Tall Fescue treated with iron. (my lawn)

Do you want a deep green lawn that will make your neighbors jealous? How about a deep blue-green that looks almost fake? Well, it’s actually pretty easy to get to that point with just a little product knowledge and the right timing. Check it…

Chelated Iron Turns Lawns Blue-Green

Pretty much any grass type will benefit from iron, but the three that get darkest are Kentucky Blue Grass, Perennial Rye and Turf Type Tall Fescue. The key is the iron must be “chelated” in order for the grass plants to utilize it.

Iron is a funny little element and get bound up in soil very easily. When it is suspended it cannot be taken up by grass roots. However, chelated iron has been modified so that it can be taken in immediately.

When To Apply Iron

The time to apply iron is when temps are above 55 degrees and below 75 degrees. Anything outside of this range and you won’t get the full benefit of the application. Apply iron when it is too hot and you could get a gray-coloring. You also need to watch out with over-applying iron because too much will turn the lawn almost black! Fear not if this happens as the lawn will recover in a week or so.

Safest Chelated Iron To Apply

You can avoid all the risk with iron and use my favorite organic fertilizer Milorganite. Milorganite contains chelated iron and nitrogen as well. Apply it in the later spring and again in later summer and you are golden.

Keep in mind that Milorganite must be applied VERY heavily. 18lbs per 1,000 square feet of lawn space is the recommended dose. If you have never applied this much fertilizer before, it will seem like you are dumping buckets on the grass.

MILORGANITE DIVISION MMSD 36# FERTILIZER 36 LB

In the picture to the left you see a the three numbers on the back and what each one stands for. The first number refers to the nitrogen content, the second the phosphorous concentration and the third is potassium or more accurately potash. These elements each have their use in the typical lawn.

N = Nitrogen. Nitrogen is what makes the grass green and also pushes it to add top growth. The more top growth, the more leaf structure there is to capture sunlight and produce sugars through photosynthesis (remember 8th grade science class?)

It is possible to push too much lawn growth by utilizing too much nitrogen but if you are following the directions on the bag label (VERY important) then you will be fine. As a general rule, however, you should use less nitrogen during the dry, hot months of summer.

If your bag as the number 20 for nitrogen, then that means that 20% of the material in the bag contains usable nitrogen. If you are applying the fertilizer at a rate of 2 lbs per 1,000 square feet of lawn space, then that will effectively give you .4 lbs of N on the lawn. (a little under half a pound). That is a decent amount for later spring. Again, follow the label instructions for “pounds on the ground” keeping in mind that we standardize lawn applications according to square feet.

If the bag covers 5,000 square feet and is 10 lbs, then you are applying 2 lbs per 1,000 square feet of lawn area. Get it?

If that same bag has 20% nitrogen then that means that each 1,000 square feet of lawn area will get .4 lbs of N.

P = Phosphorous or Phosphate – A lot of provinces across the country have gone “phos-free” meaning they have banned its use on home lawns. This is due to the potential of groundwater leaching and contamination. There is some debate as to the usefulness of phos in lawns and I don’t have time to get into it all here. Long story short, phos helps the lawn at its root system. Phos supports root strength and development and assists in moisture intake. If you can get it in your area, DO IT! Just make sure to apply in the proper amount and keep the fert in the lawn and NOT on the driveway or street (called ‘off target application’) where it can run off during rain and into groundwater or sewers!

K = Potassium or potash. Potassium works in conjunction with Nitrogen to strengthen foliage. It also helps the lawn resist and recover from stress such as heat, drought and disease. This one will be in pretty much any fert you get to some degree.

There you go guys, more than you ever wanted to know about the numbers on the bag of fertilizer. What questions do you have?

How To Get Your Lawn Thicker

1) Aeration is key – lawn aeration is a huge key to getting your lawn thicker. Aeration is where a machine (a core aerator) is taken over the lawn and actual soil plugs are pulled up out of the ground. These plugs being pulled allow for the grass roots to expand by relieving soil compaction. Now, there are many other good reasons for you to aerate your lawn, but for our purposes, we want to do this to get our root system thicker.

PRO SECRET TIP: if you wanna know a secret we pros use – aerate your lawn 3 times in the fall. August, September and October. If you do that, you will be taking maximum advantage of the turf’s natural ability to spread roots in fall time.

2) Fertilization: In addition to aerating, we need you to use the right fertilizer to support the root thickening. You can get my book for $7 and learn exactly what kind (blend) of fertilizer to use in the fall to get max benefit from the aeration.

PRO SECRET TIP: Throw down the fertilizer directly after each aeration – that is 3 treatments in the fall, each 4 weeks apart. but again, you gotta use the right blend. Get the book.

3) Add grass seed: This one may be obvious to some of you, but again, it all works together. Right after the aerations, throw down fresh grass seed using about 2 lbs of seed for each 1,000 square feet of lawn space. This means if you have a 1/2 acre lawn (20,000 square feet) you will need 40lbs of grass seed for each aeration. Throw down the grass seed right after the aeration and then use the fertilizer in step 2. Are you getting the picture here?

Ok guys, there you go, that is what I have for you and it works very well. I can pretty much promise you that this will get your lawn thicker this fall if you do it! Best of luck lawn care lovers!

BEFORE

AFTER

Now keep in mind, this is just after two treatments and the lawn will continue to get better and better as he follows my step-by-step lawn fertilizing program. Get the Book Here. See for yourself how nice your lawn can me.

There is the rain, heat and whatever else is going on in the spring, and each of these can effect the results we get from our fertilizer.

Then of course, there is the human factor. Did you put down the right amount of fert (pounds per 1,000 square feet) or did you just “wing” it? Either way, I wanted to show you just what you can and should expect from a single application of fertilizer in the early spring. Here is my lawn.

This is exactly 6 days after my first lawn treatment and we got about 1/2 inch of rain. You can see some definite green-up, but it isn’t perfect yet.

Now you can see that the lawn is not perfect yet, and in fact, at first blush, you might think it is down right crappy. But I assure you, this is not the case. You see, I always recommend using fertilizers that feed the lawn slowly and gradually. I NEVER want you to apply super high nitrogen products to the lawn as these over-push the growth. That is why when people talk about how GREEN their lawn is so EARLY in the season, I just have to shake my head. That nice push they gave early is gonna end in a crash come summer. (like a kid who eats lots of candy getting a sugar rush and then crashing soon after)
Because I feed my lawn with balanced nutrients in small doses, when we do get to summer, I am dark green, healthy and my lawn can stand up and resist drought, heat, disease and insects much better.
Here is what my lawn looks like in the summer time:

You can get my year long lawn treatment program here for just $7. It is worth it, just look at my lawn!

]]> http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/lawncare-treatments/what-results-can-i-expect-from-one-fertilizer-treatment/feed/ 0 http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/lawncare-treatments/organic-lawn-treatments-explained-by-al/ http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/lawncare-treatments/organic-lawn-treatments-explained-by-al/#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2010 14:18:25 +0000 lawn guide http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/?p=17 It seems like this buzz around “organic lawn treatments” or “natural lawn treatments” is getting bigger and bigger as the years go on, but there is just so much freaking mis-information out there that frankly, it annoys me. Now I know that ain’t ya’lls fault so I won’t take it out on you. Instead, let’s talk straight about it ok?

What Is Organic Fertilizer?

Organic fertilizers are ones that come from something that was once living. This can be poop, ground up bones, plant compost, poop poop and poop! The thing is, see, the turf needs nitrogen to grow green (that photosynthesis thing is pretty important) and you can get some nitrogen from organic fertilizers. Does that make them better for the environment? Not necessarily.

Pounds On The Ground

You see, organic lawn treatments are nice because they are “natural” but there is a drawback and that being how stinking much you gotta put down to get some results. An example is Milorganite Organic Lawn fertilizer. This is good stuff and has nitro and iron in it. But you have to put down 15 lbs of it per 1,000 square feet of lawn area. THAT is a lot of fert ya’ll!

Compare that to the synthetic Scott’s fert you get at the local Home Depot and you are looking at only 3lbs per 1,000 square feet. Much less eh?

Advantage Of Organic Lawn Fertilizers

So why use organics? The reason is that they are super slow release and I like that! Slow releasing organic lawn fertilizers will not over-push the lawn’s growth, instead, feeding it slowly over time. That means it won’t burn either, so it is full proof.

One thing to consider with organics, however, is that they will NOT release their nutrients until temps are up in the 50s during the day and night. Most of your traditional synthetic ferts will let out nutrients with water, but organics need heat. So don’t expect super fast greening with them, but slow and steady green.

Really, the very best lawn treatment program will include a little of the synthetic stuff, and a little of the organic stuff in a nice balance. I love the lawn balance! Get my book here that tells you all about it!

]]> http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/lawncare-treatments/organic-lawn-treatments-explained-by-al/feed/ 0 http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/lawncare-treatments/lawn-care-treatment-program/ http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/lawncare-treatments/lawn-care-treatment-program/#comments Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:22:17 +0000 lawn guide http://yourgreenlawnfertilizing.com/?p=3 Step By Step Lawn Care Treatment Plan For Homeowners

It’s ONLY $7 so keep reading ok? This lawn fertilization schedule works! I know cuz I wrote it up for my readers!!!!!!!!!!!!

My name is Allyn Paul and I have been taking care of lawns and landscapes since I was 15-years-old. If you are looking for a step-by-step guide that tells you “what to put on your lawn” and “when to put it on your lawn” then you have come to the right place. This is a complete lawn fertilization plan for DIYers. The best part: it is really not that difficult to treat your own lawn! In my biz, we say “It’s always a good day for lawn care!” and in addition “There is no crying in lawn care!”
What that means to you is you should get out and fertilize, treat and care for your lawn cuz it ain’t all that tough once you know “what to” put on your lawn and “when to” put it down! Look at my grass below:

The lawn you see here is treated with my program #3 listed in the book. That green grass is a head-turner for sure! My neighbors all wish they had it too! By the way, this lawn was new construction just 4 years ago, meaning I started this lawn from bare dirt and seeded it. No instant lawns for me; I went the tough route and seeded by hand! Now imagine what you can do with an existing lawn?!?! (existing means you at lease have ‘some’ grass)

Ok, now back to the lawn care book…

This is NOT a How-To book (though I do point you to “how to” stuff) rather it is a “when to” and “what to” book. If you are wondering what fertilizers will get you a thick, green lawn, then this book is for you. In addition, we talk about how to use weed control and insect control in an environmentally friendly way.

There are actually 3 distinct lawn care fertilizing programs listed in the book.

Program #1 is affectionately titled “For Crappy Lawns”

Program #2 is for “Halfway Decent Lawns”

Program #3 is for “Already Good Lawns: A Maintenance Program”

If you are unsure is your lawn is “crappy” or “halfway decent” then you just start with program #1 and go from there. You aren’t going to break anything ya know?

My philosophy on a lawn treatment plan is that you start with the best in synthetic and organic fertilizers and weed control, with the goal to eventually get your lawn thick enough that it just requires minimal treatments in successive years.

But you know what the best part is? At the end of the book I point you to a link where you can contact me directly via email. That means that I will give you full support throughout the season if you have any questions. I answer all emails withing 24hrs. Trust me, many of my readers email me nearly every week just to make sure everything is progressing properly… I seriously love lawn care man!

Just look at the pictures of my lawn here. You can get a nice lawn just like that if you follow this step by step guide. Best news guys: it’s only $7. yeah, SEVEN BUCKS!

Order below: secure and safe with PayPal and you will get immediate access to download the 20-page ebook after you deposit the $7. In addition, we auto-send you an email with your download link included! It’s secure and first class guys! Get it…