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Fertilizer-Pesticide Combinations
Are They Snake Oil?
© 1997, 1998
Streamline Publications
Products advertised as all-in-one
treatments for turf may be acceptable for limited use by homeowners, but they
can create difficulties for commercial landscape maintenance companies.
Touted as modern-day magic bullets,
these products are much like the snake oils of the last century that were
claimed to cure all that ailed man or beast. Truth is, no one product can
simultaneously be effectively used as a fertilizer, pesticide, fungicide, and
insecticide. The best time to fertilize is not
always the best time to apply pesticides. Proportions in these concoctions are
set. For one of these combination products to work to maximum efficiency turf
conditions would have to match the product's design. That's backward.
Multipurpose products permit little
flexibility of choice in what is used on the lawn. Homeowner use can be
successful in certain limited situations but the one-size-fits-all "weed
and feed" promise is simplistic and results are often hit and miss.
Tough problems that face landscape
maintenance contractors and turf managers need a more surgical approach. It
makes little sense for them to apply a herbicide when it isn't needed simply
because it happens to be in the fertilizer. Professionals rely on soil analysis
and a carefully reasoned approach to each situation as the best way to solve the
problem and avoid over spending. Consideration needs to be given to all
factors. The answer may not lie in fertilizer or in pesticides. The problem
could be salt buildup, under or over watering, poor drainage, disease, or a
number of other problems. The answers should be based on a
scientific soil analysis. Start with a call to Albright Seed Company.
Choose from more articles from Albright Seed Company. All our products come with an extra ingredient at no extra cost—30 years' experience.
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