Lesco fertilizer

[Steve Bakken]

Good news for those living outside of the metro area. I don't know if this has been there for a while, but when I went into my Mankato Home Depot to check on fall fert and grass seed, lo and behold, there was a whole pallet of Lesco starter fertilizer. Since I started using that stuff this year, my lawn has never looked better. It was always just such a pain driving all the way to Burnsville to get it. I hope they will make this a regularely stocked item now.

[DRH1175]

yes I have used this fertilizer in the past and have no complaints. Very good and the price blows scotts and vigaro out of the water. A better fertilizer and even a better price! I live on the north side of the cities and have had it in our HD store.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Yes, most Home Depots will carry a Lesco Branded fertilizer throughout the season.

It's not cheap, but it is good.

The thing that I like about it more than Scotts, is that the Lesco pellets are larger, easier to control. Scott's 'flakes' are small, and somewhat hard to control if it's at all windy out.

[Enids Hubby]

I switched to all Lesco products this year after hearing about them here , and being I live only a few miles from the warehouse. I'll never go back to anything else, good stuff . But better than the fertilizer is the momentum weed killer 70.00 for gallon but it works!!!! and being you mix 3 ounce to a gallon I have enough to last 20 years. I'll be glad when the snow comes I'm tired of cutting grass.

[FishingIdiot]

For their granulated fertilizer (momentum or plain) - what would the drop spreader setting be? Anyone have an idea? The fella @ Lesco couldn't tell me.

I have a Scott's w/ settings 1 to 18 or so. With Scott's fertilizer I have it at about 4 3/4.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

---

For their

granulated

fertilizer (momentum or plain) - what would the

drop spreader

setting be? Anyone have an idea? The fella @ Lesco couldn't tell me.

I have a Scott's w/ settings 1 to 18 or so. With Scott's fertilizer I have it at about 4 3/4.

---

No one can tell you what the setting should be, because no one here knows how fast you walk.

You'll have to figure that out for yourself.

Say your 50 lb bag is supposed to cover 15,000 sq ft. That means that 1 lb should cover 300 sq ft, or an area 15' x 20' OR, if your drop spreader covers 2' wide, then a strip that's 150' long.

A 1/2 lb should cover then 75' long strip. Take something to measure in, and measure out 1/2 lb, put it in your spreader, and set the spreader fairly low. Walk your 75' ft and see how much you have left over. If you run out early, then you'll have to set your spreader lower, if you've got some left over, then set the spreader higher.

Personally, the first thing that I would do is get rid of the drop spreader, and go buy a rotary. It's almost impossible to get decent even coverage with a drop spreader.

[FishingIdiot]

LwnmwnMan2,

I know you are very knowledgeable, but, with a drop spreader, doesn't it work by dropping so much material for every turn of the wheels? If so, it doesn't seem to me to matter how fast a person walks.

I have always heard drop spreaders were much more accurate than rotary/scatter spreaders because only a certain amount is let through for every rotation of the wheel and the material does not fly outside of the path of the width of the slot +/- in the bottom of the spreader.

Hopefully, you understand what I'm saying.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Yes, I do understand, but the problem is, is that you have to be VERY exact with your pattern. If you overlap, then you'll automatically have double the amount you're trying to spread in that one area. If you're off from side to side and don't get exactly right along side the last pass, you're going to have gaps, and that's how you get streaks in a yard.

Also, in a perfect world you'll get the same amount with each rotation of the wheel. What MAY happen is that you MIGHT get bridging of the fertilizer (which could also happen in a rotary spreader, although less of a chance), but since there's no "spinner" at the bottom to break up chunks, the chance is better.

There's a reason why you'll never see a commercial applicator with a drop spreader.

Not to berate you for using one, just stating things to pay attention to when you use one.

[FishingIdiot]

LwnmwnMan2,

You can cover a wider area in each pass with a rotary can't you - it's faster, right?

Anyways, I guess I'll have to find the setting by trial and error if I don't want to set out plastic and weigh the material it drops for a certain area, huh?

[LwnmwnMan2]

Do you know what BRAND spreader it is??

Also, I was just checking Lesco's HSOforum, looking at the labels for different products, to tell you what setting to run your product, but the ones that I saw either listed just the Lesco spreader, or to only use rotary spreaders.

Also also, you don't really have to put plastic down. You can measure out your length that you're going to spread in a back corner of the yard, where if it grows much faster, or slower than the rest, no one is going to know.

Use this area as a testing area.

[FishingIdiot]

Thanks L-Man,

It's a Scott's Accugreen 2000. Thanks for the tip.

[LwnmwnMan2]

FishingIdiot -

I tried to find settings for your spreader online, but couldn't find anything to compare my Lesco settings against.

I know some of the Lesco products list settings for Scotts spreaders, just rotary though. I figured if I could find some where it listed the rotary on the Lesco stuff, then cross that over to one where it listed both the Scotts rotary and drop, that I could get you a number somewhat close.

No such luck though.

[FishingIdiot]

Thanks for trying.

[hoggs222]

Lesco fertilizer that I just bought from home depot says for a speedygreen 2000, use setting 7.

[FishingIdiot]

Hey Hoggs,

The Lesco guy told me that the Lesco fertilizers are pretty much the same setting so, that sounds like good info. Now, all I gotta do is figure out the correlation between the Speedy green and the Scotts Accu green.

Thanks

[FishingIdiot]

After doing a search I found this:

From Lesco HSOforum

For 18-24-12 %50 PPSCU

Product Application Rate:

*LBS PER 1000 SQFT 4

Coverage:

* 12000

Craftsman 3

Craftsman Drop 7

Cyclone 4.25

Earthway 14.25

Lely 4.5

LESCO HD-1 7

LESCO R-94 7.5

LESCO Rotary (80# & 100#) 15

Ortho 3

Precision 6

Red Devil 6

Republic 3

Scott's Accu Green 7.25

Scott's Easy Green 26.25

Scott's R7- X F.5

Scott's R8-A J.5

Scott's Speedy Green 1000 6

Scott's Speedy Green 2000 7

Scott's Speedy Green 3000 6

Spyker 4.5

True Temper 1500 \ 5000 5.5

Vicon 28

So, looks like 7 1/4.

[LwnmwnMan2]

That will get you close, but not exact.

That fertilizer you posted was for a rate of 50 lbs / 12,000 sq ft, if I remember off the top of my head. That's the starter fertilizer I use.

Anyways, what's the rate of coverage of the fertilizer that you have??

The fertilizer that I use, 10-0-20, 65%PPE, 10%FE has a coverage rate of 10,000 sq ft / 50 lbs, which would mean that you'd have to lean more towards 7.5 on your setting than 7, or 7.25.

I looked up a 21-0-12 Momentum product, and that had a coverage rate of 13,880 sq ft / 50 lbs, which would mean you'd lean more towards the 7 setting than the 7.25-7.5.

[FishingIdiot]

I have 2 different fertilizers.

One I bought for the last fertilizing this fall. It is product #080088 - says 50 lbs covers 9000 ft.

The other is a Dimension for next spring, product # 080381 and has variable application rates. Using program #1 criteria(homeowner lawn) it is spread at 2.86 lbs / 1000 ft. i.e. 50 lbs covers 17,500.

However, I have Barnyard Grass I want to get rid of, in which case it recommends to spread it at program #3 rate 5.73 lbs/ 1000 ft, in which case, 50 lbs covers 8700 ft.

So, it looks to me like the setting should be pretty close to the same for both products 8700 ~ 9000.

Correlating with the Spyker spreader, for example, to my Scotts Accugreen, 4.5 to 7.25, I think 7.25 would be pretty close.

That's my best reading of it.

Am I reading it right?

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

---

I have 2 different fertilizers.

One I bought for the last fertilizing this fall. It is product #080088 - says 50 lbs covers 9000 ft.

The other is a Dimension for next spring, product # 080381 and has variable application rates. Using program #1 criteria(homeowner lawn) it is spread at 2.86 lbs / 1000 ft. i.e. 50 lbs covers 17,500.

However, I have Barnyard Grass I want to get rid of, in which case it recommends to spread it at program #3 rate 5.73 lbs/ 1000 ft, in which case, 50 lbs covers 8700 ft.

So, it looks to me like the setting should be pretty close to the same for both products 8700 ~ 9000.

Correlating with the Spyker spreader, for example, to my Scotts Accugreen, 4.5 to 7.25, I think 7.25 would be pretty close.

That's

my

best reading of it.

Am I reading it right?

---

You can try it. You'll probably be a bit on the thin side, but at least you're not on the heavy side.

I would probably open it up to 7.75 or 8 or so. Since the products you're calling for are the same amount of product (50 lbs) but they call for a smaller coverage area (9000 and 8700 sq ft respectfully) and the only product that I've personally seen a rating for was the starter fertilizer in previous posts, where 50 lbs to cover 10,000 sq ft the setting was 7.25.

Now you want the same amount of product covering a smaller area, which means that you have to be applying more product in one pass, thus, opening the spreader up a hair bit more.

Obviously with the straight fertilizer for this fall you're just going to be a little on the light side if you leave it at 7.25, and if nothing else, for the Dimension product you're going to be running program #2.75 (one you've made yourself) since you're probably going to get more like a coverage of 5-5.25 / 1000 instead of the 5.73 as it says on the label.

Again, it sounds like you're just running one bag per application, and you're probably more concerned with ridding the weed grasses next spring, so what I would do, is apply your fall fertilizer this fall at 7.25.

Measure out the area that you're going to apply, and see how much fertilizer you have left, or how much you've run short.

At 7.25, you SHOULD have some left over after 9,000 sq ft, since you're running the spreader a little more closed that what is probably recommended.

If that's the case, and it's just a lb or 2, then you're pretty close. If you've got 10 lbs left over, then you're going to have to open the spreader a bit more. If you've run short, then you know to close it up some more, especially for the spring application, since that has a smaller coverage area yet (although just 300 sq ft).

After that explanation, hopefully you understand what I was trying to describe.

Can you tell it's a complete rain day today???

[FishingIdiot]

L-Man, thanks for that. Maybe I will open it up to 7.75 or 8. I bought 2 bags of each type so, I should have plenty of material and I would think a 6-7% difference would hurt my lawn - as long as you concur that we're in the ballpark with those numbers.

I have another question for you. Where would I get 1 yd or so of black dirt(delivered)? I have some dips and bad slopes in my lawn that I would like to adjust. Some places might need 2-3" so I would have to do it gradually. Also, wouldn't it be better to start that in the spring?

Thanks

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

---

L-Man, thanks for that. Maybe I will open it up to 7.75 or 8. I bought 2 bags of each type so, I should have plenty of material and I would think a 6-7% difference would hurt my lawn - as long as you concur that we're in the ballpark with those numbers.

I have another question for you. Where would I get 1 yd or so of black dirt(delivered)? I have some dips and bad slopes in my lawn that I would like to adjust. Some places might need 2-3" so I would have to do it gradually. Also, wouldn't it be better to start that in the spring?

Thanks

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The dirt part, look for a local nursery, or if you have a community newspaper, look in the back for ads.

I'm around Forest Lake area, and I could give you the numbers for people I deal with, but for 1 yard, it would probably cost you 3x's more for delivery than it would for the dirt.

1 yard can easily fit in the back of a pickup, it's only 2 (roughly) bobcat buckets worth.

[FishingIdiot]

Thanks L-Man

[TRITC]

And if your are willing to do the work yourself a lot cities have compost sites where their residents can get black dirt for free.

[FishingIdiot]

That's an idea! I know my city has a compost site.