Fertilizer Price Increases Likely

For the last month or so, fertilizer manufacturers have been warning of increases. It appears that the components to make fertilizer this spring will be seeing an increase. In the past, natural gas and fuel prices have been responsible. This time the increase is mainly due to the world wide demand for corn and corn based products. The increased production of Ethanol is making corn a very profitable crop recently.

The increased demand for corn is using record amounts of fertilizer and depleting supplies of the components in fertilizer. Because Ethanol is depleting corn stocks, all other corn bases products are also seeing increases. This is also causing price spikes for Grain for farmers and corn syrup (for everything).

Manufacturers of fertilizer now have to go out into the marketplace and buy fertilizer components at the new market price. These prices are becoming much more expensive. Simple supply and demand here folks.
Less supply = more demand and that in turn means more expensive.

This will be industry wide and I don’t believe any company or manufacturer will be immune to the increases.

What to do about it?

Because most manufacturers have supplies to make fertilizer until about April, this creates a buying opportunity with some vendors. I would be talking to my fertilizer supplier about ordering early before the increases in April and May.

You may be able to avoid some increases if you can buy/commit to future purchases now.

Another strategy is to take a look at your lawn care program. See if you can modify your materials and timing to be able to take advantage of different products. If you are applying 5 apps of fertilizer to your customers lawns, maybe you can use different analysis products to achieve your 4 #’s of Nitrogen yearly.

Notice I didn’t say cheaper. You don’t necessarily need to use “cheaper” sources. You might even find better fertilizer sources that might be more cost effective and profitable than what you are using now.

Some materials may see smaller increases if any. Adding some of the organic materials into you fertilizer may help to keep costs flat. I know that I have the ability to blend products that have 25-50% organic materials of different sources, with traditional fertilizer components.

The lawn and soil love the organic based products and by combining N P K with some organic, results aren’t slow, and you may help to avoid any increases.

At this point I am not sure how much or what will see the most dramatic increases. The main point I am try to stress is this:

Now is the time to talk to your fertilizer suppliers to see what the can offer you. I’m speaking In terms of pricing programs or advice on more profitable choices than you are currently using. Any choices should not reduce the quality of your service though. Higher quality can be achieved at the same time as profitability.

If your Supplier is simply quoting prices and can’t help you to identify and choose quality , more profitable materials for your customers, then maybe its time to find another supplier.

Stop overmulching your customers trees & shrubs

I don’t have to tell you that bark mulch is good for trees & shrubs for a variety of reasons. You already know this.

It looks good in the landscape and can help tie the whole landscape together among different planting beds.

It keeps weeds down from underneath.

It helps to keep roots cool in summer months and holds moisture in the soil.

It can also keep soil from eroding on slopes.

It can also help to insulate roots from extreme winter cold.

Best of all, You get paid to do it.

When Mulching, I want to remind customers on some of the basics & an alternative ,very profitable alternative:

When mulching, try to remember to use a weed fabric that is allowed to breathe under the mulch in an attempt to keeps weeds down. Just make sure you don’t use standard rolled plastic sheets. It does not allow rain or irrigation water to penetrate to the root zone, and it also may also restrict oxygen to the roots.

Mulch itself can also cause problems if it is applied improperly. I often see mulch applied incorrectly on a daily basis in the summer months. The # 1 culprit is applying so deep that air cannot penetrate into the soil and roots will suffocate. It can also be so deep that water cannot penetrate and the roots may dry out. Sometimes the feeder roots grow upwards into the mulch. Neither of these conditions is healthy for the trees or shrubs.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the bark mulch volcano. (see pictures below)

A mulch volcano is something that is extremely unhealthy for the tree or shrub & they just look kind of silly sometimes.

Mulch volcanoes are the mounds or cones of bark mulch that are two or three feet deep, and piled up along the trunks of trees and shrubs.

I am not sure why this habit has developed, but these deep mulch piles can cause much damage to trees & shrubs. I suspect your professional landscaper predecessors are the originators. Not all landscapers do this, but I still see many volcanoes.

I’ve been in this business for a long time & I realize that professional Landscapers get paid to do work. When customers ask for fresh mulch every spring to freshen up the landscape, you can’t and don’t usually turn down the work. After all, this is how you make a living.

Tree & shrub trunks are covered with bark that is designed to protect the trunk. They need air and light. If you pile too mulch onto the bark, it will be exposed to dark and moisture. As the bark continues to be in the moisture, it will begin to rot. Rotted bark cannot protect the tree from diseases, and in fact, diseases grow better in the dark moisture of the mulch. The offending trunks are more likely to get diseases and allow harmful insects to damage trees.

Some trees have shallow roots, especially maples. If bark mulch volcanoes are piled around the trunk, the roots will start to grow into it. These roots tend to stay in the mulch volcano and will then grow around the trunk in the mulch. As the root grows in diameter, it pushes against the trunk, which is also trying to grow bigger. These roots will eventually strangle the trunk. This type of root is called a “girdling root”. The trunk will keep growing wider above and below the girdling root, and may actually encase the root.

It also doesn’t encourage the tree and shrub roots to expand out in a healthy fashion. Healthy root growth has many agronomic advantages, but it also aids in stability.

Bark mulch is best when put down to a depth of about 3-4 inches if you are starting from scratch.

Even though bark mulch does break down some, after 2-3 years of annual mulching on top of mulch, it often accumulates to unhealthy levels for you plants.

So what do you do instead of annually piling more mulch on top of mulch?

I’ve got a better way that is more profitable, healthier, and with much less work.

MULCH MAGIC

Mulch Magic® is an easy-to-apply, long lasting spray colorant which restores the bright, original-looking color to faded fibrous mulch products like cedar, cypress, redwood bark, pine straw and mWith one quick application, it helps keep landscapes looking freshly groomed for three months or longer.

Looks Great and easy to apply.

With Mulch Magic®, one person with a sprayer can quickly restore the color to keep existing mulch looking its best. As the existing mulch breaks down naturally and renews the soil, replace with new mulch to keep your landscaping investment looking sharp throughout the growing season. Mulch Magic® will also help blend the color of the older mulch with the newer mulch. Enjoy all the benefits of colored mulch because of the endless design possibilities using color, contrast, and texture in your landscape.

At only 3-4 oz per gallon of water, It goes a long way, saving money and labor.

Here is the math behind the profits:

Mulch Magic comes in ½ gallon concentrate

Case of 4 is 2 gallons

Case costs about $ 120.00 for 2 Gallons (256 oz)

That’s roughly 50 cents an oz.

(I’m using the absolute highest label rate for this calculation coming up, and it may be even cheaper if your job requires a lighter rate. I’m using the absolute most expensive rate for the purpose of this example.)

3-4 oz of Mulch Magic per gallon of water covers 200-400 sq ft
(200 sq ft probably a single app rate, 400 sq ft, a 2 direction pass)

1000 sq ft of mulch beds is actually a decent size bed on an average city property.
Just multiply this by 2, 3 or whatever your area is to mulch if need be.

At 50 cents an ounce, it will take 20 ounces (at the absolute highest rate) to treat that mulch.

That’s only 10 bucks!

One single man can now do this job in 20 minutes instead of 2-3 men for 5 times longer.

NO Mulch to buy either. Ten Bucks & 20 minutes !

How much Mulch would you need to do it the old way?

My mulch calculator tells me you need 6.17 yards of mulch for only 2 inch depth.

How much does mulch cost these days?

25-30 dollars a yard ? That’s $150-180 dollars for mulch alone.

How much are you charging per yard to install? $40-50 a yard?

After paying 2-3 men working for a minimum 2 hours to apply it, whats left?

I’m not sure, but if you used Mulch Magic and charged 1/3 to ½ , you would make more money in less time.

Charge more if you want or even get your high end customers on a twice yearly program
the place looking fresh.

If you have properties with years of accumulating bark mulch, give Mulch Magic a try.

Agronomically its healthier, the customer will be happy with the savings, and best of all, you will Make More Money in less time.
With a little marketing, this could even be a very profitable upsell to all of your customers.

check the before and after photos

Before

After

So instead of spreading unhealthy levels of bark mulch yearly, try a product like Mulch Magic or similar every other year or for 2 years in a row before adding new mulch.

Your customers trees & shrubs will love you for it!! And you will make more MONEY doing it

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A Great Turf Disease reference

I’ve uploaded a great turf disease reference chart that I consult often. It helps me tremendously, so it may help you.

Here it is: Turf / Lawn Disease information chart

Pre-emergent Crabgrass Strategy on your customer’s lawns.

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What’s one your customers complaints about their lawn? I bet it’s crabgrass!

In talking with professional lawn care customers, they have told me crabgrass instead of grubs, diseases, or even weeds, is the number one complaint.

Post-emergent crabgrass products can be expensive, and timing is critical to catch it in certain stages.

Would you like to prevent the whole problem?

Would you like it to probably cost you less money than spraying after crabgrass is present?

The strategy I’m about to lay out isn’t original. The basis is not anything
Most of you didn’t already know. The Magic of the strategy is in the details I’m about to lay out. In fact, I’ve talked to customers for years about this, but until I printed a label, grabbed my calculator, then put pen to paper, did I realize what I had here.
Here goes.

Where does most of the crabgrass pop up on your customers’ lawns? Probably not in the middle of the lawn, but rather the edges.

What areas do your customers walk by & see every day? The edges along driveways and sidewalks. They park their cars in the driveway, walk to the mailbox, and walk into their houses by way of sidewalks. Preventing the majority of crabgrass in these spots will keep customers happy, because they won’t be seeing it every single day.

The edges are hot spots. They run along black driveways, sidewalks, curbing etc. These areas collect heat and radiate it into the soil right next to it. This creates warmer soil temperatures in these areas in which crabgrass germinates earlier and actual grass is less dense. It’s also the first place usually that starts to stress for heat.

Applying granular fertilizer and pre-emergent products may work well for most of the lawn, but because it is the edges, the dispersal of the material on these edges isn’t the best. These areas need a little more attention.

Applying a liquid pre-emergent product to these edges after the granular application, will prevent the majority of it from popping through.

Most don’t think they have the time for their employees or even themselves to employ this tactic. I’m here to tell you that you are wrong. Here’s why.

While I was talking to a customer on one of his lawns, I had taken an empty backpack sprayer from his truck. I put it on and had him time me on his watch.
I then walked the edge starting right at the curb where his truck was parked & proceeded up one side of the driveway, and entrance sidewalk, then came back down the other edge of the driveway.

With the wand, I simulated spraying these areas with the wand down, and feet still moving. I even stopped and hit around the mailbox. When I was done I asked how long it took. He looked at his watch & replied “ 38 seconds “ . 38 seconds!

Now let’s think about this. How many lawns are you or your employees doing in a day? 20? 15? If its 20, then spending 45 seconds per lawn will take an extra 15 minutes in an entire day. That’s it. If it’s less lawns, it will take even less time.

Only 15 minutes a day During RD 1 will save:

Customer complaints (and cancellations)
Customer calls
Service calls (which cost much more time & money later)
Cost of product to spray on the offending crabgrass

This all costs more money and time instead of the strategy I laid out above.

Don’t believe me? Read on.

I am going to use a liquid Barricade product for the calculation because it lasts much longer than other products and it also is labeled for oxalis and spurge. These weeds love the hot edges and often are in these spot along hot edges.

Using other spray able pre-emergent products will probably cost even less.

Barricade 4 F Pre-emergent calculation

Approx cost per gallon: $300
Rate per 1000 sq ft (4 month control) .33 oz per 1000

128 oz per gallon
300 divided by 128 = $2.34 per oz
$2.34 per oz divided by .33 oz per 1000 = 77 cents per 1000

Now take avg customer lawn size for the treatable area along driveway edges and other hot spots like mailbox curbs etc

Avg residential area: 150 lineal ft
Spray width along an edge: 1.5 ft

150 x 1.5 ft = 225 sq ft or about 4 lawns per 1000 sq ft (or per 77 cents)

77 cents divided by 4 = 19 cents

19 CENTS & 40 seconds per lawn. That’s it !

Want to know what is even better ? If you own a Permagreen or other ridable spreader with a spray tank on it, it won’t even take you the 40 seconds.

Mixing the liquid pre-emergent in your tank and shutting off the non-edge side nozzle, will allow you spray that edge when you are spreading your edge pass. No extra time.

Some have asked about weed control in the tank. What do you do about that?

When do you begin to spray broadleaf weed on your customer lawns? For most it is after May 1st some time. When are you applying pre-emergent products in rd 1?
Probably in April and early May. When you need to add Weed control to the tank later in May and still have a few late rd 1 apps, just use the backpack pre-emergent strategy for the few late apps. Simple.

Employing these tactics will save you:

MONEY . The cost of products to spray crabgrass later.
Products like Drive, Acclaim, and Q-4. These tend to be expensive.

Time . Less time than spraying after the fact.

Headaches. Less customer complaints and calls.

This spring when I am talking to customers, it won’t be a case of “why don’t you trying this”, it’s going to be: Why Aren’t You Doing This”

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How to treat grubs

Your Customer Has Grubs. Now what?

I spoke a couple days ago about grubs and grub damage . After reading that, and you determine you actually have a grub problem (not just a few grubs), then it is time to do something about it. But what?

For the environmentalists amongst us , I will mention Milky Spore and
beneficial nematodes. Both are bio-controls of grubs. Neither should be used when a grub problem is present, because they wont work to do much for your current grub problem.
If you are of the belief that you , under any circumstance, your customer will never allow use of an insecticide on a lawn insect problem, then maybe you could give it try. But only before the grub problem pops up. That’s when to use it.
They can be expensive and tedious to apply to the lawn, but you may get some benefit from it.

After saying all that, Its time to take care of your customers grubs. If you have an existing grub problem, the best product in most situations is DYLOX 6.2 G. Its sold in different forms, but most likely in a granular material in a 30 lb bag. For most grubs, it requires about 3#s per 1000 sq ft . Always read your label and follow the correct label rate fro your situation. More Is never better, and often times in Lawncare ,it can even worsen a situation.

Once applied to the lawn, It must be watered in pretty well before too long. You do not want to let Dylox sit out in the sunlight because the sun will begin breakdown the active ingredient , thus making it less effective. You applied the product, and your customer should get the most out of it.
You also need to get it where the grubs are and that is in the soil, not on top of the lawn.

Late summer and early fall is when you will see new grub activity. You will want to treat the grub problem as early as possible because you don’t want to do it in spring time when they will be much harder to control as they mature.

After watering it in, the Dylox will be ingested by the grubs, and they will stop feeding immediately on the roots. They will not however just disappear. They stop doing the damage, but can take a while to fully die and decompose. You will see grubs in the area still or even animal damage from hungry skunks.
This doesn’t mean it is ‘nt working. It most likely is, but you cant control the skunks and raccoons from digging around and eating the dying grubs. If damage has occurred you may renovate and seed the area.

There are other products labeled for grubs like Sevin, Grub-X, merit , Mach2 and so forth. Merit (imidocloprid) , and mach 2 are prevention products, and are not effective on existing grubs.

Sevin is another broad spectrum insecticide that is labeled for grubs. I prefer Dylox, because SEVIN needs heavy irrigation or else it gets hung up in the thatch layer and never gets to the grubs. Sevin also can harm earthworms and other beneficial organisms. Dylox doesn’t exhibit these same characteristics and moves throughout the soil fast. Dylox doesn’t have much residual , it only treats what is active.

One BIG pet peeve of mine is retail stores and GRUB-X. Not either one really, but the marketing that is employed. Homeowner’s walk into a garden center or Big box retailer looking for something to control the grubs eating the lawn. Right out in front of the aisle is a BIG display of shiny black and red bags with a picture of a grub on it. It says GRUB-X, its made by SCOTTS, so it must be good. They spend 25 bucks for the 5000 sq ft bag , apply it and what happens? Nothing most likely. Why? Because Grub-X is a prevention product and needs to be applied at a certain time before the grubs are eating your lawn. Simply put, Scotts and retailers are putting one over on you as a homeowner . The product itself as a prevention (imidocloprid or Merit) is a great product, but only when used properly. Treating your hungry grubs is not using it properly.
For a homeowner this can mean.

1. Waste of time
2. Waste of money
3. Grubs keep creating more damage
4. Customer get frustrated
5. Customer buys more Grub control, and seed to repair the area

Lots of waste in there, but it creates an opportunity for you to properly treat the problem and probably gain a new customer in the process.

My Customer has Grubs.

My customer has grubs.

A short post about grubs. More info later. Its a popular topic.

If you are on a property and see a grub or 2, they probably dont have grubs.

You may even see a couple in the lawn , but it is not worth treating at this point. Really.

Why waste your customers money and apply insecticides when you dont have to?

You need to apply grub killer when you have grub infestations. This kills turf. Too many grubs chewing up your roots and the grass cant get the water and nutrients it needs , so it turns brown.

Signs to look for

1. Actual grubs. Many of them in one area Healthy turf can probably sustain about 5-6 grubs easily in a sq ft area. more than that, and You need to treat
2. Brown turf that is very loose. Rips up easily because there are no roots. The turf may not always be brown either. It will always lift up like a rug on a floor or a cheap toupe.
3. Heavy Bird activity in the lawn in a concentrated area. Birds love those little grubbies, and seeing a lot of them ought to prompt investigation
4. Skunk or raccoon damage. They eat grubs too, and can do as much damage as the birds and grubs digging around for them.
This is the time of year for grubs, so keep an eye out. Tommorrow, how and what to use to treat them.

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Selecting the right turfgrass seed for your job.

How to select the right turf grass seed

One of the most important factors in selecting turf grass seed for your site is to decide which species (or mix of species) best fits your needs. This is important whether you are deciding on the seed for athletic fields, home lawns or for renovating your existing turf to add newer improved varieties to your lawn.

Turf grass breeders are constantly making improvements every year, so do your homework and try to find the best new varieties available. The extra cost of high quality seed is a tiny part of the total cost of any seeding job, so choose the best seed varieties available that fit your needs. You have to live with the lawn you put in for your customers, so it makes sense to buy the best quality available.

This article will focus on cool season species because cool season species are most widely used in the northern two-thirds of the country. Each of the most popular cool season species has unique growth habits and I will discuss them briefly here.

Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass has a non -spreading, bunch type growth habit. It germinates and establishes quickly. It has a dark green color, medium fine texture, and good mowing characteristics. Perennial ryegrass is best in mixtures with other species. High quality perennial ryegrasses will be endophyte enhanced. These endophytic ryegrasses are naturally more resistant to lawn damaging insects like chinch bugs.

Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky Bluegrass is a widely adapted species that is used for many situations. Its dark green color and medium fine texture contributes to it sometimes being called the king of lawn grasses. Kentucky bluegrass is able to spread and recover because it grows by underground primary lateral stems called rhizomes. These rhizomes grow out from the main plant and form a new plant, allowing it to form a dense cover. Kentucky bluegrass is a good choice for athletic fields, home lawns, and golf courses. For high quality turf, Kentucky bluegrass should receive medium to high maintenance.

Hybrid Bluegrass
New Hybrid Bluegrasses like Thermal Blue have recently been developed that exhibit the same great qualities as Kentucky Bluegrass, but are Drought and Shade tolerant. Kentucky Bluegrass was bred with other warm weather bluegrass varieties to come up with these wonderful Hybrid Bluegrasses. Availability is still limited, and they cost a bit more, but they look great.

Turf Type Tall Fescue
Tall fescue is another bunch type grass that persists in the warmer areas of the cool season range of adaptation. This is primarily due to the fact that it has a deep root system, which helps it be more heat and drought tolerant. Plant breeders have made great improvements in this species over the last decade. The newer varieties are as dark green and almost as fine textured as the improved Kentucky bluegrass varieties. It does not tolerate as close a mowing height as Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass, so a mowing height of 2 –3 inches is recommended. Turf Type Tall fescue requires slightly less water and fertilizer to produce a high quality turf stand.

Fine Fescues
Chewings fescue and Hard fescue have a bunch –type growth habit. All have a fine leaf texture. They are particularly well adapted to dry; shady conditions as well as lower maintenance situations. Creeping red fescue is the most widely used of the three main fine leafed fescues. It has slow spreading rhizomes.
The fine fescues are primarily used in mixes with other species like Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass

Whichever species you choose, always try to choose quality named varieties with superior genetics that have improved disease and insect resistance, and drought tolerance, and that will fit your long-term goals.

Consider the following before you choose which grass will work best for different areas of your lawn.

Shade tolerance. Grasses are sun-loving plants. They need an absolute minimum of 4 hours of direct sun a day. Areas that get much traffic require at least 6 hours. If your light is marginal, fescues tolerate shade better than regular bluegrass or ryegrass. Some new Hybrid bluegrass varieties are new to the professional market, and they tolerate shade real well. They are also much more drought tolerant and look great too!

Drought tolerance. If you don’t plan to water during summer droughts, or your soil doesn’t retain much water, the Hybrid Bluegrasses and Turf type tall fescues are your best choice. Some professional mixes actually combine both.

Wear tolerance. Fine fescue doesn’t stand up well to traffic. Choose one of the other species for lawn areas that take a lot of wear and tear.

Establishment. Perennial ryegrass is quick to germinate and protect the soil — an important consideration on slopes that are vulnerable to erosion. Kentucky bluegrass is the slowest. The fescues fall between the two.

Growth habit. Kentucky bluegrass spreads by underground stems called rhizomes. It forms a tough sod. When damaged, the rhizomes can creep back in to cover the bare spot. The other grasses are bunch grasses that don’t spread as well or form as dense a sod. This is why Bluegrasses are desirable to incorporate in the lawn.

Leaf texture. Fine fescue has very thin, fine leaves. Turf type Tall fescue’s leaves are a little courser but are still pretty fine. Ryegrass and bluegrass fall in between.

In addition, you also need to consider how much time and money you plan to invest in your lawn, and how good you want it to look. The fescues are good choices for low-maintenance lawns that you won’t have to fertilize often, and that you won’t mow closer than 3 inches to the ground.

At the other end of the spectrum, Kentucky bluegrass makes a fine-looking lawn, but requires a little more careful management to stay healthy. Plan to fertilize it four times a year, and keep in mind that it is more susceptible to drought (unless you use one of the new hybrids) and pests.

When you purchase grass seed, it is often a mix of several species. Read the label to find out what’s in the bag before buying. Again, cheap seed is never a bargain.

Never purchase a mix that contains more than 2% inert matter, or any noxious weed seeds. Avoid grass seed mixes with annual ryegrass. I will germinate and grow quickly, but usually dies over winter. It is very inexpensive and is usually a sign of poor quality mixes. Sometimes keywords like “quick”, “tough” & “contractors” should be indicators to read the tag.

Four typical mixes matched for different situations:

Shady Areas

Shady Supreme
25% CHEWINGS FESCUE
20% CREEPING RED FESCUE
20% HARD FESCUE
10% KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
25% PERENNIAL RYEGRASS

Uses: New seeding and over-seeding of shaded grass areas in all fine turf situations. Adapted to residential and commercial turf, Shady Supreme is an ideal choice for renovation of “lawn” areas with mature trees and sun, which restrict sunlight.

Features: This Shade mix contains three species of fine fescues, (red, chewings, and hard), which have been found to have a positive affect on disease and insect pressure, unlike typical “least cost” mixtures which often contain the lower performing common creeping red fescue, common bluegrass and ryegrass. These three species have the ability to withstand shade created drought caused by competing tree root absorption and leaf canopy uptake of light rains that never reach the ground.

Rates establishment: 4-5 lbs/1000 sq ft
Rates overseeding: 2-3 lbs/1000 sq ft

Sunny Lawns (medium-higher maintenance)

Sunny Supreme

50% KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
25% PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
15% CHEWINGS FESCUE
10% CREEPING RED FESCUE

Uses: Excellent choice for new seeding in mixed sun and shade where sunny areas predominate such as medium to mature landscapes on home lawns and commercial turf. Many public parks and campuses have a similar mix of sun and moderate shade, and Sunny Supreme can be utilized in newly seeded, renovated and overseeding applications to improve turf cover.

Features: Attractive mix of fine leaf textures creates a more natural look as compared with sod. Broad based of species offers excellent genetic resilience to a wide range of environmental stresses, as well as performance under the range of weather conditions experienced in the New England climates. A quality sun mix like this is the highly attractive professional alternative to the generic Sun mixes so widely available to the homeowner and “least cost” landscaper.

Rates establishment: 4-5 lbs/1000 sq ft
Rates overseeding: 2-3 lbs/1000 sq ft

Sunny Lawn Overseeding

RFM Overseed

75% PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
(Usually 2-3 different varieties)
25% KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS

Uses: Ideal for athletic field over-seeding as well as heavy wear performance driven turf. When used in lawn maintenance for fall overseeding, the fast establishment of the high percentage of perennial ryegrass provides the visual results the customer is looking for. By utilizing an aggressive bluegrass, the capacity to compete and not be overtaken by the ryegrass is realized. Likewise, the aggressive bluegrass can move rapidly into other areas. This overseed mix is an excellent choice for home lawns and athletic field overseeding.

Features: The main feature of this mix is very rapid establishment, including on a relative scale, the bluegrass variety. Aggressive growth and strong lateral tillering contribute to density and turf cover of heavy traffic areas. It can be utilized during the short “down-times” on athletic fields and home lawns. Endophyte fungi living symbiotically with these perennial ryegrasses repel surface feeding insects such as chinch bugs and sod webworm.

Rates establishment: 3-5 lbs/1000 sq ft
Rates overseeding: 1 ½ -2 ½ lbs/1000 sq ft

Sun & Shade

33% PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
33% KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
33% CREEPING RED FESCUE

Uses: Primarily designed for new seeding or aggressive renovation of residential and commercial turf. This sun & shade mix can thrive under more shade than other sun mixes, and therefore is suited to sun and shade conditions often found in mature landscapes of public parks and older residential landscape areas.

Features: It is fine textured and cuts clean from 1 ½ to 3 inch height of cut, with the high heights during the peak of summer heat and humidity. Improved varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass and perennial ryegrass offer better turf quality and disease performance as compared to least cost-common type formulations in similar mixes.

Rates establishment: 4-5 lbs/1000 sq ft
Rates overseeding: 2-3 lbs/1000 sq ft

There are many other mixes that incorporate specific factors for a situation, but these four encompass many situations.

For more information on grass seed and lawn seeding , visit

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What are the brown spots in my customers lawn?

I hear this during the day all the time. I hear it at parties, baseball games, and dance recitals from other fathers that know what line of work I’m in. I try to keep it low key, but once others hear the conversation, I get cornered and most can’t answer enough questions from me to help them.

Truth be told, I have no idea what the brown spots are. Lots of things cause grass to turn brown. To answer your specific question, I need more information every time.

Customers have brought me dead grass in a ziploc bag after sitting on the dashboard for a day. Even fresh dead grass usually tells us nothing.

If you are going to bring a sample, get a shovel, dig a 10 x 10 inch piece or so from the edge of the good grass and brown grass. I like to see both. Dirt , roots and all.

What are the factors you should know before looking for advice?

When did the brown spots pop up?

How often is the turf getting water?

How often does it get fertilizer and when was the last time you put it down.

What products do you use to fertilize?

Is the grass less than a year old?

How high does the grass get mowed?

Does your customer own a dog?

Sun or shade ?

These are just few examples.

Brown spots in lawns can be 30 different things. After getting answers , certain problems are very seasonal and thus we can narrow it down just by the date.

Once we do that, we get into more specific questions. Sometimes a good sample can help too. I try to narrow it down , but if I can’t ,I have them check a couple other things .

But this process is never simple. With phone cameras and digital cameras so accessable, get some good pictures from a couple different angles and get a wide shot to see the brown areas in relation to the rest of the lawn.

The more info you have, the easier it is to diagnose without seeing it. So be prepared and we might solve the problem right there and find out how to correct it.

Dont forget to check out www.elawnhelp.com for other resources.

Basic Fertilizer Math

I have been asked to recommend a good fertilizer for late summer (for example) in New England . I suggested a product 32-3-6 with 30%CRN 2%FE . I was told “I don’t want to use that high of a number in the Fall”

What he was referring to is the 32 . The nitrogen. I then realized how many people don’t understand some basic fertilizer math . I know it because I use it daily, but others may not. Some may be basic, so bear with me if you know this stuff. So, here goes….

32-3-6 what’s that? Those 3 numbers on a fertilizer bag represent N-P-K.
Nitrogen , Phosphorous, and Potassium. N-P-K …

Each number represents the percentage of the contents of the bag.

N = 32% of the contents
P = 3% of the contents
K= 6% of the content

The rest is micro nutrients and fillers. From here on out I will use N, P & K to represent each nutrient instead of typing the whole word

In this instance it will be a 50 lb bag of 32-3-6 straight fertilizer containing:
.32 x50 =16 # N
.03 x50 = 1.5 # P
.06 x50 = 3 # K

Most commercial fertilizers and retail products have a setting for your spreader on the bag. Some will break it down for different #’s of N, but most are derived from 1# N per 1000 sq ft. That’s what most everyone is trying to achieve .

In this instance at 1#N per 1000 sq ft and 16 #s of total N in the entire bag, you will get about 16,000 sq ft from this product at the recommended rate which is usually defaulted to 1 # N per 1000 sq ft.

Most cool season grasses require about 4 lbs of N annually per 1000 sq ft. Never put it down at once!! That’s why you fertilize 4-5 times a year to replace the N that the plant uses in abundance. At about 1 lb of N per 1000 sq ft each time you fertilize, with 4 -5 fertilizer applications ,you get your annual requirement of 4lbs.

Here is the key to the whole story. This customer walked out with 20-1-5 instead of the 32-3-6. Nothing wrong with that at all, because the 20-1-5 is a fine product.

He asked how far it goes . I said 10,000 sq ft . He bought it.

The part that most people don’t realize is the recommended setting on the bag of the 20-1-5 fertilizer for his spreader was derived from 1lb N per 1000 sq ft ,so he gets 10,000 sq ft from that 50# bag.

The 32-3-6 goes down at the same 1lb N per 1000 (the exact same rate) , but he will get 16,000 sq ft from the same 50# bag as opposed to 10,000.
He didn’t want a “high number”, but is getting the same amount of Nitrogen on the lawn. As a matter of fact , the 32-3-6 was probably a better deal because what he was getting was 16,000 for a certain price, or 10,000 sq ft for a little lower price.

32-3-6 (16,000 sq ft) 16.95 bag

$16.95 Divided by 16 = 1.05 per 1000 sq ft. This is for 1 # Nitrogen per 1000

20-1-5 (10,000 sq ft) 11.95 bag

$11.95 Divided by 10 = 1.19 per 1000 sq ft.

As you see, the 32-3-6 was a better deal , and the exact product we were talking about about was probably a better product due the nitrogen source.

Combination products are a bit different. These are weed & feeds, crabgrass preventers with fertilizer, etc. Those recommended settings or rates are based on the amount of whatever active ingredient is on the fertilizer, like weed control or insecticides. In this instance , delivering the right amount of active ingredient per 1000 sq ft is more important than lbs of N per K.
Most combo products usually put down less than a lb of N per 1000 sq ft because of this. Usually 3/4 -1 lb per 1000 . This is where they get a recommended setting for these products in stead of with a straight fertilizer.

Retail products are a bit different from what I see. A bag will have 26-3-9 on it, and the bag says “covers 15,000 sq ft” . Any manufacturer can label whatever they want on a bag for coverage, but in this case if this fert is in a 50 lb bag , you probably should get about 13,000 sq ft instead of the 15,000 it claims.

One last nifty tip. As long as you are looking a 50 lb bag of fertilizer (most professional fertilizers are sold this way), you can simply take the N content (we will use 32 here ) and divide it in half for 16 . You get 16,000 sq ft at 1# N per 1000. It must be a 50lb , and it must be straight fertilizer .

If you can grasp these basic concepts, you understand more than most, even some lawncare folks

Basic Lawn Watering tips for your customers

Even though the hot summer months seem to be past us , you need to be reminded of some basic lawn watering tips.

These tips may seem basic or obvious to some , but I encounter people every day that still water their lawn incorrectly. Here are some tips you might remind your customers of to prevent future problems.

Here goes:

NEVER, EVER water the lawn at night. Especially in the summer. It promotes an environment that fungus and disease love.

A deeper , less frequent watering is better for most lawns than watering everyday lightly. Watering the lawn lightly every day promotes shallow roots. You want strong, deep, roots.

About 1 inch of water a week is required in most parts of the country.
Watering your lawn in the middle of the day will evaporate most of the water and it will never get into the lawn where it is needed.

Nothing will ever replace a good , sustained soaking rain.

If you have an irrigation system, make sure your heads overlap and they are set properly. Many times brown spots on lawns are caused by misaligned sprinkler heads.

Your lawns need water even in cool weather too. I have seen Aprils and Octobers that were cool but dry. No rain . Even though it is not 100 degrees out, the lawn needs water even in cooler months . If it isn’t raining for 3 1/2 weeks , it still needs water .

New seed wont germinate without water. Constant moisture . Not a 4 hour washout watering, but it should stay moist almost all day if possible. Once the seed is establishing, you can back off the watering to a more normal pace.

New seed will not germinate without water. Got it?

Find newer, less water dependent, varieties of grass seed to renovate into the lawn. Turf type tall fescue is deep rooted and new hybrid bluegrasses like Thermal Blue (available exclusively at RF Morse) that are drought and even shade tolerant.