No more Lesco

[Steve Bakken]

So i went into our Mankato Home Depot this spring only to find out that they no longer carry it. I settled for the well known Scotty brand and after four weeks of rapid top growth my lawn looks the most unhealthy it's looked in many years. Does anyone know of anyone who still carries it down here, or a decent Lesco substitute that will give better results?

[Moose]

Lesco has changed it's service center names to John Deere Landscapes. Looks like the closest one to you is Burnsville. https://www.johndeerelandscapes.com/home/locations.aspx

We have switched to Helena Chemical Brand at work. They have pretty much any % of slow release you need. Usually around 25-50% poly or sulfur coated urea is what your looking for also if you irrigate with city water I would recommend 1-2% Iron.

I use the Forever Green brand from MAYNARDS and have pretty good results with it although it has no slow release. It's a lot cheaper than Scotts for about the same product.

[LunkerLover84]

I've looked everywhere in the Mankato area for Lesco fert. Couldn't find it anywhere. The closest place I could find it, and believe me I looked hard, was the home depot in Chaska.

Like Moose said the closest JDL is in Burnsville and they are closed on the weekends. Chaska is closer anyways.

[fishersofmen]

We have switched to Helena Chemical Brand at work. They have pretty much any % of slow release you need. Usually around 25-50% poly or sulfur coated urea is what your looking for also if you irrigate with city water I would recommend 1-2% Iron.

We are on our 4th ton of Helena Pro-Mate and the stuff is garbage. It is 15-0-5 60% slow release and 7% iron. I told my boss after the second ton don't buy any more of that dump but he keeps getting more after being assured it will be better. I don't know if its the poly coating on it or what but its dark brown and kind of sticky, you can't see it come out of the spreader, and it spreads like dung constantly clogging everything up etc. He saves a buck a bag vs Lesco and gives me a headache at the same time.

Moose good bible verse by the way.

[Steve Bakken]

Could a local farm&feed store custom mix something?

[Moose]

Fishers, If I had to guess I would say it is the high iron content that is making the product so sticky. If 60% is coated nitrogen the only other component would be the 5% potash which usually does not effect the fertilizer.At 7% iron your turf has gotta almost look blue. The highest iron content I have seen in a fertilizer aside from Milorganite is 2%.

Numbers 6:24-26 is right up there also

[fishersofmen]

I think it is the iron that makes it spread like dung. I told my boss its too much iron. He feels like its a good way to green up lawns without a high nitrogen content. Everything we have used previously has been 2%. I have checked a few of the lawns I did several weeks ago and they don't look blue.....yet.

Steve the place we get our fertilizer from does custom blending. We had almost everything custom blended last year.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I tried chelated iron, low N in the past for liquid apps as a way to cut down on top growth, but keep the grass a dark(er) green.

I didn't notice any real benefit, and leaving the chelated iron in the spray tank overnight caused real problems.

Needless to say I'm back to a 30-0-10, 50% slow release.

[Moose]

I used Lesco exclusively for many years till everyone I knew at the service centers and golf trucks left and then the pricing could not compete with Rienders or Helena. We swap between Rienders 24-0-5 with Milorganinte to boost the iron 25% slow release.and Helena with similar properties and 2% iron both seem to do equally well. No problems going through our Lely