1

2020 Warm Season Guide - Hybrid Organic Program

Grass types: Bermuda, St Augustine, Zoysia, Centipede, and Bahia
By Allyn Hane, “The Lawn Care Nut”
2020 Warm Season Guide
By Allyn Hane, “The Lawn Care Nut”
Disclaimer 3

Disclaimer: this ebook is written for your reference and is not meant to be exhaustive. Everyone’s results vary but these tips are
designed to get you down the road to success. No matter what, it’s your responsibility to follow safe practices and follow all label
instructions from the products you buy.

In this book, I reference labels. I have done my best to ensure those labels are accurate to the products I recommend. However,
labeling changes - so always be sure to reference the label that is on the exact product you have in your possession.
Contents 4

1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………. 05

2. Warm Season Grass Types …………………………………………………………………………… 11

3. The Importance of Soil Temperature ………………………………………………………………. 26

4. Soil Testing …………………………………………………………………………………………… 35

5. Recommended Fertilizers …………………………………………………………………………… 44

6. Pre-Emergent Strategy ………………………………………………………………………………. 55

7. Post-Emergent Weed Control ……………………………………………………………………… 61

8. Insect and Disease Applications ……………………………………………………………………. 71

9. Bio-Stimulants ……………………………………………………………………………………… 76

10. Warm Season Lawn Plans ………………………………………………………………………… 88

11. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………………. 112

Introduction
Hello and welcome to 2020, warm season brothers and sisters!
Today I’m excited because I get to talk to you folks with
Bermuda, St Augustine, Bahia, Centipede, and Zoysia.
We have some unique challenges we face compared to our
brethren up north but we also have grass types that are much
more aggressive and alpha in nature and they are bred for
land combat.
That said, this plan/guide is designed to really push your
warm season turf and get it to dominate its patch quickly.
With the amount of heat and sun we get in the south, we
cannot afford to have bare areas in our lawns.
As I often say, “In the south, the jungle is always trying to
retake the land and if we leave open ground, that jungle
will find its way in.”
5
This is true here in South Florida just the same as it is in San
Diego, South Texas, or Low Country South Carolina. There is
always some climate, plant, insect or disease that is well
adapted to destroy turf and retake valuable green space if
you allow it.
That means you have to be diligent and observant and always
be ready with an answer to any problem that crops up,
anytime, all year long. Remember, in the south, the soil never
sleeps and because of that, there is always a chance for
activity in the lawn, good or bad.
With this in mind, I encourage you to stop looking at “lawn
treatment plans” as a regimented, monthly chore and instead
look at your lawn like a garden that needs constant tending.
Just because I list below “do these 4 things in June” it doesn’t
mean they all go down on the same day. Sometimes you may
stretch things out over a few days or weeks. Some things may
need to be moved up and others, held back.
Also, a large change for this year is that we are letting soil
temperatures dictate application start and stop times rather
than an exact month or date. I’ll try and clarify as much of that
as I can here in the guide, but also know I give real time
advice each week during the season on my podcast. Much of
what I talk about in the podcast is in support of what I’m
teaching you here.
Introduction
Now, I don’t want to scare you with too much detail. Once you
actually get into your lawn and start working it, you’ll begin to
notice how it responds to your inputs and those of the weather.
In other words, you’ll learn your land.
What does it look like right after it’s mowed? How about 3 days
later?
Do some areas turn a dark blue-gray in the middle of a hot day?
What happens to those areas after it rains?
How long does it take to green up after I hit it with
micronutrients in summer?
How long does the blue color last when I apply Milo at 10 lbs/
1,000?
If you start watching your lawn and how it responds to the
seasons, weather, and your inputs, you will learn what it needs
and when - just by feel. Like an instinct.
You truly can “learn your land” and start to get ahead of
problems before they arise, or better yet, get your lawn so
healthy that it resists problems naturally without a lot of
herbicides or other hard inputs. I always recommend you
record your yearly applications and observances in a lawn
journal. This will also help you if you forget something.
6
Until you learn it though, yes, follow the plan below and stick
to it. That’s what this book is really about - getting started.
It’s written for beginners first and foremost. 
That’s because as a new homeowner you have certain
“barriers to entry” that keep you from doing tasks yourself
and I am hoping to help you break those down, at least for
the lawn.
Think about it, some tasks have very high barriers to entry
that keep you from “DIYing” them. At my house, for example,
there has always been a barrier between me and electrical
work. I very rarely “DIY” anything electrical - too much risk of
me burning my house down.
Sure, I could learn electrical “stuff ” and get to a decent level of
proficiency if I really wanted to, but I’m 45 years old now and
that barrier is one that I have no desire to overcome, probably
ever.
That said, I think most of you will agree that the barriers to
entry for “DIY Lawn Care” are much different and in many
ways, easier to overcome while still very challenging and
definitely rewarding.
Introduction
Keep in mind, when you buy your house, everything in it is
non-living. The countertops, tile, ceiling fans, dishwasher,
windows, siding, driveway, deck, and pool are all non-living,
decaying things. But your lawn and landscape - you bought
those too - they are living! At least I hope they are living!
They are also growing and changing and if neglected or
mismanaged, can take your home’s appeal down fast. On the
flip side, the most well kept, beautifully tended lawn and
landscape can make your home the showplace of the
neighborhood.
Let’s be honest - you know you ride your bike around your
neighborhood and look at who has the nicest house with the
best-kept lawn and landscape. You give credit points to the
lady across the street who goes that extra mile and mows
double-fat stripes in her lawn, especially when she points
them right at you!
You watch the retired guy next door with his 30-year-old
LawnBoy mower out there cutting his grass every 3 days and
hand pulling weeds every morning as you leave for work -
he’s been doing it for decades. There’s also that 29-year-old
successful lawyer down the street who has a lawn that’s so
bright green it looks like it runs on batteries. He has a shed full
of equipment you aspire to own one day!
7
You wonder how you could ever compete with these lawn
care nuts! You also wonder, “what if I do it wrong and burn it?
Will I look foolish? Will it cost me thousands?”
Well my friend, I’m here to tell you: a little competition is
good, it keeps you frosty -AND- having a nice lawn isn’t that
hard and you probably won’t burn anything either!
In the end, all this “dominate your neighbor” stuff I talk about...
it’s about respect. Respect for your investment in your home
and respect for those who care about their investments too!
I have respect for the other alphas in my vicinity, male or
female it matters not! Just remember, it’s all in good fun and
anyone who works to improve their lawn is a good human!
I know one time years ago when we lived in Crown Point, IN,
my wife mentioned another man’s lawn and remarked how
nice it was... a couple times. My ego was so hurt by it that I
even made a video talking about the lessons I learned. You
don’t want to be that guy, but you do want to be THAT guy.
Capish?
First time spreading fert? Have no fear, you won’t be a novice
for long. It only takes once or twice with the Milo before you
can easily figure out how to adjust up or down for an
application of prodiamine granular or some other dry
product.
Introduction 8

Same goes for spraying with a backpack sprayer or hose-end sprayer.
Once you’ve done it a couple times, and understand the equipment,
you will be ready to charge into hellfire with a squirt gun!
That’s why we call it “spraying and praying” when you get out there
and really start slinging the unicorn urine (more on that ahead).
Here are some very helpful “How To” videos I made
that should give you some knowledge and
confidence as you continue reading this guide:
How and Why To Measure Your Lawn: 
https://youtu.be/L1DrEttwqBA
How to spray with a basic pump sprayer: 
https://youtu.be/eKSFw7frmDQ

How to spray with a Backpack Sprayer: 

https://youtu.be/fUeKnmTU87M

How To Apply Lawn Fertilizer: 

https://youtu.be/W_FAnAjD7DI

Master The Basics: 

https://youtu.be/jnMLaRCrRR4
Introduction 9

As you read through this guide, you will see repeating themes, Introducing the new Yard Mastery App! 
and in actuality, repeating sentences and phrases. You will find This app is something really special that I’ve been cooking up
that in my teaching I say a lot of the same things. for you guys the past few months and it’s finally ready to be
put out into the wild. You can get it on Android or iOS. 
That’s because I believe “repetition is the key to learning” in
lawn care. The more you strategize, execute, and learn, the
more advanced strategies you can work towards.

With that, the first thing we are going to do here is talk about
the different grass types we work with here in the “Warm
Season” turf zone.

But let’s not worry so much about where you live like “in the
south” or “in the transition zone,” instead let’s first just talk
about your grass type (St Augustinegrass, Bermudagrass,
Zoysiagrass, Centipede, and Bahia), and then from there get
into soil temperatures.

Soil temps are what matter, not what “zone” you live in. From
there, we will talk about soil testing, fertilizers, pre-emergent
weed control, post-emergent weed control, fungicides,
insecticides, bio-stimulants, and then finally we will get into
the actual lawn plans.
Introduction 10
Yard Mastery App
So what does it do? 
Well first off, we tapped into real-time soil data all across the
country so you can put in your town or city and it will show
your soil temps! 

Using the soil temps, it will remind you to throw down your
pre-emergents and fert as you’re approaching our critical soil
temps of 55°F and 65°F. 

On top of that, there’s also a “Journal Entry” function so you

can easily keep a record of what products you’ve thrown
down and at what application rates. This will help you keep
track of everything in one place and help inform your overall
strategy year over year.
 11

Warm Season Grass Type

Warm Season Grass Types 12

Just because your turf gets 4 hours of direct sun in May

doesn’t mean it will get that same amount in September
because the angle of the sun changes. 

So when I tell you “4 hours of direct sun” that means it should

be getting that at the extremes of the time of year and will
need probably 5-6 hours of direct sun during the summer.

I recently produced quite a bit of content talking about the

different turf types and more importantly, their growth habits.
Understanding how your turf grows can help you care for it
better - human relationships work this way too.

Unlike our friends in the north, each warm season turf type is
a little different. Not only with the weed controls you can use,
but also with the amount of fertilizer (nitrogen) they need
and want.

There are also considerations with shade tolerance although I

will tell you that there are no warm season turf types that will
grow well without at least 4 hours of direct sun per day. 

4 hours is the VERY BARE MINIMUM and you also have to

keep in mind seasonal changes.
Warm Season Grass Types
St Augustinegrass
St Augustinegrass
This is the turf type that I have in my lawn here in SW Florida. I
have Floratam St Aug on one side, Palmetto St Aug on the
other and a new variety called “Scotts Provista” in the backyard.
St Augustinegrass is mostly found in Florida, Texas, and
California but I’ve seen it in pretty much all the southern
states. Here is a map of the suggested growing zone for
Palmetto St Augustine which happens to be my very favorite
variety of St Augustine.
Mowing
My advice to you, if you have a St Augustine lawn and you
want to get it into shape using the program(s) here, be sure to
mow it at 4” or higher. No matter what variety, put your
mower all the way to the top and leave it there. That’s best for
most St Aug lawns.
13
Also, keep the blades sharp - St Aug has juicy fat blades that
will show ripped tips if your blade isn’t sharp. I have about
6,500 sq ft of St Augustine under my care and I’ve been
sharpening my blade every 4th mowing.
Fertilizing
St Aug is aggressive and spreads fast and wide with thick
stolons that crawl across the ground sending out fresh roots
and grass blades from nodes. There is no seed available for St
Aug, only sod or plugs. Here is a video I produced earlier this
year that will give you some specific advice on caring for St
Augustinegrass.
Either way, with its aggressive nature, St Aug can take some
heavy shots of nitrogen and really take off. Check out the
color of my St Aug in this video (watch the video too BTW).
You can get your lawn that color quite fast with a couple
shots of Milorganite. St Aug responds quickly.
Even in the middle of winter - look in this video at how green
my lawn is.
Feel free to throw down Nitrogen every 5 weeks if you want
until the lawn gets sufficiently thick. Keep pushing that St Aug
and it will keep getting thicker and thicker. Just be ready to
mow a lot! Once you have it thickened up, then consider
backing down on the nitrogen.
Warm Season Grass Types
St Augustinegrass
Watering
One thing though: it’s a bit of a water hog. I’m
fortunate here in Florida in that we get rain pretty
much every day from late May until September so I
rarely need to run my irrigation outside of winter (I’m
in SW FL below the frost line).
That said, if you are somewhere that doesn’t get the
rain help, especially in summer, just know you’ll need
to keep your St Aug well irrigated. It’s a big baby when
it doesn’t get enough water. The fat blades will curl
and turn gray in the heat of the day and that’s your
sign to take the watering up a notch.
14
Lastly with watering - if your ground does not freeze in winter, make
sure to water your lawn at least once every 10 days or so and get in a
good 0.5”. The grass may be dormant, but the soil is not and we don’t
want to dry out and starve out soil organisms. They are still working
down there!
Here are two videos teaching you how to set up a watering plan called
the “Tuna Can Challenge.” Tuna Can Challenge for in-ground systems.
(those with sprinkler systems) Tuna Can Challenge for manual
watering.

During the hottest months, be sure your St Aug gets a

minimum of 1.5” of water per week and it’s best to
split that up over 3 waterings of 0.5” each. Water in the
mornings.

If you find the watering is getting tough to keep up

with, back off on the nitrogen and just give it
micronutrients similar to how we are running the
blackout plan below.

The one thing you do not want to do is push St Aug

with a lot of Nitrogen but then starve it for water.
That’s a sure way to thin it out and invite disease and
insect pressure to boot.
Warm Season Grass Types
St Augustinegrass
Seed, Sod, and Plugs
St Augustine is not available in seed. It’s only propagated
vegetatively. When you see your St Aug shooting up seed
stalks, all those seeds are sterile. If you have large bare areas
to fill in, you should get either plugs or sod. Home Depot and
Lowes have St Aug Palmetto and Floratam in stock pretty
much every day here in Florida.
I have done a lot of work with plugs - they are NOT easy. I
recommend sod as your best course of action for large bare
areas. But if you have areas that are shaded and thin, for
example, and you want to try and introduce some better
shade-tolerant varieties, the plugs work great. Palmetto is a
good one for shade.
15
Note: St Aug sending up seed stalks is a stress response.
Nothing to be alarmed about, but definitely something to take
note of. For example, I get seed head production in later spring
when I stop using my irrigation and the rains take over most of
the watering. Something about the difference in the city water I
irrigate with and the rain that triggers a stress response.
Disease In St Augustine
St Augustine is prone to Large Patch disease. I’ve seen it really
bad in most of the south all winter. It comes in spring and fall
during times of seasonal transition, especially when humidity
is on the rise and the air is still.
I’ve had it in my lawn and this video tells you all about it. This
video shows you the results and recovery I got.
One thing’s for sure: if you get Large Patch (root rot) in your St
Aug, you do NOT want to stop feeding it nitrogen. You do,
however, want to back it down to a spoon feed. 
There is more info in this blog post for you but a great choice
for those of you dealing with Large Patch is to go liquid and
spoon feed your way through it using 7-0-0 Greene Effect
which has excellent foliar absorption and is packed with micros.
You can also continue to spray the lawn, especially infected
spots, with Humic12, MicroGreene, and RGS to help it recover,
fast.
Warm Season Grass Types 16
Zoysiagrass

Zoysiagrass Here is a video I did earlier this year talking up all the great
This is another great turf type that has really gained reasons to love Zoysia: https://youtu.be/PC9iOA7beas
popularity in the last several years as the varieties have
improved. I actually have Empire Zoysia on one side of my
house. It’s a great grass and very different from St Augustine.
Below is the area where you can find Empire and probably
other varieties of Zoysia as well.

Mowing
I’ve been out to the sod farm where they grow Empire Zoysia
and the grower told me that the biggest mistake he sees
being made with folks who have Zoysia lawns is they mow
them too tall.

That said, every variety of Zoysia is a little different and you

probably won’t know the exact one you have in your lawn
EMPIRE Growing Zone
either. So the best bet is to mow your Zoysia, no matter what
variety, at the 2” mark. If your lawn is fairly flat and it won’t
scalp, then get it down to 1.5”. Zoysia will do much better if
you mow it often and mow it low. This will keep thatch down
and encourage more rhizomes.
Warm Season Grass Types
Zoysiagrass
Zoysia is very soft on bare feet, unlike St Aug.
If you have let your Zoysia get too tall and it has a thatch
problem you should scalp it in the spring just like you would
Bermuda. Scalp it down just as it is starting to grow in spring.
This can be scary but trust me, the Zoysia will come back and
come back strong.
From there, keep it mowed at 2” or less to avoid excessive
thatch buildup in the future. I’ll be doing this in my Zoysia
sometime right after this update gets released and will
publish the video soon thereafter.
Here is a video where I give tons more early spring steps for
Zoysia (and Bermuda): https://youtu.be/wxQWKCNWR1I
17
Fertilizing
If you have new Zoysia sod like me, it’s ok to push it a little
harder for the first year. Zoysia spreads with both rhizomes
and stolons and will form a VERY dense turf that can literally
choke out invading grasses and weeds. But it’s a little slow.
Even if you don’t have new sod, but your Zoysia lawn is thin -
again it’s ok to push it pretty hard the first year to thicken it
up. Follow the plans below (choose one) just as they are.
However, don’t do that for more than a year. Once you hit year
2 you really should cut all the nitrogen rates in half and use
micronutrients (especially iron) to keep it dark green. Spoon
feeding Zoysia is really the best way to go. Lower nitrogen
inputs will also help Zoysia resist disease.
Watering
Zoysia is actually pretty decent in lower water situations. Keep
in mind, it’s still a warm season turf and needs water to
survive, but it’s not the big fat baby that St Aug is. In normal
conditions, 1” of water per week will be fine and you want to
get that done in 2 waterings of 1⁄2” each time. Spread them
out.
You may find that during the heat of the summer this won’t
be enough and you may have to add a cycle if you don’t get
rain. The key is to observe the turf during weather shifts and
adjust your strategy in real-time.
Warm Season Grass Types 18
Zoysiagrass
Seed, Sod, and Plugs
Lastly, there is some Zoysia seed available to
homeowners. However, I caution using it because it
takes quite a long time to germinate and fill in. Also,
if you throw it in bare areas, I can promise the native
weeds and grasses will grow in much faster and
compete with your growing baby Zoysia plants.

Since the jungle is fierce here in the South, I always

recommend either plugs or sod to fill in bare areas
quickly.

Disease
Zoysia is highly susceptible to Large Patch disease in
spring and fall. Keep the nitrogen slow and low
during times of seasonal transition.
Warm Season Grass Types
Bermudagrass
Bermudagrass
For some reason, people in our lawn care community think I
have a problem with Bermudagrass. I think this comes from
the fact that I complain about the wild bermuda that invades
my St Aug. Either way, they are wrong. I actually love and
respect Bermuda.
Of all the grass types we work with here in the “warm season”
zones, Bermuda is the most alpha of all. The more you throw
nitrogen at it, the faster it will run. The more you cut and the
lower you cut it, the more it looks up at you and gets angry
and spreads far and wide.
It is great for high traffic areas once it is established. It’s also
not really susceptible to much disease and it feels good on
bare feet too.
Here is a video I did showing you early spring steps for Bermuda.
19
One other thing about Bermuda is that it makes the best
backdrop for Instagram photos. That’s my Princess77 Hybrid
Bermuda lawn called “Frankenlawn.” I started it from seed a
couple years ago but never really got to enjoy it. Here is the
story behind all that. You should also watch the dramatized
version of it here.
Seed, Sod, and Plugs
And so with Bermuda the next thing I want to talk about is
seeding. Yes, Bermuda seed is widely available and relatively
inexpensive. However, you can’t treat it like the northerners
do. What I mean by that is you can’t do a “fall time seeding”
with Bermuda and expect to get results.
Because it’s a warm season turf that is super aggressive,
Bermuda requires a lot of sunlight. As you know, plants
produce sugars through the process of photosynthesis.
Bermuda is a sprinter of a grass type and needs to soak up the
sun in order to grow, put in roots, send out stolons and
rhizomes and just generally take over. And when those
Bermuda plants are juvenile, they need to get even MORE sun
to grow healthy. Otherwise, they can be stunted or even die.
Warm Season Grass Types
Bermudagrass
If you plant in the fall time and they only get 3 months to
germinate and grow, chances are low temps in winter will zap
them and even kill them off. The days are also not long
enough at that point in the year, even if temps are warm, the
“day length” is too short and there isn’t enough sun to fuel
your new baby Bermuda plants.
If you are going to attempt to seed with Bermuda, then you
have to start in the later spring so it has an entire growing
season to really establish. This also means you cannot use
pre-emergent herbicides in the spring which increases the
chances of more weed competition.
Take it from me, if you watched the playlists I linked above,
then you will see the struggle to grow any type of turf in the
south from seed... the struggle is real!
Once again, if you are wanting to fill in larger bare spots, get
plugs or sod and be done!
Now I’ve been doing this for a long time and I know that a
good percentage of you take my warnings as a challenge.
That said, if you are going to try and seed Bermuda, make
sure you subscribe to my channel because I have a seeding
project starting in March 2020. I will be using seed from my
good friend, Pete Denny at GCI Turf. You can pick up his seed
right here.
20
Pete will not put his name on anything that isn’t 100% top
quality and I know for a fact that he spent many months
making sure this blend would deliver on that. Also, his prices
are cheaper than anything I have found online or in stores.
Bermuda Mowing
For mowing, you will get all kinds of opinions on this one.
Some people tell you to get a reel mower and cut your
Bermuda down to 1⁄2” or shorter, while others will tell you to
mow it tall like St Aug.
In my experience, most homeowners are going to like their
Bermuda somewhere in the middle. Very similar to Zoysia,
mow it at 2” and as time goes on, if your lawn is flat, get down
to 1.5” or lower if your standard rotary mower will handle it.
The real key with Bermuda isn’t necessarily the height of cut
(H.O.C.) rather, it’s the frequency of cut. Out of all the grasses
on this list here, Bermuda is the one that benefits the most
from frequent mowing. If you could mow your Bermuda every
2 days, you’d have the most beautiful lawn on the block in no
time. If you can’t stomach that, definitely try and hit it every 5
days, at least in the peak of the growing season.
I have a project lawn at my church that I am starting in March
2020 and I’ll be scalping it down and answer all kinds of
questions about that piece of the season. You can see me soil
testing it in this video right here.
Warm Season Grass Types
Bermudagrass
Here is a video that gives you lots of early spring Bermuda tips
in the meantime: https://youtu.be/wxQWKCNWR1I
Watering
Bermuda is a middle of the road water drinker. 1 inch of water
a week is going to be fine for most areas outside of the very
heat of summer. In July and August, if you are not getting rain
help where you live, your Bermuda will likely need 1.5” per
week. Just be sure to keep each irrigation cycle at 1⁄2” of water
and separate your waterings by 2 - 3 days or so.
If you haven’t already, make sure to take the Tuna Can
Challenge: Tuna Can Challenge for in-ground systems. (those
with sprinkler systems) Tuna Can Challenge for manual watering.
21
Fertilizing
I already mentioned this above, but out of all the warm
season turf types, Bermuda can handle the most “pushing.” It
loves to eat up nitrogen so feel free to push it hard with Milo
or CarbonX or whatever fertilizer you choose. The only time
you don’t want to push too much nitrogen on Bermuda is in
the fall time. If you hit it with too much N as soil temps fall
and growth slows, you can increase the likelihood of spring
dead spot which is pretty serious but takes a couple of years
to really establish.
So to hedge against it, back your N rates down to 1⁄2 lb/N/
1,000 sq ft as soil temps begin to fall in later summer or early
fall. It’s still ok to fertilize up until the stopping point at 70F
but with Bermuda, make that last app a light one and if you
can, use a fert that is higher in potassium as a buffer.
Additionally, if you are concerned about spring dead spot,
apply Scott’s DiseaseX (available at any store) right around the
same time as your final fertilizer application of the season.
Warm Season Grass Types
Centipede
Centipede
I have a good friend named Doug who has a Centipede lawn.
We actually did a year-long program on his lawn a few years
ago. Check that out here. That lawn is in coastal South
Carolina which is where I have seen Centipede most often
grown, that being coastal areas.
It’s a fairly slow grower and doesn’t require a lot of
fertilization. It can also handle the hottest of heat, (if you have
ever been to Low Country South Carolina you know what
heat is!) and doesn’t have too many issues with disease either.
I also think it’s pretty soft under bare feet, at least when
compared to St Augustine.
The drawback is that the color is usually more “green apple-y”
or “lime” than what most people want. That said, if you have
Centipede, you can get it a little darker by hitting it with 7-0-0
Greene Effect every couple weeks.
Fertilizing
Because it’s a slow grower, Centipede doesn’t really like to be
pushed too hard. However, I am going to give you permission
to go ahead and experiment with it, at least for one season.
That’s because it’s ok to push your Centipede in the beginning.
Let it get on the Nitrogen train to terror for a few months right
in the heat of the summer. Go ahead and mow it every 5-6 days
too if you can. Even if you think it doesn’t need it, cut it.
22
But after that one season, you definitely should back it down.
In fact, I recommend you run on the “Florida Blackout Plan”
below if you have Centipede. It’s perfect for your grass type
and all the extra iron we get from the 7-0-0 Greene Effect will
give you just a little darker color than your neighbors.
It’s a little trick that I think you should try and if you are not in
the mood to take the free pass and push your Centipede for
the first year, then jump into the Blackout Plan from the start.
It will be fun!
Watering
Centipede doesn’t need a lot of water. 1” per week will be fine
but keep in mind, its rooting can be shallow so in sandy soils
you may need to water a little more. Also, you should make
sure and give your Centipede at least 1⁄2” of water every 7-8
days or so in winter (if the ground is not frozen). It can have a
tendency to get winter dead loss quite easily if temps get too
cold which can happen. Keeping it irrigated helps avoid some
of this drying out.
Warm Season Grass Types
Centipede
Mowing
Centipede won’t need to be mowed as often as its warm
season cousins St Aug or Bermuda, but that doesn’t mean you
can’t try. During that first year you are pushing it, I encourage
you to mow it twice per week if you can. Even just knocking
off the tips midweek will encourage more lateral growth.
Keep it to 2” and it will be fine. If you want to go a little higher,
that is fine too. Centipede will do well wherever you train it to
go.
23
Seed, Sod, and Plugs
You can pick up Centipede sod and plugs at most local
nurseries, but primarily in areas where there is demand. In
other words, if there are not many Centipede lawns around
you, it’s doubtful you will find sod or plugs locally. I do not
recommend seeding with Centipede as it is the slowest of all
warm season grasses to establish.
However, if you have areas that are more shaded and can’t get
your Centipede to move and fill in there, you may try mixing
in Seville St Augustine. 
This St Aug is great in shade (comparatively) and it actually
blends well with Centipede in look, feel, and texture. It is a
little darker in color but if it’s in shade it would look darker
anyway. Doug’s yard up in South Carolina had some St Aug
mixed in and I think it looks quite good.
Warm Season Grass Types 24
Bahia

Bahia Here is a video I did talking about Bahia:

Bahia is a grass type pretty much only found on the extreme https://youtu.be/yJFVSTB0RcU?t=78
coasts of the gulf states. In St. Petersburg, FL where I grew up,
all of our lawns were Bahia. This is because our soil was more
sugary sand than anything else and the only grass that could
grow in that sand was Bahia.

Bahia has a lot of advantages. First being that it doesn’t

require much water and it doesn’t require much fertilization.
That’s because it grows very deep roots, quite quickly.

On the flip side, it spreads by stolons but they move slowly

and creep methodically rather than taking over like Bermuda
or St Aug. The thing about that methodical growth habit is
that the areas Bahia does take over get pretty thick and
remain quite durable under stress.

Bahia can also be seeded with success in spring or fall as it Mowing

germinates pretty quickly. Disease issues are rare with Bahia.
Note: If you want to really help your Bahia in sugary sandy
soils, the Compaction Cure is what you want to be adding
monthly. Low rates of 3 oz/1,000 sq ft of each product monthly
are what you want, continuously. We call it the “compaction
cure” for the clay soil folks but this mix also has a good effect on
sandy soils in that it helps more nutrients and other soil organic
matter “hold on” better instead of just flowing through.
Mow your Bahia as high as you can. In this regard, treat it like
a warm season turf so that the longer blades encourage
deeper roots and help shade the soil.
You will notice that Bahia has v-shaped seed heads that pop
up quite quickly after you mow. This is your cue to also start
mowing your Bahia every 4-5 days.
Yep, get out there and enjoy the mow my Bahia Bro! This will
encourage more lateral growth.
Warm Season Grass Types
Bahia
Watering
There is a reason Bahia is also used as roadside grass: because
it doesn’t need much water. The healthier your turf stand of
Bahia, the less irrigation it will need.
I’m also assuming that most of you with Bahia indeed do live
on the Gulf Coast so you are getting plenty of rain help all
summer long anyway!
Fertilizing
You can follow the Florida “Blackout Plan” below for your
Bahia and you will be golden. If you want to push it, go ahead
but it won’t really make too much of a difference.  “burn it down and start over” philosophy. Whenever you do
The blackout plan, however, includes quite a bit of iron from
the 0-0-2 MicroGreene and that will give you a pretty blue
color in your Bahia that your neighbors will definitely not
have.
If you want to dominate a neighborhood with Bahia, you
should mow every 5 days and blast the lawn with Milo and
0-0-2 Micro. That’s really all you need.
Seed and Sod
Another good thing about Bahia is that if you want to seed,
you can throw down in fall time. Whenever soil temperatures
fall to 70F you can overseed with Bahia. Just sling it out there
and hope for the best.
25
There is no need to aerate your lawn or anything like that -
aeration won’t help your sandy soil mix much anyway.
However, you can throw down RGS at 3 oz/1,000 sq ft on top
of the newly seeded lawn and do that every 2 weeks. That will
help.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, when it comes to your grass type, I
really want you to Love The One You’re With. Every lawn is
awesome, especially the one under your care.
You will find that I’m not a big fan of “total lawn rehabs” or the
that, you open up your soil to all kinds of invaders as well as
killing the grass also kills off soil organisms that can take time
to replenish themselves.
With any grass type, but especially with Zoysia, Bermuda, and
St Augustine, if you have 30% healthy turf throughout, then
I’d rather you work it back to 100% using the plan(s) below.
If you do want to speed it along, use plugs and sod in the
worst spots, and throw nitrogen at the rest, mow often,
irrigate in summer, and hope for the best!
 26

The Importance of Soil Temperatures

The Importance of Soil Temperatures 27
Introduction
Over the last couple of years, I have developed much of our
strategy to run based on soil temperatures. 

I did this because, believe it or not, it keeps things simple and

consistent. 

When soil temps reach a certain “milestone” it’s time to

throw down. Simple as that.

Before now, we had 2 ways to track soil temps. The first was
getting a soil thermometer and tracking the soul temps in
your lawn directly - like taking the soil’s temperature.

The challenge here is that for the most part, it’s better to go
off 24-hour averages for soil temps which would mean you
would need to measure hourly every day to know when you
are approaching the right zone for application.

Also, some parts of the lawn get hotter than others - the soil
stays cooler in areas in the shade vs those in direct sunlight.

So this makes the thermometer idea impractical on an overall

scale, but it is fun to use just for directional data. I still use
mine often just to see what is going on in different parts of
the lawn.
The Importance of Soil Temperatures 28
Introduction
The second tool we had was much more sophisticated and
worked very well, and that is called the “Greencast Tool.” 

It’s an online tool where you plug in your city and it gives you
the 24-hour average soil temp as well as allows you to dig
back into the past to find out when your city historically hits
our milestones (keep reading if you are confused - it will
become clear here in a moment).

Here is a screenshot from that tool showing you the soil

temps for Athens, GA.

Lots to look at there right? 

Well, there is even more to it and I show you how we use that
tool in these two videos - here and here. 

Some are examples from up north, but the strategy works the
same in the south.
The Importance of Soil Temperatures 29
Introduction
Can be a little complicated right? Plus, not everyone wants to
go in and mess with all that so that is why we have now
created an app for you that gives you actual soil temps for
your area, as well as a forecast for the next 9 days telling you
“hey it’s almost time to get your pre-emergent down.”

It’s free and gives you the 24-hour average for not only your
city, but down to the neighborhood level, in real-time. 

I highly recommend you download the Yard Mastery App

here: Android or iOS and use this as a basis for soil temps
moving forward. 

Plus, I’ll send free tips through the app every month letting
you know what I see and how to get ahead of it.
The Importance of Soil Temperatures 30
Soil Temp Milestone Strategy

Soil Temp Milestone Strategy

Now that you have soil temp tracking tools to use, it’s time to
NOTES
understand how they all fit together so here are the
milestones we want to pay attention to:

55 Degrees F
55°F is the “start and stop” soil temperature.

Winter into Spring:

Here is what happens when the lawn is coming out of winter
and soil temps are approaching 55°F:
• Warm-season turf begins to wake up from winter
dormancy.
• Grassy weed seeds in the soil (Crabgrass) will
germinate at 55°F and higher soil temps.
• Leading up to this temp is when you should begin
treatments, especially pre-emergent herbicides and
bio-stimulants like RGS. No fert, yet.


Fall into Winter:

Here is what happens when the lawn is coming out of the
heat of summer heading to fall, then late fall and soil temps
are falling to and below 55°F:
• Warm season turf goes dormant.
• Grassy weed seeds (Poa Annua) in the soil will stop
germinating.
• No more applications needed (fertilizer) - but pre-
emergents and/or bio-stimulants are still ok.
The Importance of Soil Temperatures 31
Soil Temp Milestone Strategy

65 Degrees F
65°F is the “critical go time” temperature.

Spring into Late Spring:

Bermuda, St Augustine, Zoysia, and Bahia all start growing
normally when soil temps hit 65°F. This is when you need to
start mowing regularly and is your cue that it’s ok to start
throwing down fertilizer.

Late Summer into Fall: 

On the way out of summer into early/mid-autumn, as temps
fall down below 65°F is when you should start wrapping up.

Best to get your last application of fertilizer down for the

season as you see temps falling to 65°F. No need to apply
nitrogen fertilizer to the lawn after soil temps fall consistently
below 65°F.
The Importance of Soil Temperatures 32
Soil Temp Milestone Strategy

70 Degrees F Here is a video I did to explain this in more detail:

70°F is perfect for Warm Season Turf

Early Summer: 
Soil temperatures rising over 70°F and now your warm-season
grass is dancing happy! You better be mowing every 4-5 days
all summer long.

Take the challenge and do it, I promise the results will be

worth it. #WeekNightLawnWork

Another thing to note is that as soil temps rise in summer past

65°F and head to 70°F, this is the time to throw down your
second application of pre-emergent (prodiamine). This is Here is a blog post that gives even more detail:
when most of the crabgrass in your lawn will germinate. See https://thelawncarenut.com/blogs/news/fall-pre-emergent
pre-emergent section below.

Late Summer into Early Fall: 

Coming out of summer and heading into fall, as soil temps are
about the pass to 70°F on their way down to fall temps, this is
when you want a fall pre-emergent application to go down to
stop poa-annua, hairy bittercress, chickweed and other fall
germinating annuals. 
The Importance of Soil Temperatures 33
Soil Temp Milestone Strategy

80 Degrees F and higher NOTES

80°F all summer:
Once soil temps reach 80°F, crabgrass will no longer
germinate. There is a “nature trigger” that basically tells the
seeds to stop germinating because it’s so hot out that young
crabgrass will just cook out if it germinates. 

So those seeds lay dormant until the next spring (crabgrass

seeds can lay dormant in your soil for many years).

If you find this guide, download our app (Android or iOS), and
your soil temps are over 75°F close to 80°F, don’t throw down
pre-emergent, it’s too late for this season.
The Importance of Soil Temperatures 34
Soil Temp Milestone Strategy

Soil Temp Milestone Infographic

Here is a graphic to illustrate the soil temp milestones that are essentially the “bones” of our lawn care strategy:
 35

Soil Testing
Soil Testing
Introduction
When we talk about soil testing the first thing I’ll tell you is
that it’s NOT needed in the beginning. I know you wouldn’t
expect me to say that and probably most “experts” will tell me
I’m crazy for saying it but I have a good reason for it.
Soil testing, no matter which one you get, only adds
complication and confusion to the equation of lawn care.
Analysis paralysis can be a non-starter if you’re new to lawn
care.
As a beginner, I’d much rather you spend time learning the
basics of fertilizing and killing weeds so that you become
confident in your execution before you try and dial in the
strategy behind it.
36
You will not hurt anything or anyone by slinging some fert
and spraying some weeds and in fact, I’ve already told you
before: you’ll get results and those results will build your
confidence. That’s really what I want you to focus on at first.
However, if you are a little more advanced, and you do want
to dial in your strategy a little better, then a soil test is a great
idea. 
One of the main frustrations I heard this past year from you
guys was that the previous soil test kits we used and
recommend didn’t give great fertilizer recommendations and
it was difficult to find products that directly fit their
recommendations (again extra work = analysis paralysis).   
So we made our own soil test kits.
These new test kits will provide recommendations of actual
products (liquid and granular ferts) available in The Lawn Care
Nut and Yard Mastery stores.
No complicated math involved to determine what to throw
down - instead you get a simple snapshot of your soil as it
stands in real-time.
Soil Testing
Soil Test Kit
If you want to get real deep on the science and methodology
behind how these test kits work you can check this link out.
37
What is the benefit of a soil test kit? 
Think of your lawn like your body. When you eat every day
you’re giving your body the energy it needs to sustain itself. 
Your lawn does the same thing, it actually feeds itself -
creating its own food via the process of photosynthesis. So
every time the sun comes out, it’s creating sugars to fuel itself.
But there are some things that our bodies need that we don’t
get from the diet we eat so we take vitamins and minerals to
supplement our own food intake.
Here are the minerals that humans need for optimum health:
Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride,
magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, sulfur, cobalt, copper, fluoride,
manganese, and selenium. Source.
Sometimes you can get these minerals from food you eat -
such as calcium from cheese, potassium from bananas, and
sodium from the rim of your margarita.
Other times you may have to take synthetically derived
supplements to round out your diet.
Same thing with our lawns. Think of fertilizing your lawn like
you taking daily vitamins. Technically speaking, “fertilizer” is
not lawn food, it’s nutrients to support the lawn in making its
own food.
Soil Testing
Soil Test Kit
The fertilizers we apply are nutrients designed to support
the plant to sustain itself.
Here are is what your lawn needs to get from the soil in order
to perform optimally:
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium,
magnesium, sodium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron
(there are others but these are the primary).
38
This is where the idea of a soil test comes in (just like taking a
blood test) it will show you what nutrients are in your soil
right now and what fertilizers you can add to help your lawn
grow and thrive.
Here is a video I did showing you how to take a soil test, step-
by-step in your yard.

Do you notice any similarities?

That’s good because when we humans consume plants or

animals that have consumed plants, that’s how we obtain
many of these for ourselves. 

Now that you know what your grass plants need to perform
optimally, it’s your job to give them what they cannot get
naturally from the soil in your yard, so we throw down
fertilizers. 

You see, in most cases, soils in residential neighborhoods are

lacking in a lot of nutrients.

Sometimes this is because the soil itself is just poorly

composed to begin with, and other times, it may be because
the lawn has been in place for decades and consumed
everything that was there anyway, especially if you bag up
your clippings and take them away each week.
Soil Testing 39
Reading and Interpreting Your Soil Test

Reading and Interpreting Your Soil Test So this test is showing you exactly what macronutrients and
Let’s look at a soil test from one of our Lawn Care Nut micronutrients are available to your grass plants from your
members, Brian Taylor.  soil.

Here is Brian’s test and it’s from his back yard. (his front yard Our test is different from traditional university tests in that
test is nearly the same) those require you to do some math in order to understand
“available nutrients” vs “all nutrients in the soil.”
Note: you don’t have to test your front and back separately -
the samples can be mixed - your soil from front to back to I don’t want to get too complicated here, but just so you
sides should not vary too widely.  know, oftentimes there are nutrients in your soil but they are
not in a form that your plants can take in.

In other words, they are “locked up” due to pH or other

reasons such as high salt content. When you get a test from a
university, you have to do some math to understand what is
actually available to plants vs what is sitting there unusable.

Most DIYers, (me included) ain’t got no time for all those
chemistry calculations so, in my test, I have chosen a different
technology that gives you “real-time nutrient availability” with
no additional math needed.

Just look at the graph and choose fertilizers to help

correct.
Soil Testing 40
Things To Know

There are a few important things to note here. 3. General Purpose vs Specialty Fertilizers.
1. You do not have to correct ALL of the problems on the
test in one application. Our test is going to make a recommendation or two for your
soil. That recommendation will line up as best as possible with
There is no “miracle application” that will correct everything in what you need but keep in mind, there is not perfect fertilizer
your soil at once. This is a directional strategy -  meaning - use to correct everything - remember, no miracle applications
fertilizers that move you into a better direction, over time. exist. So you will probably need to choose a couple different
Like a blood test. Find out what is there now and what is ferts.
lacking, adjust your lawn’s diet, and test again the following
season to see how things have progressed. This is where the “general purpose” vs “specialty” fertilizer idea
comes from. Here is a video to explain it:

Reason being, the elements in the soil respond to treatments https://youtu.be/efbJ8eljMKc
just like the lawn does. As the soil becomes more healthy (soil
carbon and soil organisms increase) more nutrients are
unlocked naturally in the soil. This is one of the reasons I am
also recommending Humates and Biochar and other such Bio-
Stimulants.

2. The Yard Mastery test shows you what is currently

available in your soil.

This is different from conventional soil tests that show you

everything in the soil even if it’s locked up and not available
to plants (see #1 above.) 

You should plan to test at least 2x per year. Early spring when
the ground is not frozen, and again just before Fall. Plot your
results and adjust your program based on the data.
Soil Testing 41
Things To Know
So you will want to choose a “general purpose” fertilizer that is going
to give you N and K and some iron. This will be your primary fertilizer
and will be used in 3-4 of your applications during the year.

You will also choose a “specialty” fertilizer based on the test’s

recommendation and use this 2-3 times during the year. It’s that simple.

Note: the plans in this guide utilize general purpose fertilizers. It’s up
to you to substitute in the specialty fertilizer based on what your soil
test results reveal you need.

You can see here that if Brian is following a granular fert plan he
should throw down some XST DIY (8-24-4) as his specialty fert or if he’s
“squirting his fert” on a liquid plan, he should spray and pray with
some Greene Pop (16-21-2).

Then he could choose a “general purpose” fert like 24-0-4 CX (CarbonX)

or even 8-1-8 XGN (X-Green) and throw that down 3-4 times during
the year also.

In both cases I would get down applications of MicroGreene during

the season to boost the micronutrients.
Soil Testing 42
Things To Know
4. Remember, N-P-K are the Mac-Daddy Macros.
Nitrogen being the one we pay most attention to as it is the
one that pushes the fastest visual response when applied (N
doesn’t stay active in soil long either, so it will probably always
show up low, don’t be alarmed).

Point is, the amount of N you need is 4 times greater than the
amount of micronutrient Iron (Fe). I’m calling this out because
you can see the recommended “parts per million” on the chart
and the macros are much greater than the micros.

Make sure you look at that and understand it as you formulate

your strategy.
Soil Testing
Things To Know
5. You don’t have to add EVERY SINGLE one of
these to your lawn.
Boron for example, is needed in such small
quantities, there is no need to try and add it to your
soil. Remember, grass lives on the side of highways
with no problems. The better strategy is to let your
soil correct itself by keeping things properly
irrigated, utilizing bio-stimulants (optional but
recommended), and adding organic fertilizers to the
lawn when you do apply.
Ready To Throw Down?
And there you go! That’s the basics on how you can
choose fertilizers and other supplements based on a
Yard Mastery soil test.  9 oz 0-0-2 MicroGreene
Keep in mind, I recommend you test again at the end
of the season and see how you fared. If things are
looking good, then that means you can literally “dial
back” your inputs the following year which is the
ultimate goal.
If this sounds confusing to you, I want to reiterate
that you do NOT need a soil test to get good results.
But if you do want to dial things in and feed off the
data, then go for it!
And just for fun, have you heard of the “Double
Dark?”
43
Extra Color Boost Needed - Double Dark
For those of you who really want to push the green and still help
correct soil micronutrient deficiencies, consider the “Double Dark.”
This is a favorite cocktail from my menu and utilizes 0-0-2 MicroGreene
and 7-0-0 Greene Effect together. The term was originally coined by
my friend and fellow YouTuber, Jake The Lawn Kid.
This one is really all about stimulating a color pop. On the back side,
however, it will even out your micro-nutrient load which is good for
everything else the turf is trying to do, namely photosynthesis. I was
using this in between my regular fert apps last year in spring to extend
the color pop and it worked nicely.



6 oz 7-0-0 Greene Effect
This one should be done from a hose-end sprayer and keep it even
and consistent across the lawn. Any areas you get too heavy on will be
darker and if you miss any spots, you’ll be able to tell - so make sure
you watch what you are doing here. This also makes a nice addition to
your domination line if you want to get it just a little darker on the
edges.
Note: There is a lot of iron in this so don’t add anything more than just
the 9 and 6 oz doses.
Note 2: This is not ok for summer Florida blackout apps. You should
stick to only the 0-0-2 Micro.
 44

Recommended Fertilizers
Recommended Fertilizers
Intro to Fertilizers
Next, let’s talk about fertilizers and which ones to buy. I didn’t
spend much time on this in the first version of this book.
Instead, I just told you what to use and how much to put
down.  That said, I have always tried to steer you guys to use organic
In this updated version for 2020, I want to expand on it a bit
and hopefully give you the ability to make some of your own
decisions more quickly.
What you will find is that in this book I am typically going to
recommend you apply somewhere between .50 and .75
pounds of Nitrogen for each application during the year. If
things are looking good for you, apply the lower amount. If
things are needing a little boost, apply the higher amount.
You can move up and down with your “pounds on the
ground” as you see fit, but don’t over-do it either. There is only
so much your lawn can take and anything more is just
wasteful and can invite disease problems. 
You will also notice that I let the Nitrogen pretty much dictate
my application rate. That’s because Nitrogen is what the plant
needs most and is also what accounts for the green color, so
remember, “Nitrogen drives the bus!”
Here is a blog post I wrote talking about fertilizer and what’s
in it and why. Here is a video to watch showing you how to
calculate the amount to put down and how to apply.
45
(The Milo in this vid is an older formula 5-4-0. The new stuff is
6-4-0 FYI)
fertilizers when possible. That’s because organics not only add
macronutrients to the soil that the turf can use to green up
and thicken up, but they also feed soil life at the same time
and healthy soil helps grass roots.
Beneficial microbes and soil organisms love breaking down
organics and what’s left is not only a green lawn, but a carbon
rich soil that can support more life and in turn, a healthier,
deeper, more vigorous root system. Remember, carbon
creates surface area in the soil. The more surface area, the
more roots and the more roots means a thicker lawn overall.
Another way to add carbon is by using fertilizers that contain
natural elements such as humic acid, fulvic acid, and biochar.
Additionally, I recommend organics because of the “fudge
factor” they allow. Remember how we talked about barriers to
entry above? We use organic fertilizers as a way to let you
experiment without fear of burning anything.
Think of organics like training wheels in a sense. Good news is
as you learn by applying these organics, you are increasing
soil carbon and that is the key to this whole thing anyway.
Recommended Fertilizers
Intro to Fertilizers & Milorganite
Back to our training wheels analogy - think of it like, “as you
are learning to ride the bike with those training wheels on,
you are working very hard and losing weight, increasing your
cardio, and getting healthier as a result.”
In this video you can see me measuring fertilizer with a
luggage scale. You can do the same and adjust your spreader
to understand how much is coming out. That’s when you will
then be ready to use that spreader to apply different ferts, as
well as granular insecticides, fungicides, and pre-emergents
as needed.
The other thing that can come from losing your training
wheels is the ability to choose other fertilizers that may be
cheaper or easier for you to find. That way if Milorganite sells
out again this year, you’ll be armed with enough knowledge
to translate what you have learned and find an alternative.
That all said, here are some fertilizers that you will hear me
talk about in my videos. Lots of folks do appreciate being able
to use the very same products that I do during the year and
working right along with me. You’ll see combinations of these
ferts in my videos this coming season:
46
Milorganite 6-4-0
This is my favorite fertilizer and has been for many years, it is
organic, brings good results pretty fast, and also has
micronutrient iron that gives the lawn a blue-green look that
can really set you apart! It’s also the base product of this plan.
I first heard about it in the late 1990s when I was working in
sales for TruGreen-ChemLawn. An older man I was trying to
sell service to over the phone told me his lawn looked better
than any of the lawns we treated and that he used a product
called “Milorganite” which stood for Milwaukee Organic
Nitrogen.
He challenged me by saying “you come out here and see and
if my lawn isn’t the best one out here then I will buy your
service.”
I went out to his house and he was right. His lawn was
double-dark blue. He had really been throwing it down, hard!
So when I bought my first house just a few years later I started
using it myself and was hooked.
Even while working for TruGreen for almost 15 years, I always
just used Milo on my own home lawn, and so did many of my
co-workers! I actually toured their plant last year and learned
exactly how it’s made.
Recommended Fertilizers 47
Milorganite
Milorganite has an analysis of 6-4-0  Remember, 6% of everything you apply is Nitrogen so there is
Those 3 numbers represent N-P-K and are percentages. That .6 lbs of Nitrogen in 10 lbs of Milorganite.
means that 6% of the stuff in that bag contains Nitrogen.
Based on the training I have had, and the knowledge and
When I tell you to apply 10 lbs/1,000 sq ft of Milorganite, what experience I have gained over the years, you rarely want to
I am saying is: apply anything more than 1 lb of Nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft
within a single application. 
Measure out 10 lbs of Milorganite from the bag. (You can get
a luggage scale or just eyeball it) It’s much better to apply multiple applications during the year
and keep each individual application to somewhere
That 10 lbs should be spread evenly across a 1,000 sq ft area between .5 and .75 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft.
of the lawn.
The primary rate I use for Milo in the plans below is 12lbs/
Of course, if you have a 3,000 sq ft area to treat, then you’d 1,000 sq ft. This would give you .72lbs/N/1000 or just about ¾
want to load up your hopper with 30 lbs of product and spread lbs.
that evenly across the area. I hope you get the idea here.
The cost for an application on 5,000 sq ft would be:
Since Milorganite is 6% Nitrogen, if we want to know our Milorganite Bag Cost: $14
“pounds on the ground” we can then apply some math. (this is what it costs me here in Florida)
Bag Weight: 36 lbs
App rate: 10 lbs/1,000 sq ft
Milo Analysis: 6% Nitrogen Cost Per Pound: $.38
(remember, it’s a  6 - 4 - 0 :: N - P - K)
Application Rate: 12 lbs/1,000 sq ft
10 x .06 =.6 Cost Per 1,000 sq ft: $4.56

So with a 10 lb/1,000 sq ft application, you are getting .6 lbs/N Lawn Size: 5,000 sq ft
per 1,000 sq ft. Cost Per Application: $22.80
Recommended Fertilizers
Milorganite & Sunniland
If you have a different sized lawn and want to know how
much it would cost, just do a little math.  As you guys know, our friend Milo was sold out last year for
When comparing prices of different fertilizers, it’s easiest just
to think of it on a cost per 1,000 basis. If you pay $14 per bag
for Milorganite like I do, then your cost per 1,000 is $4.56.
48
Sunniland 6-4-0
quite a few months.
The demand was greater than the supply, who would have
ever thought? My assumption is that we most likely have the
same challenges this year and lots of other companies have
the same idea, hence the “Milorganite Clones” we are seeing.

Sunniland is a local Florida

company and they have one
that is the very same
analysis as Milorganite,
6-4-0 and also contains iron,
just like Milo. I’ve got two
bags sitting in my garage
right now, and they
definitely smell like success. 

If you want to use Sunniland

6-4-0 in place of Milorganite,
you can find it at most
Lowes stores across the
southern US.
Recommended Fertilizers 49
CarbonX

CX DIY (CarbonX) The analysis here is 24-0-4, which makes it an excellent

CarbonX (24-0-4) with root promoting peptides general purpose fertilizer considering the higher amounts of
nitrogen and potassium we can get here.

Those elements are added in which makes this fertilizer a

“hybrid” meaning, part natural and part synthetic. This way
you get fast green but also build the soil in the proces.

Because CarbonX is a 24% nitrogen product, we can get away

with much fewer “pounds on the ground” to get results
making it cheaper. Yes, I said that, cheaper - don’t let the bag
cost give you sticker shock!

Bag Cost: $59.99

CarbonX, now called “CX DIY” is gaining popularity in our lawn
Bag Weight: 45 lbs
care community at a rapid rate. We all got to try it last year
Cost Per Pound: $1.33
and got great results. 
Application Rate: 3 lbs/1,000
This year it’s been reformulated with some different bio-
(delivers .72 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft)
stimulants, but it’s also a lot “cleaner” and easier to use now
Cost Per 1,000 sq ft: $3.99
too. This makes it very approachable for the DIYer. (last year’s
formula was a bit chunky and didn’t work as well in cheap
Lawn Size: 5,000 sq ft
spreaders)
Cost Per Application: $19.95
CX DIY is a “carbon-based” fertilizer derived from hardwood
biochar that has been infused with natural chicken manure. This means that a 45 lb bag will cover 15,000 sq ft. If you have
It’s also been coated with a bio-stimulant root promoting a 5,000 sq ft lawn you will get 3 applications out of one bag!
peptide. There are also high amounts of Nitrogen, some
potash, and micro-nutrient iron riding along to once again, Note: we also have 24 lb bags available now if you need
give us that blue-green we like! something smaller.
Recommended Fertilizers 50
CarbonX & XGN DIY
So if you are paying attention here, you will notice that with XGN DIY (X-Green)
CarbonX at this 3 lbs/1,000 rate, we are getting .72 lbs/N just X-Green (8-1-8) with root promoting peptides
like with Milorganite. 

However, we are only paying $3.99 per 1,000 sq ft so it

ends up being a less expensive application overall.

Difference here is because CarbonX is a more concentrated

product at 24% N whereas Milo is only 6% N requiring more
“pounds on the ground” to get the same net result.

Last thing: I like supporting start-ups and small businesses.

The Carbon Earth Co is owned by two of my friends, Matt
Martin and John Borden. It takes a lot of guts to invest in,
and start a fertilizer company and then go up against the
old boomers who control this industry, but they did it and
have done it.
This is their second full year in business and they are rapidly
innovating and creating products that surpass expectations.
But better than that, they actually contribute to, and
participate in the DIY lawn care community online.  together. This helps beginners get a much more consistent
You can find Matt very accessible and in fact, tune into his live
stream every Sunday if you like. I like to support businesses
that support and invest in us, the DIYer and I hope you find
value in that too.
XGN DIY is another general purpose fertilizer I carry in my
store and it’s also from the Carbon Earth Company. 
You will notice less N here, but double the K over CX DIY. Also,
if you look at the prills, this is a homogenized formulation.
What that means is that all the nutrients claimed on the bag
(8-1-8) are all contained in each prill, molded or “homogenized”
application. (Milorganite is also a homogenized formulation)
Additionally you will notice very small prill sizing here so just
know, it comes out of the spreader pretty quick, but this also
means a more consistent application because of the smaller
particles.
Recommended Fertilizers 51
XGN DIY & Greene Punch
John Perry did a great video showing this here. 18-0-1 Greene Punch - Greene County Fertilizer Company
I recommend the Greene County N-Ext products because
I really like this product for warm season turf, especially they give my lawn an interesting steel blue-green look that
starting off the season. It ramps you nice and slow which really stands out, and because they also improve your soil as
coincides with the warm season grass’ growth curve.  you use them! 

But you can use it year-round if you want. In fact, if you are
someone who likes to throw down more often, this is where
you go. The plans below are just a guide - not gospel and if
you are someone who likes to add to the gospel, use XGN for
that.
Additionally, Greene County Fertilizer Co is one of those small
businesses that is making waves in an old school industry. On
top of that, John Perry, the founder and CEO, is highly
involved and invests in our DIY community on his channel,
Lawncology and also on the company channel, N-ext DIY.

Also, if you have disease present in your lawn or have in the

past - this is the fert to use for sure! 

Keep with the bag rate of 4 lbs/1,000 sq ft and you will have a
nice, slow release feed that won’t excite the disease but will
still feed the lawn, but even more importantly, it has
potassium which is incredible for helping the lawn during a
time of stress.

Also keep in mind, this has the chicken manure infused into
biochar just like all Carbon Earth products and is laced with
the root promoting peptides as its bio-stimulant. 

We also have this coming in 20 lb bags very soon.

Recommended Fertilizers
Greene Punch
As far as the fert - what you have to realize with this product is
not only are you getting Nitrogen and Potassium in the app
(the analysis of this fert is 18-0-1 :: N - P - K) but you are also
adding carbon to the soil with the addition of Humic Acid. On
top of that, Sea Kelp (hormones) in the mix triggers root and
rhizome/stolon growth in the plant.
Putting these 3 elements together gives you a very complete
product that allows you to apply much less “pounds on the
ground” yet get the very same visual results as with other
fertilizers. Additionally, Greene Punch has iron in it that helps
with that blue color we love so much!
You can apply Greene Punch at 12-18 oz per 1,000 sq ft. For
me, the 16 oz/1000 rate is going to work just fine and it will
for you too.
So in this guide when you see me recommend Greene
Punch here is the breakdown:
Greene Punch costs $27 per gallon. We have a “roll your own”
option on our website now where you can choose any
combination of 4 products to make 4 gallons or any
combination of 2 products to make 5 gallons.
Basically, all of the Greene County line can be purchased in
either 1 gallon jugs or 2.5 gallon jugs and we ship them in 4
gallons or 5 gallons.
52
We keep everything in 4 and 5 gallons “packs” because this
saves on shipping and all our stuff is shipped direct to you
from the GCF warehouse in Georgia. 
This is important to know because I see 32 oz quarts of
competing fert being advertised for almost $27 these
days. 
Know what you are getting! 1 gallon is 128 oz and a quart
is only 32 oz. 
Either way, the Greene Punch is $27 per gallon and now we
can do some math. Let’s calculate our “pounds on the ground”
of Nitrogen, and then let’s also calculate the cost.
Things are a little different with a liquid so here you go:
• Volume: 128 oz (1 gallon)
• Liquid Product Weight: 10.5 lbs (this is always listed
on the label of liquid ferts)
Next we need to understand how much each ounce of
product weighs:
• 10.5/128 = .082
• Each ounce of Greene Punch weighs .082 lbs
• Application Rate: 16 oz/1000 sq ft 16 x .082 = 1.31 lbs
That means we will apply 1.31 pounds of Greene Punch
Liquid across each 1,000 sq ft of lawn area.
Recommended Fertilizers
Greene Punch
But how much of that will be nitrogen? 1.31 x .18 = .24
Remember, our product is 18% N so we multiply the weight
(1.31 lbs) by .18 to find out how much N will be going down
for every 1,000 sq ft of lawn area.
And the answer is .24 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft. 
(you gotta love this math, you gotta!!! Here is a video if you
prefer to get it that way.)
Now I’ve been rounding the numbers here so it’s coming in
just under .25 but that is really the target - we are targeting to
get down 1⁄4 lb /N/1,000 sq ft.
If you remember above with Milo, we came in at nearly 3⁄4 lb/
N/1,000 sq ft but with the liquid Greene Punch, we can get
away with much much less “pounds on the ground” and still
get the very same or even better results visually and in the
soil.
Now let’s figure out the cost of that ¼ lb/N/1000 sq ft
Cost Per Gallon (128 oz): $27
Cost Per Ounce:  $ .21
Application Rate: 16 oz/1000 sq ft
Cost Per 1,000 sq ft:  $3.36
53
So if your lawn is 5,000 sq ft, an application of Greene Punch
at this rate would cost you $16.80.
As you can see, this application is cheaper than Milorganite.
That comes from the fact that we can get away with applying
quite a bit less overall and still get the same result.
This is something to consider if you are budget conscious, or
if you happen to have a very large lawn. 
If you are sitting on an acre or bigger lawn, you may consider
investing in larger spray equipment and going liquid all the
way. A little investment up front is a tow-behind sprayer will
save you money and time in the long run for sure.
Note: Since we can only sell 4 or 5 gallons of N-Ext products,
many of you will have enough to last a couple years. If that’s
the case, they will be just fine. We just recommend keeping
the jugs out of direct sunlight and don’t let them freeze over
winter. Other than that they can store fine.
Recommended Fertilizers 54
Other Fertilizers

Other Fertilizers
At the end of the day, you can use whatever fertilizer you like!
There is no shame in using store bought fertilizers. I use them
occasionally myself, like in this video.

Either way, I provide enough education and detail on the ferts

above that if you study the math, you should easily be able to
calculate the “pounds on the ground” from virtually any
product.

Just keep your apps between .5 and .75 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft for

each application you do. If you find a fert that you want to try
and it’s affordable, I recommend you try it. 

Make your own way, there is no perfect plan for everyone and
it’s up to you to dial it in for yourself. In the meantime, follow
the plan below and gain knowledge!
 55

Pre-Emergent Strategy
Pre-Emergent Strategy
Stop Weeds Before They Grow
I want to make sure you got my full pre-emergent guide for
this season - click here to download if you have not.
Let me give you a quick overview.
Pre-emergent herbicides stop weeds before they appear.
You have to get them down before the seeds that are in your
soil germinate and that is why we use soil temps as our guide
- because the weed seeds do too.  continue to grow and spread as long as conditions
They have “nature triggers” that tell them when “it’s go time”
and soil temps are the main one.  •
We apply pre-emergent herbicides which essentially create a
barrier right at the soil surface so when newly germinated
weeds (very early stages) encounter this barrier, they die.
Like Bob Marley talks about in “I Shot the Sheriff”  55°F or so. This one is tough to completely prevent,
“Everytime I plant a seed, he said ‘kill it before it grows’.”
Now there is no need for you to shoot Sheriff John Brown!
Instead follow the good Sheriff’s advice and kill those seeds
before they grow!
56
Weeds We Want to Stop
• Crabgrass: Annual, germinates in early summer
and into fall, drops seeds in later fall.

• Poa Annua (annual bluegrass): Annual,
germinates in fall (some also in very early spring),
drops seeds the following spring.

• Kyllinga/Nutsedge: Germinates all year really, but
likes it when soil is over 60 degrees and wet. It will
in the soil stay wet.

Doveweed: Summer invader that rages as soil
temps cross 80°F, mostly found in Florida and South
Texas. This troublesome invader germinates when
soil temps read 65°F and really rages when they get
over 80°F.

• Sand Spur: Germinates early - when soil temps hit
but can be suppressed. Any that escape can easily
be controlled with Atrazine post-emergent
herbicide which is cheap and available everywhere.

• GooseGrass: Germinates when soil temps pass 55°F
just like most other problem grasses we face. You
will see this more up into the transition zones in the
south.
Pre-Emergent Strategy 57
Stop Weeds Before They Grow

Here is our application strategy (summary)

(these steps are included in the plans below too, but I broke them
out into their own section here to give you more context)

Step 1 - When soil temps cross 50°F approaching 55°F -

Prodiamine
Step 2 - When soil temps cross 65°F heading to 70°F -
Prodiamine
(optional) Utility Player spring or summer - Pennant Magnum
Step 3 - When soil temps begin to fall below 70°F -
Prodiamine or Dithiopyr

Here is our application strategy (in-detail)

Step 1 - Prodiamine 
This first application of Prodiamine, apply at 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft. 
1 acre = 43,560 sq ft
Apply as soil temps cross 50°F approaching 55°F. Our Yard
Mastery App (Android or iOS) will help you or you can use the Warm season turf types, we are permitted 395 lbs of product
Greencast tool.  per acre per calendar year.


We are doing a “split application” here early to double down
on our pre-emergent barrier.
Prodiamine is a professional product so our label is in “pounds
of product per acre” but I’ll be happy to break it down for you.
You love the math anyway!
395/43.56 = 9.067

To make the math simple, you are permitted 9 lbs of product
per year across each 1,000 sq ft of lawn space and we can split
that into 3 equal applications. 
Pre-Emergent Strategy 58
Stop Weeds Before They Grow
Each of these applications will give us about 90 days of pre- Pretty much everything that is going to come up is up by
emergence protection.  now. I’m of the opinion that once soil temps get over 80
degrees, any further crabgrass seeds that germinate die
We “double down” on the first two early on by making them a
immediately just from heat.
little closer together. Think of that like 2 coats of paint on a
wall giving better coverage than one thick coat of pain.
Plants have optimum windows of growth and extremes of
Either way, this first application is 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft. either too hot or too cold trigger them NOT to grow for the
most part. Now, if you have issues with Doveweed, then
Step 2 - Prodiamine things are different - see below for our utility player, Pennant
Our second application is also Prodiamine: apply at 3 lbs/ Magnum.
1,000 sq ft. This is the second of our split applications and it
comes about 45 days later as soil temps approach 65°F on So with this all in mind, you won’t need another application
their way to 70°F. of pre-emergent until soil temps are ready to fall below
70°F. 
Remember, crabgrass doesn’t all germinate exactly at the 55°F
degree mark in early spring. That’s just when it begins (the
The reason we are targeting 70°F is because that is the trigger
window opens), and 70°F degrees is the peak rage. 
for poa-annua to start germinating. It starts to trigger on the
downswing in temps from summer coming into fall. 
That’s why we want to hit the lawn again leading up to those
marks. This is also when Goosegrass is going to be at its most
Get the application down 10-14 days before the soil hits
prolific!
70°F and water it in.
Step 3 - Prodiamine or Dithiopyr
Depending how big your lawn is and what you have leftover
So up to now, you should be good through the summer.
from the spring, you can choose what product you want to
There isn’t much of a need to concern yourself with
use here, prodiamine or dithiopyr. I have added some
preventing crabgrass or poa annua in the midst of summer. 
additional potash to our dithiopyr which will aid the lawn
recovering from summer stress.
Pre-Emergent Strategy
Stop Weeds Before They Grow
For your late summer/fall app:  Up until now you have not applied any of this product so you
You will apply prodiamine at 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft. This is what you
have left for the season to apply (9 lbs/1,000 sq ft yearly
maximum). You’ll get 3 months of prevention here which
brings you right back around to the next season.
If you want to go with dithiopyr that will also work very well
and the application rate is 4 lbs/1,000 sq ft. You will not reach
the yearly maximum with this product.
59
can take advantage of higher rates if poa-annua has been a
concern for you.
You can apply anywhere between 4 to 6 lbs/1,000 sq ft but
shouldn’t need more than that. Water it in and you will be
good for 4 months of pre-emergent activity. That should
swing you right back around to the beginning of the plan.
Pennant Magnum - Utility Player (optional)
So I mentioned the problems above of sandbur, Kyllinga, and
doveweed - these need a special product and the very best
I’ve found is Pennant Magnum. It’s a liquid concentrate and
when folks see the price of it, they get sticker shock.
Makes sense but this is one of those cases where we don’t
have smaller amounts available to us as homeowners so we
have to purchase the full gallon. We will do the math down
below, but first let’s talk about its use.
Key with Pennant Magnum is that it prevents crabgrass and
poa annua also and lasts about 120 days in the soil, just like
our other products. You can use this product to replace either
prodiamine or dithiopyr at any point. Or you can use it in
addition to them.
Pre-Emergent Strategy 60
Stop Weeds Before They Grow
Whatever you do, I recommend you use the full strength That breaks down the total cost of $1.67 per 1,000 sq ft or
application (not a split app) and that app rate is 28 ml/gallon/ $8.35 for a 5,000 sq ft lawn. Depending on how big your lawn
1,000 sq ft. I recommend a good quality backpack sprayer for is, the bottle should last you years. 
this application.
Just don’t let the concentrate freeze over winter which
If your problem is sand bur, you will want to apply this probably isn’t a concern if you are buying this product
application early in the season and let it replace your first anyway.
prodiamine application. This will also give you some
prevention for early kyllinga or nutsedge as well. As a reminder, here is our soil temperature infographic to help
illustrate these concepts.
If your problem is Doveweed then you need to apply before
soil temps get to 70 which means it should replace your
second prodiamine application. Again, use the full rate of 28
ml/gallon/1,000 sq ft.

Here’s the fun math that you all love so much:




Jug Size:                            1 gallon = 128 oz

Jug Size:                            1 oz = 29.57 ml
Jug Size:                            128 oz = 3,785 ml

Mix Rate:                             28 ml/gallon/1,000 sq ft

3,785 ml/28 ml:                  135,178 sq ft coverage total

Cost per jug:                          $225

Cost per 1,000 sq ft:              $1.67
Cost for 5,000 sq ft lawn:     $8.35
 61

Post-Emergent Weed Control

Post-Emergent Weed Control
Post-Emergent Herbicides
You’re going to get weeds in your lawn, it’s inevitable.
Because of that, I talk a lot about “chemicals” and their use in
lawns in my videos and in this book.  used according to the label, will NOT harm your good
Make no mistake though, I don’t want you to blanket the
Earth with chems. If you have two or three weeds in your
lawn, or even 2 dozen, why not just hand pull them?
Point being: you don’t have to always bust out a chemical for
everything - sometimes it’s good to get down in the lawn and
do some hand-weeding. Getting down on your hands and
knees in your patch and pulling weeds will give you a
different look at things as well. This is important.
When you do have to use a weed control, understand
there are two types:
1. Non-Selective weed control - these are products that
will kill everything they hit (generally speaking). The
most well known non-selective weed killer is Round-Up
and the active ingredient is “glyphosate.” This book isn’t
going to get into detail about non-selective herbicides -
but I still wanted you to learn the terminology in case
you want to study more. There are times when
glyphosate can be used as a tool to cure problems in the
lawn. But again, we are not going into that here.
62
2. Selective weed control - these products will control
select problem weeds or grasses in the lawn and when
turfgrass. Remember, this is the “warm season” grass
book so the weed controls I recommend here will not
harm your St Augustinegrass, Bermudagrass,
Zoysiagrass, Centipede or Bahia.
As you will notice above, I’m not recommending any “weed-n-
feed” products. I’d rather you learn to mix concentrates or
water soluble dry products into hand cans or backpack
sprayers. 
This way you can spot spray, or zone spray and get much
better, more targeted results and save money at the same
time. Even if you have a big lawn, you can walk it, it’s good for
you.
Another reason I like spot spraying with a hand can is it forces
you to be observant walking the grid. You will find that weed
issues persist in the same areas of the lawn year after year. 
Knowing this is important as you can then find the reasons
why behind the problem and make corrections that way.
A good example is a problem with Kyllinga/nutsedge in a very
wet area. Chances are if you can dry the area out by adding
drains or redirecting a downspout, you can reduce the
infestation without chems.
Post-Emergent Weed Control
Post-Emergent Herbicides
Here is a video on how to spray weeds with a hand can. Be
sure to watch it and learn what you can, then get out and
spray a few test spots to gain confidence.
This kyllinga is in a 20 sq ft spot in my Empire Zoysia. This is also
an area that gets soupy wet and I may have a leaking sprinkler
pipe beneath.
63
Now, as far as what to use, there are options by grass type and
we will talk about those below. Also keep in mind that in my
examples showing you cost per application, I am using a
5,000 sq ft lawn as the example size. Next, let’s get our
thinking right.
Two Weed Controls in Your Arsenal
In the South, our growing seasons are much longer and
therefore weeds proliferate to a much greater degree even
through the winter. So for post-emergence weed control in
the South, I have a two-pronged strategy for you.
Keep in mind, we have a super solid pre-emergence program
working for us here too. But for our post-emergence kind of
“all year round spot spraying strategy” we go at it in two ways:
“The Daily Driver” and “The Weekend Muscle”
1. Daily Driver
Your daily driver is a 1 gallon mix you have on hand that you
can use every weekend to patrol the lawn and spot spray any
new weeds that have emerged. The hope is these will be few
and far between.
You could use this weed control for a blanket app if needed as
well and in that case, you’d need a good sprayer with a good
tip. But the point here is this is your “all around” weed killer
that solves at least a good 80% of your issues or better.
Post-Emergent Weed Control 64
Daily Driver
2. Weekend Muscle In this 2020 update I have been able to condense this down
This weed control is the specialty item(s) in your arsenal and to fewer products than in the past. 
it’s there for specific issues you face. You don’t bring it out
everyday and it’s only mixed when needed and in as small of That is because our “daily driver” weed control is quite
quantities as possible.  powerful, cheap and available at most big box stores. 

This weed control can also be blanketed if needed. Really, you Daily Driver Weed Control
have this one for when you truly just need to get down the Image for Southern Lawns
road fast and furious like and pull some Roadhouse moves on Grass Types: All warm season grass types
the weeds infesting your patch of green love.
St Augustine and Centipede
Lastly - I want you to know that when you spray weed control is what this is marketed to
on your lawn, even if you do it properly, there is some on the package but when
“stunting” that happens to your good turf.  you read the label it’s okay
for Zoysia, Bermuda, and
In most cases you won’t notice anything more than a Bahia and this works! 
temporary slowdown of growth. But other times, depending
on the weather, the active ingredient (modes of action), and Active Ingredients:
how heavy you spray, the turf may experience some visible Penoxsulam - .14%
injury. If this happens, don’t get worried about it. Sulfentrazone - .14%
2,4-D - 1.46%
Your turf will grow back and the good news is, the weeds Dicamba - .41%
should be completely gone. This is especially true with St
Augustine and Bermuda - they can be damaged by weed
controls but both will rush right back and fill in quickly -
especially as you push them with fert and mow more often!
Post-Emergent Weed Control 65
Daily Driver
Let’s do some math! This Image herbicide is a knockoff of Avenue South. Avenue
Bottle Cost:                  $9.97 (at Home Depot) South is a very popular professional weed control formulation
Bottle Size:                   32 oz from PBI Gordon.
Cost per Ounce:         $0.31

Mix Rate:                       6.4 oz/gallon/1,000 sq ft

(Varies - I used mid rate here)

Cost per 1,000 sq ft:     $1.98

Cost for 5,000 sq ft:      $9.90

Note:
Image Southern utilizes multiple active ingredients with 3
modes of action (3 different group herbicides). If you want to
get in depth on “sites of action” and “modes of action” in
herbicides, check out this chart here.

Either way, this is the best herbicide I found on my visit to the

store. They market it for St Aug and Centipede but it will do
well on Bermuda, Zoysia, and Bahia too which are all on the
label as “ok.”
Also comes in a ready-to-spray hose-end option - for $11.97
and also covers 5,000 sq ft. This would make a good option if
you did not want to go mixing.
The concentrations in the Avenue South are much greater
than what you find in the Image product and that is
important because as a beginner, if you apply a little too
much of the Image, there is little chance of “burning” anything
and that is what many of you fear.

In most cases, this is the only post-emergent weed control

you are going to need.
Post-Emergent Weed Control 66
Weekend Muscle

Weekend Muscle
Celsius WDG (water dispersible granule)
Grass Types: St. Augustine, Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia
Here are some of the weeds that Celsius is good at knocking
out that some of the daily drivers above are not:
• Doveweed (smokes it!) 
• Crabgrass
• Hairy Bittercress
• Dallisgrass (multiple applications)
• Signalgrass (at the higher rate)

You can use a non-ionic surfactant with Celsius to help it

“stick” but that is mostly recommended for when you do
blanket applications. If you are only spot spraying, I’d consider
leaving the surfactant OUT of the mix.

Here is what Celsius does to Mature doveweed with one

heavy app - pics several days apart:

One of my favorite professional weed controls, Celsius has

only two drawbacks:

1. It works fairly slowly - superior systemic (longer

term) control but slow to show visible results
2. Doesn’t get sedges.


However, it’s pretty easy on turf and that is a good thing!

This one also has a restriction of 85°F during spray. My advice

is to spray in the evening as temps are falling overnight and
you will be fine!
Post Emergent Weed Control 67
Weekend Muscle Weed Control
Celsius will get Dallisgrass with 2-3 applications (do this in
fall), this is nice.

The arrows are pointing at what was left of my St. Augustine

plugs after I cleared out all the doveweed that came in. Here
is a video update of the same thing. I believe this is a good
month after hitting this very mature doveweed with 2 apps of
Celsius.

Either way, I’ll say it again, if you do have issues with

doveweed and NOT sedges, then this is your choice for heavy
knockdown power in a warm season weed control.
Post-Emergent Weed Control 68
Weekend Muscle
Decent control of dollar weed, makes a nice 1-2 punch with Let’s cost this one out a little more so you can do some
some of the daily drivers if dollar weed is a big issue for you. comparisons.

I really like this label, BTW. It’s got every question answered! This is a dry product that you dissolve in water.
But to you, that may be confusing, so let me give you some
recommendations. The bottle is 10 oz and costs $129.99 - don’t get sticker shock,
instead, let’s do the math!
First off, Celsius comes with its own mix cone or measuring
cup. However, we use such small amounts for our purposes, Bottle Size: 10 oz, 6 tsp = 1 oz
that cup is not practical.  Bottle Size: 60 tsp

You can’t level the mix. (You’ll see what I mean when you get Cost. $129.99
yours.) So instead, we just use the teaspoon rates for our hand Cost per tsp: $2.17
cans or backpacks. In this case, it’s super easy:
Mix Rate: 1 tsp/gallon/1,000 sq ft
1 teaspoon (tsp) into 1 gallon water.
Cost per 1,000 sq ft: $2.17
1 gallon of mix covers 1,000 square feet.
Cost for 5,000 sq ft lawn: $10.85
Spot spraying of the tough weeds, go ahead and spray them
until glistening wet. That is really the best way to use this
weed control.

In the rare case that you do need to use it to blanket spray,

use a backpack sprayer with the fan tip nozzle. However, I
highly recommend you avoid blanket spraying with Celsius
(or any weed control). Try to control your issues with spot and
zone spraying.
Post-Emergent Weed Control 69
Utility Player

Utility Player If you plan to spray Halo by itself , add in a non-ionic

I want to give you just a couple more options here. These are surfactant for sure! If you are mixing with other products,
utility products that are designed for very specific uses and don’t add the surfactant. You’ll still get good results.
can be “spiked in” with your other weed controls above. They
are not all safe for all grass types, so pay attention. Keep in mind, this is a product that targets one pest:
sedges.
Halo 5WDG (generic for Sedgehammer)
Grass Types: Bahia, St Augustine, Bermuda, Centipede, Zoysia So if you do not have issues with sedges or kyllinga, don’t use
this. Here is what kyllinga in my Zoysia lawn looked like about
If you are using anything on this list and you have sedges 21 days after application.
(kyllinga too), then this is an option for you. Halo is safe for all
warm season turf and is very easy on it, however, keep in
mind, it works slowly.

In hotter temps it will smoke sedges in about 14 days or so

but in cooler temps, expect 21 days or more. If you have
patience though, this product works great! It’s also
convenient because you can buy single use packs that you
open up and dump the entire contents into 1 gallon water
and you are ready to go.

If you buy the larger bottle, it comes with a scooper and one
scoop mixes into 1 gallon of water and 1 gallon covers 1,000
sq ft.

If you’re blanket spraying for other weeds too, get some Halo
and “spike” that in with your Image Southern or Celsius. You’ll
be just fine.
Post-Emergent Weed Control 70
Utility Player
This was sprayed during winter here when night temps are in
the high 40s so this slowed the application effectiveness for
sure.

I’ll probably need a second application to clean up anything

that comes back from the nutlets below.

If you have a really bad issue with sedges then you’ll also
want to employ a strong pre-emergent game that includes
Pennant Magnum as a pre-emergent for sedges.

The product we carry is a single use pack. Just take this pack
and put it in one gallon of water and it will cover 1,000 sq ft.

Ok there you go, now, with all this being said, are there other
combinations of weed controls that can be used on St. Aug
and/or Centipede? Yes certainly. There are many, many
choices.

However, these are the ones I have experience with and that I
know are fairly easy to get and use. I tried to stay away from
offering options that require a ton of tank mixing of various
products.
 71

Insect and Disease Applications

Insect and Disease Applications 72
Disease Triangle
I’m not including insect and disease applications into the
regular program below. I’d much rather you master the basics
of fertilization and weed control first and I’m afraid if I put these
steps in below, it will add to the confusion for many of you. 
Instead, I’ll make recommendations here that are very general
that you can follow when you are ready.

These recommendations also encourage you to use products

that are easily found at your local big box or independent
garden center. There shouldn’t be too much need for you to
purchase “professional products” unless you want to.
If you want to get really deep into the fungicide game, then
check out this free guide that I wrote explaining my “bullet
proof” strategy: https://thelawncarenut.com/blogs/news/may
That said, here are my general recommendations: Basically, the disease triangle states that in order for a disease
to manifest itself, 3 things need to come together in balance
Lawn Disease Issues or “harmony” and those are:
If you don’t want to get all wrapped around the axle going
• Host (your turfgrass)
through even more numbers and more chemicals, then just
• Pathogen (spores are everywhere!)
run a general preventative strategy like I recommend here.
During periods of weather transition is when you will want to
• Environment (heat/cold, humidity, moisture, stress)

apply fungicides as preventatives.
The best way to cure a fungus in the lawn is to prevent it and
we know that most disease issues creep into lawns when the
weather is changing. That’s because of something called the
“disease triangle.”
The first two are a constant. You have turf and if you have turf,
I want you to expect that fungus is lurking nearby or beneath,
but you don’t have to constantly be concerned about it. Think
of it like your own body getting sick. You come in contact with
all kinds of harmful bacteria and viruses in your daily life - but
you don’t always get sick with actual symptoms because your
body is healthy and fights them off.
Insect and Disease Applications
Disease Triangle
When I was a kid and I’d start to feel sick, my dad would tell
me to “work through it, son!” And on the backside my Mom
would fill me with Vitamin C (fresh orange juice!) and more
fluids and you know what? I rarely was sick and out of school.
This same philosophy can work with your lawn.
73
In fact, in my own lawn, my St Augustinegrass will “go to seed”
during this time and you know what? When you see St Aug
sending up seed stalks, that’s a stress response. The plant
thinks it could be in danger of harm so it immediately triggers
a response to reproduce!

If your body, however, is weakened by drug use or general Now, we know that St Aug seeds are all sterile - there is no St
neglect... well, you get the idea, right? Same with the lawn - Aug seed - but we can still use this as a sign of stress and
keep it healthy and push it with good nutrients, carbon for understand it may be a good time for a fungicide treatment
the soil, etc... and disease may not even become a problem. for prevention.

By the way, too much herbicide can stress your turfgrass and The other thing to realize about my little example here with St
lower its resistance to disease. Same with too much nitrogen.  Aug seed heads, it’s also during a seasonal transition - that
That’s one of the reasons I’ve started teaching you guys NOT being us moving from our dry season (winter, spring) into our
to fertilize your warm season turf in spring until soil temps hit rainy season (summer).
65 and in the fall, stop as they approach 65.

After all this, IF you still want to treat your lawn for disease
(Zoysia and St Aug especially) then you should target those
times of transition when your lawn will be under stress.

Believe it or not, coming off of the dry season where you are

using your irrigation (sprinkler system) to water and into the
rainy season where you rely on rain for moisture - that change
from one water source to another can cause the turf to stress.
Insect and Disease Applications
Fungicide Strategy
It’s during this time I see that stress response in my lawn
which also tells me that disease may also have a chance to
take a foothold, especially because the summer rainy season
also brings an increase in humidity (yay Florida!).
Are you getting an idea of the thinking here?
Now every one of you will have different seasonal change
challenges. My Gulf Coast weather patterns are different than
what someone in San Antonio, TX will face, but we both have
the same grass type.
74
This is a granular formulation and should be watered in, 1⁄2” of
irrigation.
7 days or so later apply a group 5 fungicide and apply it as a
liquid.
Easiest way to go: Bio Advanced Hose End (available at any
big box store)
Or you can apply 3 oz/1,000 sq ft of Propiconazole (more of a
pro solution you mix in a hand can).

That’s why I tell you to apply during or leading up to these Don’t water this one in - let it sit.
seasonal transitions. Especially when heat and moisture are
either ramping up together or tapering off together - these From there, you can re-apply the Propiconazole again in 30
are the hot times to get this stuff down. That said, here is the days and you should be ok.
strategy, and all of this can come from your local stores.
This strategy utilizes 2
Bulletproof Strategy modes of action for fungus
First apply Scotts DiseaseEX - 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft. This is a Group prevention and should
11 fungicide and it is the VERY same thing as the more really do fine for 90% of
expensive “professional” formulation called “Heritage.” you reading this. If disease
pressure is higher this year
than expected in certain
areas of the country, we
will cover it on our
podcast for sure.
Insect and Disease Applications 75
Fungicide Strategy

Lawn Insect Issues Here is the product I found - in a concentrate or hose end
For insects, there is such a myriad of issues that people face ready to spray. I found these at my local Lowes and I’m sure
across the country that I could almost never hit all of them you can too. Follow the label and spray away!
and give you any type of decent advice.
 
This is best covered as we move forward in the year and as I
get reports of outbreaks, I will let you know via my email list
or my videos or podcast.

That said, you can kind of “protect yourself ” and learn to spray
using easy-to-find over the counter products. I like these
mostly for what I call “nuisance pests.”

Nuisance Pests
These pests include ants, fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. They
don’t damage the lawn but they certainly do keep you from
enjoying it! The good news here is that the products I
recommend to keep the nuisance pests down will also kill
lawn damaging insects by default.

So the easy strategy states that you apply these products in

spring and summer (according to the label) so you can enjoy
your lawn and while doing so, you will also be killing the
damaging types like sod webworm, army worm, grubs, and
more.

Not the best strategy really - but for a beginner, it’s a good
start.
 76

Bio-Stimulants
Bio-Stimulants
Introduction
Most of you who have this guide have probably also gotten
my Bio-Stimulant guide as well. It’s one we give away for free -
so if you don’t have it, be sure to go download it here.  the All-Liquid Plan, and the Florida BlackOut Plan.
It centers around the Bio-Stimulant Pack which is the very
best package we have in our store. If you want to know what
to get, it’s the Bio-Stimulant Pack.
Much of this section is taken from that Bio-Stimulant guide
with just a few changes. You see, the free guide is given out to
be used by anyone, no matter what fertilizer program they are
on. In other words, it’s super general.
Lots of folks in our community already know how to sling fert
and have other brands they like outside of the ones I talk
about, and that’s cool, because as you know, fertilizer is
fertilizer to the plant. It doesn’t care if it’s Scott’s, Sunniland,
Milorganite, or Lesco.
No matter what fertilizer you choose to use, the Bio-
Stimulants in the Bio-Stimulant Pack will optimize and extend
its effectiveness and kick your soil up to support all the
growth we are pushing in the turf. So that’s why I have that
general schedule available to folks.
But now, since you have this guide, I’m going to adjust my
recommendations a little to complement the exact programs
below. 
77
I have some N-Ext product recommendations that ride along
in all the programs including the Basic Plan (Hybrid Organic),
Bio-Stimulants
Since incorporating the bio-stimulants into my plans the
results have been pretty awesome.
As you may remember, two years ago (2018) was my first year
ever messing around with Humic Acid and Sea Kelp products
for lawns. 
In fact, when I first started exploring this stuff, I was calling it
“Lawn Joo Joo.” Just for fun, here is the disclaimer that lead off
this very guide PRIOR to the updated versions:



Disclaimer from 2018:
Have fun, be careful, Throw’er Down. You apply these products at
your own risk. I’m supplying suggestions below... and they are
just that: suggestions. 
I have not tested these products (but gut instinct tells me the
science is sound) but from what I’ve been told, they are pretty
much “idiot proof” which means you can’t hurt anything with
them (but you can stain sidewalks so be careful).

Bio-Stimulants
RGS
Since then, I’ve used these products on my lawn for double
dark results, and on my project lawn in NW Indiana as well as
helped my buddy Jake The Lawn Kid test them out at his
place.
Add that to the countless testimonials I see every week in our
Facebook Group, and I’m feeling really good about the choice
I made to go with my gut and trust that John Perry’s products
(referred to as “Unicorn Pee “) were the real deal, and they are.
I’m going to talk about the primary products, what each can
be used for, and then give you a couple scenarios where
different combinations may work for you. As mentioned
above, I have also incorporated them into the plans below.
With that, let me break down the uses of the products in that
pack.
78
Note: All of the N-Ext products contain humic and/or fulvic
acid as a carbon source. Some have more than others but
you’ll find this is one of the unique features of this line -
Humic Acid is the chelator (coordinator/optimizer) in all of
them.
And this is part of the secret, Humic Acid makes all the other
inputs work better and more efficiently. It’s a good idea to
spread out the more concentrated products so you don’t
waste anything.
You won’t hurt anything by over-applying but I also don’t
want you to waste money. I give you a plan below that keeps
them fairly well spaced out but I’d like you to be mindful of
that as you go along.
Bio-Stimulant Pack - 4 Gallons, 1 Gallon of Each:
RGS:
Stands for Root Growth Stimulator and that’s exactly what it
does. Hormones from sea kelp that stimulate roots and
stolons/rhizomes coupled with chelating Humic Acid.
It’s truly the backbone of the program, hands down, and has
the highest concentration of Sea Kelp hormones in the line.
It’s never a bad time to apply RGS to your soil. If you want to
stimulate roots, rhizomes, and/or stolons (depending on grass
type) then RGS is the best place to start! Water it in.
Bio-Stimulants
RGS
You really shouldn’t need more than 3 oz/1,000 sq ft for any
single application. I have learned directly from John Perry and
he will tell you that 3 oz/1,000 sq ft is plenty. I know we like to
spray angry sometimes, but there is no need to with this
product. More will only be wasteful.
RGS should be applied right along with your regular fertilizer
apps. Think of it as a “ride along” product to maximize your fert.
Whenever you are ready to start mowing and fertilizing for
the year, that’s a good time to get your first application down.
In fact, this should be your very first N-Ext application of the
season.
79
To make things easy, you can spike the RGS in with other
products you plan to spray. An example is if you are applying
a liquid fungicide from a pump sprayer, you can add in 3 oz/
gallon/1,000 sq ft of RGS right along with it.
If you are applying liquid insect control via pump sprayer,
same thing, feel free to spike in 3 oz/gallon/1,000 sq ft of RGS
too. This can save you time. Of course, you can also spray RGS
by itself. Whatever it takes, get it down about every 5-6 weeks
or so during the year and record the application in your lawn
journal or Yard Mastery app (Android or iOS) to keep track.
RGS can be applied on top of granular fertilizer like
Milorganite or granular pre-emergents too. And of course, it
can be mixed with other N-Ext products. 
In other words, it will not interfere with other applications you
are doing and instead, enhance them. If you miss an
application, no need to try and “make it up” just keep on
going. Another reason to keep a lawn journal!
Got new sod?
Apply RGS at 3 oz/gallon/1,000 sq ft right on top the day it’s
laid and water it in. Repeat every 3 weeks. Your sod will root
very nicely. You also may consider the new sod starter pack
that has even more goodies.
Bio-Stimulants 80
Humic12
Got new seed?
Same as above. Although you may also want to consider the
new seed starter pack. But you’ll do just fine with new seed if
you only apply RGS to it every 3 weeks until fully rooted.

Note: When I use terms like “apply at 3 oz/1,000 sq ft” I mean

mix 3 oz of RGS into 1 gallon of water in a pump sprayer and Humic12
spray that out evenly across 1,000 sq ft of lawn area. You can This is the carbon powerhouse in the line. If you have “bad
also use a hose end sprayer. soil” then you want these higher concentrations of humics to
really kick up the soil life and start pulling natural nutrients
I like using a hose end sprayer and have gone back and forth from that “bad soil.”
on which one I like best. Recently, I have been using the Ortho
Dial n Spray and I highly recommend you modify it like you The benefits of Humic12 are:
see John Perry recommend here.  
• Increased root growth
Also, keep in mind, this is a cheap, $10 sprayer and some of • Increased chlorophyll content
them work well, others don’t. If you modify yours and it still • Increased nutrient uptake
won’t spray well, just get another one. • Improved soil structure
• Improved plant quality
Recently I also came across a 2-gallon battery sprayer that I
Generally speaking, you
REALLY like and works very well. However, you will want to
only need to apply
get a better flowing tip for it.
Humic12 twice per year.
Early in the growing
Here is the video to show you how to use it:
season is a great time
https://youtu.be/efbJ8eljMKc?t=1000
and another time just
Here is the blue tip I used for spraying:
coming out of summer.
https://amzn.to/2JqWhJb That is a simple setup and works
well if you have a lawn of 5,000 sq ft or less.
Bio-Stimulants 81
Air-8
These tend to also be times of transitional weather in most of
the country. Up north and down into the middle of the US
(the transition zone) you will find that diseases like brown
patch and dollar spot start to become a problem as you leave
spring and head into summer. Then there is a similar disease
“window” coming out of summer and into fall.

Getting a good dose of Humic12 down just before these

transition times can help prevent disease. It’s not a
replacement for fungicides but a natural way to increase
resistance and recovery.

Humic12 will also help increase the efficacy of your regular

fertilizing regiment. No matter what fertilizer you use
(Milorganite, Ringer Lawn Restore, CX DIY, etc) Humic12 being
applied to the soil will help these ferts work even better.
Apply Humic12 at 6 oz/1,000 sq ft in mid-late spring and
again in later summer or early fall. Water it in.
You can mix this in with one of your RGS applications, or
again, with a fungicide or insecticide or both.
Just keep in mind, too many N-Ext products in the tank
together can get a little thick. 
Either way, putting Humic12 down on top of other lawn
sprays or applications is just fine. Remember, water it in - it
needs to get to the soil.
Air-8 - Liquid Aeration
This one was the toughest for me to get behind if I’m honest.
I’m a guy who truly believed in the value of mechanical
aeration for lawns. Seriously, the entire lawn care world
preaches it and believes in it. Mechanical aeration is the very
best way to loosen up the soil and allow grass roots to spread,
right?
Well, no.
John explains it all here, but in a nutshell, the purpose of
aeration is to produce more surface area in the soil.
Bio-Stimulants
Air-8
Air-8 does that by driving down into the soil and breaking
bonds. Every bond that is broken creates more surface area
(by driving down air) where grass roots can spread and grow.
Now, I do still recommend mechanical aeration as a way to
make a good seed bed if you are doing an overseeding.
Poking all those holes really does help keep everything from
washing away. Plus, running an aerator is an ass-kicking that
everyone needs to experience at least once in their life!
However, if you are not seeding, then just spray down Air-8
and you will get great results and never need to rent an
aerator again.
Apply Air-8 at 6 oz/1,000 sq ft in spring and fall. Water it in.
You can mix Air-8 with other stuff just like the other products
mentioned but keep in mind, too many N-Ext products in the
tank can get thick, even in a hose end sprayer.
82
Also, you’ve heard me mention now a few times that humic
acid is a great soil chelator, optimizer, coordinator... it’s all of
those things. It truly does make everything it gets around
even better - an amplifier of sorts.
Just so you know, Air-8 contains 8% humic acid as well. So just
to keep things neat and tidy, you may want to separate your
Air-8 applications from your Humic12 applications by 4-6
weeks.
Again, not required, but just be smart about it.
Since these both have higher humic acid concentrations and
both are applied at higher rates, it’s best to stretch them out
some for maximum benefit and minimum waste. All the more
reason to keep a lawn journal so you can “play the lawn by
ear” more and go on feel, and not so much on a defined
schedule.
If you feel like something needs to be applied or you just
need to scratch the itch to “spray and pray” then look at what
you have in your arsenal that hasn’t been applied in a while
and go squirt!
So far, you’ve got RGS to apply every 4 weeks and you’ve got
Humic12 and Air-8 to apply in spring and fall. That’s got to be
enough to keep even the most aggressive amongst you
satisfied!
Bio-Stimulants 83
MicroGreene 0-0-2
And that is why the 0-0-2 MicroGreene is the perfect micro
stack. Look at what it contains:

0-0-2 MicroGreene
So of the 4 products in the Bio-Stimulant pack, this is the only
one that I’d say has any “fertilizer value.” 

What I mean by that is this one will actually give you a visual
response in the lawn within just a few days. Typically the lawn
turns quite dark blue-green from the heavier applications of 9
oz/gallon/1,000 sq ft.
It pretty much hits all the bases of the micros but more than
And of course, I’m the Lawn Care Nut, so I care most about the that, it too contains Humic Acid (8%) and the Sea Kelp (2%)
visuals. But let’s first look at the benefits of the MicroGreene. that you find in the RGS!

Basically speaking, everyone should have in their arsenal a I use this as a summer product mostly. That’s because here in
micronutrient stack product. If you look at a soil test, (blog Florida, we have fertilizer blackout periods (remember all the
post on soil tests) you will find that there are macronutrients red tide news?) where we cannot apply macro fertilizers to
and micronutrients. our lawns from June 1 until September 30.

The macros are the ones we talk about most and the the most But 0-0-2 MicroGreene is approved to use! It will keep the
known there are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (N-P-K).  lawn nice and dark green and it won’t push growth.

Then on the other end of the soil test you have your And that is where the rest of you can benefit too. You see, I’ve
micronutrients. These are just as important as the macros, but never been a big fan of pushing a ton of nitrogen on your
are needed in much much smaller amounts. lawn in summer anyway. 
Bio-Stimulants
MicroGreene 0-0-2
That’s because heat causes stress, especially in northern cool
season lawns and pushing too much N can cause flushes of
growth and that’s not good when summer heat is hitting full
force.
If you are irrigating, and you want to keep the lawn green
without unnecessary nitrogen blasts, then 0-0-2 MicroGreen
is PERFECT for you no matter what type of grass you have, or
where you live.
You can apply 0-0-2 MicroGreene any time of the year that
you want a blast of green. Don’t go crazy with it, but I like to
apply this product 10 days before Halloween since everyone
is going to come by to see the lawn anyway... we call this
“Halloween Domination.”  spraying. Anything you spray, including plain water, on baron
You can also apply it 10 days before a summer party if you
want your lawn to look extra dark green and lush for your
guests.
Of course, if your soil test tells you that you are lacking in
micros, then this will help for sure there too.
Rates can vary depending on what you have going on - 3 oz/
1,000 sq ft of MicroGreene makes a great “Ride-Along” to an
application of 18-0-1 Greene Punch
84
It can also be used at those rates to kick up an application of
any other fertilizer you are applying. You’ll see me incorporate
it in different ways below. Feel free to “mix and match” and
learn as you go. This is the one product that is a secret
weapon turning lawns dark dark blue.
Bio-Stim FAQ:
If you still have lingering questions on these N-Ext bio-stim
products here are some of the most frequently asked ones.
Feel free to ask in the Facebook Group as well!
Do I have to water these in?
They do need to get into the soil to be effective and I also
recommend there is some soil moisture present before
dry ground is just going to fun off. If you are irrigating
regularly, then your soil moisture will be fine.
After you apply, you should get them watered in. If you use a
hose end sprayer, that goes down with quite a bit more water
but you should still run the sprinkler for a few minutes to
move the stuff into the soil.
Bio-Stimulants 85
RGS and Humic12
Can I mix them together? Will any of this interfere with my fertilizer or pre-
Yep, sure can. They all play nice together. They also play nice emergent applications?
with any other liquid blanket apps you may be spraying.  Nope. I’d like you to think of these applications as a
completely separate program but also know that the N-Ext
So if you are blanket spraying prodiamine for a pre-emergent products will optimize your turf and soil to better utilize the
app you can also add in 3oz/gallon of RGS if you like. That N-P-K you are applying. 
would be a good idea considering prodiamine can have some
negative effect on roots.  That’s really it. Feel free to spray and pray with the rest of it
whenever you like, just keep in mind some of these products
Not enough to really do damage per say, but it’s still not can stain concrete so don’t get too crazy. 
“good for the plant” either, so give er’ a little RGS to sooth the
pain and stimulate a speedy recovery.  Additionally, you should still follow general common
sense rules with these products such as:

You could also mix RGS, 0-0-2 MicroGreene, or 7-0-0
1. Never spray on dormant turf. Not summer dormant
GreenEffect into your grub control, nuisance pest control or
or winter dormant turf. Exception: if you are
fungicide application too. All good, spray and pray, save time
coming out of summer and plan to get things going
in the process. 
again in fall, ok to spray soil products (RGS,
Humic12, Air-8) on dormant turf, water them in.

Just use a 3 oz/gallon rate when you do this. No need to get
too carried away. You could also mix your fungicide with your 2. Never spray on frozen ground.

grub control with your RGS. All good too, and soupy!
3. Never spray in a downpour.

Do I have any heat or cold restrictions?
The only concern that may come about is spraying RGS at 4. Never spray if the ground is saturated.

over a 6 oz/gallon rate on grass on days over 90 degrees. If
you do this, you may see some tip burn. If you forget and do 5. Don’t spray any of these products on plants that are
it, just get it watered in immediately. Tip burn is not serious in bloom. Wait until blooms drop.
anyway.
Bio-Stimulants 86
RGS and Humic12
As a very general rule, Humic12 and Air-8 are soil beneficial If you have a 10,000 sq ft lawn, you will get 4.26 applications
products. RGS is great for the soil too but also pushes dense, from 1 gallon of product. Staying with a 3 oz/gallon mix rate,
deep turf roots (RGS stands for Root Growth Stimulator).  if you have a 10,000 sq ft lawn, and you purchased the Bio-
Stimulant pack, then you will get:
0-0-2 MicroGreen and 7-0-0 Greene Effect are there to balance
out nutrients in small doses and when used in bigger doses • 4.26 applications of RGS
can bring a color response. De-Thatch is just what it says - • 4.26 applications of 0-0-2 MicroGreene
melts thatch away, hose it! • 4.26 applications Humic12
• 4.26 applications Air-8
None of that really has any overlap with your regular More Advanced Spraying and Praying
treatments. But as I said, they will help your Milorganite (or The more advanced plans below utilize other products in
other fertilizer) work much better. addition to the Bio-Stimulants. 
In a very over-simplified way, it’s a two-pronged attack: We have a “Build-A-Box” option where you can mix and match
1. Optimize the soil - get more from your fert apps - what you need if you want to play around with some extra
Nitrogen Extension (that’s what “N-Ext” stands for).
 squirts of the ferts.
2. Spray on micros - needed for optimum plant One thing I want to reiterate: you do NOT have to purchase
health and a boost of color (more domination).
 any of the bio-stimulants in order to get results. If you just
pick up the regular fertilization, pre-and-post emergent weed
How far will my product go? control tips and follow my mowing instructions for your grass
Now I want you to think about the product you have on hand. type - you will get GREAT results.
You can get 1 gallon, 2.5 gallon, and 5 gallon jugs from me. 
And you can get almost all of it from your local big box store
1 gallon is 128 oz.  or independent garden center. The extras are just that: extras. 

If you keep all of your mix rates at 3 oz/gallon then 1 gallon of

product will cover 42,666 sq ft.
Bio-Stimulants
RGS and Humic12
RGS and Humic12 Combo
These are the two workhorse products in the line. High
concentrations of humic and fulvic acids (carbon sources) and
the highest sea kelp concentration in the RGS. If you want to
keep it simple, you apply 3 oz/1,000 sq ft of each monthly
during the growing season.
If the lawn is growing, you are throwing this down, each
product, 3 oz/1,000 sq ft. You can mix them together or you
can do them separately a week or 2 or 3 apart. Water them in,
all good. Just adding this to any fertilizer program will
enhance the results and improve the soil quickly if you spoon
it in monthly like I am recommending.
The Double Dark
This one is really all about stimulating a color pop. On the
back side, however, it will even out your micro-nutrient load
which is good for everything else the turf is trying to do,
namely photosynthesis. I started using this in between my
regular fert apps to extend the color pop and it’s worked nicely.
• 9 oz 0-0-2 MicroGreene
• 6 oz 7-0-0 Greene Effect
This one should be done from a pump sprayer and keep it
even and consistent across the lawn. Any areas you get too
heavy on will be darker and if you miss any spots, you’ll be
able to tell - so make sure you watch what you are doing here.
This also makes a nice addition to your domination line if you
want to get it just a little darker on the edges.
87
Side note: the term I often use “double dark” actually came
from Jake The Lawn Kid in this video here.
The Compaction Cure
This one is an easy and effective way to reduce compaction
and turn your soil into beautiful topsoil teeming with life and
abundance. No kidding. No need to drive and rent an aerator
anymore. This will do it for you and create long-lasting
results. 
The Air-8 will hammer deep into that compacted clay while
the RGS pushes deep, dense, root development to chase it
down.
• 6 oz RGS
• 6 oz Air-8

This is going to be pretty thick so be sure to agitate early and
often. Spray this mix every 4 weeks, all year long. Water it in,
we want it deep, quick. You could also use a hose end sprayer
for this and do quite well. 6 oz of each in the sprayer, walk
evenly across the lawn until it’s done spraying brown. Do your
best to get this applied consistently across the lawn knowing
that if you mess up or get too heavy in one spot and not
another - everything will be ok. No harm, no foul, practice
makes perfect!
For more interesting combos and uses for N-Ext products,
check out our “Turf & Tree Cocktail Menu”! 
 88

Warm Season Lawn Plans

Lawn Plans
Scotts 4-Step
Make Scotts 4-Step Great Again
One thing you will find about me and my content is
that I am not someone who will tell you “My way is
the only way” or “what I recommend is the ‘best’.”
Anyone who does that is just trying to ultimately sell
you something.
And while I do sell stuff, my passion for lawn care
resides in the education side first and foremost.  you will see are results.
That’s why I drudged along on YouTube for almost a
decade before anyone even cared: because I knew
that someday they would come and they’d benefit
from the education. And now here you are, building
your own Field of Dreams, literally!
There is nothing that gives me more satisfaction than
getting messages from people who have taken over
their own lawn care and gotten results - the
endorphin rush you get from a successful application
to your own land is addictive and seeing your results
does the same for me!
Sometimes folks are leaving a large company like
TruGreen and starting their DIY journey, but more
often, it’s actually people who have never done
anything for their lawn at all and are finally ready to
improve it and learn to love it.
89
If you are in either camp and everything in this guide seems
overwhelming to you - then this is the plan for you to go with because
the good folks at Scotts have perfected an easy and simple plan that
has been used by your Grandad and mine for years.
It’s definitely a “cookie cutter” approach, but it will work, decently. And
when I say that, I don’t want you to think you are going to get a thick,
lush, totally weed FREE lawn from a Scotts 4-Step program. But what
 
Along the way you will learn how to spread granular fertilizer with
confidence. You will learn from your mistakes and those mistakes
won’t really cost much - so no fear as you learn. 
You will also begin to “learn your land” as you walk it and develop
optimal patterns to walk when you do apply. You’ll learn how your
lawn responds to applications. This is valuable for later down the road
when you want to add some fun stuff on top or move onto the more
funky fresh stuff that we talk about in the LCN community.
But I don’t want you to miss out on the fun now! 
While you are applying these 4 simple applications, the plan below will
also have you learning how to spray liquids. Those liquids are not
going to burn your lawn if you over-apply, they won’t interfere with
anything in the Scotts program and you can spray them anytime you
want as often as you want to really scratch that lawn care itch that you
are fast developing.
Lawn Plans 90
Scotts 4-Step
Once you have a full season under your belt with the Scotts You will also want to pick up a Bio-Stimulant pack from the
program and my additives on top - then you can decide just shop. It will be enough for a 5,000 sq ft lawn for the entire
how nutty you want to get from there!  season if you follow the rates I recommend below. Here is a
video to give you more info on this pack.
Scotts 4-Step
Here is the Scotts plan I used in creating this program. I am In this video here, I show you how to calibrate a new pump
using their timing and terminology to keep things consistent sprayer. You can also watch videos on the Next-DIY Lawn
for you. I am basing everything on a 5,000 sq ft lawn which is channel where they show you how to spray with an Ortho
what their small bag is designed for.  Dial-N-Spray. I will be doing videos on my own channel all
year long also showing how to apply liquids like the bio-
You will want to pick up a Scotts Spreader if you don’t have stimulants using either a pump sprayer or the Ortho Dial-N-
one already. I recommend the EdgeGuard DLX available at Spray.
any big box store or Ace. It fits right along with their products
and I use one also for a lot of my granular applications. Ready to get started?
Lawn Plans 91
Scotts 4-Step

Early Spring  You will probably have some weeds pop up during this time
Feb - April because a pre-emergent (contained in the Step 1) will not
prevent everything. So you are going to need to supplement.
• Apply Scotts Step 1 sometime in this window.
That’s good, more learning. Go back and review the weed
Follow their directions, water it in.
control section of this guide and go out and spot spray
• Apply RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
whenever you see a weed. The weed control spot spraying
• Apply Air-8 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
will NOT interfere with any of the other products here and
• Apply Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
vice-versa.
• Apply MicroGreene - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft

Remember to always be observing and learning!
Seems like a lot right? But this is a big window and you have
plenty of time. 
Note: I know you read the pre-emergent section of this book
- if you are following this Scotts 4-Step plan, you do NOT need
You can apply the liquid bio-stimulants before or after the
that to follow the spring prodiamine recommendations.
Step 1 Scotts app. You can apply them the same day, or the
Scotts has their own version of pre-emergent in this step and
day after or 3 weeks after, etc. They will not interfere with the
you should just trust that for now.
Scotts application, they are designed to help the soil.
Late Spring 
If you want, you can mix them together but keep in mind,
April-June
they can get a little thick and clog the sprayer so best to keep
them separate.  • Apply Scotts Step 2 sometime in this window.
Follow their directions.
In fact, why not have fun and spread them out over 4 • Apply RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
weekends? Just do it that way - spoon them in over several • Apply Air-8 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
weekends. This gives you more practice and gives you • Apply Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
flexibility in scheduling. • Apply MicroGreene - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
Lawn Plans 92
Scotts 4-Step
This is where Scotts has been the traditional Memorial Day The more you mow, the healthier your lawn will grow. Get
app. In fact, the whole idea of throwing down on the holidays into the habit of enjoying the mow and #WeekNightLawnWork.
was invented by them. Kudos because I love throwing down Need a fun playlist to keep you mow-tivated? Try this one I
on Memorial Day too.  made for you.

But really, since this Step 2 bag has a weed control in it (that’s Summer
why it’s called a “weed and feed”) you should use it when the June-August
weeds are at their worst in your lawn. You will be
broadcasting weed killer across your entire lawn when you • Apply Scotts Step 3 sometime in this window.

Follow their directions.
spread the materials in that bag so you may as well apply it
when the most weeds are present. That’s logical. • Apply RGS  - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• Apply Air-8  - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
I actually find the peak weed bloom across most of the south • Apply Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
to be sometime around Kentucky Derby Day or Cinco De • Apply MicroGreene - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft

Mayo (early May) but that’s just me. Either way, get this app
Scotts recommends somewhere around or on Independence
down in the window that Scotts calls “late spring.”
Day for this one, July 4. Fun to keep with the holiday schedule
for sure! 
For sure though, make sure it’s at least 30 days after you threw
down your previous bag. Don’t crunch them together any
However, if you are planning to have friends over on that day,
closer than that.
get this one down about 10 days prior and water it in. This
way your lawn will be in peak green at that time!
And just like you did in the first application, apply those bio-
stimulants at your leisure. Before or after whatever works for
Keep those bio-stimulants flowing whenever you like, they
you - they are always good for your soil.
are really helping now, I can promise you that!
Mowing: Now your lawn is probably going to be growing
pretty well by this time and that’s great! This is where you
should be sure to mow at least 2x per week if you can!
Lawn Plans
Scotts 4-Step
Now, if you are starting to gain confidence in spraying, and
you REALLY want to impress your friends with that double
dark green lawn - apply your application of MicroGreene right
after you throw down that Scotts Step 3 bag and water them
both in together.
However, for this one application, apply the MicroGreene at 6
oz/1,000 sq ft this time. This will give you practice at varying
the rates of application and you are still well within the
labeled allowance for the product.
The Scotts Step 3 has some iron in it and so does the
MicroGreene - these two together are going to really pop
your lawn to that darker blue-green color that will turn heads.
Important during this time is watering. Really watering is
always important but in the summer you definitely want to be
sure you have this part figured out.
Hydretain Reduces Watering - now that you are good at
spraying liquids, you may want to consider an application of
Hydretain. In this video clip here, I show you an example of
how well it works on potted plants - it will do the same thing
in your lawn. 
93
The idea is it attracts water (humidity) from the air and brings
it to the roots of the grass plants meaning they need less
water. Key to success is that Hydretain must be applied to a
lawn that already has some soil moisture and you have to
water it in immediately so use a hose end sprayer with it.
Review these two videos for lawn irrigation
Tuna Can Challenge: In-Ground Irrigation
Tuna Can Challenge: Manual Irrigation
Fall
August - November
• Apply Scotts Step 4 sometime in this window.
Follow their directions.
• Apply RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• Apply Air-8 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• Apply Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ftt
• Apply MicroGreene  - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft

They are staying consistent and like you to throw this one
down on Labor Day - which sounds fine to me. Keep those
bio-stimulants pumping, spot spray weeds when you are
ready. You will probably have some fall weeds popping up
and you should be ready to spot spray along the way.
Congratulations - how did your lawn look?
Lawn Plans 94
Scotts 4-Step
Not Done Yet! Get them watered in.
Now, you are NOT done. By now you have lots of experience
with both liquids and granular and there are some things you You can also apply Air-8, Humic12, and RGS at labeled rates all
can do to set yourself up for success next season.  during the fall, later fall and winter as long as the ground is
not frozen. 
Even if you are going to stay with the Scotts 4-Step next
season (which is just fine BTW) you will want to still hedge Remember, just because the grass goes dormant in winter,
your bets. the soil is not dormant if it’s not frozen and most of us live
where the ground does not freeze. So feel free to keep on
This is because there are fall germinating annual weeds that spraying, and keep on praying!
the Scotts program does not account for. Just like in spring we
had a pre-emergent application included with Step 1, there is Summary
no pre-emergent for fall time but there are weeds that will Go get your Scotts 4-Step at your favorite store.
invade warm season turf like ours. Pick up your Bio-Stimulant pack here.
In fall (or now) pick up your dithiopyr here.
Those are poa-annua, hairy bittercress, henbit, and
chickweed. Go to the FaceBook group and search those weed
names - you will see plenty of pics. You can prevent a good
amount of those by applying a pre-emergent in the fall time.

If you don’t want to measure out all the soil temps, then just
apply this in early October and hope for the best. I
recommend Dithiopyr from our shop and you apply it at 4
lbs/1,000 sq ft.

If you live further south like Atlanta or Houston, you may want
to do a second application of this in December, same rate, 4
lbs/1,000 sq ft.
Lawn Plans 95
Basic Plan

Before We Get Into The Plans
Now that you have made it this far, let me review with you our
soil temperature milestones that we have talked about. I want
you to get these down first, then let the rest of the plan fill in
around them.
I have created a graphic for you to better illustrate this on the
next page, including the bio-stimulants. This graphic is
printable so you can fill in the average times that your soil
temps hit these milestones. Once you have the milestones set
up, then the rest is easy!

Soil Temps:

Spring
55°F - time to start with pre-emergent
65°F - time to start mowing regularly, ok to fert a couple 

weeks prior to this temp
70°F - time for second application of pre-emergent

Summer
80°F - if doveweed is a problem, Pennant Magnum

Fall
70°F - last application of macro fert, last pre-emergent if
needed
65°F - time to slow down the mowing
55°F - season done

Winter
South Florida, South Texas (maybe), and SoCal continue on!
Lawn Plans 96
Basic Plan

TEMPS DATES:
SPRING

55 F PRE-EMERGENT

“WATER IT IN”
ZONE 55 F:
65 F
65 F:

“SPRAY AND PRAY”

BIO STIM ZONE
70 F

“THROW’ER DOWN”
SUMMER

70 F:
FERT ZONE
80 F
80 F: to
PRE-EMERGENT

70 F
“WATER IT IN”

70 F:
ZONE

65 F
FALL

65 F:
55 F
55 F:
WINTER

Instructions: Write down the target

HIBERNATION dates for these soil temp milestones for
“TAKE A VACATION” your own lawn.
Lawn Plans 97
Basic Plan
I am also going to include the “warm season turf growth curve” here for you as a general representation of how the program is laid
out. Remember, Nitrogen drives the bus and we want the nitrogen to correspond with the growth. So we go a little lower early on,
ramp it up and go hard all summer then ramp it back down headed into winter.
Lawn Plans
Basic Plan
Basic Plan (Granular/Liquid)
Ahead is the base/basic plan, laid out based on the soil temp
milestones above. If you are just starting out on your lawn
care journey and have not taken a soil test, this is the plan you
want. The fertilizers recommended are general purpose and
work fine for almost everyone.
Don’t be scared of them, just read the labeling and
instructions, you are not going to burn anything.
I’ve also included the Bio-Stimulant Pack products in here
which are liquid. After that, I also lay out the coverage and
costs so you can be budget conscious along the way. Ready to
get started?
ROUND 1 - When soil temps near 55°F
• Prodiamine Pre-Emergent - 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft  - 8-1-8 XGN DIY - 4 lbs/1,000 sq ft
• RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• Humic12 - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft
 •
In most cases, your turf is still going to be dormant and brown
but always remember, the soil is NOT dormant. The key here is
the soil temp.
98
That’s the trigger to tell you when to go and that soil temp is
approaching 55 degrees because not only is this the opening
of the crabgrass window, it’s also the time your turf roots
begin to wake up for the season.
The RGS and Humic12 can be tank mixed together.
You will more than likely start to see broadleaf weeds coming
up too. It’s ok to spot spray them. With nighttime air temps
being pretty low, the weed control will work rather slowly.
That’s ok, there is no need to “keep spraying” the weeds
unless you see new ones.
ROUND 2(a): When soil temps approach 65°F
• Choose one macro fertilizer:
- Milorganite - 10 lbs/1,000 sq ft 
• RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
0-0-2 MicroGreene - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft 
• Air-8 - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft

ROUND 2(b): When soil temps approach 70°F
• Prodiamine Pre-Emergent - 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft

(this is the second app of the season)
Lawn Plans 99
Basic Plan
This is your first macro-fertilizer of the season and I typically Also, to review, learn how your spreader settings work.
go with Milorganite but again, you can get a different brand
fert if you like. Sunniland has a bio-solid we mentioned that is Bio-stimulants
found at Lowes and some HDs, but there are many choices. RGS and Air-8 ride along to keep the soil kicked up!
MicroGreene adds a nice micronutrient stack and is juiced
with sea kelp.

Second app of prodiamine

Now I know it’s a little funky having a “Round 2(b)” in there
but I’m trying to keep things clean.

You definitely want to get your second app of prodiamine

down when soil temps get to 70°F.

That’s actually when the crabgrass is REALLY going to kick in

as far as germination goes. If 55°F is the start of the crabgrass
germination window, 70°F is the pinnacle/peak.

That’s why we are doing a “split app” this year that

corresponds with soil temp milestones for perfect results. This
means your second prodiamine app will probably be
If you want to stick with the good stuff we carry, the 8-1-8 separated from your first fertilizer app by a couple weeks.
XGN DIY has a good balance of N and K and will give you a
nice, slow ramp into the season which is recommended for
warm season turf. It also has the biochar that has been filled
with chicken manure for extra minors and microbial boost.
Lasty it’s laced with those root promoting peptides as a
biostimulant. Yummy!
Lawn Plans 100
Basic Plan
If for some reason you can’t devote that time over a couple
weekends, it’s ok to throw all of it down on the same day (not NOTES
mixed in the hopper together but on the same day). Just
postpone your fert app a little late and make your second
prodiamine app a little early. No harm no foul, but if you want
to be perfect, use the soil temps recs.

There are hundreds of questions that I get around this time of

year that cannot all be answered in this guide, so make sure
you have gotten access to our private FaceBook group here.

You don’t need to post your question; instead, search the

group because I can bet it has already been asked and
answered by others and that is part of the power of this group
for sure!

Also keep in mind: mowing! The single best way to improve

your lawn is with good mowing practices.

Remember, never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade

length in a single mowing. That may mean you need to mow
every 4-5 days or so. That’s ok, you’ll enjoy the exercise as you
Enjoy The Mow. A little #WeekNightLawnWork never hurt
anyone!
Lawn Plans
Basic Plan
ROUND 3 : 4-6 weeks after the previous fertilizer
application
• Choose one Macro Fertilizer:
- Milorganite - 12 lbs/1,000 sq ft
- CarbonX - 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft
• (optional) RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• (optional) 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft
• (optional) Humic12 - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft

Most of you across the country with warm season turf should
be well on your way and growing by now.
That means this Round 3 app is going to be sometime from
early May to the end of May. So call it “Mid-Spring” knowing
it’s probably May.
Personally, I like to throw down on Kentucky Derby Day every
year which is always the first Saturday in May. Some of you
purists may want to throw down on Memorial Day (May 27)
which is our traditional Milorganite throw down.
Depending on how your lawn looks, just get this app down
sometime in May as long as it’s at least 4 weeks after your
previous. Bio-stimulants are good anytime all the time...
anytime in May is good right along with or near the timing of
your fert app. Water them in.
101
Fungicide
Also at this time, it’s a good idea to review the fungicide
section of this guide. To summarize, if you have Zoysia or St
Aug, it’s a good idea to apply fungicide using my bulletproof
method during seasonal transitions (spring into summer, dry
season into rainy season, etc). For Bermuda and Centipede, it’s
not as necessary and Bahia no worries at all.
Insecticide
If you so choose, late May or early June is a good time to
apply your grub preventative as well as nuisance pest control.
Round 4: 4-6 weeks after previous fertilizer application
• Choose one Macro Fertilizer: 
- XGN DIY - 4 lbs/1,000 sq ft
- CX DIY - 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft
• RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft
NOTES:
For the macro fert - you will notice the two choices offer
different rates of N. That is because I want you to choose what
works best for you. Plus, if you have fert leftover from buying
a big 45 lb bag, I want you to use it and not have to store it or
buy more. I’d love to sell you more stuff but it’s best to just use
what you have and be smart about it. 
Lawn Plans
Basic Plan
CX DIY (CarbonX) is going to keep pushing the lawn
like a rocket. If you want to live fast and mow hard,
keep pushing that lawn with CX. Mow your face off
my friend! Enjoy it! Your lawn will be super green too,
no doubt about that.
If you want to keep the green with a little less speed,
then use the XGN. It will not give you the same
silvery-blue-pop that CX does but instead will just
keep things moving steadily. It also has higher levels
of potash which are great for lawns under stress in
summer. Choose your own adventure - they are both
great choices that contain bio-char and peptides.
Round 5: 4-6 weeks after previous application
• Choose one Macro Fertilizer: 
- XGN DIY - 4 lbs/1,000 sq ft
- Milorganite - 10 lbs/1,000 sq ft
- CX DIY - 2 lbs/1,000 sq ft
• RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft
102
If you want to, you can skip the macro-fert all together and just apply
MicroGreene at 12 oz/1,000 sq ft. It will keep things green and not
push growth. Some of you will want to stick with the CX (CarbonX) - if
you do that, I recommend you back it down to 2 lbs/1,000 sq ft.
Also at this time, you may want to consider another Nuisance pest
control, mentioned earlier in the fungicide/insecticide section.
Note: If your lawn is summer dormant (brown) because you cannot
water, no fertilizer, no MicroGreene, no RGS then wait until you can
water again and temps come down. No harm, no foul.
Next, start thinking ahead!!!!
At this point we need to start keeping an eye on the next milestone
soil temp which is 70°F. However, this time, we are watching for it on
the “downswing” headed to fall and winter.
For most of you, it’s still quite a ways off but I want you to start being
mindful of it so it doesn’t surprise you. As mentioned, I’ll be talking
about it in the podcast and in my emails to help remind you.

NOTES:
Summer is moving along now. I’ll assume you are
into August here. Go ahead and hit the lawn with
another lower dose of Milo or XGN and the bio-stims,
keep watering, keep mowing! 
Lawn Plans 103
Basic Plan
Round 6: When Soil Temps are approaching 70°F Fungicide
This is also another one of those seasonal change periods, so
• Choose one Macro Fertilizer: 
Zoysia and St Aug for sure want to consider fungicides. Florida,
- Milorganite - 12 lbs/1,000 sq ft South Texas, and SoCal, you definitely need fungicide here as
- CX DIY - 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft Large Patch can haunt you all winter if you live in an area where
- XGN DIY - 4 lbs/1000 soil temps don’t get much below 65, ever (like where I live).
• RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
• Air-8 - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft
Pre-Emergent
• Prodiamine Pre-Emergent - 3 lbs/1,000 sq ft

Still need to pay attention to that temperature milestone of
NOTES: 70°F. You should go up and review the pre-emergent section
This is your final big fert application of the season, so make it earlier in this guide, but just to refresh: this application is for
count! those of you who deal with Poa-Annua (annual BlueGrass),
henbit, chickweed, and hairy bittercress.
You can time this out how you want really - just make sure it
comes sometime before soil temps dip to 70°F. A couple Any Poa Annua that showed up in spring and lived into
weeks prior is fine, even a couple weeks after but don’t wait summer has died now. Poa Annua dies off from heat as
too long. summer temps rise. However, sometimes before that, it drops
seeds and those are what we are concerned about right now.
Remember, soil temps will fluctuate up and down as we move You see, 70°F soil temp is the opening of the window for
from summer to fall so just hit the window at the earliest those seeds to start germinating.
logical time, that’s the goal.
And can you guess when the window closes? Yep: 55°F.

So you want to be sure you have pre-emergent coverage all

during this window. If you live somewhere that soil temps
don’t ever get much below 55°F, even in the dead of winter,
then another application of pre-emergent is a good idea even
later into the year.
Lawn Plans 104
Basic Plan
Round 7+: Until Soil Temps Fall Below 55°F Track your progress with the Yard Mastery App!
• Bio-Stimulants and MicroGreene
 If you don’t want to constantly refer to this guide and
remember when you put down your pre-emergents and fert -
as often as you like.

download the Yard Mastery App here: Android or iOS.
NOTES:
Your soil is not going to sleep in most cases. As long as those The app will give you
soil temps are hovering at or near 45°F or higher, go ahead real-time soil temps
and continue with Humic12, Air-8, and MicroGreene (for pops and has a journal
of color). function to track what
you’ve thrown down. 
Probably no need for RGS now and I doubt you will have any
leftover. But the others are great to keep the soil healthy and
living until next season.
Congratulations, you’re done!

CarbonX Plan
If you are looking for the CarbonX plan from 2019, it’s
essentially the Basic Plan that is above. 

Back then we only had CarbonX and none of the other

formulations so I made it a separate program.

Also back then, CarbonX had the RGS included in it but it no

longer does. It now has root promoting peptides as it’s bio-
stimulant and I do recommend using RGS along with it as you
see in the Basic Plan above.
Lawn Plans
All-Liquid Plan
All-Liquid Plan
Some of you are like me, and you like to squirt your fert. There
are several advantages to liquids, in my estimation. First off,
it’s cheaper to get started. You only need a $10 hose end
sprayer and you’re ready to go (assuming you already have
hoses).
Next, liquids have much less chance of being “washed away”
because they have some foliar uptake (very little), but they
also get into the soil quicker when hit with water. That said,
you do need to water in all these products below.  to love liquids and go with this program. Centipede is the one
The foliar uptake you get happens within minutes so no need
to wait - get this stuff watered in. You also want to be sure
that when you apply liquids that there is some moisture
already in the soil.  products to enhance the soil as well as the green color of the
Also, some of you may look at this and think that you want to
do some liquid and some granular. That’s cool too. 
In ANY of the plans above, you can substitute 18-0-1
Greene Punch in for any Milorganite, XGN DIY, or CX DIY
application.
Just realize, with the Greene Punch, the “pounds of N per
1,000” is quite a bit less. The rates I recommend for Greene
Punch deliver .25 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft.
105
In ANY of the plans above, you can substitute 18-0-1 Greene
Punch in for any Milorganite, XGN DIY, or CX DIY application.
Just realize, with the Greene Punch, the “pounds of N per
1,000” is quite a bit less. The rates I recommend for Greene
Punch deliver .25 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft.
You will still get the very same results too. That’s why I love the
Greene County products so much - they truly are formulated
for fewer inputs from the jump but work just as well.
If you have a Centipede lawn, I highly recommend you learn
warm season grass that does well with a low N program and
this delivers just that.
Additionally, I have the “ride along” Bio-Stimulants and other
lawn. If you want a super dark blue-green lawn, this plan will
deliver that and it’s all liquid.
If you have a lawn larger than 20,000 sq ft, you probably will
want to switch to liquids just for the money savings in it. Not
only fert, but also pesticides are alway going to be cheaper in
liquid formulations.
I’m utilizing the bio-stimulants in this plan, but I’m also
utilizing some of the other Greene County Fertilizer products
to really kick things up. With that in mind, you will want to
build your own box to match this plan depending on your
lawn size. I’ll provide some basic calcs below to get you
started.
Lawn Plans 106
All-Liquid Plan
In ANY of the plans above, you can substitute 18-0-1 Greene Pick up 18-0-1 Greene Punch here. Build Your Own box here.
Punch in for any Milorganite, XGN DIY, or CX DIY application. Here we go, get ready to throw’er down! 
Just realize, with the Greene Punch, the “pounds of N per
1,000” is quite a bit less. The rates I recommend for Greene • Round 1: When soil temps near 55°F
Punch deliver .25 lbs/N/1,000 sq ft. - Prodiamine Pre-Emergent 
- Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
You will still get the very same results too. That’s why I love the - RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft

Greene County products so much - they truly are formulated
for fewer inputs from the jump but work just as well. • Round 2(a): When soil temps approach 65°F
- 18-0-1 Greene Punch - 16 oz/1,000 sq ft
If you have a Centipede lawn, I highly recommend you learn
- 7-0-0 Greene Effect - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft
to love liquids and go with this program. Centipede is the one
- RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
warm season grass that does well with a low N program and
this delivers just that.
- Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft

Additionally, I have the “ride along” Bio-Stimulants and other • Round 2(b): When soil temps approach 70°F
products to enhance the soil as well as the green color of the - Prodiamine Pre-Emergent

lawn. If you want a super dark blue-green lawn, this plan will
deliver that and it’s all liquid.
• Round 3: 4-6 weeks after the previous fertilizer
application
If you have a lawn larger than 20,000 sq ft, you probably will - 18-0-1 Greene Punch - 16 oz/1,000 sq ft
want to switch to liquids just for the money savings in it. Not - RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
only fert, but also pesticides are alway going to be cheaper in - Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
liquid formulations. - 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 9 oz/1,000 sq ft

I’m utilizing the bio-stimulants in this plan, but I’m also • Round 4: 4-6 weeks after previous fertilizer
utilizing some of the other Greene County Fertilizer products application
to really kick things up. With that in mind, you will want to - 18-0-1 Greene Punch - 16 oz/1,000 sq ft
build your own box to match this plan depending on your - RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
lawn size. I’ll provide some basic calcs below to get you - Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
started. - 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 9 oz/1,000 sq ft
Lawn Plans 107
All-Liquid Plan

• Round 5: 4-6 weeks after previous application By the way - we would love to sell single gallons - but the way
- 18-0-1 Greene Punch - 16 oz/1,000 sq ft shipping works, it ends up being cost prohibitive.
- 7-0-0 Greene Effect - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft
- RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft If you have a 5,000 sq ft lawn, here is how much of each
- Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft
 product you will utilize on the plan above:

• Round 6: When Soil Temps are approaching 70°F • 18-0-1 Greene Punch - 400 oz total
- 18-0-1 Greene Punch - 16 oz/1,000 sq ft - 16 oz/1,000 sq ft rate
- 7-0-0 Greene Effect - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft - 5,000 sq ft
- RGS - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft - 5 x 16 = 80 oz per app
- Humic12 - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft - 5 total apps 
- Prodiamine Pre-Emergent  
 - 400 oz
• Round 7+: Until Soil Temps Fall Below 55°F • 7-0-0 Greene Effect - 90 oz total
- Bio-Stimulants and MicroGreene. No more - 6 oz/1,000 sq ft rate 
Greene Effect or Greene Punch.
 - 5,000 sq ft
- 5 x 6 = 30 oz per app
Next, let’s find out how much product you need to cover - 3 total apps
these apps. - 90 oz
1 gallon = 128 oz
2.5 gallons = 320 oz • RGS - 90 oz total
4 gallons = 512 oz - 3 oz/1,000 sq ft rate 
5 gallons = 640 oz - 5,000 sq ft
- 5 x 3 = 15
I am showing you these shortcuts because our products come - 6 total apps
in 1 gallon sizes and 2.5 gallon sizes. You can buy 4 gallon - 90 oz
packs or 5 gallon packs at a time. Don’t you like math
Lawn Plans 108
All-Liquid Plan
Humic12 - 90 oz total That will be all you need for the season outside of pesticides
• 3 oz/1,000 sq ft rate  for weeds and disease, etc. Keep in mind, the calcs above are
• 5,000 sq ft for a 5,000 sq ft lawn. Your mileage will vary if you are bigger
• 5 x 3 = 15 or smaller.
• 6 total apps
• 90 oz
0-0-2 MicroGreene - 90 oz total
• 9 oz/1,000 sq ft rate 
• 5,000 sq ft
• 5 x 9 = 45
• 2 total apps
• 90 oz
You will have some leftover for the next season for sure - or
you can use the MicroGreen, Humic12, and RGS on your trees/
shrubs and potted plants too. Whatever you like.

When going into the store, you need to order:

• 4 gallons of 18-0-1 Greene Punch
• Prodiamine Pre-Emergent
• Build Your Own Box that contains 1 gallon of each:
- 7-0-0 Greene Effect 
- 0-0-2 MicroGreene 
- Humic12
- RGS
Lawn Plans
Florida Blackout Plan
Florida Blackout Plan
In many parts of Florida and other coastal areas, there are
fertilizer “blackout” periods. In Florida the standard seems to
be June-September.
Here is an example from Pinellas County, FL (west Florida
coast).
No nitrogen or phosphorus fertilizers can be applied to lawns
during this time. The main reason cited for this are the heavy
downpours we get pretty much every day during these times.
If you were to apply fertilizer (especially granular fert) it would
be hit so hard and fast that it would be carried from the turf
to the streets and end up out in the Gulf or Atlantic. This then
wreaks havoc on the ecosystems and causes dead zones.
Much more about that here.
However, any of you can run this blackout plan even if your
municipality doesn’t require it. In fact, why not do it just for
the challenge? Lower your overall nitrogen inputs yet keep
the grass green and healthy. This plan will also reduce your
mowing during the summer.
109
One thing to remember - those same hard lightning storms
we get that force us to have this blackout, they also give us
nitrogen - natural nitrogen, for free!
Lightning releases nitrogen from the air that is brought down
and turns the grass green, naturally. This is why if you watch
grass on the side of the highway, it will green up pretty nice
after a good storm. That’s from the water of course, but it’s
that good, free ready to take in nitrogen that really keeps it
healthy even when totally neglected.
Your job is to collect and retain as much of that free nitrogen
as possible. Juicing your soil with carbon (bio-stimulants)
helps the soil grab more more of it and hold onto it longer.
Micronutrients on board round out the package. Cool, right?
Here is a full video showing you one of my summer blackout
applications using MicroGreene:
Lawn Plans
Florida Blackout Plan
Here is another video from 2 years ago when I used
MicroGreene to get the lawn ready for a video from my friend,
Connor Ward.
North, Central, and Panhandle Florida - Soil Temps Still Matter
For most of central and north Florida and the panhandle
(where soil temps fall below 55°F in winter), our soil
temperature milestones all still apply and the herbicide,
fungicide stuff is all still the same.
This plan just takes out all macro fert in the summer months
during the blackout.
Since this is primarily a Florida plan, remember, the further
south you are, the more problems you have with things like
kyllinga and doveweed so you may want to substitute
Pennant Magnum for one or two of your prodiamine
applications (Kyllinga mostly spring into summer, doveweed
is mid summer).
This program also utilizes the bio-stimulant pack just like the
others, however, it’s quite heavy on the MicroGreene because
of the amount we will use in the summer and for South
Florida (where lawns do not go dormant), during the winter
too.
110
The good thing about MicroGreene is that it’s great on your
palms too - so if you have extra, you can mix it up and pour it
around the roots every 5 weeks or so. Just know, it won’t go to
waste!
Get the Bio-Stimulant Pack Here 
Get Extra MicroGreene Here
SOUTH Florida Soil Temps are Different!
If you are in the bottom half of Florida, there is a good chance
your soil temps never fall below 60°F even in the most
extreme of winters!
In that case, your starting time for “Round 1” is February and
your Round 2 is 30-45 days later, Round 3, 30-45 days later, etc
until you hit June 1st (see below and it will come together for
you).
If your soil temperatures never fall below 65°F, then you can
apply macro fertilizers (like XGN, CX, Sunniland All Natural, or
Milorganite) every 30-45 days during the “non-blackout”
months (Blackout months are June 1 - Sept 30). 
I recommend lower amounts of N during the winter and
higher amounts of N in the spring and early fall. In summary:
you are year-round.
Lawn Plans 111
Florida Blackout Plan
Here is a pre-emergent recommendation for the entire year
for South Florida:

https://thelawncarenut.com/blogs/news/florida-and-texas-
diy-pre-emergent-lawn-care-guide

So instead of “starting at 55°F” soil temps - just get your first app
down in Feb, second app down 30-45 days later and so on.

BlackOut Plan
Choose one of the plans above and run that during the non-
blackout months.

June 1 - Blackout Begins, no more N-P-K macro fert until

after Sept 30.
• Round 4: Late June
- 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 12 oz/1,000 sq ft
• Round 5: Late July
- 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 12 oz/1,000 sq ft 
• Round 6: Late August
- 0-0-2 MicroGreene - 12 oz/1,000 sq ft
September 30 - Blackout Ends, Throw’er Down!! For me, I
go with CX (CarbonX) because I want to push my lawn
pretty hard while I still have some heat and rain in the
forecast.
 112

Conclusion
Conclusion
Let’s Get Fired Up!
I started at TruGreen-ChemLawn in Crestwood, IL in early
spring of 1998. The position was outside sales and the base
salary was $19,000 yearly. We operated out of a tan brick
building surrounded by boring taxus yew bushes on the
corner of 135th Street South and Cicero Ave.
I really liked being on the sales team. This was my first “real
job” since getting out of the Air Force and I could see the
opportunity to really grow with them. The job was considered
“outside sales” but really it was a hard charging phone sales
unit - our little version of Boiler Room. There were 10 of us
outside reps and we ran 30 qualified leads every day, visiting
properties and leaving a “14-point lawn analysis.”
Primary goal, though, was getting a proper measurement on
the lawn space at the residence. Knowing the lawn size was a
key piece of data that had to be right from the start. If you
didn’t have an accurate measurement of the lawn space, then
the entire business from there on out would be off, starting
with the very price charged for the applications!
“Measure EVERY lawn with a wheel!!” is what I heard in
training. “No exceptions!”
So if I haven’t mentioned it enough in this guide already,
please be sure that before you start any program, that you
have a proper measurement on your lawn.
113
Knowing your land and what it feels like to walk it, mow it,
push it, spray it, or just lay in it -- knowing these things can
really jumpstart your learning curve as you make your first
few applications. This is your very first step in starting a lawn
care program and you can do it even if your lawn is not yet
growing.
As I say so often, I really hope that you’ll begin to understand
the “why” behind these applications and use that to direct
your strategy to be super custom to your situation,
equipment and budget. The more you know, the healthier
your lawn can grow!
You’ll Get There
Once this stuff “clicks” for you, things are going to change!
Lawn care will no longer be something you dread doing or
have a fear about. Instead, it will become a hobby, maybe
even a passion! Maybe you will get nutty!
If you think about it, it’s pretty darn cool to know that you
take care of something that is alive and growing and it
surrounds your house. It’s the literal “welcome mat” to your
home and you get to optimize it for life.
I wish you the best my friend!
I’ll see YOU in the lawn!
AL