NorthStar Tow-Behind Sprayer (26 Gallon) and AGGRAND Fertilizer

For the past few years I paid TruGreen to periodically fertilize and spray my lawn for weeds.  They did a fine job and the grass was nice and green and thick except during crab-grass season.  TruGreen didn't spray for crabgrass and the preemergent they put on in the spring helped, but didn't kill all of the crabgrass seeds that were lurking in the lawn.  But as I watched them apply the various treatments (and as I watched my wallet getting lighter with each application), I thought that I could do the same thing if I had the right equipment and did a little research so I knew what to apply and when and I could become my own TruGreen guy.

Although I hesitated based on the size of the yard (about 2+ acres of grass), I ultimately found the right tool for the job and that was the NorthStar 26-gallon Tow-Behind Sprayer from Northern Tool + Equipment.  Being a John Deere guy, I really wanted the John Deere Tow-Behind Sprayer which, based on my internet research, was a good piece of equipment.  However, since I lean to the cheap side, the price ($520) was more than I wanted to pay.  So I did some more research and found good reviews on the NorthStar sprayer.  Since there was a Northern Tools store that recently opened nearby, I decided to check it out.  I liked what I saw and ended up buying one mid-season for $279 (on sale with a $20 coupon).  I then cancelled my TruGreen service and started using my sprayer.

Be aware that you will have to assemble the sprayer.  Despite what you may read in some on-line reviews about how difficult assembly is, my 20-something son and daughter put it together (correctly) within about 2 hours.  It's really not that hard if you just read and follow the directions.    

 

 

Weed and Crabgrass Killer Application

When we got back from vacation, crabgrass and other weeds had basically taken over our lawn (like I said, despite TruGreen's pre-emergent application).  The sight almost brought me to tears but once I dried my eyes the first thing I did was try to find a reasonably priced weed killer that would also kill the crabgrass.  However, all I could find at the big box stores was the 32 oz bottles of Bayer, Ortho and other common brands that only cover 5,000 square feet.  Given the size of my lawn I would have needed at least 10+ bottles.  So thinking like a farmer, I visited my local Tractor Supply store and picked up three one-gallon bottles of Gordon's Trimec Crabgrass Plus Lawn Weed Killer Concentrate for $29.95 each.  A gallon covers 20,000 square feet.  The Trimec kills over 200 different types of weeds plus it kills crabgrass.  And, the best part is, it actually works! 

Trimec Crabgrass Plus Lawn Weed Killer

The hardest part about using the tow-behind sprayer is making sure that the application rate is correct, especially when using weed killers.  You really don't want to kill or maim your grass by applying too much but you want to apply enough to kill the weeds/crabgrass.  The application rate is a combination of the amount mixed per gallon of water, the rate at which the sprayer applies the mixture and the speed at which you drive.  I mixed the Trimec in my sprayer in accordance with the directions on the bottle (2.5 oz per gallon covering 400 square feet).  Now you can get really technical about this which I initially tried to do.  If you look at the very last page of the sprayer Owner's Manual, you will find tables which show application rates.  Using the gallons/1000 square feet table you can try and figure out the speed at which you need to drive.  This is a pretty inaccurate science since there is no speedometer on the John Deere LA175 lawn tractor.  So I enlisted the help of my son and we roughly figured speed based upon the amount of time it took to travel 100 feet.  I don't really know what exactly the speed was but believe me, it was very sloooooooow!  Once I knew approximately what speed that I needed to travel, I mentally sectioned off my lawn into thirds and used a tank per section using the 2.5 oz/gallon mix rate.  Having gone through all of that, if you mix it at the recommended rate and drive slow, you should be ok.  I must have done something right because my lawn was fine and the crabgrass and weeds were dead. 

Fertilizer Application

Many people who know about AMSOIL don't know that AMSOIL has a separate division, AGGRAND, which offers a line of natural and organic fertilizers.  I've always used chemical fertilizers on my lawn and TruGreen did the same.  While the chemicals worked fine, the lawn would always look a little greener after the applications, but the green faded over time until the next application.  Plus, there were times that I wondered whether the fertilizer was even working at all since I didn't see any results.  And I always thought in the back of my mind that some of whatever I was applying would eventually end up in a lake or river somewhere.  While I'm not an environmental activist by any stretch, I like to do the right thing when it comes to minimizing environmental impacts if possible.

AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer 4-3-3 (AGGRAND Product Code NOF) is a multipurpose liquid concentrate formulated to promote vigorous growth, increased root development and improved stress and disease tolerance on flowers, vegetables, fruits, lawns, shrubs, trees, field crops and houseplants. AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer uses kelp concentrate which accumulates high levels of potassium which increases plant health by enhancing heat, drought and cold tolerance.  It's made from oceangoing menhaden fish that feed on mineral-rich plankton (Native Americans have used menhaden for centuries as a natural fertilizer).  Menhaden provides nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, 10 essential micronutrients and numerous vitamins and amino acids. 

While menhaden fish emulsions and kelp provide the basis for AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer, additional ingredients help achieve a balanced analysis:

• Sulfate of Potash - Extremely fine-grade natural mineral derived from the Great Salt Lake increases potassium levels.
• Bloodmeal - Boosts availability of nitrogen in slow-release form to provide this vital nutrient as the plant requires it.
• Natural Wintergreen Oil - Improves scent of AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer.

AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer 4-3-3

When chemical fertilizers are used, the grass relies on the chemical to provide the nutrients but the plants require more water for the fertilizer to be effective (which explains why the grass turns greener after an application but then fades after awhile).  In addition, the chemicals toxify the soil, inhibiting biological activity which leads to compacted soil and an unhealthy root environment.  Additional nutrients flow over the compacted soil into surface water or past the root zone into ground water.  Unlike chemical fertilizers, AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer increases the bacterial activity in the  soil, enabling roots to go deeper and develop better, leading to stronger, healthier plants.  In addition, bacteria, fungi and protozoa feed on carbon sources, causing a process known as mineralization.  Mineralization produces plant-available nitrogen and phosphorus that helps plants grow and develop.

Since the season began, I've made two applications of AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer using my NorthStar sprayer.  Based on the size of my lawn, I ordered two 2.5 gallon bottles of fertilizer, which, at a mix rate of 32 oz. per 8 gallons of water per 1000 square feet, is enough for three applications.  The application rate depends upon your speed which you will have to figure based upon the tables in the sprayer owner's manual.  To be honest, I didn't pay as much attention to the tractor speed with the fertilizer as with the weed killer since applying too much is not as much of a concern. 

To mix the fertilizer, I use  a 24-oz mixing cup (available in the paint department of Lowe's).  I mix enough for 20 gallons.  The fertilizer has a thick consistency so I first put some water in the sprayer tank, add the correct amount of fertilizer for 20 gallons (80 oz/20 gal.) and fill the tank to a little over the 20-gallon mark to account for the fertilizer.  This mixes the fertilizer well, important since I don't have an agitator in my tank (the fertilizer will settle if you let it sit too long).  I start fertilizing shortly after mixing since the motion keeps the fertilizer sufficiently mixed to avoid clogging.  Be aware - the fertilizer has an odor.  Well, that may be a little understated - it smells bad (which I figure is good when it comes to fertilizer).  Since I know what it's made of, it doesn't really gross me out (it's just dead fish), but be prepared for the smell.

 

 

 

Hooking up the sprayer is easy.  Just connect the wires from the pump up to the battery on the tractor, making sure the positive and negative wires are connected to the correct battery terminals.  The wire is plenty long enough to reach the battery with the switch running along the side of the tractor.  There's a rocker switch that ends up by your right foot which allows you turn the sprayer on and off while in use - a convenient feature. 

To operate, just turn the switch to "on" when you want to spray and turn it off when you reach an area you don't want to spray (it does take a few seconds for the pressure to relieve so it will continue to spray for a bit after you turn it off).  Make sure that the booms are down, the nozzles pointed down and the valves in the open position.  There's also a sprayer wand attached to the tank.  It's a great tool for getting into corners, spraying bushes and spraying the garden.  Turning off the nozzle valves provides more pressure to the wand. 

 

 

 

I always clean my equipment when I'm done.  I rinse the tank and then run clean water through both the nozzles and the wand.  I also spray off and wipe down the external parts, especially those near the back since those get a fine coating of fertilizer on them when in use.  When all done, the tank is clean with no residual fertilizer (or smell) in the tank.

One last thing involves taking care of the wheels.  Many on-line reviewers indicated that they had problems with the wheels not being secure or coming off in operation.  While I attribute much of that to operator error, it made me take extra precautions with the wheels.  First, make sure that the wheel retainers are securely fastened.  In addition, I use AMSOIL Spray Grease on the wheels.  AMSOIL recently reformulated it spray grease.  The new AMSOIL Spray Grease (AMSOIL Product Code GSP) is a lithium grease that effectively reduces friction and wear, keeping components running clean and trouble-free for outstanding performance and long life.  It applies quickly and evenly and is ideal for greasing hard-to-reach equipment, including hinges, springs and other common applications.  Instead of the Spray Grease, you could also use AMSOIL Metal Protector (MP) (AMSOIL Product Code AMP), a spray-on lubricant that protects metal surfaces, displaces water, silences squeaks and lubricates metal surfaces, leaving a dry wax-like film that's not sticky.  MP dries clean, dirt doesn't stick to it, it doesn't form any gum or sludge and is excellent at preventing rust and corrosion.

AMSOIL Spray Grease

Spraying AMSOIL Spray Grease (old formulation)

AMSOIL (MP) Metal Protector (old packaging)

AMSOIL MP Metal Protector (new packaging - same great formula)

Although the AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer takes some time to work, sometimes even over a season, the following pictures show progress between the two applications, about a month apart.

Lawn Following Application 1

Lawn Following Application 2

Lawn Following Application 1

Lawn Following Application 2

Lawn Following Application 1

Lawn Following Application 2

UPDATE:  Summer has passed and it's now the middle of October.  Since the Spring, I've continued to apply AGGRAND fertilizers.  In late Spring I applied a second treatment of AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer 4-3-3 and a third treatment in early fall.  In addition, in late summer I applied a treatment of AGGRAND Liquid Lime (AGGRAND Product Code NLL), an easy and effective alternative to bagged lime designed for use on permanent ground covers such as lawns, pastures and hay fields.  The Liquid Lime features finely ground limestone in a liquid suspension that can be absorbed by leaves and roots and provides much needed calcium to promote superior plant growth.  I mixed 32 oz per 10 gallons of water and drove slowly over the lawn with the sprayer using one 2.5 gallon jug for 50,000 square feet of lawn. 

AGGRAND Liquid Lime

The results of my efforts over the summer were AMAZING!!  Although the lawn was green before, following the application of the Liquid Lime, the color turned a deep, lush green.  Another thing that I noticed was a lack of weeds throughout the summer (with the exception of an infestation of crabgrass that again took hold while we were on vacation).  Normally, TruGreen would have sprayed at least twice for weeds over the course of the season.  Using the AGGRAND natural products, I had zero weeds although I did spray for crabgrass a couple of times using the Trimec Crabgrass Killer (again using the sprayer).  The crabgrass died and left some bare spots but I've aerated and overseeded so those should fill in nicely.  Here are the results of my efforts over the season; the grass now rivals that of the best lawns in the neighborhood.  Not too shabby for a DIY effort!

Thanks for visiting this post!  

Questions, comments and advice are always welcome!!

John Deere Attachments (Dethatcher)

Let me tell you up front - dethatching is not glamorous.  I know that's hard to believe but it's true.  But it's a necessary part of taking care of your lawn.  And like my John Deere Lawn Sweeper, which I talked about in my last post, my John Deere Dethatcher does what it's designed to do and it does it well.  I'll get into the dethatcher details in this post. 

First of all, why should you dethatch your lawn?  Thatch is the layer of built-up plant material between the green top growth and the roots of your grass.  Thatch develops naturally as lawn grasses grow and shed roots, shoots and leaves. Some thatch helps protect the roots, but too much thatch prevents water, oxygen and nutrients from getting through to the soil.  You can help avoid thatch build-up by mowing frequently so that the blades of grass are smaller and will decompose more quickly.  Grass clippings contain nutrients that are good for your grass, including the nutrients that you've already applied through fertilizer.  I always try to dethatch before I apply fertilizer so that the fertilizer better penetrates to the roots.  And I always dethatch before the grass is actively growing just because it's easier for the dethatcher to get through the grass without building up on the tines, although technically it could be done anytime during the season.

The other reason that I use my John Deere Dethatcher is the moss in my lawn.  The yard has lots of trees both throughout, creating lots of shady spots.  That, combined with the moisture and humidity and the clay soils that we have here in the south, provides the perfect environment for moss to thrive.  If moss is allowed to grow unchecked, it will simply take over, which I've allowed it to do in certain areas where I didn't really want grass anyway.  Although moss is green and soft (and cuddly) and actually looks good in the right locations, moss and grass just don't mix.

The John Deere Dethatcher is an outstanding tool for removing both thatch and moss although once the moss is removed, seeding with a shade tolerant grass seed is critical since the moss will always come back if the ground is left bare.  It sometimes seems like a never ending battle but it does give me an excuse to use my dethatcher (got to think positive!).

The first step is to make sure that the dethatcher is heavy enough to scrape up the moss and thatch  without just bouncing along the ground behind the tractor.  Loading it up with several bricks does the trick.  And since the grass is not long this time of year, I set the dethatcher at the lowest level so it scrapes fairly deep (if the grass is high, setting it too low will just clog up the tines, turning a "not so bad job" into a "really horrible job" as you jump off the tractor every five minutes to clear off the tines).  

Dethatcher Ready to Go!

Moss in the Yard

Moss after Dethatching

More Moss after Dethatching

 The dethatcher works great on thatch as well (my kids would tell me "duh" but it really works well): 

After a few passes with the dethacher, there's loads of moss and thatch that should not be left lying on the grass thereby defeating the whole purpose for all that hard work riding around on the tractor.  So with another excuse to use my John Deere Lawn Sweeper, I sweep up what's been removed.  It's heavy stuff and there's lots of dumping involved, but the sweeper handles it extremely well.  

As with the sweeper, once the job is done it's time to clean off the dethatcher.  It gets pretty dirty and muddy and the bricks bouncing around tend to wear off the paint creating some bare metal spots.  AMSOIL Metal Protector (MP) (AMSOIL Product Code AMP) is the ideal product to use after rinsing and before putting up the dethatcher for the season.  AMSOIL MP does an outstanding job protecting against rust and providing lubrication where there's metal to metal contact.  

AMSOIL MP Metal Protector (old packaging)

AMSOIL MP Metal Protector (new packaging - same great formula)

AMSOIL MP is an easy-to-use spray-on product that protects metal surfaces, displaces water and silences squeaks.  It lubricates metal surfaces, leaving a dry wax-like film, doesn't form gum or sludge and it's compatible with plastic, fabric and paint.  The greatest thing about it is that it doesn't leave a film that attracts dust or dirt so I just spray it on and leave it.  In all the years that I've been washing down and protecting my equipment, I've never had any rust or corrosion problems while using AMSOIL MP.  It certainly provides piece-of-mind to an equipment junky like me.  Even better, when it's time to use the equipment again, I know that it's lubricated and ready to go.  You won't believe how many uses you can think of for AMSOIL Metal Protector!

 

Thanks for visiting this post.  We'll talk about fertilizing the lawn with AMSOIL's AGGRAND Natural Based Fertilizer using my Northstar Sprayer (from Northern Tools and Equipment) in the next post.

Questions, comments and advice are always welcome!!