Through proactive measures and rapid response strategies, their angel guards are committed to creating an environment where every child can thrive without fear.

To spread awareness and build community, Angel Force will be having its very own palooza next month. Come join the family fun Nov. 2 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Angel Force Protection Palooza at Eagle’s Nest at Blackwater.

There will be live music from local band Purple Monkey. They play a little bit of everything – alternative, blues and rock to ska and funk, music for all ages.

“This palooza is essentially an opportunity for the community to get a better understanding of what Angel Force Protection is and to help us build the community and make it a more trusting environment and be a community like we used to be, pre-COVID, pre-9/11, pre-these days of fear,” founder Joshua Yirkovsky said. “We want to show the community that we can create a safe environment and let our kids play until the streetlights come out, like they used to.”

Angel Force Protection invites vendors of all kinds to come out and partake in this community event. Half of the vendor fee goes directly back to Angel Force Foundation to pay for more protection of school. Anyone interested in securing a vendor table, please email info@angelfp.com or call 850-797-5288 by Wednesday, Oct. 23.

You can expect loads of fun and a festival type feeling at the Palooza Nov. 2.

There will be face painting, Eagles Nest food and drink, vendors, games, and, of course, there will be security protection.

This is an opportunity to meet the angel guards and get to know the brave people protecting the children of this community. The entire Angel Force Protection team will be there, as well as their sister organization, Angel Force Foundation, who is sponsoring the event.

“If there’s a private school that can’t afford security services, Angel Force Foundation will step in and pay for their first year,” Yirkovsky said.

The foundation can also advise schools on how they can apply for grants to help protect their children.

Angel Force takes safety seriously and does things differently. Two angel guards are assigned to each school that partners with Angel Force Protection. Their job is to protect the school and ultimately allow children to learn in a safe and free environment.

“We are a proactive organization in a society that has been reactive regarding safety in our school system,” Yirkovsky said.

As a way to bring fun to safety and relate to the children, Angel Force would like to introduce their very own cartoon. His name is AG Falcon, “AG” for short. AG is the prefix they put before their Angel Guards’ names (AG Dan and AG Andrew for example).

AG Falcon is a father and husband by night, but by day he puts on his Angel Guard suit and goes to schools in community. His whole job is to help children understand safety and show them what to look for when it comes to danger.

AG Falcon presents dangerous situation in a kid-friendly and comprehensible way.

“For instance, AG might tell the children about an alien from another world who comes in and wants to take pictures of them or give them candy. The idea is to make their brains think the alien is the bad guy,” Yirkovsky said.

The cartoon will be on YouTube and be similar to Bluey, a children’s show. Angel Force is pairing up with a talented and esteemed animation team to create the cartoon. The hope is to bring an educational character back, like the DARE lion Daren or Smokey Bear, but with a modern, new-age style.

Your children’s safety is Angel Force Protection’s commitment and the AG’s goal is to equip children with the tools they need to spot danger for themselves and be courageous and calm.Angel

Force Protection
www.angelfp.com
850-797-5288

By increasing your website speed and designing your website with mobile-first in mind, your search engine optimization and ranking improve drastically. Sandpaper Marketing can create a new website or give yours an Extreme Makeover-Online Edition, improving loading speed, website design, online content, security, analytics, and overall performance.

Identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers’ wants and needs can be challenging in an ever-changing world, but you can count on Sandpaper Marketing to make sure your business is leading with effective messaging delivered across a wide spectrum of platforms.

They specialize in creating great-looking, effective websites that get found, stand out and get your company business.

Web analytics provide rich insights into your website’s marketing effectiveness to drive a continual growth plan. Let the team of analytics specialists at Sandpaper Marketing help you optimize your website usability and maximize your marketing return on investment.

Sandpaper Marketing can target your ideal prospects by showing ads on their mobile device, tablet, desktop or television. What makes targeted advertising so special is that it is all about targeting your relevant audience. The team uses a powerful tool called geo-fencing to put ads in front of prospects who are visiting your competitors, sitting at the ballfield or driving through a fast-food restaurant. Your ad will then show up on the potential customer’s running apps, such as Facebook or YouTube.

Search engine optimization is a powerful tool and can be the reason someone discovers your business. Sandpaper Marketing specializes in making sure your business has the most compelling online presence possible.

Engage your prospects, grow your database, generate leads and increase your followers with Sandpaper Marketing promotions and interactive content. From sweepstakes, quizzes, photo contests and ballots, we can create an online promotion to custom fit your business.

Sandpaper Marketing Services

• GeoFencing targeting and
  re-targeting
• OTT/CTV advertising videos
• Social media, internet & online
  marketing
• Website maintenance
• Web development
• Responsive web design
• Website management
• Web analytics
• SEO services
• Email & newsletter marketing
• Social marketing content
• Creative design
• Web design
• Graphic design
• Anything printed

We will work with you to create the perfect website solution to reach the right audience and turn them into paying, happy customers.

The team at Sandpaper Marketing can study a business, survey the competition and tailor a campaign that will deliver results. Some plans are as simple as social media management while other clients trust their entire business plan to Sandpaper Marketing.

“We believe marketing is essential to the long-term success of every business,” said owner, Sandi Kemp. “Good marketing powers your business as much as the electric company does. Operating without either is nearly impossible.”

Whether your needs are small or large, the team at Sandpaper Marketing is available to help you make your marketing vision a reality. Business cards, postcards, direct mail, branded promotional items or a full-fledged marketing plan – call the experts at Sandpaper Marketing. The service is personalized down to the last detail.

“Achieving growth for your business is what Sandpaper Marketing is all about,” Kemp said.

Offering graphic design, website development, search engine optimization and branding services for any business, Sandpaper Marketing works with each client to ensure the greatest success.

Sandpaper Marketing has worked with multiple businesses in the community including Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Life Church, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy, The British Pedlar, Rollins Distillery and many more.

Check out their online portfolio projects at www.sandpapermarketing. com.

Call Sandpaper Marketing today at 850-939-1900 to find out how they can make a difference in your bottom line.

Sandpaper Marketing
7502 Harvest Village Court
Navarre, Florida
850.939.1900
www.sandpapermarketing.com

Skip explains that summer can be a challenging time to keep a lawn healthy! In addition to a number of pests and diseases being active, lawns can also suffer drought stress when we go for several days at a time without rain! Under such conditions, lawns can suffer drought stress even with the irrigation system running on a regular basis because gaps in coverage or deficiencies in the system will cause dry area in the lawn.

“Just because the lawn is getting wet, doesn’t mean it is getting enough water to keep it healthy.” According to Skip, areas of the lawn that are getting too little water typically always struggle year in and year out and never look as full and lush as the rest of the lawn.

If you suspect areas of your lawn might be suffering from inadequate irrigation coverage, Skip suggests the best way to measure how much water the irrigation system is putting on different areas of the lawn is to place several catch cups of equal size around the yard and check the amount of water in each cup after the lawn is watered. This will reveal the areas of the lawn that are not getting as much water as other areas.

“Each irrigation cycle should provide about 1/2” of water over the lawn,” Skip says. “If there’s only 1/4 inch in some cups and 1/2 inch in others, it will be obvious some areas are getting twice the amount of water as others.”

Not only is it important that the lawn get an even distribution of water but there are many other factors can affect how much water the grass needs. An area of the lawn that is in direct sun light all day will need more water than a shaded area. Lawns that are on or close to the beach need more water because of the constant wind and the fact that beach sand has less water holding ability than soil further inland.

Skip explains the best way to recognize drought stress in your lawn before it’s too late for the grass to recover.

“First, the individual grass blades will begin to fold together in a V. When the V is completely closed, the grass is in desperate need of water! The grass will also appear dull and grayish in color. Finally, the grass will lose its resilience when stepped on and you can see your footprints when walking across the lawn.”

So if your lawn is in drought stress, here are 5 things Skip suggests you can do to get more water to your yard and nurse it through dry periods if it is struggling.

1. Run each irrigation zone longer. It’s better for the lawn if you run the system longer on each zone instead of more frequently. Running the system for a longer time will get the water deeper in the ground where it will not evaporate as quickly.
2. Increase the nozzle size on your sprinkler heads. Most sprinkler heads have interchangeable nozzles that regulate the gallons per minute the head puts out. Increasing the size of the nozzle will put more water on the lawn during the time it runs.
3. Add more sprinkler heads. You can add more heads to a zone as long as you don’t have so many that it affects the pressure of the zone. One way to determine if adding a head will affect pressure is to turn on the spigot on the top of the pump while the zone is running and observe the pressure coming out of the heads. If there is no pressure loss on the zone with the spigot open, then it will handle another head without a problem.
4. Adjust sprinkler patterns. Sometimes all that is needed to correct a dry area is a simple adjustment. Make sure the spray patterns are going far enough and the heads are angled correctly.
5. Run the irrigation system more frequently. According to Skip, it’s usually better to limit the frequency of irrigation because grass that is constantly wet can easily develop disease activity.

However, in drought conditions, the main goal is to keep the grass alive no matter how often you have to water. When the drought eases up, reduce the frequency of your irrigation.

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? Call or text Father and Son Pest and Lawn Solutions today for a free lawn consultation! 850-240-7935. You can also visit their website at www.fatherandsonlandscape.com.

Join us for our 3rd Annual Crafty Bean Crop. This weekend scrapbook retreat is the perfect opportunity to have the staycation you’ve been wanting while creatively expressing yourself and meeting new artistic people. The third annual crop will take place Sept. 20-22, 2024, at the Guest Suites of Florala, located downtown at 23206 Fifth Ave, Florala, AL 36442.

Sandi Scroggins, the owner of Craft World and The Crafty Bean, is thrilled to put this event on again and help create an atmosphere for creative people to express themselves together and document their memories imaginatively in a scrapbook.

“I’m most excited for people to come together and finish their projects,” Scroggins said.
Scroggins loves to foster this community of crafters and encourage each of them to be creative in their own original way.

Croppers are encouraged to bring their scrapbooking projects, photos, paper, stickers, etc. Craft World is located five doors down from where the retreat will be taking place, so if croppers run out of supplies, they can pick up whatever they need at Craft World and get a 10% discount.

The theme for the weekend will be Las Vegas, so get ready for some fun.

There will be two croppers at each table with a maximum of 50 croppers.

The Guest Suites of Florala has plenty of fun things to do such as skeeball, a pool table, ping-pong table, dart board, puzzle table, an old-fashioned jukebox and six bicycles for participants to utilize.

A continental breakfast will be served every morning and coffee will be available all day. All other meals will be on your own.

The crop registration is $99. If croppers would like to stay overnight at Guest Suites of Florala, it is an extra $200.

Overnight accommodations will be at the Guest Suites of Florala, where the crop is occurring, as well as other Airbnb’s in the surrounding area.

There are a couple of single rooms, but the majority are shared. When registering, please enter the name(s) of the people you would like to share with and your email address. The rooms can sleep two to six people.

The room that sleeps 6 has a kitchen. If you are willing to share a queen bed, please contact Scroggins for discount pricing.

Please contact Scroggins with any questions by calling or texting (360) 870-8182 or emailing info@thecraftybean.com

The crop is put on by The Crafty Bean. Craft World is a subsidiary of The Crafty Bean.

3rd Annual Crafty Bean Crop
Sept. 20 – 22, 2024
Guest Suited of Florala
For mor info, contact Sandi Scroggins:
call/text: (360) 870-8182
or email: info@thecraftybean.com
thecraftybean.com/calendar

Their mission is to safeguard the most precious assets of our communities — our children. Through proactive measures and rapid response strategies, their angel guards are committed to creating an environment where every child can thrive without fear.

It all started April 16, 2024, when founder and active duty 20-year veteran Joshua Yirkovsky got the cops called on him by the principal of the school that his sons attend. He was the first in line in the car-rider line waiting to pick up his children at the end of the school day.

A homeless man walked up to the front door of the school and knocked on the door, trying to get in. The man was trying to attend a local church that uses the school’s facilities for its weekly service and Bible study. When the voice over the intercom told him he couldn’t come in, he became frustrated, threw his hands up in the air and walked away.

The principal saw the video footage, and it appeared the man got into Yirkovsky’s car. The principal called the cops and about 30 minutes later an officer showed up. When Yirkovsky was approached by the officer, he put his hands up and asked if everything was OK. When the principal, who knew Yirkovsky as a responsible and involved parent, came out of the school and saw that the officer was talking to him, she was relieved. She found out the homeless man had left the premises.

The whole experience got Yirkovsky thinking. He was pondering the amount of time it took for help to get there and considering security in schools overall.

“If there’s only a piece of glass between my kids and an intruder, that is not sufficient enough,” he thought. So, he told himself when he retired from the military, he would go watch the school and provide additional security. He thought about it more and came up with the idea of creating an organization of trained veterans providing security in schools.

The next day, on April 17, 2024, Yirkovsky bought his domain and started to build his website. On April 18, he applied for his LLC.

Angel Force Protection recently partnered with Rocky Bayou Christian School and will start providing security there this upcoming school year.

Two angel guards are assigned to each school that partners with Angel Force Protection. Their job is to protect the school and ultimately allow children to learn in a safe and free environment.

“We are a proactive organization in a society that has been reactive regarding safety in our school system,” Yirkovsky said.

This organization takes preemptive measures to prevent danger in schools.

“It’s spotting red flags that kids or staff may be showing, seeing bad guys with smiles on their faces, recognizing them, learning the intricacies of the school and the children to a point where they can tell if something’s wrong, and guide them to a position where they can talk to someone,” he said. “It’s educating children in advance on firearm safety, active shooter safety, and let them know what dangers are there; and that they’re safe as long as they’re educated on it and have our angel guards with them.”

Currently, a school resource officer (SRO) is assigned to a public school, and their job is to protect the school.

Yirkovsky wants to be clear that he is not trying to take away anything from the police force.
“I want to work in conjunction with them,” he said. “They are underappreciated and overutilized.”
School resource officers have been around for years and years, and they are police officers at the end of the day, Yirkovsky added.

“The goal is to get the police where they’re supposed to be, and that is in the police force protecting our streets. Police officers are underappreciated and overworked already. Basically, we want to allow them to do their job,” Yirkovsky said. “And we want to let teachers do their job, which is to teach.”

Angel Force Protection is looking at longevity. Yirkovsky said the organization plans to establish long-term relationships with schools on the Emerald Coast.

The angel guards protecting the school are exclusively veterans.

“Military war veterans are a different breed,” he said.

Angel guards are equipped physically, mentally and emotionally to handle any possible danger in our schools and prevent it from escalating.

Angel Force Protection not only provides security, but it also employs veterans, bringing them back into society and employing them in a way they are qualified.

“In my opinion, there’s nothing more important than the protection of our children.”

Angel Force Protection
www.angelfp.com
850-797-5288

By increasing your website speed and designing your website with mobile-first in mind, your search engine optimization and ranking improve drastically. Sandpaper Marketing can create a new website or give yours an Extreme Makeover-Online Edition, improving loading speed, website design, online content, security, analytics, and overall performance.

Identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers’ wants and needs can be challenging in an ever-changing world, but you can count on Sandpaper Marketing to make sure your business is leading with effective messaging delivered across a wide spectrum of platforms.

They specialize in creating great-looking, effective websites that get found, stand out and get your company business.

Web analytics provide rich insights into your website’s marketing effectiveness to drive a continual growth plan. Let the team of analytics specialists at Sandpaper Marketing help you optimize your website usability and maximize your marketing return on investment.

Sandpaper Marketing can target your ideal prospects by showing ads on their mobile device, tablet, desktop or television. What makes targeted advertising so special is that it is all about targeting your relevant audience. The team uses a powerful tool called geo-fencing to put ads in front of prospects who are visiting your competitors, sitting at the ballfield or driving through a fast-food restaurant. Your ad will then show up on the potential customer’s running apps, such as Facebook or YouTube.

Search engine optimization is a powerful tool and can be the reason someone discovers your business. Sandpaper Marketing specializes making sure your business has the most compelling online presence possible.

Engage your prospects, grow your database, generate leads and increase your followers with Sandpaper Marketing promotions and interactive content. From sweepstakes, quizzes, photo contests and ballots, we can create an online promotion to custom fit your business.

The team at Sandpaper Marketing can study a business, survey the competition and tailor a campaign which will deliver results. Some plans are as simple as social media management while other clients trust their entire business plan to Sandpaper Marketing.

“We believe marketing is essential to the long-term success of every business,” said owner, Sandi Kemp. “Good marketing powers your business as much as the electric company does. Operating without either is nearly impossible.”

Whether your needs are small or large, the team at Sandpaper Marketing is available to help you make your marketing vision a reality. Business cards, postcards, direct mail, branded promotional items or a full-fledged marketing plan – call the experts at Sandpaper Marketing. The service is personalized down to the last detail.

“Achieving growth for your business is what Sandpaper Marketing is all about,” Kemp said.

Offering graphic design, website development, search engine optimization and branding services for any business, Sandpaper Marketing works with each client to ensure the greatest success.

Sandpaper Marketing has worked with multiple businesses in the community including Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Life Church, Lighthouse Private Christian Academy, The British Pedlar, Rollins Distillery and many more.

Check out their online portfolio projects at www.sandpapermarketing. com.

Call Sandpaper Marketing today at 850-939-1900 to find out how they can make a difference in your bottom line.

Sandpaper Marketing
7502 Harvest Village Court
Navarre, Florida
850.939.1900
www.sandpapermarketing.com

Skip says “Many times when I speak with home owners regarding their declining lawn, they will say something like ‘Well, this yard is 8 years old. I know grass doesn’t last much longer than that down here. I guess it’s time to replace it.’ It is true that sometimes lawns do need to be replaced, however there are things you can do for your lawn that will help it to last indefinitely.”

AVOID OVER MAINTENANCE
According to Skip, one of the biggest reasons that lawns decline and need to be replaced is over maintenance with too much water and fertilizer. This is especially true for centipede lawns. Centipede grass is not meant to be a “trophy lawn” – lush and thick. It does best when it is maintained with a minimal amount of water and fertilizer. When grass is over watered and fertilized, it develops too much top growth or “thatch.” Thatch causes a number of problems including disease, insect activity and shallow root growth, all of which will eventually lead to decline.

DON’T LISTEN TO THE FERTILIZER MANUFACTURERS
Part of the problem of over-maintaining lawns comes from the unrealistic expectations and promises made by name brand fertilizer companies. Skip states “Some of the advertising material I’ve observed in local Big Box Stores advocates fertilizing your lawn up to 4 times in a growing season using their products. This is way too much and will quickly lead to the lawn being over stimulated, having too much top growth with too few roots and eventually falling into decline.”

WATER SPARINGLY
Giving your lawn too much water will have a similar effect as over fertilizing. Watering the lawn every day or even more than once a day will stimulate top growth and cause the root system to remain shallow because there is always moisture available in the first few inches of soil. Spacing out irrigation every few days allows the soil to begin to dry out, which will stimulate deeper root growth.

PERIODICALLY DETHATCH
Even with proper maintenance practices, most lawns may eventually develop too much top growth. When lawns get in this condition, dethatching is necessary to thin out the turf again by removing a portion of the runners in the lawn, reducing its density. The best way to dethatch a lawn is to use a power dethatcher. Tow behind dethatchers that are pulled by lawn tractors don’t do a good job at extracting enough thatch from the yard. A power dethatcher is about the size of a push mower and has small blades that spin vertically, removing excess top growth as you go over the lawn.

TOP DRESS WITH SAND
Once the dethatching process is complete, top dressing the lawn with about 1/2 inch of sand will stimulate the grass to recover and even out the surface of the lawn. Sand is better than top soil for a couple reasons. First, top soil may carry many weed seeds that would be introduced into your lawn. Second, University of Florida studies have found that the “good stuff” or organic matter in top soil actually filters down through our sandy soil past the grass root zone in just a matter of months after being applied, so you get no long-term benefit from using top soil instead of sand.
Another benefit from top dressing is covering root competition from trees that are in or near the lawn. Over time, tree roots invade soil space occupied by the grass and can create a thick mat of fibrous roots that is almost impossible for the grass to compete with. Top dressing provides a little extra free soil space for the grass roots to thrive in.

By following proper maintenance practices and periodically reducing the density of your lawn with dethatching and top dressing, it should last a lifetime without being replaced!

Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy? Skip offers FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS! Calling or text Father and Son Pest and Lawn Solutions at 850-240-7935 to set up a free lawn consultation. Or visit their website at www.fatherandsonlandscape.com

Skip says the Florida Panhandle is one of the most difficult places in the country to keep a lawn healthy. “We have poor soil that has little nutrition or moisture holding capabilities and a climate that is favorable to a number of pests and diseases that attack turf grass. You must be very pro-active with caring for your lawn or it will naturally just decline. Mother Nature never intended for turf grass to be grown in our region. So, if you are going to remove all the pine trees, scrub oaks and palmettos from a building lot and replace them with sod, you are going to have to continually work to keep the grass healthy and viable.”

All the information in his book comes from personal experience working in the lawn care industry and dealing directly with troubled lawns in this area over the last 30 years. It’s very practical information about things home owners should and should not do to their lawn and why.

In the book, Skip addresses many concerns and frustrations commonly expressed by home owners trying to keep their lawn healthy. “I talk about how to recognize specific pests and diseases, the proper way to water your lawn, the different types of turf grasses used in Florida and a lot more.”
Skip says that the belief that grass eventually wears out and must be replaced every so many years is not necessarily true. “If a lawn is maintained properly, it should last indefinitely. However, proper maintenance not only includes things like watering and chemical treatments; it also includes periodic mechanical maintenance such as dethatching, aeration and top dressing which I also discuss in my book.”

Skip feels one of the most important issues he addresses in the book is how to gauge a healthy lawn. He says we have been given unrealistic expectations about our lawns through the marketing efforts of fertilizer companies. “One of the biggest problems I see is well-meaning home owners who end up destroying their lawn by over maintaining it with too much water and fertilizer. Proper watering plays a big part in keeping a lawn healthy. Proper watering involves the correct amount of water applied at the right frequency and time of day.” Skip also says that most commercial fertilizers are not formulated for our soil here along the Emerald Coast and applying the wrong fertilizer can do more harm than good over time.

If you would like a copy of “What Every Home Owner On The Emerald Coast Needs To Know About Lawn Care,” Skip is offering a free copy of his book to all who ask for one. You can request a free copy of “What Every Home Owner on the Emerald Coast Needs to Know About Lawn Care” at www.fatherandsonlandscape.com.

Father and Son Pest and Lawn Solutions also offers FREE LAWN CONSULTATIONS to home owners struggling to keep their lawn healthy. Call or text 850-240-7935 for an appointment or visit www.fatherandsonlandscape.com for more information.

YOUR LAWN HAS LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT OVER THE WINTER
Skip says the first thing to realize is the condition of your lawn in the early spring is not the same as it was last fall when it went dormant. “Over the winter the lawn sheds up to 50 percent of its root mass along with about as much grass blades and runners. A lot of people begin to panic when they start to see their lawn come out of dormancy in the spring and realize it’s not as dense and lush as it was last year.”

Skip encourages home owners not to be anxious at the state of their lawn in early spring but to give it time to regain the root structure and top growth that it lost over the winter. He also states how temperature plays a significant part in how fast the grass starts growing. “Grass really does not start growing until the temperatures get into the mid 80s. Some years this happens sooner than others. This year we have had an exceptionally cool spring which has retarded the growth of the grass.”

THE TWO MOST COMMON FERTILIZER MISTAKES
According to Skip, the two most common mistakes people make when fertilizing their lawns in the spring are applying fertilizer too early and applying the wrong kind of fertilizer. “In order for the grass to get the maximum benefit from fertilizer, temperatures need to be in the mid to high 80s, otherwise most of the applied nutrients get washed down past the root zone before the grass ever has a chance to absorb them. Fertilizing in early spring while temperatures are still cool is like dumping more than half the bag of fertilizer down the drain because the grass is just unable to take it up.”

According to Skip, not only do you end up wasting money by applying fertilizer too early but there are a number of other disadvantages: Unabsorbed fertilizer runs off into nearby bodies of water and ground water causing pollution and fertilizing too early can also promote disease activity or chlorosis in the lawn making it turn yellow.

The type of fertilizer you apply to your lawn is also very important. “So many of the fertilizers sold in retail stores are not formulated for the type of soil we have in this area,” Skip cautions. “One unique characteristic of our soil here along the Emerald Coast, is that it is very low on phosphorus and potassium. Most fertilizers advertised and sold for spring have little to none of these nutrients in them! Applying these products leaves a big gap in the nutritional needs of your lawn!”

Skip recommends that a soil test be done to verify what nutrients are lacking from the soil and purchase a fertilizer that has those ingredients.

HOW TO PROPERLY APPLY FERTILIZER
Even though you may wait until the right time and purchase the right type of fertilizer for your lawn, it is still important that you apply it correctly. “Every spring you can drive around and see lawns that look striped dark green, light green, dark green from improper fertilizer applications.”

According to Skip, the best way to avoid striping your lawn with fertilizer is to apply granular fertilizer with a “broadcast spreader” which throws the fertilizer out the sides in a random pattern as opposed to a “drop spreader” which drops the granules straight down in a line and is much harder to get proper overlap. His other suggestion is to go back and forth over the lawn one time with the spreader and then back and forth again, changing directions 90 degrees to create a tic tac toe pattern.

In summary, to get the most benefit from feeding your lawn in the spring, wait until temperatures are well in to the 80s before applying fertilizer, apply a balanced formula fertilizer and use a broadcast spreader, going back and forth over the lawn at 90-degree angles. Are you having problems keeping your lawn healthy?

For FREE LAWN