Sequencing for tick, weed and fertilize treatments for lawn

Question

Northeastern US here in case that makes a difference in the answer. I have a back lawn as pictured below. Section A is a grassy slope and Section B is flat grass lawn. We have two small kids that are allowed to play in Section B, but they are not allowed to go on the slope of Section A.

I would like to:

• Spray/spread both sections for ticks (deer ticks if I have to choose, but ticks of any kind are a concern)
• Spray/spread both sections to kill weeds
• Spray/spread both sections to fertilize and grow good quality grass

There is a spigot in the backyard and I have more than enough hose to get to each area of both Sections. I also have a seed spreader so that is an option as well.

What types of typical products (that you could find in your local Lowes/Home Depot/Ace Hardware) could be used for ticks, weeds, fertilizer and grass seeds, what time of year is best to apply them and, most importantly, what is the correct order to apply them in?

Answer 1

It is unlikely you will need to use any kind of pesticide to kill ticks on your lawn; assuming you practice good maintenance, like cutting it regularly, and the lawn is primarily in sun and is frequently used, they are unlikely to inhabit the area. Further information on this and where tick control might be useful outdoors is contained in this link https://homeguides.sfgate.com/flea-tick-yard-spray-63070.html

You can buy lawn weed and feed combined products where you are, but they are not very effective in terms of their weedkilling abilities. Many of these will be a granular formulation, and these are not a great idea to use in an area where children will be playing; they can take between 6 weeks to 6 months to fully break down, depending which product you choose, which means your children are being exposed to both the weedkiller and the fertilizer for that length of time. You may be interested in this https://www.thespruce.com/canada-bans-weed-n-feed-products-3969993 in respect of combination weed and feed products for lawns too; from this you will see that the weedkilling element in these products has to be applied (because of the fertilizer content) at a time of year when the weeds aren't even growing properly, which is why these products are less efficient at killing lawn weeds. This usually also means any weedkiller content is likely to be something more heavy duty in attempt to be vaguely effective at the wrong time of year, such as 2,4-d, which is carcinogenic.

A better option would be to use a liquid you can mix up and apply, either by spray or by can; fertilizer first, followed by either spot treatment of weeds or application to the whole lawn if necessary at a later date, once the weeds are actively growing and more obvious. Check the container to see how long pets and children need to be excluded from the area for - with liquids, its a much shorter time period, usually no longer than a day or two, but again, products vary. Unfortunately, I'm not able to recommend particular brands because I don't live in the States, but you should be able to find suitable products at any or most of the outlets you mention, once you've decided precisely which form of weedkiller/fertilizer you wish to use.

Answer 2

I personally wouldn't use sprays, but would use CHICKENS!!!!!! to hunt ticks instead as they're great predators, and are known to eat a lot of ticks. Just remember to rotate them often (very few bare spots), and allow them to cut your grass for you. If it's an average sized yard you'll probably only need 2-3, and can get full sized ones that are ready to lay eggs for you at hatcheries.

As chickens like dust baths you should give them a small plastic container with dust for them so they don't dig too deep into the soil.