Crabgrass is found throughout the entire West so it can happen to any- one. is often confused with wild Barley, Bermuda Grass and other types of grass-weeds for which, un- fortunately, there is no chemical con- trol. If there is any doubt as to the identity of grass weeds in your lawn, mail a specimen to Scotts Lawn Re- search at Palo Alto, California. Plus Value for Pest Control One LAWN CARE reader reports a new and effective use for Scotts Lawn & Turf Pest Control. He uses a shallow handful of Pest Control right out of the box, and mixes it with the soil in each hole where he plants Dahlia bulbs. This prevents the failure of his former plantings caused by Army Worms playing hide and seek in the bulbs. • Grandpa's Comment — "# don't see why I couldn't have one of those new Scotts Spreaders for my 80th birthday." PS — He got it. How many times a year should I apply weed controls to my lawn? ANS—As many times as needed to keep it clean. For most lawns this is once or twice a year. Some weeds, especially low growing, vining types are semi-resistant and need a series of applications. Use it where your neighbor's lawn joins yours to keep from crossing the boundary line. Lawn Moths Starting The best time to apply Scotts Lawn & Turf Pest Control to prevent damage from lawn moth larvae is June or July. Before that their numbers are seldom built up enough to cause any serious trouble. Fe, N Mex "It is a real pleasure to learn that you people really stand behind the equipment that you sell. I have used both your mechan- ical equipment and also your seed and fer- tilizers for years, and I feel that it is the finest on the market." Seattle, Wash R B TAYLOR "I enjoyed your Lawn Care booklets and have certainly saved by using your products. Thanks." Santa M R S. REYNALDO TORRES "Having just received a bulletin from your firm, on the care of my lawn, it just occurred to me that I haven't thanked you properly for all the help and advice that you have given me over a period of the last five years. Of course, I have used your products with good results — even got my neighbor to use them, and now he swears by them also. This is just a friendly pat on the back from one of your customers that has had good results from every product of your firm that he has used." Pasadena, ALBERT B WILSON Calif • TOUGH SEEDING SPIKES of grass sometimes present a problem in late spring or early summer. This is the natural time for grass to develop seed heads in an effort to repro- duce its kind. Seeding stems may develop closely to the ground but as they grow the seeding stalk gets coarser and tougher, and may escape the mower. This is more pro- nounced in some types of grass than others but actually may appear in any lawn and the condition may be worse when a dull mower is being used. This seeding period is usually limited to a couple of weeks and calls for a little extra patience in mowing, possibly chopping off the prostrate stems. A sickle or grass whip may be used to cut off upright stems. Is it better to try to clean weed seeds out and of the soil by prolonged postpone planting of the new cultivation lawn? ANS—No matter how long the cultiva- tion, all weed seeds will not be cleaned out. Better plant at best time for the lawn. Tackle weeds later with modern weed controls. What can I use to kill Chickweed in my dichondra lawn? ANS—Nothing but hand pulling. Labor saving weed chemicals also kill dichondra so it has to be weeded by hand. Feeding with Turf Builder will help thicken dichondra and increase its weed resistance. lawn? I water my How often should ANS—Depends on many things like ex- posure, wind, temperature, soil type. Cut a plug or pry open with a knife blade. Water whenever top V2 inch of s°il dries out. On heavy soils apply water slowly and over long period. On sandy soils water oftener and not so long. is sample from our lawn. What of foreign grass is it and how Enclosed taken to eliminate it? ANS—Velvet grass. A perennial and common western lawn weed. Sometimes mistaken for Crabgrass. No chemical con- trol yet known. Cut out the patches and reseed with good close-knitting lawn seed mixture. / am thinking Scotts for my 5,000 sq ft lawn. Which of buying a Spreader size spreader would you recommend? ANS—The No 65 Scotts spreader. Hop- per will hold enough to treat your lawn without refilling. What is the enclosed weed that I have tried smothers seems out my grass? Nothing to kill it. ANS—Mouse-Ear Chickweed. It is cov- ered with fine hairs that insulate it against chemicals. Moisten the patch. Apply 4-XD at 10 to 14 day intervals until it succumbs. O M S C O TT & S O NS C O. M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO P S -1 84 5 7 54 E V E RY P A C K A GE OF S C O T TS L A WN C A RE P R O D U C TS B E A RS T H IS T R A D E - M A RK A ND IS S E A L ED FOR Y O UR P R O T E C T I ON