Jonathan Green Flashcards
My lawn has a bald patch. How do I fix it?
Answer: Use of our top dressing mix with our Jonathan Green sun/shade grass seed and starter fertilizer will promote the growth of grass for any size bare patch.
If the customer wants more details of how to plant the grass you can offer them this information.
- Rake the soil in the bald patch and remove all debris and loose grass. Loosen the soil to about an inch deep with a rake or a garden cultivator.
- Apply Mulch Center Top Dressing Mix, and our Johnathan Green Starter Fertilizer and spread our Jonathan Green Sun/Shade grass seed.
- Rake gently to imbed the seed in the soil.
- Water 2X per day until the grass is established to promote growth. (About 2 weeks)
I have hard soil with a lot of clay content. How do I break it up?
Use Jonathan Green’s “Love Your Soil” product to break down compacted soil and release trapped nutrients. You can use this when you seed a patch or over seed as well, as well as in planting beds for flowers and vegetables.
If the customer asks for more options:
- For individual plants like flowers or hosta - dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball on the plant. Fill the hole with our Organic Garden Mix (by the bag) and mix it with the native soil.
- It will help to add some of our Love Your Soil to help break down the clay soil. (sold by the bag). It will help to water the soil before you place the plant into the hole.
- Place your plant into the new planting soil, pat down to secure the soil, and water again.
Over seeding the yard In the spring or fall (the best time) can improve the density and health of your grass while keeping out weeds.
Rake or aerate the lawn. A landscape company will do this as well as renting the equipment from places like a local hardware store.
How do I over seed the yard
Answer: Over-seeding can be done in the spring or fall. It requires that the soil be prepared so the seed will have ideal conditions to germinate and grow.
- Cut the grass down to about 1.5 to 2.0 inches. Rake or aerate the yard to remove debris and thatch and break up the soil for the seed. A landscaper can do the aeration for you.
- Spread seed over the yard using a hand or mechanical spreader. Rake the seeds into the soil.
- Then add our top dressing mix so the seeds have enriched soil in which to grow. Consider adding starter fertilizer - which in the spring or fall will replace one of your regular fertilizer feedings. We offer Jonathan Green starter fertilizer for this purpose.
- Water at least 2X per day for the first two weeks. Do not cut the grass until the new grass is the same height as the existing lawn.
How do I ensure my soil has the right PH for grass? What is PH?
Should I have my soil tested for PH?
Answer: the best range for PH in soil for grass and gardens is between 6.0 and 7.0.
The PH of the soil is important for grass. PH tells you how acidic or alkaline the soil is and correcting the balance of PH makes fertilizer work better and allows the grass to make use of the nutrients in the soil. We have a product called Mag I Cal that lowers the PH in soils and another called Love Your soil that can raise the PH of soil in both lawn and gardens applications. Both are easy to spread with a wheeled or hand spreader and come by the bag.
Yes it is best to have your soil tested and you can buy a tester through Amazon or have a testing lab/nursery test it for you. Remember clay soils tend to be more alkaline than other soil types.
What are the main factors in growing a healthy lawn?
Soil plays the biggest role in lawn management.
1. Impacted soil/clay soil
2. PH- ideal range is between 6.0 and 7.0
3. Thinning
4. Water and moisture retention
5. Sun vs Shade
6. Bare spots caused by frequent foot traffic or grubs
Fertilizer
Weed control
What products do we sell to help?
Impacted soil - Love Your Soil
Thinning- Black Beauty grass seed
Water/moisture - water
Sun vs Shade - Black Beauty grass seed
PH problems - Mag I Cal and Love Your Soil
What does Love Your Soil do?
Love Your Soil helps break down the native clay soil to make it easier for water, air, and nutrients to reach the grass and plant roots. It is important the soil be loose enough and strong enough so the grass can be nourished and held in place.
What does Black Beauty grass seed do?
Black Beauty is a premium seed product designed to give you a great looking and healthy lawn in both sunny and shaded areas of your yard. It is a blend of Kentucky Bluegrass and perennial ryegrass and germinates in 7-14 days. The grass is naturally insect and disease-resistant.
What does Mag I Cal do.
Mag I Cal is designed for acidic and hard soils (clay tends to be more acidic). This product will raise the PH of your lawn or gardens soil by correcting the PH issues in the soil where your grass grows. Grass thrives in a PH of 6.0 to 7.0 - a balanced to slightly acidic PH level.
What fertilizer do we offer
We have two fertilizers.
Starter - used when planting new seed or sod
Perfect Green for established lawns
How to use Starter fertilizer
Starter - this fertilizer is used when planting new seeds or sod. This is nixed in with the native soil and top dressing before adding the seeds.
- New seed planting in bare spots or established a laws for the first time. A gentler product meaning it is less intense or strong so it avoids damaging the roots of the new grass.
- With sod - sod is a grass product grown on sod farms and then harvested for use in your yard. It comes in rolls and can be custom trimmed to meet your needs.
When using sod, prepare the soil just like you will for planting seeds including spreading the starter fertilizer. Then lay down the sod and water at least two times per day - the same as with seed.
How to use Perfect fertilizer
Perfect is designed for established lawns. the usual schedule to apply Perfect to your yard in the Chicago area is as follows.
- Early spring - usually late March to give the grass a great start to the growing season
- Early summer - like the first part of June to help the grass tolerate the heat and lower water of a typical summer.
- Fall - usually September and early in the month. This gives your grass a perfect setup going into winter. The fall is the best growing season for grass with warm days and cooler nights with plentiful water from rain.
- For the real aficionado, a winter application just before or around Thanksgiving to give the grass nutrients through the winter and a great start in early spring when the grass once again comes to life.
What is PH in soil,, how does it matter, and what amount is the right amount? So called “Normal” is between 6.0 and 7.0 for most plants. Some like it lower and some higher.
Of course this is a complex answer dependent on what you are growing in the soil.
Grass - between 6.0 and 7.0
Tomato Plants - 6.0 and 6.8
Lettuce - 6.0 and 6.5
Onions - 6.0 and 6.8
Potatoes - 5.5 and 6.0
Garlic - 6.0 and 7.0
Cucumbers - 6.0 and 6.8
Carrots - 6.0 and 6.8
Peppers - 6.0 and 6.8
How to manage the PH in my garden or lawn?
First, test the soil. You can buy a soil tester at your local nursery or hardware store and from Amazon. Once you have that result give us a call and we can walk you through the next steps.
We have products for both the lawn and the garden to help keep PH at optimal levels for your growing needs.
Peat moss - By the yard or bale
Peat moss is a good source of organic carbon and can be used to help reduce soil pH in your garden. However these organic materials are very slow acting and may not be effective for causing large soil pH changes. These should be added to your garden soil about a month or 6 weeks before you intend to plant.
In Chicago, the planting season for most vegetables starts at or around Memorial Day. Adding peat moss to the garden in late March or early April will give it the best chance to lower the PH in your garden.
One tip for installation. Try adding a one to two inch layer of the peat moss and incorporate them into the top six to 12 inches of soil before planting. Afterwards, check the pH.
Bagged products
Love Your Soil can lower the PH in your garden. Like Peat moss it is slow acting so getting it into the soil early before. You start planting is important. An added advantage of this product is, like peat moss, separates or breaks down the clay in the garden soil making it easier to manipulate and gives plant roots space to grow.
