A 4-Step Program is like treating the symptoms of an illness by medicating a patient as apposed to getting to the root of the problem.  Just as a healthy individual needs adequate sleep and nutrition a good lawn starts with good soil.  A 4-Step Program does nothing to improve the soil’s condition.  I’m not saying you shouldn’t use the 4-Step Program, but getting your soil in better condition is critical to the success of your lawn.

Due to our region sitting on the Appalachian Plateau, our soil is very “clay like” .  A compact soil makes it very difficult for grass to develop an adequate root system, which results in a thin lawn.  For this reason, Jonathan Green has come out with a new product called Love Your Lawn – Love Your Soil.  This 100% organic product improves the soil’s porosity to allow water, air and grass roots to enter the soil more readily.  This product also encourages the natural soil microbes to release and recycle nutrients in the soil.  Calcium, sulfur and iron can then promote a healthy, vigorous lawn.

In addition to improving the porosity of your soil, making sure your soil’s PH is neutral is critical to obtaining a thick, green lawn.  For more information on why liming is so important check out my blog entry from three weeks ago.

Before you just start applying a 4-Step Program again this year, consider adding a liming agent, such as MAG-I-CAL (fast acting lime, one bag does 5,000 sq ft) and a soil conditioner, such as Love Your Lawn – Love Your Soil.  Adding these two products to your yearly lawn care program will significantly improve your lawns appearance over time.  Once you improve your soil’s condition and keep up with reseeding, weeds will have very little room to grow.

Recommended Application Timeline

1.) MAG-I-CAL: Late March- End April

2.) Step 1: Late March-Early April (reseeding can be done in areas where Step 1 is not applied, or you must purchase a Step 1 for Seeding bag).

3.) Love Your Lawn – Love Your Soil: Mid to Late April

4.) Step 2: 6-8 weeks after Step 1 (Same goes for Steps 3 and 4)

5.) MAG-I-CAL: Early to Late September (reseed and over seed as needed)

** Step programs traditionally are associated with chemical fertilizers, however there are organic 4-step programs as well.  Additionally, some users will mix and match chemical and organic fertilizers based on their lawn’s needs and their individual preferences.

The combination of our region’s acidic rainfall and acid loving plants, such as Pine trees, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, etc promotes an acidic soil medium.  When your soil’s PH becomes imbalanced (too acidic or alkaline) your grass will not be receptive to absorbing nutrients from the soil.   This leads to a thinning lawn, opening up holes for weeds and moss to flourish!

How can I tell if my soil is acidic?

We sell PH soil test kits, however sometimes this isn’t needed to diagnose areas of your lawn that might be too acidic.  If you have a bunch of pine needles covering your soil, or if the area you’re trying to reseed is next to an acid loving plant, such as a Rhododendron or Azalea, it probably needs some lime.

So….this Spring don’t simply put down an application of fertilizer and a little seed and expect to get good results.  If your soil medium is not PH neutral you will limit the results you receive from the fertilizer and seed you put down.

Are all lime products created equal?

No, when it comes to selecting a lime source we have a couple different options.  You can purchase the basic pellitized lime, or a fast acting calcium based product. You can get away with the basic lime if you don’t need immediate results.  However, if you plan to reseed an area of your lawn that is not PH neutral the fast acting lime product will provide much better results.

Don’t shortchange your efforts this Spring.  Make sure you pick up a bag of lime with your purchase of fertilizer and seed.

Every year your lawn probably comes up looking fairly weed free.  Then May hits and the dandelions start to pop up.  You buy a bag of weed control and put it down with your spreader.  Then the summer hits and the clover, chickweed, ground ivy weeds and African Violet weeds start to over run your lawn.  This prompts you to buy some more weed control.

If you’re looking to cut down on the number of weeds your lawn gets, seeding every spring and fall is a necessity.  Think of your lawn like your body.  You can wait until you get an illness and then treat with medication, or you can be proactive and get the proper nutrition and sleep to prevent the illness from ever occurring in the first place.

The thicker your lawn is, the less room there is for weeds to grow.  That’s why I recommend that you keep up with replacing your bare/dead patches of grass every Spring and Fall.  Plus even in areas where you have grass it might not be as full as it could be.  Getting in a habit of over-seeding each Spring and Fall is a good practice as well.  Seeding doesn’t mean you won’t have to or shouldn’t use weed controls each year, it just means you won’t have as many weeds to kill each year.  After a couple years of reseeding and over-seeding along with staying on top of your weeds by killing then promptly you will start to reduce the number of weeds you get each year.

As with most things in life, it pays to be proactive.  Stop in to Rolliers this Spring and ask one of our sales associates in Lawn and Garden about what seed is right for your lawn.

Thanks,

Brett Satterfield

When you sweat the water, electrolytes and organic compounds (oils and fats) in your body get absorbed by your clothing.  Synthetic apparel is especially good at wicking away moisture, however it traps the oils and fats from our body in the fibers of its apparel.  These oils and fats become a prime food source for bacteria to feast on.  As the bacteria digests the oils and fats it releases a foul odor!

Unlike traditional detergents, Win Detergent is very effective at breaking the bond between your skin’s oils and your synthetic garments.  While getting rid of the stink is what most people are concerned about, using Win Detergent has other benefits as well.  By removing the oil and fats from your your synthetic apparel it will be better able to absorb sweat the next time around.  In addition, synthetic apparel that is free of oils and fats will stretch better with your body, thus increasing the life of your expensive synthetic garments!

Let’s review why you should use Win Detergent instead of a traditional detergent for your synthetic apparel:

1.) No Stink: removes the oils and fats that causes synthetic apparel to stink.

2.) Better Performance: Synthetic apparel free of oils and fats from our body’s sweat will wick future sweat and stretch better with your body as it moves.

3.) Longevity: Synthetic apparel fibers that are not inhibited by oils and fats will not break down as quickly, thus increasing the life of your expensive garments!

*While Win Detergent was designed for synthetic apparel, it can also be used on cotton fabrics.  Safe for regular and HE washers.  For more information, check out our Win Detergent product page.

**FREE TRIAL PACKAGES are available for a limited time.  See a cashier or sales clerk in the housewares section.

Eew, my shower is getting nasty again.  I guess it is time to get out the stinky bleach spray and clean things up.  Then scrub away at the soap scum.

Now you don’t have to go through all that agony!  Simply spray down your shower once a week with Wet & Forget Shower to eliminate and prevent mold, mildew, soap scum, grime and oils from forming in your shower.  Unlike other mildew shower prevention products, this one actually works!!

Not only is Wet & Forget Shower easy to use, it contains no bleach, ammonia, dyes, or irritating fumes!  The best time to apply the product is right after the last shower is taken for the night.  Then simply spray all surfaces down the next morning before the first shower is taken.  If you’re going to use Wet & Forget Shower to remove mold, mildew, soap scum, etc multiple applications may be needed.  Repeat application each day until there is no visual evidence.  Then proceed to apply once a week to prevent reappearance of mold, mildew, soap scum, grime and oils.

One 64oz bottle will last approximately 3 months when treating in preventative mode.  For more information and pricing see our product page.  Wet & Forget Shower is available in our housewares section.  Feel free to give us a call if you have further questions or just stop into our store!

Thanks,

Brett Satterfield

Wet & Forget is a safe and effective moss, mold and mildew remover that can be used outside on almost any structure!  Simply spray the product on and let it naturally decompose the organic matter (moss, mold, mildew, algae).  No power washing needed, which can create dangerous airborne mold spores.  Plus, the product contains no bleach. Finally, not only does the product remove organic matter, but it prevents it from coming back for up to six months!

While Wet & Forget is safe, effective and easy to apply, there are a few things you should know before you apply the product.

1. It takes a while to work: Unlike bleaching products, Wet & Forget takes a little while to work.  Results can start to be noticed in as little as a few weeks, but it can take up to a few months to fully eradicate the organic matter.  In really bad cases, reapplication may be necessary.
2. Must receive water to wash the organic matter off: If the area you plan to spray doesn’t naturally receive rainfall, you will need to hose it off every few weeks to remove the decaying organic matter.
3. Surrounding plants and grass should be wet down prior to application: While safer than a bleach product, if surrounding vegetation is not wet down prior to application over spray from Wet & Forget may spot plants.  Therefore, spray down surrounding plants before application and hose off after application to ensure no damage is done.

To review, here’s a list of benefits Wet & Forget provides:

1. Eliminates organic matter safely
2. Prevents regrowth of organic matter for up to 6 months!
3. Can be applied to almost any outdoor surface including: Concrete & Pavement (driveways, patios, retaining walls, sidewalks), Decks (Composite, natural wood, painted wood, stained wood, and pressure treated lumber), Roofs (asphalt & fiberglass shingles, clay & concrete tile, slate, steel), Siding (aluminum, brick, stucco, vinyl, wood), and much, much more!

Wet & Forget is located in our Paint Department.  Come in and check it out!

View our digital product page for Wet & Forget.

Thanks,

Brett Satterfield

Fall provides the ideal conditions to get grass to grow (combination of precipitation, sunlight and temperature), but the window is shorter than spring time, so don’t procrastinate!!  Here’s a 5 step process to ensure you optimize the potential for optimal grass germination.

1. Rake up the dead grass: Use a hand cultivator or small trowel to pull up the dead grass.  NOTE: Sometimes grass will just go dormant over the summer and then spring back once it gets enough water.  If your brown patch has some green grass and it is still rooted in the ground, let these spots go a couple of weeks and see if they spring back with a little cooler weather and some rain.  If the spots pull up with no, or little resistance they are most likely not coming back.  These areas need to be re-seeded.
2. Rough up the soil/add top soil: A good fertile base is critical to getting your grass to germinate. Rough up your soil with a hand cultivator.  For a more ideal planting medium add approximately 1/4″ – 1/2″ of top soil (Garden Magic or Scott’s Seeding Soil) to the ground.
3. Select the proper seed:  I could expand on this section a lot more, but we’ll keep it simple to keep the entry short.  Basically, you want to select a seed mixture that is conducive to the amount of light the bare spots get in your lawn (shade, sun/shade, sunny, etc.).  For more information on selecting the right seed, see one of our specialists in our Lawn & Garden department to ensure you get the right bag for your needs.
4. Sprinkle Seed: Seed should be spread down at a rate close to the density you would sprinkle a cookie with sprinkles.
5. Lightly dust/cover with Sphagnum Peat Moss:  A light dusting of peat moss will help add some additional moisture retention to the soil.  It is critical that grass seed gets ample moisture before and especially after the seed germinates.  The sphagnum Peat Moss will give it that little extra boost, especially if you don’t add fresh topsoil before laying your seed down.  Don’t put down too much peat moss as that will reduce the chance it will receive ample sunlight necessary to germinate.

Replanting grass seed in the fall will not only help to keep your lawn looking good and dark green, but it will prevent weeds from taking over these dead spots next spring.  Don’t procrastinate, get in here and get it done this fall!

Thanks for reading.

Brett Satterfield

A few months back I was cooking up a tasty pasta dish that required cooking sausage links in extra virgin olive oil.  The oil was spattering a lot during the cooking of the sausages.  When I finished, I looked down at my new shoes and saw a bunch of oil spatter on them and thought, no!  I just ruined them.  Then I thought, I might as well try something.  I decided to try a little bit of Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #2 remover for greasy and oily stains and it magically took all the oil off the shoes!  It did however lighten the color of the leather shoes, but I restored that by spraying an all weather sealer on my shoes and they were good as new.

Fast forward a few months and I noticed that the gel stain remover I used on my white shorts failed to completely remove a little bit of chocolate that had stained my shorts.  I pulled out Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #1 for food stains and it instantly removed the stain!!  I put the shorts through the wash just to make sure the food stain would not resurface.  They came out good as new!

I can’t say enough about this product.  For only $5.99 you get three small bottles of stain remover that can treat a variety of stains.  It’s saved me more than a hundred dollars just by removing stains on a pair of shoes and shorts.

Here’s a breakdown of what you get with Motsenbocker’s Lift Off Stain Remover Kit:

• Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #1: Removes food, beverage and pet stains from clothing, furniture, fabrics, concrete, etc
• Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #2: Removes sticky, oily and greasy stains (gum, crayons, pencil marks, stickers & tape, salad dressing, tar, motor oil, lipstick, etc.) from carpet, fabric, hard surfaces, vinyl, tile, floors, etc.
• Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #3: Removes permanent marker, pen & ink, nail polish, highlighters, etc. from upholstery, hard surfaces, tile, concrete, brick, shoes, etc.

Motsenbocker’s Lift Off Remover kit is available in our Housewares Department.  We also stock a variety of other products from Motsenbocker, including individual spray bottles of #1, #2 and #3, so no matter what your stain removing needs are, Motsenbocker probably has a solution for you!

Thanks for reading.

Brett Satterfield

The blog entries will be grouped into four different themes:

• Spend a Little – Save a Lot > featuring products that don’t cost a lot relative to the amount they will save you down the line.
• Now’s the Time too…. > Will feature what tasks you should be taking care of at the given time of the year.
• What’s Trending? > If 10 people are asking about something, chances are many more of our customers have the same question.  We will save you the hassle of asking and give you the answer in our blog post.
• What’s New? > Will feature the HOT new items that we are bringing in.

In addition to the website, we will also be launching an email service and Facebook page.  The email service will offer updates to store sales, special events, exclusive coupons and other website content updates.  The Facebook page will provide an ongoing dialog between our customers and us, monthly contests, etc.  Be sure to like our Facebook page, so you get our periodic update on your news board.  You won’t want to miss all the free stuff we will be giving away!

We hope you’re just as excited as I am for all the new electronic content we are launching as we catch up with everyone else online!

Brett Satterfield