There are so many different types of fertilizer out there that sometimes we have the tendency to think they’re all the same and there’s not much difference between them. But hardcore lawn care professionals who live and die on results know that falling into that trap can have dire consequences for their businesses. It pays to know what exactly is in the bag and that it’s not all the same.
The first and most important thing Chris Lemcke, technical director of Weed Man USA, looks
for in a quality bag of fertilizer is
a large percentage of enhanced
efficiency fertilizers.
“Having a large percentage of
your fertilizer being slow release
allows us to be very effective in
delivering nitrogen to the turf with
very little potential for nutrient
losses,” says Lemcke. “Therefore,
we are not paying for something
that is not being utilized by the
plant or being a detriment to the environment.”
Lemcke has found what he
needs in enhanced efficiency
fertilizer from Koch Turf &
Ornamental (Koch), specifically XCU and
DURATION CR fertilizers, which are two approved “technicals” that can
be blended into Weed Man USA’s
formulations.
“The most important thing is we
set the standard of what we want
in our fertilizer blends,” Lemcke
says. “We have over 45 years of
servicing millions and millions of
lawns over that time frame, so we
have a pretty good idea on what
will keep our customers’ lawns
looking good. We also look to the
manufacturers as well, like Koch,
and work with them on approving
specific technologies that are
available based on their research.”
In lawn care, Lemcke says, it’s
all about your customer renewals,
and those are based on how you’re
judged and obviously how the
lawn looks. That will play a huge
part in whether a customer is
happy or not and wants to bring
you back the next year.
“Using enhanced efficiency
fertilizers also gives us the best
bang for our buck,” says Lemcke.
“Even though it may cost a bit
more to have so much slow release
in a blend of fertilizer, in the end,
we don’t waste any nitrogen and
the turfgrass can utilize the ‘N’
as it needs it. In most all mineral
or lower slow release blends, the
nitrogen is available for only a very
short period of time, putting the
plant on a rollercoaster of feeding
and not feeding.”
Clients can tell they’re getting
quality fertilizer, which is why
Weed Man USA uses the fertilizer it
is going to use as a selling feature.
“Mainly in the initial
conversation we have with them,
we really use this as a selling
feature of the Weed Man program
— that they will be getting a high
quality, slow release fertilizer that
is manufactured specifically for
Weed Man,” Lemcke says. “We talk
about how it slowly feeds the lawn
and that it is a premium blend of
fertilizer. Then, we let the results
speak for themselves.”
Lemcke knows Weed Man
USA’s choice of Koch works
because of its renewal rates, some
of the highest in the industry.
“The quality of the lawn has
a lot to do with it. Also, from our
franchisees, we talk all the time
about the importance of using
enhanced efficiency fertilizers, and
now if we told them we wanted
to go to a cheaper product, I bet
they would revolt. They’ve seen
the results on lawns using our
proprietary blends, and they
would not want to switch to a
cheaper product because they
know it would result in unhappy
customers.”