Green Lawn recipe

[Dustin8201]

Hi all,

I am new here and have been lurking around for a few days. I found this site by mistake when I was looking for reviews on the Toro Z500 family. Anyway, my question is this, I found on another site this recipe for a greener, healthier lawn. It consists of the following:

12 oz-soda-no diet
12 oz-full flavored beer-no lite stuff
4 oz-liquid dish soap-non-anitbacterial
4 oz-household ammonia
4 oz-mouth wash

My question is this, does this concoction actually work and if I wanted to spray my entire lawn with this, in a 15 gallon sprayer, could I just get enought to keep the correct amounts with out hurting the grass?

[ffemtmcd]

Well, according to Jerry Baker it does.

[Dustin8201]

Cool thanks. I have a homade 15 gallon sprayer with a 12' spray width that I was going to fill up using this mix and wanted to be sure it would kill the grass before I do it. I figured I am going to need 48 cans of beer, 48 cans of soda, and 6 32 oz bottles of dish soap, mouthwash, and ammonia. I will give it a try and see how it works. Thanks again!! I look forward to learing a great deal about lawns and how to properly maintain them on this site.

[perfect_cut]

I would love to hear what the results of this test prove. Wouldn't it be cheaper if you went out and bought some scotts along with watering.
Please let us know how this turns out.

[CkLandscapingOrlando]

It's not the price that makes the old recipes apealing.Its the fact that your not killing the natural biology of the soil.If you go organic then over time your turf builds up its own populations of benificial organisms that can evently fight of the problems with less aid or no aid at all out side of nature.No plant needs help in its natural setting and this is because every problem has a natural cure.Once you've conditioned a landscape to survive off of your labor then it will always be in neede of you.

[CkLandscapingOrlando]

For any one that will point out some problems with nature its self like Floridas citrus greening,It almost always starts with an insect or fungus or what not that was introduced by man into an enviroment thats not naturally able to fend it off.Then we get a new chemical to buy.

[procut]

I wouldn't waste your money.

For what your going to spend on all that stuff, you could do lots of other renovation techniques with more proven results.

If you do for some reason decide to go for it though, please post your results. Good luck!

[ffemtmcd]

It's not the price that makes the old recipes apealing.Its the fact that your not killing the natural biology of the soil.If you go organic then over time your turf builds up its own populations of benificial organisms that can evently fight of the problems with less aid or no aid at all out side of nature.No plant needs help in its natural setting and this is because every problem has a natural cure.Once you've conditioned a landscape to survive off of your labor then it will always be in neede of you.

I would agree wholeheartedly - except that there is nothing "natural" about a residential lawn. Nowhere in nature does grass naturally get trimmed to 3.5" (or so), with spotty protection from trees (yard depending of course). I'm not against organics, I use as few chemicals as I can, I'm just saying...

[LushGreenLawn]

BTW,

That formula is not organic. Ammonia is a chemical, and mouthwash has rubbing alcohol in it. You will get some microbe activity from the beer, and the dishsoap makes an ok surfacant. You would be much better off going with something like ICT.

[JDUtah]

mouthwash has rubbing alcohol in it.

Yup, IMO mouthwash would have enough 'microbe killers' to negate the 'it keeps microbes alive' argument. (At least in its own brew)

Show me please, any, I MEAN ANY, viable study that proves traditional fertilizers kill soil microbes? The quest continues...

[Smallaxe]

Yes, Please post results :) B4 n after pix would be nice.

[Dustin8201]

I am going to do a price comparison with the off brand stuff compared to a Scott's or ICT first. I am just really curious if it works. I have 7 acres that this will get applied to. My dad's two, my brothers two and then my 3. So I am going to be going with the cheaper of the two. I would like to have it in a liquid form too, so I can use it in my sprayer. I will post the results if I decide to go with this. I am fairly new to the yard maintenance thing, and would like to keep as much of it in liquid form as I can, but the only granular fertilizer I want to use is in the Spring. Also I have a lot of water grass and some spots of crab grass in the yards, what would be best to use to get rid of them both?

[The Grass Guy]

Why would you spend all the time and money to spray that on everyone in your familys yard to see if it worked? Make a smaller amount and try it out on an area in your yard.If it works your a hero,if you kill everyones yard in your family then my guess is the holidays are going to be very lonely.imho :hammerhead:

[TforTexas]

What a waste of 48 cans of beer!!!

[foreplease]

Also I have a lot of water grass and some spots of crab grass in the yards, what would be best to use to get rid of them both?

You might try three egg whites and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. If it doesn't work out you will at least have a good start on an Angel Food cake!

[Dustin8201]

You might try three egg whites and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. If it doesn't work out you will at least have a good start on an Angel Food cake!

I am being serious here. I have tried the different granulars and they just don't seem to work. :hammerhead:

[Dustin8201]

Why would you spend all the time and money to spray that on everyone in your familys yard to see if it worked? Make a smaller amount and try it out on an area in your yard.If it works your a hero,if you kill everyones yard in your family then my guess is the holidays are going to be very lonely.imho :hammerhead:

I am pretty sure there is nothing in this mixture that will kill the grass. Also, I would sppray mine forst in a test patch, and if it would work, I would THEN spray the others.

[Stillwater]

What a waste of 48 cans of beer!!!

NO SH**.............

[mattfromNY]

Better save a couple beers... If you end up killing your dads and bros lawns, you can at least offer them each a beer, and possibly salvage the holidays.

[ffemtmcd]

Agree with trying it on a test spot maybe 10x10 or so - just to see. + saves some money on ingredients