Getting started need HELP

[GXL2008]

Hello, I have been in the lawn Ind. since 95 not long I know we spray your typical fert. and pest. And also cut around 200 lawns. I'm looking to get out of the typical pest and fert. and try Ct and I guess be Green. To sick family members help you think about not spraying so much Bifenthrin and Aloft. don't know were to start can I get any help. THANKS

[ICT Bill]

There are some excellent replacements for pest control and practices to control weeds on sites.

Just like it took you a while to get a feel for the chem's and which one were the most effective and the best mixing and application rates, the same will be true while moving to a different practice. So patience is key at first and then getting through the learning curve quickly is next.

Go to www.organiclandcare.net and download the standards for organic land care manual on the first page. You may want to look into thier training classes as well. Unfortunely they are typically in the middle of your spring but their winter

Go to a local book store (support local and sustainable) and ask them to get a book called "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels, it explains why all of this works in laymens terms, mostly

There is a company north of you in Springhill, he unfortunately does not come on here. He put "organic lawn care" on the side of his truck and had people stopping him at lights and through neighborhoods asking for a quote. There is a huge demand down there and no one is doing it, it will be a great way to expand your business

Step 4: ask a lot of questions

Yes this is a 12 step program to get your turf off drugs

[Smallaxe]

The only chemical used on my lawns, any more, is 'Broadleaf killer'. That is done sparingly as a spot treatment, usu. once a year.
Mulching the clippings into the lawn recycles many nutrients, and is a simple start. [though its effects may not show up for a couple of seasons]

Most important thing about Organic Lawncare involves how you treat the soil. Learn about soil structure and a healthy root system and you will see how most of these other 'problems', evaporate.

Every year I learn another way in which "Growing grass is the simplest thing in the lanscape". There is a clue, to understand that - the more we mess with it the more problems we have to fix. Thatch and fungi are 2 biggies, in that dept.

What does over-watering do to various soils? and what is over-watering, based on type of soil structure and time of year?

[Kiril]

Lesson 1: Compost Does A Soil Good!

Find a good source of compost, start a regular top dressing program, especially if you are dealing with sandy soils.

[Marcos]

The only chemical used on my lawns, any more, is 'Broadleaf killer'. That is done sparingly as a spot treatment, usu. once a year.
Mulching the clippings into the lawn recycles many nutrients, and is a simple start. [though its effects may not show up for a couple of seasons]

Most important thing about Organic Lawncare involves how you treat the soil. Learn about soil structure and a healthy root system and you will see how most of these other 'problems', evaporate.



In Florida you're going to have a lot more problems in general with weed pressure than most folks up North, but Smallaxe is 100% correct in his statement that chemicals should only be used on a spot treat basis only, 1x a year.
This is called IPM, or Integrated Pest Management.
And it's probably the best thing to ever come out of the chemical end of the Green Industry.

How can weed control in turf be accomplished with 1x/yr spot treat in Florida you say?:confused:
If you walk over some of your lawns today, you'll no doubt find areas in them that are noticeably thinner than in other sections.
Think about it, isn't it in these "thin sections" that you've been struggling with weeds, having to be called back by the customer?
Or, has hard edge perimeters, were you've edged the sidewalks & driveways week in & week out been your literal garden of weeden?:rolleyes:

The #1 rule for weed control in turf grass:
Establish a dense, healthy stand of turf in biologically active soil that'll work to CHOKE OUT most weeds before they're able to establish themselves in the first place.
And keep in mind that these days it's not 100% imperative that all weeds be killed in 'organic' turf.
For example, a certain % of folks on my list don't care if there's a fair amount of white clover left standing in their lawns, as long as the dandelions etc are under control.

Once you & the customer together hammer out a plan to thicken the turf (i.e. spot renovation, seeding, whatever), you'll only need to use corn gluten meal (CGM) maybe just around the hard edge perimeters as a weed pre-emergent, where the turf's not dense enough to ward off competition all on its own.
Then, edge these perimeters really well before the growing season starts, apply CGM, then try to leave them alone as much as possible by just using string trimmers only during the heart of Florida's hottest weather!:waving:

As far as fertilizer is concerned...
Don't think of it any more as "grass food".
Think of it as..... "soil builder". :)

And I agree 100% with Kiril, that compost does a soil good.
But there are other options out there to consider, too.

If you like the concept of repeat visits throughout the growing season to check on potential problems & you are used to the pattern of rotating DIFFERENT fertilizers, then you may want to consider using high-protein feed grains in at least part of your program, maybe incorporating it into a program along with options of spring or fall compost topdressing that you could market to your existing clients and or prospects.
Meals like cotton seed meal, corn meal, soybean meal, kelp meal, & alfalfa meal are readily available, typically in 50" paper bags at your local agricultural co-op / grain elevator. And they can be distributed in spreaders like Lesco so long as they have very good agitators that are actually functional!

For example, cotton seed meal...
This is readily available in the South, of course!
Cottonseed meal is a byproduct of cotton manufacturing. As a fertilizer it is somewhat acidic in reaction, so its great for alkaline soil. Nutrient content varies slightly but generally contains 7 percent nitrogen, 3 percent phosphorus and 2 percent potash.
Cotton seed meal should be relatively cheap in Florida compared to Ohio!:waving: It smells great when it's applied! :)

All meals when used as soil builders (not pre-emergents, as corn gluten meal is commonly used as BOTH) should be applied at a rate between 15-20 lb / 1000 square feet, or between 700-800 lb / acre.
Read the permanent "stickys" at the very top of this forum for more info about meals & their uses in turf & landscape.

[ICT Bill]

Nice post Marcos
Yes they have an almost 12 month season and work with Centipede, St Augustine, Bermuda, Paspalum, Zoyzia mostly
Zoyzia can be a nitrogen hog and would be treated much differently then Paspalum which does not really like much Nitrogen at all, in fact it gets sick if more than 1/2 pound or so per 1000 is applied, very salt tolerant too

Pick your most common type of grass that is being used and start a program from there

[Marcos]

Nice post Marcos
Yes they have an almost 12 month season and work with Centipede, St Augustine, Bermuda, Paspalum, Zoyzia mostly
Zoyzia can be a nitrogen hog and would be treated much differently then Paspalum which does not really like much Nitrogen at all, in fact it gets sick if more than 1/2 pound or so per 1000 is applied, very salt tolerant too

Pick your most common type of grass that is being used and start a program from there

I've got a half dozen or so lawns on my list that're at least 1/2 or more zoysia grass.
They're very very late to come out in the spring, sometimes not 'til mid May or so.
But when they do, they respond to the rotation of meals quite well.
Very rarely do I see weed 1 in any of them.
And with the use of meals, you don't have to worry about surge growth in zoysia in this climate, which can cause gobs of thatch.
(You've still got to worry about -20F degree winter weather, which is something no one can do anything about! :) )

Oh! Speaking of "surge growth"!
Another marketing benefit of 'green' organic lawn care that hasn't been emphasized to GXL2008 is that it doesn't produce the peaks and valley response that you typically see from atmosphere-derived N's, which of course results in tough-to-manage top growth during peak growth periods. :cry:
Yeah, it's true that organics typically take longer to respond.
And this is true across the board whether you're spreading finished compost, fish emulsion or high protein meals.
But the key difference is: the fiber-based organic material holds itself into the thatch & root zone longer, most of the time indefinitely so long as erosion isn't an issue.
The end-result of this is a longer greening effect for the turf from the application of Soil Builder.
Really, all the organic applicator has to learn how to do is to time the delayed responses of the given Soil Builder to best fit his/her specific local climate conditions & (general) soil type.
:waving:

[GXL2008]

Thank You I will look in to the classes and the books tonight. All my lawns are St. Augustine. It looks like I have a lot learn in a short time I'm trying to faze out and into organics by nest season. ares is just ending this month. Thank You all again.

[GXL2008]

sorry one more ? I have read all the post thanks again. i also started looking for the book tonight. I fight cinch bugs like crazy one reason why i want to switch I see every thing I'm killing, what is being used for bugs like these.

[ICT Bill]

sorry one more ? I have read all the post thanks again. i also started looking for the book tonight. I fight cinch bugs like crazy one reason why i want to switch I see every thing I'm killing, what is being used for bugs like these.

You are in combat because of the imbalance

They are very simple. we just need to get in the middle of the life cycle. 3 applications, 2 weeks apart. Essential oils

The customer wants them to leave the property, bye bye

Then we work on balance