USE THE HOLIDAY SYSTEM TO FERTILIZE THE LAWN
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about fertilizer and recommended Espoma Organic Lawn Fertilizer or Milorganite. I forgot to mention Ringer's Restore as a good, slow-release lawn fertilizer. For years I have been high on Turf Nurture, so why not now, many of you have asked?
The Turf Nurture brand and formula was sold to a company in Pennsylvania, and that company does not intend to distribute Turf Nurture in Michigan.
- Milorganite
This is a good time to reiterate the lawn fertilizing scheme a good friend has developed using Milorganite. He calls it his holiday system. He applies Milorganite to his lawn four times a year -- on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Halloween/Thanksgiving. He has been doing this for more than 10 years and has an absolutely beautiful lawn.
Thanksgiving may seem to be too late to fertilize a lawn. The folks at Milorganite suggest making that fourth application just before the soil freezes, which around here is usually after Thanksgiving. They call this "dormant feeding." Because it's so late in the season, there is still fertilizer available to give the lawn an early greenup in the spring
Check out Fiskars' new reel mower
As a student of the art of mowing grass, I have always known that the reel-type mower is better for the health of grass than any rotary mower. The rotary mower bludgeons the grass while the reel mower cuts it cleanly.
- Reel Lawn Mower by Fiskars
As a kid I spent a lot of time pushing a reel mower when I could have been having fun. During the past 20 years, I've tested a number of new models from various companies, but the basic weakness of the reel mower had not been solved. It is hard to push if the grass has gotten a little taller than you would like. It can't cut grass at 2 inches or higher, and it always needs sharpening.
Next spring, you will be able to take advantage of the benefits of the cutting action of a reel mower with none of the disadvantages. Manufactured by Fiskars and called the Momentum, this machine doesn't look like any reel mower you've seen before.
A large diameter cutting reel and heavy blades store energy much like a flywheel, so the Momentum delivers twice the power to cut through small twigs, weeds or dense grass that clog other reel mowers. The mower also requires 30 percent less push force than standard reel mowers when cutting long grass.
The Momentum can cut grass up to 4 inches high, it cuts the edge of the lawn three times closer than any other reel machine, and the blades never need to be sharpened. This jewel will be sold by Lowe's next spring for $199.
