Professional lawn products

Hey guys and gals,

I'd really appreciate your advice on the best products to use on my lawn. I'm really looking to find out what the experts use as opposed to products that are available off the shelf in garden centres and DIY sheds.

Results I've seen achieved by the pros always make my lawn look a little second best yet I but a lot of care and attention into mine. Any idea of fertilisers, weed and miss control products gladly accepted.

Mark

 

There are a couple of things to consider when looking at the difference between "professional" grade and "diy" in terms of lawn care products.

Manufacturers keep these two markets distinctly separate, and for good reasons.

The professional side of the lawn care market is very high risk for manufacturers. This is where the money is, it is where the majority of the research is aimed and where results and treatment effectiveness is extremely important. If a product causes problems or doesn't work then it can be extremely costly for the manufacturer, potentially putting them out of business. They need to get it right and they spend a lot of money in making sure that their products are the very best that they can be.
The professional side is also regulated heavily. I need a licence to be able to buy and apply professional grade products and I legally have to keep records of exactly what I have applied, where and how much. This is to ensure full paper trail should anything in the environment go wrong, so that any mistakes can be identified to ensure that it doesn't happen again (and charges brought, should negligence be an issue), whether this be from the operator or manufacturer.
Consequently, professional grade products carry a hefty price tag. Some advanced fungicides can run into thousands of pounds per litre, but they are designed to be used in very dilute quantities for treating very large areas. It is just not practical to sell these sort of products on the shelves at garden centres.

The "Diy" side of things is where all the cheap stuff is sold. High-profit, low quality. The products don't need to be any good because there is no comeback from the end user. If they just put a nice picture on the box then they will sell units. In that game it is all about getting "quick" results. Does the lawn green up in seven days? Yes ... so the homeowner thinks it's a good fertiliser. In reality they've actually put down a very cheap, short-lasting, high nitrogen fertiliser which drugs the lawn and basically does it no long-term good at all.
Many fungicides and insecticides are being withdrawn from the domestic market because the regulators are realising that selling potentially hazardous chemicals to people that have no application training is a terrible idea. They pour left-overs down drains, put half-empty canisters in the rubbish, or put them on a bonfire. Over-application and spraying inappropriately is a massive risk to the environment and there's no way to trace what's happening. In the end it is just not worth it.

So basically, if you want professional results then you need to get training for your pesticide application licence, get a trade account at a reputable manufacturer and have very deep pockets. Or just employ a professional.

Kris