Q: We are going to try to maintain our yard ourselves this year. I purchased 15-0-15, applied it and then realized it said it was for centipede grass. Will this be okay? Also we have a lot of weed that reminds me of strawberry plants. What do we do with this? Thanks for any input you can give us.

A: You may use the fertilizer 15-0-15. In fact, I have seen this product and it has a large amount of the nitrogen, about 50%, which is slow release. This slow release nitrogen will provide some nitrogen for the plant to absorb a few weeks after the quick release nitrogen has been absorbed by the grass. The University of Florida suggests you fertilize in March and again in August or September. Apply an iron sulfate product during the summer and be sure it contains very little nitrogen.

The weed you described may be Indian Mock strawberry or Oldfield Cinquefoil. Either way it is a perennial broadleaf weed and you can use a broadleaf weed killer on it as long as the product can be used on your St. Augustine grass. Be sure to read the directions carefully and completely before applying it to your lawn. We would also suggest you apply it only where you have the weed problem (called spot treating) rather than spreading it all over the lawn. Take care of the lawn properly and it will give you years of pleasure.

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