liquid fertilizer

[steve grubbs]

Can someone help recommend a liquid fertilizer like a 20-0-14? I am spraying 4 acres and need to get the application information to size the spray tips.

[Smallaxe]

Liquid fertilizer is useless... get some quick release granules with a good level of Potash(K) and get it down to be used b4 the ground freezes...

[ted putnam]

While I cannot recommend a liquid fert to you, I can tell you they are not useless and depending on what you use and how you use it can give you extremely quick and oustanding results. Maybe smallaxe has never heard of "foliar feed". Typically you will get fast results with not much longevity out of foliar feeds. I think the last thing you will have to worry about is the fert not being used by the time the ground freezes. They are also very handy when the area covered needs a broadcast app of herbicide.(It all can be mixed in the tank together). Try to look up Ant. He has been using liquid ferts most of this season.

[Smallaxe]

Originally Posted by ted putnam

... Maybe smallaxe has never heard of "foliar feed". Typically you will get fast results with not much longevity out of foliar feeds. ...

Quick results w/out much longevity is the motto of lawn painters, not lawn growers... Get the little lady to smile at the pretty colors, then next week, she can pay to see it again, or let it fade... There is more to the word "Useless" than the meaning of, 'nonfunctional'...

besides, I've never seen the color change with a foliar feeding, so I'm guessing I didn't buy enough to make it happen... maybe I should expect to double or triple the expense of an already overpriced product...

[fl-landscapes]

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

Quick results w/out much longevity is the motto of lawn painters, not lawn growers... Get the little lady to smile at the pretty colors, then next week, she can pay to see it again, or let it fade... There is more to the word "Useless" than the meaning of, 'nonfunctional'...

besides, I've never seen the color change with a foliar feeding, so I'm guessing I didn't buy enough to make it happen... maybe I should expect to double or triple the expense of an already overpriced product...

Hopefully green doctor sees this and can enlighten you.
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[LoomisLawnscapes]

There are plenty of slow release liquid fertilizers available. If applied properly, I'd bet a good liquid app will be as good if not better than a granular app. I've seen slow release liquid apps fill in a thin lawn unbelievably fast!

What gun are you using to apply? Chemlawn gun?

[ted putnam]

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

Quick results w/out much longevity is the motto of lawn painters, not lawn growers... Get the little lady to smile at the pretty colors, then next week, she can pay to see it again, or let it fade... There is more to the word "Useless" than the meaning of, 'nonfunctional'...

besides, I've never seen the color change with a foliar feeding, so I'm guessing I didn't buy enough to make it happen... maybe I should expect to double or triple the expense of an already overpriced product...

Ummm....you don't get out much, do you? You don't necessarily have to buy some over priced "pre-fab" material. You can buy individual components and create your own custom mix...if you have the proper equipment for mixing and applying. And, you can do it without breaking the bank. You might practice what you preach and "open" your mind to different possibilities. You've got it in your mind that if someone doesn't follow strict organic principles, they're just a "urea slinger" Not true.There are a few that know their sh!t. My comment about longevity has to do with my schedule. every 8 weeks or so. You can get 5-6 weeks easily and longer if N stabilizers are included in your mix.
I don't know everything on this subject but I know enough to know you are offbase. I agree with fl-landscapes, greendoctor should be the one to "school" you. He's much more qualified than I in this area. Talk to him sometime, you might learn something instead of thinking you know everything...

[greendoctor]

Originally Posted by steve grubbs

Can someone help recommend a liquid fertilizer like a 20-0-14? I am spraying 4 acres and need to get the application information to size the spray tips.

I take it that this will be a fall application on cool season grass to help maintain winter color and ensure the lawn is ready to go when spring comes. How did you arrive at the ratio of 20-0-14? What I would use as a final feeding would involve about 1/2 lb N and 1/2 lb K along with micronutrients. That translates to 100 lb soluble ammonium sulfate, 50 lb potassium nitrate and the label rate of soluble micronutrients. I have a friend in the South that applies straight potassium nitrate and micronutrients to centipede and st augustine as the final feeding in the fall. He has gotten excellent results compared to what he used to do. You do not need to apply P right? I would be one to find out via a soil test. My preferred application volume for turf not on automatic irrigation is 200 gallons per acre. I have applied this rate of fertilizer to turf with only 100 gallons per acre, but that was in cool weather with adequate soil moisture and more rain or irrigation to follow. For this application I used a boom sprayer with 1.5 GPM flood jet tips on 20" spacing and 40 PSI. Hope this answered your question.

Originally Posted by ted putnam

Ummm....you don't get out much, do you? You don't necessarily have to buy some over priced "pre-fab" material. You can buy individual components and create your own custom mix...if you have the proper equipment for mixing and applying. And, you can do it without breaking the bank. You might practice what you preach and "open" your mind to different possibilities. You've got it in your mind that if someone doesn't follow strict organic principles, they're just a "urea slinger" Not true.There are a few that know their sh!t. My comment about longevity has to do with my schedule. every 8 weeks or so. You can get 5-6 weeks easily and longer if N stabilizers are included in your mix.
I don't know everything on this subject but I know enough to know you are offbase. I agree with fl-landscapes, greendoctor should be the one to "school" you. He's much more qualified than I in this area. Talk to him sometime, you might learn something instead of thinking you know everything...

Ted, you are right, this type of feeding need not involve some expensive stuff that only lasts a few weeks. I have an idea of what is being referred to . That is not intended for use by landscapers and lawn care operators. It is for usage on golf greens in a 14 day spray program along with whatever fungicides and PGRs they are using. Not on a lawn that gets treated only 4-6 times in a year. My usual lawn formulation costs less than $125 per acre. The granular equivalent is a high potassium greens grade granule that will cost closer to $300 per acre. There is a line of products by Growth Products Inc that I use in addition to my inorganic fertilizers. There are live microorganisms and non plant food ingredients, as well as soluble organic matter in the bottle. Again this is not a replacement for fertilizer. But it is a supplement to a good program. The other way involves 1/2 ton of compost per 1000 sq ft, the labor/machinery to transport it to the site and then spread it. Remember that some of my lawns are not accessible to normal equipment at all. There is a reason why I use an engine drive backpack sprayer and not a Z Spray or Permagreen on many of my lawns.

I do not like urea. Mostly because it does not supply what my lawns need. My lawns need sulfur or calcium. Urea and urea based granules supply neither. Not to mention the effect it has on the grass. I liken it to the maniac at the frat party, chugging tequila and doing lines. He is funny and loud, bouncing off the walls. He is also the one found crashed on the floor of the bathroom the next morning. Grass grows like mad for the first 3-4 weeks, then it gets really pale and thin. A properly formulated, balanced liquid does not do this. I use ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and some CRN, which is a urea polymer that is absorbed into the grass and releases nitrogen weeks later. No readily available urea except for the small amount present in the CRN. There is also lots of potassium, 1/2 lb per 1000 sq ft, which is 6 lb per year in my area. Way more than what is typically applied in the urea based granules I speak badly of. Iron and other micronutrients are also applied at much higher rates than what is found in a typical lawn granule. I get 5-6 weeks of very green grass out of this kind of formulation that does not overgrow or suddenly crash on the 6th week. The lawn actually stays acceptably green for up to 2 months, but I am getting paid to be there every month. So people get a lawn that stays consistently green. Boy, would I look stupid if my lawns only stayed green for 1-2 weeks. I had better get good at asking "would you like a large drink with that", if that was the best I could do. The industry standard here is fertilizing with slow release granules every 3 months. Which usually results in a lawn that looks green for about 45 days and looks absolutely horrible by the 90th day.

[Smallaxe]

Originally Posted by ted putnam

Ummm....you don't get out much, do you? You don't necessarily have to buy some over priced "pre-fab" material. You can buy individual components and create your own custom mix...if you have the proper equipment for mixing and applying. And, you can do it without breaking the bank. You might practice what you preach and "open" your mind to different possibilities. You've got it in your mind that if someone doesn't follow strict organic principles, they're just a "urea slinger" Not true.There are a few that know their sh!t. My comment about longevity has to do with my schedule. every 8 weeks or so. You can get 5-6 weeks easily and longer if N stabilizers are included in your mix.
I don't know everything on this subject but I know enough to know you are offbase. I agree with fl-landscapes, greendoctor should be the one to "school" you. He's much more qualified than I in this area. Talk to him sometime, you might learn something instead of thinking you know everything...

OK I'll put in N stablizers and love the mix... Wait a minute, spraying is a big pain isn't it? nevermind... I don't care to be schooled in their new advances...

[ted putnam]

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

OK I'll put in N stablizers and love the mix... Wait a minute, spraying is a big pain isn't it? nevermind... I don't care to be schooled in their new advances...

Actually, I totally expected this particular response from you...the "find some good granules, liquid is useless" response threw me off for a second. You just proved my point on your overall attitude....