The Five-0-Five
You know I am a big fan of spoon-feeding turf. Spoon feeding turf is when you feed the lawn in small doses with more frequent applications. This can be done throughout an entire season or at times during the growing season. I have always taken 2-3 different fertilizers and combined them and created many different spoon-feeding mixes. I have been doing it this way for years.
For the longest time, I have always wanted my very own “spoon-feeding” fertilizer. After almost an entire year of testing different combinations and rates, I finally landed on a blend that I really, really like. At first, I was looking to create a super complex solution that would do anything and everything...but, the cost would have been outrageous. The other problem I had with an “all in one” solution is you can only put so much stuff in one jug. After all the trial and error I landed on…. The Five-0-Five.
The Five-0-Five (5-0-5) is a blend of 5% Nitrogen, 5% Potassium, and 3% Calcium. The 5-0-5 was designed to be a “spoon-feeding” fertilizer. When applied at the recommended rates you will get great results if you are using it as intended. With that said, you most certainly can use The Five-0-Five as your main fertilizer source. But, I feel It’s just too expensive to use in that way. You are much better off using a fertilizer designed to be the main source of food for your turf and the 5-0-5 for spoon-feeding. The Five-0-Five is intended to supplement your current fertilizer program. Although it can be used as a stand-alone fertilizer, it is not intended to be.
Why did I choose a 5-0-5 ratio? Simple...I wanted to apply equal parts of Nitrogen and Potassium. That small 5% of nitrogen will “tickle” the turf and encourage a very small amount of growth. If you are feeding your turf correctly then this 5% of the nitrogen applied will simply help you maintain growth and maintain good color. This 5% nitrogen will also supply the plant with needed food to help it get through stressful situations. Nitrogen also comes in handy if you have a diseased lawn and you treat the lawn with a fungicide. Nitrogen will help the plant “grow out” of the disease faster.
Potassium is one of the three major elements most necessary for plant performance. The 5% potassium is in the mix strictly for stress-related reasons. Potassium works in the cells of the plant, resulting in greater drought tolerance, cold hardiness, and disease resistance.
Calcium is in this mix for one main reason...stress. Calcium is known for being able to strengthen the cell walls inside plants, therefore, making the plant “tougher” or stronger. This helps the plant to be able to fight off stress better. Calcium also helps plants absorb other nutrients and it promotes healthy soil structure by loosening soils and stabilizing organic matter, which increases water and nutrient-holding capacity.
You should now be able to see a common denominator between these three nutrients and the common theme of the overall blend. Although The Five-0-Five was created for spoon-feeding, it has an underlying purpose as well. That purpose is to help limit heat stress as much as possible.
The 5-0-5 can be applied and immediately watered in, but I prefer a foliar application because I feel the results are faster. This is especially true when using a high-powered adjuvant like O2-YS Natural Adjuvant. (Pro tip) Use the 5-0-5 + Natural Adjuvant when applying a fungicide to your turf. This is a killer mix to add to most any fungicide application because the O2-YS will enhance the plant’s natural defense mechanisms by way of the Chitosan.
For cool-season turf, a great time for spoon feeding is in the summer months when not a lot of nitrogen is wanted. It can also be used in the fall or spring when growing in a new lawn.
For warm-season turf, this can be used for grow-in purposes and in between normal feedings to maintain color.
I did quite a bit of spoon-feeding during the grow-in process at the shop. The bermudagrass LOVED this!
The Five-0-Five can be used on any turf type. It is recommended to be used at 3-6 ounces per 1000 square feet approximately 30 days apart during the growing season. To go above and beyond and really add another level of heat stress protection add N-Ext Sea-K at the ½ ounce per 1000 rate.
The Five-0-Five will be used inside the GCI Turf Cool Season Lawn Care Guide and the GCI Turf Bermudagrass Lawn Care Guide. This will be a part of the new update coming soon.
Here is my KBG from this past Fall that I used The Five-0-Five to grow it in. I got extremely good results with spoon-feeding.
The Five-0-Five comes in 2.5 gallons, 1 gallon, quart, and a hose-end quart size. I decided to offer a hose-end sprayer jug for those of you with small lawns. The other reason is some of you might not want to invest in a battery-powered sprayer to apply your liquids, so a hose-end sprayer will work great for you.
We do not have a 5-gallon option due to the high shipping cost. If you require 5 gallons or more simply purchase as many of the 2.5 gallons that you need.
I hope you have a great day today! Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this. We appreciate you!
Pete
GCI Turf