If you’re striving for a beautiful yard that is healthy and safe to walk and play on, then YES! Kirby’s Landscaping has a great Nutrition Program for you. At Kirby’s we use an Organic Compost Tea as our base for Nutrition Applications. Our compost tea is a liquid fertilizer that adds much needed microbes and nutrients into the soil that chemical fertilizers just can’t compete with. Applying our “tea” enhances the health of the soil naturally, which in turn improves the quality of the grass, reflecting its nutrient rich environment. The industry’s alternative to our natural tea application, and what is most commonly found in nutrition programs, are chemical treatments. Chemical treatments heavily layer on Nitrogen and Phosphorus that make the grass temporarily happy but acts only as a band-aid, masking nutrient deficiencies in the environment, while also negatively impacting the ecosystems of our waterways. The long term benefits of adding nutrients to the soil with our compost tea means that were creating a stronger ecosystem starting in the soil, therefore requiring fewer chemicals each year to control weeds and unwanted species in the lawn. This happens because as we improve the soil, the root system of the Fescue Grass gets stronger, healthier and can beat out any nearby competition with very little to almost no help from toxic chemicals. Last but certainly not least, this product is safe for kids and pets. We still advise that you not roll around in the grass until it’s dry, but this is because it is liquid compost and it’s a little smelly fresh out of the container, think decaying apples because it is after all compost tea. If you are lucky enough to have never had a whiff of compost, congratulation! But if you know the smell I’m speaking of, it’s not something you would find a bottle of in the perfume section at Macy’s, so it’s certainly not a scent you would want on your pet or person (unless you like being smelly, we’re not judging… you do what you want in your own lawn! )
*BONUS!! – we INCLUDE lime and an insecticide to treat for grubs in our program. Many other lawn care companies charge additional fees for this treatments, but we want you to have everything you need upfront with no hidden costs that pop up later in the season. You can read the details of what is in each of our applications below. Please know that where you do see an herbicide listed it is less than 6% of the application’s ingredients. We keep our promise to keep chemicals to a minimum.
What is INCLUDED in Kirby’s 7 Step Nutrition + Aerating & Seeding Program:
Nutrition Application Feb/March
Our organic Soil Conditioner and organic Fertilizer are applied to promote soil health and plant uptake of nutrients. Crabgrass pre-emergent and Broadleaf Herbicide treatment to target broadleaf weeds before you even have a chance to see them.
Nutrition Application April/May
Our organic Soil Conditioner and Fertilizer are applied to promote soil health and plant uptake of nutrients. Kirby's Landscaping treats again with a Crabgrass Post-Emergent Herbicide treatment to continue addressing any possible breakthrough.
Also included in this application is a treatment for grubs helping to prevent mole & vole traffic through the soil and later Japanese Beetles.
Nutrition Application May/June Our organic Pre-biotic is applied to encourage the Fescue Grass to uptake more nutrients creating strong, greener & healthier grass. A Broadleaf Weed Control is used to target unsightly weeds in the yard. Treatment for Sedge Grass will be spot applied during this visit. Our natural oil surfactant is applied with these materials, so we are positive that our products are sticking to leaf and being absorbed.
Nutrition Application June/July Our organic Starter Fertilizer is applied for anticipated new seed to be broadcast between Late Aug and Early November. Treatment for Sedge Grasses and Crab Grass is spot applied with our surfactant so that we know our product is sticking to leaf.
Nutrition Application July/Aug
Our organic Pre-biotic is applied that frees up nutrients for anticipated new seed to be broadcast between Late Aug and Early November and encourages existing Fescue Grass to uptake more nutrients creating strong, greener & healthier grass.
Kirby’s Landscaping will apply Lime to areas of the yard that are more likely to be acidic (near trees or hardscapes) and could benefit from the alkalinity of lime. Kirby’s Lime application is to maintain the current PH of the soil. We strongly recommend a soil sample every 2 to 3 years to determine if additional Lime is needed to regenerate unbalanced soil. If soil sample results do recommend additional lime be applied to the turf, the supplemental amount is billable. Aeration and Seeding
We schedule A&S in the late summer/early fall season for a few reasons. First is because the temperatures begin to cool in the evenings, therefore causing less stress on the new seedlings. Second, there is less competition from unwanted weed seeds during this time of year, giving the Fescue seed we apply, the best chance at germination. After completion of aerating you will see the plugs of soil left behind. These will dissolve back into the turf with watering/rain fall and over time. They are important to be left on the soil to continue to replenish nutrients and soil contact for new seed. Industry standard is to NOT cut over the new seed or have mowers/heavy equipment on the lawn for up to 3 weeks after completion. Please also try to keep pets off the newly seeded areas as well as much as possible to allow for undisturbed growth and root establishment.
The complete seed germination process can take up to 21-30 days, which is why Kirby’s protocol is to wait 3 weeks before cutting the grass. Please continue watering lightly throughout that time, approx. 5 mins per zone is recommended to keep seed moist but not saturated. Make necessary adjustments to time for zones due to plentiful rain fall or lack of rain fall. Resume normal irrigating after seedlings are well established, it’s approximately 5 to 6 weeks for Fescue to establish a self-sufficient root system.
Nutrition Application Oct/Nov
Our organic Soil Conditioner plus a Pre-biotic are applied together to continue nurturing the new fescue seed and encouraging the germinated seed to up-take more nutrients, creating strong, greener & healthier grass. Weed control CANNOT be applied at this time as herbicide hinders the germination rates of the newly applied seed.
Nutrition Application Nov/Dec
Our Organic Fertilizer is applied to promote plant health and uptake of nutrients and a Broadleaf Weed Control is spot applied to target unsightly weeds in the yard. These products are applied with our surfactant so that we know our product is sticking to leaf and helping us to gain the most beneficial results.
Give us a call to get a Nutrition Program estimate for your property or if you have any questions.