I would like to start this section by saying, I do not like to use hard core pesticides and herbicides. However, there are times when this is necessary to maintain the amount of plants, grass and trees that are on this property. If one thing gets out of control it could be disastrous. I do use organic methods in tandem when appropriate and necessary. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to keep things looking right around here. I take extra measures to make sure fertilizer treatments do not end up on the street or the driveway as the fertilizers are what can be very damaging to fresh water supplies, ie. my beautiful creek. Below is the schedule we use on the Flower Farm to keep the lawn and flower beds looking good and pests and disease to a minimum. These services are provided by Picture Perfect Lawncare in Smithville, Missouri:

LAWN APPLICATIONS

  1. March Apply granular slow-release fertilizer with pre-emergent for annual grass control.
    GRANULAR 24-0-10 30% SLOW-RELEASE FERTILIZER WITH BARRICADE .43% PRE-EMERGENT.
    APPLIED AT A 4.5 LB RATE. ALSO, APPLIED TRIMEC 992 BROADLEAF WEED CONTROL AT A 1.5 GALLON RATE.
    WEED CONTROL FOR DANDELION, CHICKWEED AND HENBIT.
    TRIMEC EPA REG # 2217-656
    BARRICADE   EPA REG # 5905-536

    SPECTRACIDE TREATMENT TO FLOWER BEDS AND PROPERTY LINE BACKING TO TREES

  2. May Apply granular slow-release fertilizer with liquid broadleaf weed control and surface insecticide for sod webworm control. APPLIED A GRANULAR 28-5-12 35% SLOW-RELEASE FERTILIZER AT A 3.5# RATE.  LIQUID TRIMEC 992
    BROADLEAF WEED CONTROL AND TALSTAR INSECTICIDE WERE ALSO APPLIED.  INSECTICIDE FOR SODWEBWORM
    CONTROL. WEED CONTROL FOR DANDELION, CLOVER, AND PLANTAIN CONTROL. PLEASE WATER WITHIN 7 DAYS FOR BEST RESULTS.
    MOWER BLADE SHOULD BE KEPT SHARP AND ON  THE HIGHEST SETTING.
    INDUCE SURFACTANT ADDED–RAIN SAFE WITHIN ONE HOUR!
    TALSTAR INSECTICIDE EPA REG # 279-3206
    TRIMEC 992  EPA REG# 2217-656
  3. June–July Apply season long grub control.
    APPLIED GRANULAR MERIT 0.2 INSECTICIDE PLUS 0-0-7 TURF FERTILIZER AT A 3.5 LB RATE FOR WHITE
    GRUB CONTROL.  PLEASE WATER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AT YOUR CONVENIENCE FOR OPTIMUM CONTROL {WITHIN 4
    DAYS}.  WATER SUFFICIENTLY TO MOVE THE PRODUCT INTO THE SOIL.
  4. Mid July – Apply summer fertilizer to help grasses battle through the hot temperatures.
  5. Late August/Early September – Early Fall Lawn Application
    APPLIED GRANULAR 30-3-5 25%  SLOW-RELEASE FERTILIZER AT A 4 LB. RATE.
    LIQUID TRIMEC BROADLEAF WEED CONTROL WAS APPLIED AT A 1.5 GALLON RATE.
    IMPACT SPREADER STICKER ADDED TO WEED CONTROL —RAIN SAFE WITHIN ONE HOUR.
    TRIMEC 992 EPA REG# 2217-656
    BROADLEAF WEED CONTROL APPLIED TO CONTROL DANDELIONS, SPURGE, AND CLOVER.
  6. Late September – AERATION & OVERSEED
  7. November Apply granular fertilizer “winterizer” and perform a soil PH test for lime recommendation.
    APPLIED A GRANULAR 46-0-0  FERTILIZER AT A 3 LB RATE.   WE ALSO PERFORMED A SOIL PH READING FOR
    YOUR LAWN. Ph at 6.3 – LIME RECOMMENDED –   SPOT TREATED BROADLEAF WEEDS.
    TRIMEC 992 EPA REG # 2217-656.

  8. November Apply pelletized lime application if necessary.

PEST APPLICATIONS

I would like to express how much I hate lawn spiders, chiggers and anything else that I can’t necessarily see with the naked eye. These little guys love this sweet Italian blood. They can make even the simple task of walking the yard unbearable if they are not treated. That being said, I have to have a flea, tick and spider control put down yearly. Since I don’t like to put too much of this stuff down on the yard, I assess the needs of the yard yearly. Last year for instance, I did three pest applications to the lawn and shrubs. This year I only did two but used Spectracide for one granular application which seemed to last pretty long. Using a mix of the two has helped me save some money and allowed the control to last longer when using Spectracide.

SHRUB APPLICATIONS

In addition to the lawn, we also treat our flowerbeds with the following yearly applications:

Late February

PRE-EMERGENT TO THE LANDSCAPE BEDS.
SNAPSHOT AT A  2LB RATE – EPA REG # 62719-175
SECOND OF 2 SPRING TREATMENTS–EARLY SPRING AND LATE SPRING TREATMENTS.

Late March

APPLY 14-14-14 GRANULAR SHRUB FERTILIZER.  WATER WITHIN 10 DAYS FOR BEST RESULTS.

Beginning of May

PRE-EMERGENT TO THE LANDSCAPE BEDS.
SNAPSHOT AT A  2LB RATE – EPA REG # 62719-175
SECOND OF 2 SPRING TREATMENTS–EARLY SPRING AND LATE SPRING TREATMENTS.

FLEA AND TICK CONTROL APPLICATION

Late May

MITICIDE AND INSECTICIDE TREATMENTS
TALSTAR ORNAMENTAL INSECT CONTROL.
EPA REG# 279-3206
THERE ARE 3 SCHEDULED APPLICATION SPACED AT 3 WEEK INTERVALS THIS SEASON

Late June

MITICIDE AND INSECTICIDE TREATMENTS
TALSTAR ORNAMENTAL INSECT CONTROL.
EPA REG# 279-3206
THERE ARE 3 SCHEDULED APPLICATION SPACED AT 3 WEEK INTERVALS THIS SEASON

Early to Mid July

GRUB CONTROL
APPLIED GRANULAR MERIT 0.2 INSECTICIDE PLUS 0-0-7 TURF FERTILIZER AT A 3.5 LB RATE FOR WHITE
GRUB CONTROL.  PLEASE WATER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AT YOUR CONVENIENCE FOR OPTIMUM CONTROL {WITHIN 4
DAYS}.  WATER SUFFICIENTLY TO MOVE THE PRODUCT INTO THE SOIL. SPOT-TREAT WEEDS.
PLEASE ALLOW 24 HOURS BEFORE MOWING.
EPA REG# 432-1349-10404
BE SURE MOWER BLADE IS SHARP!!

Late July

MITICIDE AND INSECTICIDE TREATMENTS
TALSTAR ORNAMENTAL INSECT CONTROL.
EPA REG# 279-3206
TREATMENT 2 OF 3