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It's the time of year when the weather finally turns nice, and people decide to spend billions improving their lawns and landscapes. Unfortunately for most, they don't have the knowledge to buy the proper tools or products, and end up spending good money on terrible products, and spend more money on those same terrible products after they don't work, because they think they did something wrong. I can tell you with absolute certainty that no matter how much of an amateur you are at this, it's almost always the product, not the consumer, when it comes to this market. With that being said, please continue to read if you plan on spending some money on landscaping any time soon, so you don't waste your money.
For those who are unaware, I was a professional landscaper for 17 years. I did all aspects top to bottom in this field for 50-60 hours a week for that entire time. I am more than qualified to speak on this, because it is the one area I can confidently say I am an expert in.
The first thing you need to know, is Scott's isn't popular because they're good. They're popular, because they are masters at marketing their products, and they spend truckloads of money with the best minds in advertising to create the illusion of superiority they have among consumers. I won't say everything they sell is terrible, because their weed and feed is untouchable - the best on the market by a wide margin. In general though, do not waste money on Scott's/Turfbuilder/Etc., because there are far superior products on the market. Some cost more, some cost less, all work better. Their mulch is decent looking enough, but most of it is dyed with cheap dye that washes off after a few rains, and then you just end up with mulch in your beds that looks pink. It's ridiculous.
Best Fertilizer - Lesco, if you can find it. If you can't find it, it's worth paying to have it delivered. Fertilizer is one of those things where people don't think it matters, but it does. Lesco fertilizer will not stain anything, it won't kill anything unless you dump a pile on it, and it dissolves pretty rapidly, but the nutrients stay available in the soil for a long time.
Best seed - Rebel. Period. Complain about the price all you want, there's a reason it's expensive. Rebel will grow anywhere, any time of year. I have never seen another seed that even compares. The blades come in thick, dense, dark green, and I have never seen a weed in a yard seeded with Rebel. If you are obsessed with having the best looking lawn, it's the only way to go.
Best mulch - Anything that doesn't come in a bag is the best mulch you can get. Look up local garden centers and greenhouses. Most have mulch, almost all deliver. It is as fresh as you can get it - rarely more than 7 days old, and it looks and smells infinitely better than anything you will ever find in a bag. In the long run, it costs a lot less too. One cubic yard can run anywhere from $25-$65. One yard in bags would usually take about 15 bags at $5 or so each.
Do not lay hay when you seed your yard. It serves no purpose, no matter what you've always done, or what you've always been told. What it does do, is prohibit good growth. It takes a long time to rot away, and because of that it doesn't allow grass to come up anywhere that it makes contact with the dirt. Also, due to the very slow rot time, it doesn't act as a natural fertilizer for the seed. Instead, it has become so acidic by the time it rots away, that it kills some of the grass in the area. It doesn't prevent birds or other animals from eating it either, and in fact the only seeded yards I see birds eating seed from are the ones that have the hay down, because the moisture barrier it creates makes worms surface, which attracts birds, who also eat the seeds when worm hunting. It doesn't prevent seed from washing away either, the seeds will float when there's enough rain, no matter what you lay on it.
Only use about 3/4 as much fertilizer as you do seed. If your yard takes 100 lbs of seed, you only need about 75 lbs of fertilizer. A lot of people do pound for pound - don't do that, your yard will talk about you behind your back when it's dying.
When you seed your yard, you need to water the hell out of it every day for at least the first 2 weeks. I'm talking 30 minutes of watering twice a day for 14 days. If you just throw down seed and don't water the hell out of it, you did nothing but waste your money. And don't you dare cut it for those two weeks either, or it will slap you in the face for being an idiot.
If you have bald spots or large areas where grass won't grow - there's a reason it won't grow. Don't waste money on bald spot patch crap like Scott's sells, it's a joke. It's extremely temporary, and if you have the urge to waste that kind of money so freely, I'll give you your address so you can send me the money you would've spent instead. Or give me your address, and I'll come take your wallet.
With bald spots, it is almost always one of three reasons. The biggest reason for an area of dirt is too much shade. If you really want grass growing there, cut some trees down. Grass doesn't grow in the woods. If it isn't too much shade, and it's still bald, you have a highly acidic area in your lawn. Luckily for you, there's a simple fix - dump a shitload of pelletized lime on it. It sweetens up the soil and lets grass grow. If you try this in pure shade, you're wasting your money. Stop it, stop it right now.
The third very common thing most people are completely unaware of, is the cause of yellow spots in your yard. The main cause by far is a female dog pissing in that spot. Planting more seed there will do nothing. Females have an enzyme in their urine that is the equivalent of dumping acid on your yard. If you have multiple areas, and they just happens to be along the road, sidewalk, etc., now you know why. If you have a female dog, and you have these spots in your yard, blame her. For some unknown reason, not all breeds do this. It tends to be confined to large or larger medium sized breeds. I don't know why. A lot of people will look at these patches and say it's brown patch. Even "pros" at stores will tell you that, then try to sell you some crap that won't work. You aren't fixing brown patch without help from a company that treats it. The easiest way to tell if it's brown patch, is to rub your bare foot on it. All brown patch is slimy, like someone dumped hair gel on it. It doesn't always look slimy, and I can't recall but a few times ever where it did, but it will always feel like pure slime.
Crabgrass preventer is the biggest hoax ever perpetuated on the gullible homeowner. It isn't real. I don't care how many people tell you it works, or how many articles you read on it, it is a fairytale. Every single crabgrass prevention product is made by the same source company, and they spent millions recruiting industry pros to spread the word on the wonders of it to mutually benefit financially. The biggest clue is that if it could work, it would have to be applied in the dead of Winter. I won't bore you with the reasons why, but it will not work. I promise. The only way to get rid of crab grass is to kill your entire yard.
Don't waste money trying to remove or kill Bermuda grass. You will never, ever, ever win. Ever. Embrace it or move. Even if you kill it and dig it up, it will always come back.
One honest thing I can tell you about this industry - everything that claims it attracts certain insects does, and if it claims to repel certain insects, it does too. Not everything they tell you is a lie, just most of it.
One important thing to remember, is fairytale hot words for sales are products that do not do a word of what they claim. There is no grass that will grow without water. There is no fertilizer that will never burn anything even if you spill it into a pile. There is no seed that holds moisture better, there is no grass that grows in shade, and there is no such thing as heat tolerant fescue. Anything that says "Super" or "Canadian" or "Vegas".........total bullshit.
If you plant flowers in your beds, water them every day. Don't drown them, but they will stagnate fairly quickly if you do not water them daily.
If you plant a tree, always buy the tree spike fertilizer to put in the ground, it will keep you from becoming a tree murderer.
If there's anything I didn't cover, don't hesitate to ask. Questions with certain plants, grasses, lawn questions, soil questions, irrigation, anything. I'll be happy to help you out.
For those who are unaware, I was a professional landscaper for 17 years. I did all aspects top to bottom in this field for 50-60 hours a week for that entire time. I am more than qualified to speak on this, because it is the one area I can confidently say I am an expert in.
The first thing you need to know, is Scott's isn't popular because they're good. They're popular, because they are masters at marketing their products, and they spend truckloads of money with the best minds in advertising to create the illusion of superiority they have among consumers. I won't say everything they sell is terrible, because their weed and feed is untouchable - the best on the market by a wide margin. In general though, do not waste money on Scott's/Turfbuilder/Etc., because there are far superior products on the market. Some cost more, some cost less, all work better. Their mulch is decent looking enough, but most of it is dyed with cheap dye that washes off after a few rains, and then you just end up with mulch in your beds that looks pink. It's ridiculous.
Best Fertilizer - Lesco, if you can find it. If you can't find it, it's worth paying to have it delivered. Fertilizer is one of those things where people don't think it matters, but it does. Lesco fertilizer will not stain anything, it won't kill anything unless you dump a pile on it, and it dissolves pretty rapidly, but the nutrients stay available in the soil for a long time.
Best seed - Rebel. Period. Complain about the price all you want, there's a reason it's expensive. Rebel will grow anywhere, any time of year. I have never seen another seed that even compares. The blades come in thick, dense, dark green, and I have never seen a weed in a yard seeded with Rebel. If you are obsessed with having the best looking lawn, it's the only way to go.
Best mulch - Anything that doesn't come in a bag is the best mulch you can get. Look up local garden centers and greenhouses. Most have mulch, almost all deliver. It is as fresh as you can get it - rarely more than 7 days old, and it looks and smells infinitely better than anything you will ever find in a bag. In the long run, it costs a lot less too. One cubic yard can run anywhere from $25-$65. One yard in bags would usually take about 15 bags at $5 or so each.
Do not lay hay when you seed your yard. It serves no purpose, no matter what you've always done, or what you've always been told. What it does do, is prohibit good growth. It takes a long time to rot away, and because of that it doesn't allow grass to come up anywhere that it makes contact with the dirt. Also, due to the very slow rot time, it doesn't act as a natural fertilizer for the seed. Instead, it has become so acidic by the time it rots away, that it kills some of the grass in the area. It doesn't prevent birds or other animals from eating it either, and in fact the only seeded yards I see birds eating seed from are the ones that have the hay down, because the moisture barrier it creates makes worms surface, which attracts birds, who also eat the seeds when worm hunting. It doesn't prevent seed from washing away either, the seeds will float when there's enough rain, no matter what you lay on it.
Only use about 3/4 as much fertilizer as you do seed. If your yard takes 100 lbs of seed, you only need about 75 lbs of fertilizer. A lot of people do pound for pound - don't do that, your yard will talk about you behind your back when it's dying.
When you seed your yard, you need to water the hell out of it every day for at least the first 2 weeks. I'm talking 30 minutes of watering twice a day for 14 days. If you just throw down seed and don't water the hell out of it, you did nothing but waste your money. And don't you dare cut it for those two weeks either, or it will slap you in the face for being an idiot.
If you have bald spots or large areas where grass won't grow - there's a reason it won't grow. Don't waste money on bald spot patch crap like Scott's sells, it's a joke. It's extremely temporary, and if you have the urge to waste that kind of money so freely, I'll give you your address so you can send me the money you would've spent instead. Or give me your address, and I'll come take your wallet.
With bald spots, it is almost always one of three reasons. The biggest reason for an area of dirt is too much shade. If you really want grass growing there, cut some trees down. Grass doesn't grow in the woods. If it isn't too much shade, and it's still bald, you have a highly acidic area in your lawn. Luckily for you, there's a simple fix - dump a shitload of pelletized lime on it. It sweetens up the soil and lets grass grow. If you try this in pure shade, you're wasting your money. Stop it, stop it right now.
The third very common thing most people are completely unaware of, is the cause of yellow spots in your yard. The main cause by far is a female dog pissing in that spot. Planting more seed there will do nothing. Females have an enzyme in their urine that is the equivalent of dumping acid on your yard. If you have multiple areas, and they just happens to be along the road, sidewalk, etc., now you know why. If you have a female dog, and you have these spots in your yard, blame her. For some unknown reason, not all breeds do this. It tends to be confined to large or larger medium sized breeds. I don't know why. A lot of people will look at these patches and say it's brown patch. Even "pros" at stores will tell you that, then try to sell you some crap that won't work. You aren't fixing brown patch without help from a company that treats it. The easiest way to tell if it's brown patch, is to rub your bare foot on it. All brown patch is slimy, like someone dumped hair gel on it. It doesn't always look slimy, and I can't recall but a few times ever where it did, but it will always feel like pure slime.
Crabgrass preventer is the biggest hoax ever perpetuated on the gullible homeowner. It isn't real. I don't care how many people tell you it works, or how many articles you read on it, it is a fairytale. Every single crabgrass prevention product is made by the same source company, and they spent millions recruiting industry pros to spread the word on the wonders of it to mutually benefit financially. The biggest clue is that if it could work, it would have to be applied in the dead of Winter. I won't bore you with the reasons why, but it will not work. I promise. The only way to get rid of crab grass is to kill your entire yard.
Don't waste money trying to remove or kill Bermuda grass. You will never, ever, ever win. Ever. Embrace it or move. Even if you kill it and dig it up, it will always come back.
One honest thing I can tell you about this industry - everything that claims it attracts certain insects does, and if it claims to repel certain insects, it does too. Not everything they tell you is a lie, just most of it.
One important thing to remember, is fairytale hot words for sales are products that do not do a word of what they claim. There is no grass that will grow without water. There is no fertilizer that will never burn anything even if you spill it into a pile. There is no seed that holds moisture better, there is no grass that grows in shade, and there is no such thing as heat tolerant fescue. Anything that says "Super" or "Canadian" or "Vegas".........total bullshit.
If you plant flowers in your beds, water them every day. Don't drown them, but they will stagnate fairly quickly if you do not water them daily.
If you plant a tree, always buy the tree spike fertilizer to put in the ground, it will keep you from becoming a tree murderer.
If there's anything I didn't cover, don't hesitate to ask. Questions with certain plants, grasses, lawn questions, soil questions, irrigation, anything. I'll be happy to help you out.
