# Lawn guys...



## eyesforever (Mar 8, 2004)

Had my lawn soil tested. Says I need 2.5-5lb/1000sq ft Nitrongen, 0Phosphate, 2.8lb/1000sq ft Potassium, 0 Limestone, 0 Magneisium.
Soil pH is 7.3. Gives no Fertilizer options other than the (N), (K 3 O). 

How should I handle this? Where can I get what they say I need w/o getting what I don't need? 

Any suggestions? Thanks


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Man, thats a lot of nitrogen. You put that down that heavy and you'll be cutting it everyday.

You can get straight N 46-0-0, you can also get 16-0-8 or similar or you can get 6-2-0 (which is what I use (grass looks like a golf course)).

I got my soil tested once. Told me to put down 3 lb N /1000 sft. Yeah right!!! Was already cutting every 4-5 days.

Is the lawn green? Or a pale green or yellow? Do you water when needed? How do you take care of it?

I have customer who never fertilize (I call them country lawns) Mixture of grass and some weeds. Always grows.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I buy a brand of balanced fertilizer with a formula 10-10-10, from Home Depot. The brand name is Vigoro. I used to be able to find different formulas, and they were a generic brand (12-12-12, 16-16-16, or 19-19-19, but I don't find them anymore. This stuff grows my lawn thick and lush. If you live on water, you will want to get something without Phosphorus (middle digit of the formula), as the State recently passed some laws to protect waterways from phosphorus pollution. This fertilizer also works great for all my veggies and flowers. More is not really better. Lighter feedings every 4-6 weeks works really well.


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## kroppe (May 7, 2000)

I fertilize four times during the lawn season, roughly every two months. The product is whatever Scott's offering is sold at Lowe's or HD at the time. In the spring it contains weed preventer, in the summer it contains bug killer, etc. I do a broadcast overseed twice per year, and in patches wherever/whenever it needs it. The product I use is "Pure Premium" sun and shade mix, I think it is also from Scott's. I water when the edges look dry. 

Most of my grass looks like a golf course. The southeast half of my front yard is thinner than the rest, because is heavily shaded by mature oak trees, the house and ornamental trees. It doesn't get as much sun as the rest of my lawn. I'm not sure I can do much with this spot, short of cutting down the 100 yr old oak trees, which the local parks department won't let me do. 

Forgot to mention, we have a terrible problem every year with Japanese beetles, sod webworms and a few other grub nasties. I put down two types of grub killer, three times per year. It is way overkill (according to the bag), but I still find grubs in the lawn. I know they are there, because I see them every now and then, and when the skunks start rooting up the lawn, I know when to reapply.


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## eyesforever (Mar 8, 2004)

WALLEYE MIKE said:


> Man, thats a lot of nitrogen. You put that down that heavy and you'll be cutting it everyday.
> 
> You can get straight N 46-0-0, you can also get 16-0-8 or similar or you can get 6-2-0 (which is what I use (grass looks like a golf course)).
> 
> ...


 Where can I buy the 16-0-8/6-2-0 fertilizers?
Have some of each, dark green/pale green/yellow. Yes try to water on a regular basis, by keeping track of rainfall. Poor base of only 2" blk soil that packs easily, rest is sand, and water runs right through. Would really like to put on a couple "s of compost. Make sense? 
Fertilize couple times a year, and water as needed. But...have a lot of pines,oaks,some maple, along with skunks/chipmonks/squirrels/deer/rabbits/*****/possum, and lord knows what else. Moles pretty well taken care of.

Strange though, I replanted some spots with a lil starter fert. Kept it damp, and it came up nice. 1 month later some spots just died out, while others are doing well. WTH...?


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## eyesforever (Mar 8, 2004)

Fishndude said:


> I buy a brand of balanced fertilizer with a formula 10-10-10, from Home Depot. The brand name is Vigoro. I used to be able to find different formulas, and they were a generic brand (12-12-12, 16-16-16, or 19-19-19, but I don't find them anymore. This stuff grows my lawn thick and lush. If you live on water, you will want to get something without Phosphorus (middle digit of the formula), as the State recently passed some laws to protect waterways from phosphorus pollution. This fertilizer also works great for all my veggies and flowers. More is not really better. Lighter feedings every 4-6 weeks works really well.


 Really like to find some fert with no Phos. Waayyy over 'optimum' on that. Am 1/4-1/2mi or so from any bodies of water. 
Lighter but more often....have any probs with thatch?


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## eyesforever (Mar 8, 2004)

Overseed..just broadcast it and no soil over? Little sun...yup, got a few places like that too, but.... thats where it seems to do best. WTH? I do have some webworms, which will be taken care of today. Hardly ever have seen any grubs, in 7yrs here. See 1-5 jap beetles @ yr.


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## eyesforever (Mar 8, 2004)

Thanks guys for the help. Still don't understand what role Potassium (K) plays in this, or how important it is that it be raised from what the testers say is "below optimum". Raising it would do what for the lawn? How do I raise it if its really necessary?

Thinking the whole mess is (thanks to me) not having enough top soil, and spending too much time fishing, and not enough time with the lawn.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

eyesforever said:


> Where can I buy the 16-0-8/6-2-0 fertilizers?
> Have some of each, dark green/pale green/yellow. Yes try to water on a regular basis, by keeping track of rainfall. Poor base of only 2" blk soil that packs easily, rest is sand, and water runs right through. Would really like to put on a couple "s of compost. Make sense?
> Fertilize couple times a year, and water as needed. But...have a lot of pines,oaks,some maple, along with skunks/chipmonks/squirrels/deer/rabbits/*****/possum, and lord knows what else. Moles pretty well taken care of.
> 
> Strange though, I replanted some spots with a lil starter fert. Kept it damp, and it came up nice. 1 month later some spots just died out, while others are doing well. WTH...?


6-2-0 that I use is Milorganite. 16-0-8 is made by a local elevator. But most are now coming out with 0 P.

With soil that water runs right thru, you want a very slowly release N such are organics. Otherwise the quick release will run right thru and not be absorbed by the grass roots.

Don't let the lack of black dirt worry you. Main difference between sand and blk. topsoil is the organic material. Top dressing with compost will help and also mulching all grass and leaves. Don't bag it. Your soil report should have this on it. More the better. My garden when last tested was 15% organic material (very high).

More water is always better than more fertilizer.


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## eyesforever (Mar 8, 2004)

The Uof MN has an excelent lawn website. Believe what has happened to much of my lawn is a fungi called 'patch disease' where a circle will die and leave grass in the center. Wet spring/fall.
Better care works better than fungisides in curing, but takes a couple years. Printed out a bunch about care/causes, etc.
Finding what I need for fertilizer at the a farm co-op. Yay.

Between you guys, and research, thinking I'll have some nicer grass.

Thanks.


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## WMWW (Mar 3, 2009)

If you have patch disease or Fusarium Blight you need to be careful fertilizing. When treating your lawn for Fusarium Blight you want to go with a lighter rate of nitrogen fertilizer (1/2 rate as normal). Another thing that will help with the Fusarium is to have a core aerating done a couple of times a year


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## eyesforever (Mar 8, 2004)

WMWW said:


> If you have patch disease or Fusarium Blight you need to be careful fertilizing. When treating your lawn for Fusarium Blight you want to go with a lighter rate of nitrogen fertilizer (1/2 rate as normal). Another thing that will help with the Fusarium is to have a core aerating done a couple of times a year


 Thanks. I did read about the coring areation, and the blight on MN website. Just haven't figured out how I'm gonna do that. It's only 1500-1600sq ft, and would be a PITA with a tractor. Seeing if I can rent a hand one. Worse case.....them spike shoes, or a board with nails:lol:. Know it's not as good as coring though.


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## jlcrss (May 17, 2006)

You can rent a walk behind core aerator from home depot. They usually charge 30-40 for two hours. I also wanted to recommend Lesco products now being sold under the John Deere Landscaping name. This is some of the best fertilizer I have ever worked with. Have you considered the possibility of grubs in the dead spots? Any way good luck.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

eyesforever said:


> Thanks. I did read about the coring areation, and the blight on MN website. Just haven't figured out how I'm gonna do that. It's only 1500-1600sq ft, and would be a PITA with a tractor. Seeing if I can rent a hand one. Worse case.....them spike shoes, or a board with nails:lol:. Know it's not as good as coring though.


You said you had sand. Core aeration is a waste. Its suppose to be used to get water and nutrients down to the roots in heavily compacted soil. Sand does not compact.

In my 25+ years doing this commercialy, I have yet seen were areation has done any good. My lawn is like a golf course. Been there since the house was built (1968) and has never been aerated. I have clay loam.


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## jlcrss (May 17, 2006)

WALLEYE MIKE said:


> You said you had sand. Core aeration is a waste. Its suppose to be used to get water and nutrients down to the roots in heavily compacted soil. Sand does not compact.
> 
> In my 25+ years doing this commercialy, I have yet seen were areation has done any good. My lawn is like a golf course. Been there since the house was built (1968) and has never been aerated. I have clay loam.


Well in my 4 years of living were I currently live. I have aerated and not aerated. The years that I didn't I did notice a difference. The lawn wasn't as responsive to watering and fertilization as when I did. I have clay. I also put gypsum down in the spring and lime in the fall. My yard is slowly coming around.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

jlcrss said:


> Well in my 4 years of living were I currently live. I have aerated and not aerated. The years that I didn't I did notice a difference. The lawn wasn't as responsive to watering and fertilization as when I did. I have clay. I also put gypsum down in the spring and lime in the fall. My yard is slowly coming around.


Big difference between sand and hardpack clay.


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## jlcrss (May 17, 2006)

WALLEYE MIKE said:


> Big difference between sand and hardpack clay.


I was referring to your comment of aeration not working and you used your lawn as an example. I completely agree that it wouldn't benefit a sandy lawn as much. With that said we use to aerate the greens at the golf course I worked at and then we would fill the holes with sand and drag them. This mostly served the purpose of reducing thatch which is another benefit to aeration.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

jlcrss said:


> I was referring to your comment of aeration not working and you used your lawn as an example. I completely agree that it wouldn't benefit a sandy lawn as much. With that said we use to aerate the greens at the golf course I worked at and then we would fill the holes with sand and drag them. This mostly served the purpose of reducing thatch which is another benefit to aeration.


Yes, but golf course greens get a lot of foot traffic. More lbs/sq/in of pressure than a riding mower. Also filling with sand helps, which that isn't done on a residential lawn. Aerating then top dressing with compost is great way to build up your lawn, but its rarely done.

I've seen people getting it done yearly and the lawn still looks like crap. Problem is they leave out the watering part. Can't just rely on mother nature most years to supply enough.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

A good dose of 12-12-12 followed by a light dose of 64-0-0 baby. Just don't forget to water. Oh and you will be mowing twice a week but your lawn will turn every head in the neighborhood.


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## Sling (Aug 2, 2005)

is it the light dose of 64-0-0 that turn the kentucky blue... blue ?


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