Fertilizer Application Prices

[smithsonmi]

As part of our neighborhood association, we are getting quotes for fertilizing our common areas. The company that did all the grading/prep and seeding last year also quoted us a fertilizer package. I do my own yard, and don't have an idea what the going rate for such a large area would be.

We have 5 acres of grass common area right now with 4 acres in one chunk and a 1 acre front entrance. The current quote is $550/application. That works out to like .25 cents/sq ft. Is this reasonable for such a large area? He is basically putting down either just fert or weed/feed.

He fertilized last fall and I could not believe there was one worker there using a cheap looking plastic wheeled spreader walking the entire parcel!

Thanks!

[GreenQuest Lawn]

My price would be $600-700.

[awm]

i assume that is what you mean by cheap piece of plastic.
that is what i use when im being very careful to get it right. be glad your man uses it, he is workin hard to get it right.

[greens1]

I would certainly not hold the type of spreader that he is using against him, or take it as a sign of low quality work.

I use a lesco stainless steel spreader which has pnumatic tires and costs around 300 bucks. Because of the hole setup in the bottom, 3 seperate staggerd openings instead of one central opening, and the spinner quality I will generally get a more even distribution and accurate rate than the less expensive spreader. This degree of accuracy is really only important if you are applying granular fungicide or insecticide.

That being said, the true accuracy of a spreader is in the calabration. Many operators never cheak the spreader calabration and therefore will never put down a accurate rate. If your bag of fert is supposed to cover 12000 sf/bag and you are getting 15000 sf/bag then you need to adjust the spreader.

The least accurate spraders are generally the ones that mount on the back of a pickup or ATV and are really designed for spreading large ammounts of seed, feed or salt. If your applicator were to use one of these then there may be cause for concern.

Sound like your applicator doing a good job. I would keep him.

Jim L