Water the crap out of it. (six hour minimum in all affected areas) The crap will be washed deaper into the soil past the root zone. Act fast because excessive chemical fertilizers can burn your lawn. If your lawn survives, and it probably will, you can try again with a half dose in 30 days. Good luck.
Bill Hill

Bill's advice is good, as usual. but, just so we know, how much did you apply (lbs) on how much yard (square feet)?

I am wondering the same. If you're not sure how much you applied, then tell us what size is the bag, how much of the bag you used, and what size is your yard? Also tell us the analysis on the bag - the 3 numbers.

Water the crap out of it? After 6 hours I imagine a lot of that fert will be going down the storm drain, if you have them in your area.

Pretty bad advice I'd say. Suck it up and watch your lawn burn and learn a lesson. Sorry.

If you haven't watered it in yet, adjust your mower a little lower than usual and go over it with a bagger if you have one. That suction will help remove some of it...but it would be nice to know why you think you over applied.

id rather wash my fertilizer down the drain and reapply than just burn my lawn.

next time use soybean meal, you wont have to worry about over fertilzing :)

I like billhill's suggestion to dilute it and wash it away if possible. If water runs off the soil at any time, stop watering for 30 minutes to let it soak in. Then resume watering.

Mowing lower will stress the grass and help to kill the roots that may be burning in the soil.

Now, let's get back to your regular lawn care practices. Caring for a lawn is much easier than a lot of people make it. Here are the basics as we have come to know them on this forum.

1. Water deeply and infrequently. Infrequently means absolutely not every day but more like once a month during the off season and working your way up to once a week during the hottest heat of summer. Living in San Antonio I am watering for 1-3 hours at a time, once every 2 weeks. By the end of May that schedule will go to weekly. Watering daily encourages weed seeds to germinate. By letting the soil dry out at the surface you can pretty much eliminate weeds in your lawn. Also deep watering allows deep roots which are much more drought tolerant than little short roots.

2. Mulch mow your grass at the mower's highest setting. This applies for all grasses except bermuda, bentgrass, centipede, and some zoysias. Tall grass provides shade to the soil and will help grow better roots. Shading the soil is important because most weeds need full sun to take root. If you have tall grass, any weed seeds that do sprout will not get enough sunlight to get a good start. Tall grass is especially good protection against dandelions. While your grass is growing up to meet the height of the mower, it will look a little straggly. Once it all is the same height, it looks very plush.

3. Fertilize regularly with the fertilizer of your choice. My choice is ordinary corn meal, an organic fertilizer component, but much less expensive at my local feed store. I fertilize on the federal holidays because they are easy to remember. If you choose to use synthetic fertilizers like Scott's, you can use the same schedule but skip the 4th of July, because most grass is near dormancy in the heat and the chemicals just stress it more. The next holiday is Memorial Day. You can use a fertilizer at half strength like billhill mentioned above. Or you can use an organic fertilizer at full strength because the organics won't burn your soil. They work completely differently.

Notice I did not mention herbicide. If you follow steps 1 and 2 above, your weeds will be so minimal that you can pick them out very easily. If you have broadleafed weeds and decide to use herbicide, a spot spray like Weed-B-Gone will have the least effect on the rest of the grass and should take care of the weed. Usually once you get your grass up to the highest setting on your mower, the weeds will have disappeared.

dchall -

If I watered for 1-3 hours, most of it would run off. Should I go 20 mins on, 20 off, 20 on, etc, instead?

Also, how many "inches of water" do you want to be putting down? Sprinkler heads vary, so time isn't a really good indicator.

Hoping to learn (more).

-Shawn

Yes, 20 on and off. Don't let it run off. The soil should become more sponge like and absorb more as you work through the process. If you cannot water for even 20 minutes without getting runoff, you have other issues.

I don't go by inches of water. My brain is calibrated to time. Just water until you think you've watered way too much.

"id rather wash my fertilizer down the drain and reapply than just burn my lawn."

Tell that to this duck.
{{gwi:92638}}

It's a lot worse with weed and feed fertilizer and pesticides. It would be nice if they were banned... Most homeowners use them as if they were no big deal and just throw them on the lawn without thinking how they impact the environment...