Hello- I have a new emerald zoysia turf lawn (2 weeks old) in San Antonio, and i'm regretting not using a pre-emergent, because crabgrass sprouts are coming up in many areas where particular sections of turf are taking a while to integrate and grow. Is it risky to use the 20% vinegar because the lawn isn't fully established? Also, I read that late spring / early summer is a good time to fertilize, and I'd like to know if it's a good idea for my situation, even though the lawn is young. Thanks! With organics you can not go wrong with fertilization. Our fertilizers are slow release and non burning so you will not have to worry about burning the grass. I would keep away from the vinegar and just hand pull the crabgrass. Another thing you can do is water the grass with Medina's Hasta Gro 12-4-8 or Soil Activator. But if I were you I would get fertilizer down as soon as possible. |
I live in stoneoaks area and have St Augustine for my lawn. My land has a steep gradient. I apply Scotts fertilizer twice a year and water the lawn 2 to 3 times a week. My lawn however has a lot of patches of thaw (dry grass). I am told by my neighbor that the lawn needs a top dressing. Please advise if this is correct and if so - what do I use for top dressing and - where do I get it - how do I apply Thanks in advance If you have a ½” layer of compost spread on the grass and follow that up with a good organic fertilizer your grass will start to show improvement within a couple of days. The compost will add the organic matter that erosion and chemical fertilizers have diminished over time, as well as cook the thatch that develops when you do not bag the grass clippings. The organic fertilizer will feed the beneficial microorganisms so they can start building up the health of the soil. Another thing you may want to look in to is aeration, by aerating the lawn you are allowing the compost and fertilizer to get deep into the soil where the roots are. You can pick up the compost and fertilizer at any Garden-Ville location or if you do not have a truck you can have it delivered through our delivery service. |
I planted our front lawn area with Calimbrochoa(sp?) as a ground cover about 6 months ago. I did not fertilize it through the winter and have just fertilized once so far this Spring. Some of the plants are browning in the middles where the roots are and then dying. What is causing this and what can I do to stop it? The little card that came with the plants indicated that I should use a high nitrogen fertilzer. What can I use that will not kill birds and other wildlife as well as earthworms? Sandy Have you checked the roots to see if you might have grub worms? If you want a high nitrogen fertilizer you can try the Bat Guano or our Premium Lawn Food 7-2-2, with organics you are not typically going to find high numbers like you would find with man made synthetic fertilizers. You can mix the bat guano with water and water the plants or you can spread it out around the plants and then water it in. The 7-2-2 you can broadcast around the plants and water it in, in the meantime I would check to see if you have grubs and if you do check with your local nursery or garden center to see if they have beneficial nematodes. Then nematodes are a predator for grubs and other insects and will not harm the plants in the process. |
Hi, I planted three tress around Easter and one the leaves have fallen off and the other the leaves look yellow. Is this because of two much rain or because I did not plant them correctly? They were Oak and China Berry andl small enough that the bamboo stick was still attached. Thanks, Brian. Since you have planted the trees how many times have you fertilized? Also, after planting did you add a ring of mulch around the tree? If so is the mulch touching the bark of the tree? If you have not fertilized since planting the tree I would suggest feeding the tree with a good organic fertilizer like Garden-Ville’s Premium Lawn Fertilizer 7-2-2 and follow up with and application of an iron source like Garden-Ville’s Greensand. The rain might have leached out the nutrients in the soil and since trees require the most fertilizer and care when they are starting out that could be the reason for what you are seeing. |
I started a vegetable garden in a new place on our property (Central Texas) this spring without a soil sample (last minute plan). It has good sand and I used your Rocket Fuel after talking to a local nursery about their trials with the fertilizer. I started the garden from seed and used the 1 to 2 teaspoons per linear foot as recommended. I planted around March 12th to the 15th(Squash, Corn, Green Beans & Tomatoes) and the plants are a little light green. Is it the cold weather we have been having or do I need to apply the Rocket Fuel again or some other type of fertilizer and how often? Please help! Tammy Tammy,
I would recommend that you apply the rocket fuel or some other type of fertilizer (dry or liquid) again. The Rocket Fuel was a great choice as a starter fertilizer but the plants will need more feeding as the time goes by. Since you did not get a soil sample it will be hard to determine what nutrients the soil is lacking. I would suggest you fertilize around the plants and give it a good watering with Garden-Ville’s Sea Tea at least once every couple of weeks. The Sea Tea is a mixture of fish emulsion, molasses, compost tea, sea weed, and humic acid. When mixed at a rate of 4 ounces per gallon of water it will make a good nutrient rich soil drench that will help the plants along. In between feedings water the plants with plain water to push the nutrients down in the soil. |
What is the best type of fertilizer to use for indoor potted tropical plants? Also, what is the best type of soil mix to use? Mary,
Garden-Ville has a fertilizer called Soil Food Select 6-2-2, it is a great formula for potted plants that is enriched with natural ingredients to make it a slow release non burning fertilizer. A good soil to use for tropicals would be an acidic soil, you can mix the Garden-Ville Rose Soil and the Garden-Ville Potting Soil at a half and half rate and that will give you a good acidic mix that drains well. |
I recently moved to San Antonio and have inherited a truly 'blank slate' of a back yard - all weeds and terrible drainage on what is almost a completely flat lot. A decent rain turns it to sticky swamp-land for a solid week. I'd really like your advice on creating a strategy for overhauling it completely, with the goal of creating a decent Zoysia lawn that will drain properly. Thanks! That is funny because I am facing the same problem with my home, you are going to have to build up the low lying areas with good topsoil, sand and compost mixture. When grading the area make sure that it drains away from the house, when your area is built up then lay the sod and make sure to roll the squares after you have laid them out. Give the lawn a good fertilization with a slow release organic fertilizer to help the grass along. Garden-Ville sells a couple of soils that would be great for your application which are the Turfmaster and lawn and garden soil. The turfmaster will be the cheaper of the two since the topsoil in the mix has not been cooked to kill off weed seeds. For fertilization I would recommend the Premium Lawn Fertilizer 7-2-2, it is a good slow release fertilizer that is awesome for grass. You can pick these products up at any Garden-Ville location in San Antonio. You can also have the soil delivered to your home for an additional delivery fee. I hope this has helped, if you have any other questions please let me know. |
I live south of Seguin in the sand and would like to find a way to fertilze about 15 acers. Mostly native and costal grasses. You can either fertilize with molasses (liquid or dry) or you can use a normal fertilizer. For our fertilizer the recommended application rate is 10 pounds per 1000 sq ft. and the molasses application is about the same in dry form. The liquid mixture is 1 ounce of molasses per gallon of water. The other alternative that is more expensive but would yield great results would be to apply compost to the area at a 1/4-1/2" thick. This will replenish the microorganisms and the organic matter in the sandy soil, to cover your area you would need about 2500 cubic yards. If you have access to a manure spreader it would speed up the project. |
I have cyperuspapyrus plants in the ground now,however I'd like to put them containers along a fence. I'm talking about maybe 6-8 plants. What size container would you recommend, how much water should they sit in and how long can they remain in containers? Fertilizer what kind, how much and how often? The papyrus planted in the ground aren't doing great Thank you for your help The size of the pot depends on the size of the root ball. I would suggest getting a pot that is 1 ½ times the size of the root ball to allow for growth. The soil should be constantly moist being that the plant comes from swampy areas. Your soil Ph needs to be anywhere from 6-8.5 in order for the plant to thrive. Amend the soil around the plant with compost and mulch to keep the moisture in the soil and fertilize with a good balanced organic fertilizer like Garden-Ville’s Soil Food 6-2-2. |
I am looking for a good inexpensive organic fertilizer for my ranch. We have one-12 acre costal field that needs some good fertilizer and we have other pastures that could also stand some attention. Do you have any recommendations and sources? Thanks, Gary You can use compost, dried molasses, or we have a fertilizer that comes in a 40# bag and will cover 4000 sq feet per application. For the compost you will need about 800 yards and the price per cubic yard for that would be $11 plus delivery. For the fertilizer you would need 132 bags and the cost for that would be $9.25 per bag. The benefits of the compost are the addition of beneficial microbes for soil conditioning and trace mineral nutrients as well as nitrogen. With the fertilizer you will get your NPK but not the soil conditioning benefits of the compost. All products listed are produced by Garden-Ville and can be picked up or delivered to you. Where is the ranch located?
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We just bought new home in Florida that has St Augustine grass.When sodded by builder grass was more brown than green.The landscape contractor told me to that i had a fungus that was causing the tips of the green blades to turn orange and recomended i spray a funguside which i did.The grass still didnt gree up so he told me to fertalize with Scotts Bonus Weed and Feed 29-3-4 which I did about 4 weeks ago. The lawn has irragation but still hasnt shown any sign of greening up.The PH is 6.75'I dont know if the grass is dead or what .It is greener close to edges of house and some green throughout yard but mostly yellowish tan.If you can suggest anything I can do I would appreciate it.I likt to take care of my own yard if possible. Some of my neighbors have outside chemical companys but I dont want to have to use them.But there grass is greener by a wide margin. Thanks L H Mc Queen With out seeing the grass it sounds like you have an iron deficiency issue. Have you applied any iron to the grass? Also, next time you fertilize try using a fertilizer with a higher middle number to try and help establish the root system of the yard. |
Amy I have a home off Evans and Bulverde road. The builder sodded the front and I paid a man to sod the back. It is Bermuda. The back sod apparently was of poor quality and I have had weeds for the 2 years since it was put in. I even had a yard service on a program yet they never could control the weeds. I was use to St Augustine and this Bermuda is new to me. In doing some research on the internet it appears Molasass or Sugar spread like fertilizer will kill and keep weeds away because they can't grow in rich soils. Will this harm the Bermuda though? Is the Fertilizers you sell with Molasass in them the way for me to go? Please help. When you spread the molasses it feeds the microorganisms in the soil that give the soil nutrients. The soil that was laid in the back yard was probably of poor quality and that is probably where you are getting your weeds from. Since we are in spring I would recommend that you get a pre-emergent like corn gluten meal and broadcast it at a rate of 20# per 1000sq ft. and pull the existing weeds. To help build up the quality of the turf I would also recommend that you spread a ½” thick layer of compost like the premium compost available at any Garden-Ville and fertilize with a good organic fertilizer like Garden-Ville’s 7-2-2 soil food, the idea behind organic lawn maintenance is to build up the soil because the weeds live primarily in poor soils with little to no organic matter. The stronger your turf grass is the less likely you will have weeds in the yard. |
Which fertilizer causes the fastest and greenest plant growth? Of our fertilizers the Soil Food 7-2-2 will give you fast results on green and growth. You want to get a fertilizer that has a higher first and middle number. The 7-2-2 is a balanced formula that Malcolm Beck (the founder of Garden-Ville) formulated himself. |
Hi - my St. Augustine lawn in Fayetteville, TX had a serious brown patch problem last summer. You recommended that corn meal be applied along with a mixture of your molasses and water. Is it time to do this application again? How much water should be mixed with the molasses? thanks. Are you having problems with the brown patch again? If not you don’t need to apply corn meal. You can however spray the molasses and water at a rate of 2-4oz per gallon of water in combination with a good fertilization and application of compost. |
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