Lawn fertilizer

Anonymous Poster · Apr 20, 2003

I fertilized the lawn yesterday. Went down to Home Depot bought Vigoro lawn fertilizer at $18.00 a bag for 15,000 square feet. For seven bags $126.00. If I read the lawn literature correctly,they want me to fertilize spring summer and fall. HMMM, $126.00 x 3 = $378.00 sounds a little pricey.I also had to lime at $125.00 Am I missing something here? I checked a few of the other
stores prices about the same. Are people paying this much to fertilize their lawns? Are there any ways you can buy this in larger quantities at a cheaper price? I think the Scotts people who want you to go with their four step program at $500.00 + for my size lawn have to be nuts. Would be fine if you lived in the city where lawns are 10'x10'. There must be a cheaper way. Sorry I just had to vent. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Darren · Apr 20, 2003

Got to keep up with the neighbors!

What you have is marketing at it's best. First you fertilize or hire one of the lawn chemical companies to do it for you. Then you get to mow more often and use more gasoline and listen to the Briggs roaring so your hearing is shot years down the road unless you're at least smart enough to wear hearing protection which brings up the question, why weren't you smart enough to plant something that didn't need all that time and money for maintenance?

Just a thought. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

sendero · Apr 20, 2003

Re: Got to keep up with the neighbors!

I couldn't agree more.

The only lawn that needs that much fertilizer is a lawn that is in very poor shape already. I've found a spring application, or some years no application at all, to work just fine.

A long time ago I realized that all using that much fertilizer did was shorten my mowing cycle and make the grass a touch greener. On my Tx St. Augustine lawn, I rarely use fertilizer any more, and my yard is not the 'best' on the block but it sure isn't the 'worst' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

budman72 · Apr 20, 2003

I can get 10-10-10 at the local Souther States co-op for $5 for 50 #. Of course no weed killer in it and perhaps a little weak in the nitrogen, but it does OK, especially when I don't have to pay for Scott's marketing campaign /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

froggy · Apr 20, 2003

Go organic, fertilze twice a year at the most and get a mulching mower.

thcri · Apr 20, 2003

I have to fertilize 4 times per year. Even though I had about 6" of black dirt hauled in I have this stuff called silt loam underneath it. 6 weeks after I fertilize my grass will turn brown, I don't care how much rain we have had or how much I water, it turns brown. When mowing I get this brown dust all over my mower and tractor, it looks like rust. I stick with straight fertilizer, no weed killers or other chemicals in it. I have never used any of the other stuff. I keep my lawn strong and it has pretty much killed out the weeds even the ones that came with the sod. I just bought 250 lbs of 26-3-10 and paid $40.00 for it. I have to do that about 4 times per year.

The sod I purchased to save money was the stuff that the MnDot buys for theirs ditches and rolls out from a 3ph. It was full of weeds. But just keeping a good fertilized lawn has gotten rid of them. Recomendations by the guy that laid the sod.

murph

Anonymous Poster · Apr 21, 2003

Thcri,

Where did you find 250lbs of fertilzer for $40.00? Thats the kind of deal I'm looking for. I'd also go for the 10-10-10 at 50lbs for five bucks. As far as I know we don't have any co-op's around here. I live in Maine
Thanks,
mainiak1

thcri · Apr 21, 2003

I got it from a local Farm Country Coop about 5 miles away from my house. You must have some Farm Supply Houses for farmers to pick up feed and fertilizer stuff.

murph

Anonymous Poster · Apr 21, 2003

I use organic from Agway and mix up my own blend of the fertilizer, pelletized lime and corn gluten meal to feed the lawn and help reduce weed germination. I only apply once a year and spend about $50-75 total for our two acres of lawn area.

BillyP · Apr 21, 2003

One should have their soil tested, then buy the right fertilizer. No need in spending good money something that ain't gonna do you a bit of good.

Although your neighbor might appreciate it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Anonymous Poster · Apr 21, 2003

I bought the same fertilizer at Home Depot Saturday. I was looking at the Scotts but they wanted $8.00 more. I have a new lawn and am just have trouble getting it going. We have been having droughts the last few years. If you have grass that is established than I might fertilize twice a year or go to Southern States and buy some inexpensive fertilizer.

Anonymous Poster · Apr 21, 2003

Thank you for all the help. I will investigate further. We do have Agway and I wll check with some local farmers.

Thanks again,
Mainiak1

Steven · Apr 21, 2003

could be a disease called lawn rust

thcri · Apr 21, 2003

I actually had a "professional" come and look at it. He says no. (not sure I agree with him) I don't get the spots or leasions like rust normally shows. It is just the deficiency of the soil. Even when the grass is really green I get the rust on the mower. My soil is very red also. I also have went out and purchased the fungus stuff from Scott's for rust and it made no changes. So I guess until things change I will put fertilizer on it 4 times a year. I will see what happens this year.

Rust does get into your grass on under fertilized grass according to the article you posted.

murph

Anonymous Poster · Apr 21, 2003

Hey JBECKER- How about a recipe for that mix. At $50 for two acres I could stand to work up a batch of that lawn home brew. Thanks Miked

Anonymous Poster · Apr 22, 2003

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Hey JBECKER- How about a recipe for that mix. At $50 for two acres I could stand to work up a batch of that lawn home brew. Thanks Miked )</font>

Well, I found my recept...here's what I used:

(3) 10202238 5-5-3 Organic Fertilizer @ $12.99 each
(2) 10200703 Pelletized Limestone @ $2.66 each
(1) 10204453 Corn Gluten Meal @ 29.99 (used about 2/3 of the bag)

That comes to about $75.00...my appologies for the error. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Mixed it all up in a big plastic tub on the tailgate of my Tundra and then easily shoveled it into the spreader mounted on the 3pt with the tractor backed up to the truck.

I also threw in some Milky Spore that we had lying around, although that probably wasn't the best way to apply it...too fine.

Anonymous Poster · Apr 22, 2003

So - what about spreaders?? Has anyone used those big cone-shaped 3PH spreaders for spreading common lawn fertilizer? How do you make sure that you have it set for the proper coverage? Any particular brands/models that you like? Should this be a new thread?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Andy

frank_f15 · Apr 22, 2003

i only fertilize when i need to get a section of grass going. have to much lawn to be worried about the color and it just needs more mowing! although my grass looks ok(from a distance) it ain't actually what you would consider a green carpet /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

crb478 · Apr 22, 2003

I spread mine and my neighbors with one of the cone type spreaders on the 3pt. Both of our yards have open area of grass where I can turn the tractor around in , and the obsitcles are mostly trees that the fertilizer falls under. I split up the coverage in what I want for the front yard and what I want in the back and then just load that much at one time. Try to figure out how many passes it will take and then set the opening accordingly. If memory serves me right I believe that the lime comes out quicker than the Fertilizer. Grass seed takes very little time either. Put some Ammonium nitrate out for my neighbor, that stuff really comes out fast. We do any small unaccessable areas with a hand seeder. We do about 3 acres between the two of us in about a hour and a half, and that includes lime, fertilizer, grass seed and blowing off the driveways and sidewalks.