About 3 years ago I had the opportunity and privilege to review the LEHR Eco Trimmer that runs on propane. When i did that review, I was very impressed with the unit and it’s performance… and of course, the eco friendly part was nice too. So I decided to update the review after three years and show you guys how this baby has performed in the long term.

Watch this video on YouTube.

To summarize the video, I love this thing!

It has performed very well over the last three years, and can utilize extra attachments for edging and such.

The biggest question I get over the years is “how much propane does it use?”

I use my LEHR for trimming my front and year yards, (which includes 90 feet of fenceline) and I also use it to edge my sidewalks and driveways and I end up using about 1 full bottle per year… sometimes more if I go nuts trimming in the swale behind my house (what I call “the back 40″)

It’s a solid unit and lasts through the test of time – plus the propane doesn’t smell and that puppy starts on the first pull everytime!

I get a couple of areas of powdery mildew fungus in my lawn pretty much every Spring. It’s an area of my lawn on the North side of my house and it’s shaded about 80% of the day. Here is a quick video I did that will help you identify powdery mildew in the lawn, as well as know what to do about it.

Watch this video on YouTube.

So in summary – don’t be concerned if you get powdery mildew fungus or disease in your lawn. Just mow tall and catch the clippings and you’ll be fine once things start to warm up. It’s also a good idea NOT to apply fast release nitrogen… this can makes things worse.

Besides regular mowing and trimming, proper lawn treatments are the most important element when it comes to having a thick, healthy, vigorous lawn. If you follow a solid and smart lawn treatment program, your results will come steadily and will last for the long term – plus, it’s a helluva lot more fun to mow and trim a beautiful patch of green love than it is to scrape and push through a pasture of crap and weeds!

Think “Soil Treatments” Rather Than “Lawn Treatments”

I know that homeowners mostly focus on weeds in the lawn and so their first thought is to grab a can of herbicide and smoke those dandelions, clover and creeping charlie in oblivion. Of course, this does work, but it’s not a long term cure for a problems that actually reside under the turf: poor soil.

Where I live in NW Indiana, we have clay soil just like much of the Midwest. Clay soil is great for growing grass because it holds well and doesn’t wash away easily. It also retains water well enough for turf. The downside, however, is that it contains almost no natural nutrient value.

So when we go to treat the lawn, we need to be thinking about improving the soil above all else. A healthy foundation is key!

In addition, weeds in the lawn are indicative of two things:

1) bad soil pH that is GOOD for weed growth and stunts lawn growth

2) thin turf root system leaves “holes” for weeds to creep in – oftentimes related to #1 above

Build The Soil – Smart Use Of Pesticides And Organics Combined

My lawn you see in the pictures and videos here is organically treated. But it was not always this way.

Chances are, if your lawn is thin and full of weeds, you will need to use synthetic fertilizers and herbicides (possibly insecticide and fungicide too) to help it improve to a point where organics can then be used to get to the next level. The key is to use synthetics smartly by following label directions and always apply the proper amount of fertilizer without over-spraying or allowing runoff down driveways and sidewalks.

Once you have your lawn on the “slowly improving” upswing, you can add in organic fertilizers like Milorganite and Ringer Lawn Restore which work to improve the soil! As you improve the soil, grass roots become thicker and more robust, pushing more healthy top growth – thus thicking the lawn.

Become A Seeding Master

Seeding the lawn is something that all DIY lawn care warriors need to become Jedi Masters at! If you can grow grass seed in your lawn every fall (in conjunction with lawn aeration) you will push your lawn to levels of thickness that will make you want to sleep outside! A plush and velvety lawn will turn heads and probably improve your relationship with your wife too – no kidding! ROFL

Adding fresh grass seed also helps introduce new and improved grass types into the lawn that are more disease resitant and drought tolerant. This goes a long way in the long run!

Cut The Lawn Properly

Of course, a healthy lawn must be maintained properly. If you are not willing to:

1) Mow Consistently

2) Mow tall (like 4″ or more)

3) Keep your mower blad sharp

…then you will NEVER have a nice lawn no matter what you treat it with. Angel tears won’t bring back a lawn that has been scalped down to it’s crowns and left to dry out in the summer sun.

You see guys, that is pretty simple isn’t it? Of course, you can get step-by-step instructions on exactly what to put on your lawn and when to put it down in my lawn care ebook – it’s just $7 and is an instant download. Let me know what you think! Good luck lawn lovers!

Before you can learn how to apply fertilizer or how to spread fertilizer on the lawn, you need to know that you are applying the RIGHT amount! It does no good to spread fertilizer if you are going to over-apply or under apply. In this article and video that goes along with it, I am going to show you exactly how to know. This is important guys!

I recommend you first watch the video and then use the written portion here to draw it all together.

How Many Pounds Of Fert Do I Put Down Per Application?

We typically measure application rates on a 1,000 square foot basis. This way it’s fairly simple to keep track. And that is the key: knowing how to TO apply, and knowing how much you DID apply as a double check. When you are finished spreading, you should be able to have confidence that you indeed did put down the correct amount of product.

Watch this video on YouTube.

So we first need to understand the size of the turf area to be treated, and then understand how many pounds of fert to apply per 1,000 square feet of grass – Here’s how you do it:

How Big Is Your Lawn Area? Measure It!

Get a long tape (or measuring wheel) and measure the length and width of the area to be fertilized. Now, I realize that not every lawn is a perfect square so you may need to measure sections and add them together. In the video here, my neighbor’s lawn is 75′ x 50′.

So to figure out the lawn square footage, you multiply the length x width and you get 3,750 square feet.

Now look at the bag of fert you have. In my example, I am using Milorganite organic. It’s a 36lb bag and says that it covers 2,500 square feet. So let’s figure out the recommended amount to apply per 1,000 square feet. It’s pretty simple, just some simple math.

36 / 2.5 = 14.4

So that means the recommended amount of Milorganite to apply is 14.4 lbs per 1,000 square feet of lawn space.

Tying This All Together

In our example here, we have a 3,750 square foot area to be treated, and our “rate” is 14.4 lbs per 1,000 square feet.

3.75 x 14.4lbs = 54 lbs.

So we will need 54 lbs of Milorganite if we want to apply the right amount. The bags I buy are 36 each, so I will need two and have some leftover when I’m done. If this all seems complicated, it’s not. In fact, you only have to do this math one time if you use the same fert on each lawn application. It’s important guys – so get it right!

Just Follow What The Bag Tells You

Lastly, don’t go getting cute and try to adjust the amount of fert based on your own opinions. Whatever fertilizer you use (I recommend organics like Milorganite) just use the rate that is recommended on the labeling.

Also keep in mind that organic fertilizers do require ALOT more be applied when compared to their synthetic counterparts. 14.4 lbs of Milorganite per 1,000 square feet is a lot of fert! If you were to use a synthetic fert and get comparable nitrogen in the application, you’d only need around 3lbs per 1,000 square feet of lawn space. That’s a big difference.

I hope this can clear things up for you! Applying fertilizer the right way is important, but you have to have the right amount first!

You can have stripes in your lawn like you see in the outfield of baseball fields. It’s not difficult to do really guys… you just need some simple items you can get at your local Home Depot or Lowe’s.

Of course, you have to have a fairly decent lawn too – the thicker the grass, the better the stripes will turn out. Here is a video I did that will show you exactly how make a lawn striping “kit” using a piece of threaded pipe, some pea gravel, two end caps and 2 zip ties. Pretty simple, and just look at the results! I stripe my lawn like this every week and the neighbors stop to stare!

Watch this video on YouTube.

Lawn striping seems like an “advanced” type of lawn care technique, but it’s not. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

It’s been very strange so far this year across the Midwest. We had a super mild winter – like very mild. Then, all of the sudden here this week, (early-to-mid-March) it jumped into the upper seventies and lower eighties! I can’t believe it – it’s beautiful. But that means we have some early work to do in order to get the lawn in order prior to the coming summer.

3 Spring Lawn Tips To Follow

First Lawn Cutting In Spring — People want to know when is the time to start cutting the lawn? This one is pretty simple: when you see the magnolia tress in full blooming glory, it’s time to go ahead and make your first cut of the season. This is because when the magnolia are blooming it tells you that the soil temps are at a point where the grass will also begin to grow. I recommend you go ahead a cut just a little lower on the first cut (around 2.75 to 3″) and use your bag to catch any junk in the lawn that settled there over the winter.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Now, your lawn may not be ready right at the same time as everyone else’s. This could be due to overly compacted soil or soil makeup. Either way, go ahead and get started when you notice about 40% of your lawn beginning to green-up.

Spring Aerating – it’s very important to get an aeration in the spring – especially if your lawn is not in good health to begin with. Aerating will help loosen that compacted soil mentioned above, but it will also punch holes in the thatch layer helping air, water and nutrients get to the soil. Aeration also loosens compacted soil allowing further penetration.

Pre-emergent for crab grass – It’s important to get down a preemergent herbicide in the lawn fairly early. In fact, you should put it down RIGHT after the aeration! Most crab grass products are also combined with some sort of fertilizer which should be just fine.

Crab grass is an annual grassy weed that germinates when soil temps hit the mid-seventies consistently. Once it begins to grow and breaks the soil surface, it becomes very difficult to control and can wreak havoc on your turf for the rest of the season and for years to come. If you get down a pre-emergent herbicide, it  basically stops the crab grass as it begins to grow. Keep in mind that it must be watered in, which in spring isn’t a problem due to regular rains. The best “brands” will contain Barricade for crab grass… it’s the industry standard. Another key to success is the ensure you put down the amount that is recommended on the labeling – don’t go too light!

If your lawn is organic but the turf structure is relatively thin, I recommend you still consider using a pre-emergent crab grass control. This form of herbicide isn’t as objectionable as selective broadleaf weed herbicides, so if you’re gonna compromise, this is the place to do it. Don’t be fooled into thinking corn gluten can be used as an effective stop for crab grass – because it’s not.

Follow these three tips this spring and you’ll be off to a great start guys!

I recently purchased the Snow Joe SJ620 electric snow blower for use at home. Long story short: I love it!

This snow blower is not made for commercial use, but for the regular homeowner needing an economical (under $200) way to clear their driveway that requires no maintenance and doesn’t give off nasty fumes, this is a great choice. Here is my review below.

Snow Joe electric snow blower review

You guys know that I am not an extremist who hates anything and everything If you are buying “off-the-shelf” lawn fertilizers that come in a 4 or 5 step ‘system’ then chances are you are getting ammonium sulfate as your primary nitrogen source. Ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate (sulphate) and urea are all very common forms of quick release or immediate release nitrogen fertilizers. They are quick release because the N becomes available for plant use (in this case turf) as soon as water dissolves it. This is why you are told to “water in” your fertilizer…  But are they good or bad and is there a better way to get a nice green nitrogen enriched lawn?

Positive Results From Using Ammonium Sulfate On Your Lawn

Ammonium sulfate (NH₄)₂SO₄ provides the very best and fastest greenup possible from a synthetic blend fertilizer. I’ve used them all (urea, sulfur coated urea, ammonium nitrate) and none can perform as well. The nitrogen is immediately available for plant use once water contacts it and it absorbs into soils well with little loss due to evaporation. All of this assumes application rates in accordance with labeling of course.

in addition, Ammonium Sulfate tends to provide a much longer sustained blue-green color in Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Rye and Turf Type Tall Fescue, mimicking the effects of chelated iron in many cases.

Down and dirty – if you are going to use a high nitrogen synthetic fertilizer for a fast green or to make your lawn grow, get one that contains ammonium sulfate, it’s very affordable and works wonders – literally. Just don’t get in the habit of slogging this stuff on your lawn every 5 weeks until winter! There are better ways…

Negative Results From Using Ammonium Sulfate On Your Lawn

I want you to remember back to when you were a kid and how much you enjoyed getting a sugar rush from eating a bunch of Halloween candy. It was great to suck down Reeses, MilkyWay bars and a bunch of other sugary goodies… until about an hour later when you CRASHED big time! You went from buzzing like a bee, to lethargic and sleepy like a sloth. THAT my friends is what can and will happen when you use ammonium sulfate fertilizers on your lawn.

The AS fertilizer pushes top growth in the lawn… to mega proportions. That looks good at first, but the underlying problem is that the turf root system isn’t stimulated in the same way and it oftentimes too thin and weak to support all that extra top growth. Eventually you end up with a major imbalance that causes the turf to actually thin out and become susceptible to disease.

The only way to keep up the burst of growth and color created by the ammonium sulfate is to add more about every 5 or 6 weeks. Over time, the salts in this compound will ruin your soil.

Am I 100% Against Ammonium Sulfate?

No, as I said, i am not an extremist. There are times when it’s a good idea to “kick start” your grass to get it growing or moving. The key is to balance things out and work on your soil’s overall health in the meantime.

If you are going to use a synthetic fert on your lawn, I almost always recommend applying Milorganite or Ringer at the exact same time! Yep, same time (or soon after anyway – within 24 hours)… don’t worry, the Milorganite or Ringer will not burn the lawn (the synthetics will if you apply them outside of label instructions however).

The reason we apply some organics at the same time as the synthetics is to counter-balance soil biotic activity. I want you to stimulate the soil activity with the organics so that roots structure can catch up to the top growth your synthetic fert is creating. It’s a process, and of course, isn’t going to end up perfect over night, but it’s something that can be balanced out if you will be patient.

If you need more specifics, or want to learn a true, sustainable and responsible way of caring for your lawn, get my ebook here and learn it all!

This is another one of those little known tricks that I use in my lawn to keep it green and healthy and dandelion free! In fact guys, I gotta be honest with you on this one: most lawn care “pros” don’t know much about the use of calcium in the lawn and its benefits.

First off, I want you to get the right source of calcium for your lawn. BE SURE to get calcium carbonate soil amendments and NOT dolamite lime (which contains a little too much Magnesium for my liking) At the end of the article I tell you what and where to buy.

Next, I want you to think of calcium as a soil conditioner as well as support nutrient for overall grass plant health. Let’s explore these two separate but very complementary benefits (LOL does that sound hoity toity?)

Calcium and Lawn Soil

Over the years, the dirt/soil beneath your turf has probably been subjected to all kinds of stress. High nitrogen synthetic fertilizers used year after year can basically strip the soil down to almost nothing. In addition, compaction from foot traffic, weather and mechanical factors can literally “crush” soil bacterial activity. On the flip side, you may have a new home that’s lawn soil is just construction scrape that came from who knows where?!?!

I need you to understand that healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy lawn. Everyone thinks that just “throwing down fertilizer” will do the trick, while in reality, that may be actually harming the lawn’s healthy if done in an irresponsible fashion.

Anyway, since your lawn soil is crappy, you need to do something to get it back in shape… and when I mean in shape, you want to increase natural soil activity (micro-organisms/microbes).

Calcium in the soil acts to reduce compaction which brings in air and water at all levels. This, in turn, allows microbes to survive. In addition, calcium in the soil has been show to help reduce phosphorous loss (Phos is one of the “big three” nutrients plants need).

Finally, and best of all, having adequate calcium in the soil can help reduce dandelion populations in the lawn. Something to do with Ca tells the dandelion seeds not to germinate.

Calcium And Grass Plants

Calcium can also help your grass be more healthy and vibrant. Without getting too technical here, calcium is kind of a regulator in the plant that helps and support intake and uptake of water and nutrients from the roots (Xylem). If it is not present in proper balance, plant vigor can be effected, allowing disease to take over.

I recommend you apply calcium to your lawn in the spring of the year if you find it is needed. How much you apply depends on the product you buy and the needs of your particular soil. You can see my recommendation for a calcium lawn supplement on my recommended products page, or in my lawn ebook.

Final Points – Calcium

As always, I want you to use your noggin’ a little bit before spreading lime (calcium) all over your lawn. Did you perform a soil test? Did you find that your soil pH is off? Is your lawn soil void of nutrients? Are you following my lawn program and keeping organic nutrients high in the soil to begin with?

It’s perfectly fine to add lime to your soil in the spring… just make sure you follow the label directions and don’t over-apply.

If you want to have a thicker lawn, you are definitely looking in the right direction – because a thicker lawn is the ultimate indication of a healthy turf structure (that will also be greener by default). In fact, a thicker lawn will resist all other problems and pressures that can hit your yard during the year. This is not about getting your lawn to grow – it’s about getting your already decent lawn thick and healthy… So in this article, I am going to give you guys the secret to getting your lawn thicker starting right now.

Learn To Grow Seed

If you want a thicker lawn, I want you to become a growing grass seed expert! It’s really not as difficult as you think and it will do wonders for the thickening process. In addition, growing fresh grass seed in your lawn adds in new cultivars that have been engineered to withstand drought and heat, as well as be disease resistant. I recommend that no matter what your lawn looks like, you grow fresh grass seed in it every fall anyway. Either way, here are the best ways to grow grass seed to make your lawn thicker (and a goofy video I did to help drive home the point)

Watch this video on YouTube.

Pretty funny, I have gotten tons of feedback telling me this vid is annoying and I should just get to the point and I have learned a lesson when it comes to doing vids… but the info is still good nonetheless LOL so get through it!

Growing grass seed to make your lawn thicker boils down to these three elements: 1) heat  2) moisture  3) seed/soil contact

Get Your Lawn Aerated

Going right along with growing grass seed is aerating the lawn. In fact, I recommend you aerate your lawn in the spring and fall very single year no matter what. I want you to aerate, and then immediately spread grass seed.

Aeration is the process whereby we take a machine that is a little bigger than a lawn mower is taken across the lawn and cores of soil are actually removed. What this does is loosen compacted soil that that existing grass root structure has room to spread out. When you remove soil plugs, the voids that are left are filled in with grass roots within a matter of a couple days, especially in the fall of the year. Over a few weeks time, the rest of the voids will be filled in with organic material, but the roots that have pushed in will also be pushing up new grass blades, making the lawn thicker! Remember, a thicker root structure makes a thicker lawn!

Use The Right Fertilizer

Getting your lawn thick and green is about 50% dictated by the fertilizer you are using. I want you to keep in mind that fertilizer is not lawn food. Fertilizer for lawns is nothing more than nutrients that support photosynthesis (which is the process whereby plants make their own food utilizing the sun). The nutrients help make the lawn thicker by allowing it to push out more roots and more grass blades so it can create more of its own food through this process.

The nutrients that we mostly need are: (3 numbers on the bag of fertilizer) N-P-K

Nitrogen – pushes top growth (grass blades) and also makes them greener.

Phosphorous – Phos helps support the root structure and density of grass plants and also helps them withstand heat and drought.

Potassium – supports the overall xylem and phloem of the plant. This is the process whereby water is taken up into the grass blades and sugars are transported down and into the roots. This element is very important but is not needed in large quantities.

When you buy fertilizer, there will be three numbers on the bag. The first number is the nitrogen percentage in the bag, the second is the phosphorous percentage and the last is potassium. You’ll notice that with lawn fertilizers, nitrogen is almost always the highest because it’s the one that most interacts in making the lawn greener and thicker.

Best Tip In This Article

This all being said, you should get fertilizer for your lawn that is labeled “STARTER FERTILIZER.” Most of you think that starter fertilizer is something you use to help get new grass seed started – and while that is true, it is also an excellent balance of nutrients that will support an existing lawn. All starters aren’t created equally, but they are usually going to be formulated better than stepped fertilizers. If you use starter fertilizer on your lawn in the spring, you will be well on your way.

Mow The Lawn Tall and Regular

Just like I talked about above, the more grass blade surface that can soak up the sun, the thicker the lawn will be. You should cut your lawn taller to leave more leaf surface. I am on the far extreme and recommend 3.5 to 4 inches tall all year long. As far as regular goes, you want to keep the lawn cut tall but do it consistently every single week. If you miss a week and have to lop a lot off, it will stress the lawn out, and possibly stunt the growth. One of the best ways to keep your lawn green and thick is to mow tall all year long.