how many sqft of lawn do you have? The first number is nitrogen and the number represent the amount of nitrogen, phosporus or Potassium by weight. 15-5-10 for 50lbs bag has 7.5 pounds of nitrogen, 2.5 pounds of P and 5 pounds K. You want 1lbs of nitrogen per 1000k so that bag is for 7500 sqft of lawn. 35-0-5 for 50lbs bag has 12.5 pounds of nitrogen, enough to cover 12,500 sqft but I don't recall ever seeing it in 50lbs bag.

If you want a very green lawn - head over to LESCO store closest to you and get product number 000949 - 34-0-0 100%PPSCU 5FE - it has 5% of iron that will really green up your lawn. it has 100% slow release nitrogen so you don't get a growth flush at first like you'd get with most fertilizer so you don't have to mow as often if that's what you're looking for. It is a lot cheaper to buy stuff from LESCO stores.

I will add a few more comments.

Using 15-5-10 is a very good idea once a year either for the first application of the year in spring, or the last application in fall. But for the 4 to 5 applications between those times, straight nitrogen is what you need. Phosphorus and potassium are used sparingly by the plants, and it migrates or purges very slowly through the soil. So the take away is use balanced fertilizer is only once a year. I suspect the 15-5-10 you are using is a Lesco product you purchase at Home Depot, it is a very good product

Now for what nitrogen fertilizer to use, Lesco is the best, and the product Lou mentioned is excellent. If you do not need iron then 000777 39-0-0 is also a very good product. Just remember to fertilize every 45 days.

I forgot to mention the Bermuda Bible is a fairly good how to guide you might find useful.

Thanks for the followups. Lou I have about 6k sq. ft in my yard. Texas Weed I normally do use the 15-5-10 from Lesco. I will try to use the fertilizer that Lou or you mentioned. Thanks for the advice.

If you went with 39-0-0, that's enough to use the 50lbs bag to fertilize your lawn 3 times. only 25 bucks.... Pretty cheap huh?

If I use the Lesco 39-0-0 how often should I water a week. I normally water about 2 or 3 times a week. I have 4 zones on my sprinkler system and usually water at 10 minutes for each zone. Lou or Texas Weed do you think this is too long to water? Also as for mowing how high do you think I should mow. I normally mow at about 2.5 to 3 inches. Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

Kurt

I did the scotts organic choice in my back yard (where the kiddos are all the time) and although it took alot longer to initially green up, it lasted ALL SUMMER (from around Easter last year through Labor day). On my front I used turf builder and it needed applications every 6 weeks.

Water as needed. Rule of thumb is if the lawn looks off color like dull blue green. You will notice it. Water deeply at 1 inch of water. You will need to use tuna can to find out how long it takes to fill it up with the sprinkler system. It really depends on the weather. if it rains, don't water. Often times, majority of watering is done during the summer. 10 minutes doesn't seem very much. What kind of sprinklers are you using? Pop up misting or impact sprinklers? You don't want sprinklers putting out too much water causing run off. half inch to an inch of water per hour is ideal. Gives ground time to absorb water. Don't set it on automatic. Use it only if needed otherwise you're wasting a huge amount of water.

Bermuda do best at 1-1.5inches mowing height with rotary mower. Bermuda tend to thin out when mowed high.

I just put some pre-emergent down on my bermuda lawn yesterday. How long should I wait to put down the first fertilzer application for this year down?

Thanks,

Kurt

When you have mowed the grass (not weeds) for the second time, then you can start fertilizing. If you do it earlier then you are only watering the weeds.

Did I say "watering the weeds?" I meant 'fertilizing the weeds.'

Texas Weed always said to start fertilizing when the lawn is 50% green.