LawnPro Pest Controls & Fertilizers

Lawn fanatics say being in our store is like being a kid in a candy shop. Well, for us, being able to look at all the great cultivars Jonathan Green offers and being able to make our own custom mix is definitely that same feeling of being a kid in a candy shop. We will of course still have Sodmaker and Sun&Shade, but we will also have the LawnPro Gamechanger Mix, and it’s truly the first mix like it in the market. Can’t wait for seeding season to arrive!!!!

This past week I did a little product comparison, to show what crabgrass looks like as it is controlled by the most popular active ingredients in the market. These plants are all within 20 feet of eachother on the same property, and we’re sprayed at the same time. 4.5 days later, this is what has happened so far. All 3 products had Kinetic surfactant, a wetter/spreader/penetrant, added.

The top photo was treated with Tenacity (mesotrione). You can see leaf tissue turning bright white, this happens because mesotrione is an HPPD pigment inhibitor that stops chlorophyll production, which is what gives plants their green color. While control started to be visual after a couple days with the Tenacity, my previous experiences make me believe that without a second application this bleaching may only be temporary, and the plant may bounce back.

The bottom left photo was treated with Drive XLR8, which unlike mesotrione kills the plant by mimicking auxins and affecting growth, leading the plant to turn reddish-purple and die. You can also the whole lesions of head tissue appear and twisting and curling. In this experiment, I was very surprised that the Drive was significantly faster in providing visual control of the crabgrass. The big complaint with quinclorac is that while not does an excellent job killing immature crabgrass plants and very large crabgrass plants, in the 4-5 tiller, mid-life stage of the crabgrass plant it is not nearly as effective, and I certainly have seen that here as well.

Finally, the bottom right photo used Acclaim Extra (fenoxoprop). Acclaim is a lipid synthesis inhibitor, meaning it prevents the plant from utilizing fatty acids essential for cell development and leading to death of the plant. As shown in the photos, the effects of Acclaim are visible from the leaves turning yellow/tan/off white and wilting, finally leading to full necrosis. The benefit of using Acclaim is that it will control crabgrass even at the 4-5 tiller stage where Drive is ineffective. The downside to Acclaim, is you should not apply it within 2 weeks of an application of 2,4-D as they counteract eachother. For this reason, I’d also treating broadleaf w**ds you may need to change you broadleaf herbicide, or decide Acclaim isn’t best for you.

As for my opinion of the results in the first 4.5 days, the kne thing that struck me was how much quicker the Drive XLR8 was in providing control. While it may not have achieved 100% control, the results happens fast and did control most plants sprayed. I’d certainly say it’s better than Tenacity, which seems to always need a second app for most of the w**ds, and I guess when it comes to Drive vs Acclaim the jury is still out. In another 10 days we will know how thoroughly each controlled the plants, and be able to better judge if the increased kill potential of Acclaim is worth the extra wait!

If you treat your lawn with preventative fungicides, the weather that promote summer time diseases is definitely here and you should be making your first application ASAP. We highly recommend a rotation of Propiconazole 14.3 and Artavia 2 SC at 28 day intervals. If you don’t treat preventatively but would want to treat if you get a disease, be jn the lookout for spider-web like growth in grass blades jn the mowning and turf browning out with black lesions.

Artiva 2C Fungicide - 16 oz Artavia 2 SC is one of the best fungicides available for your lawn and garden. A generic form of Heritage, it controls a broad spectrum of diseases.

If you have not put down your preventative grub control yet, make sure you put it down this month. Most homeowners today use the active ingredient chlorantraniliprole, which is in Acelepryn and GrubEx. This product does an EXCELLENT job at preventing grubs, but takes a long time to set up in the grass plant, which is why timing is so important. Applying Acelepryn in April or Maybgive the product plenty of time to translocate throughout the grass plant, so when the grub eggs hatch in August the plants are well protected. If you wait to apply these products until late June or July, they simply won’t have had time to translocate and will not protect the roots of the grass plant. In addition to proper timing, make sure you water this product in well, as it must be watered into the root system to be taken up by the plant. The most affordable as efficient method of applying your grub control is on a bag of fertilizer, something like 22-0-5 w/ .067 Acelepryn is perfect. If you wish to apply the grub control on its own, we highly recommend the 4oz liquid Acelepryn bottles. Acelepryn G and GrubEx are also viable options, but are most difficult to apply at the proper rate and people who use GrubEx tend to have a disproportionate amount of breakthrough compared to those who use Acelepryn-this makes some sense and GrubEx is a homeowner version.

Acelepryn - Liquid Grub Control - LawnPro The best grub control available and pollinator safe. Now available in the liquid formulation used by professionals for years.