Happy May! Welcome back to our Potestio Brothers Equipment Newsletter!
We are so glad you have joined us,
Thank You!
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We are so excited to announce that we will soon have a service department in Kiowa! Thank you for your patience! |
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Proper Machine Maintenance |
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Proper machine maintenance is the best way to make sure your equipment starts quickly, runs efficiently, and mows beautifully. Click HERE to schedule your machine's maintenance today! |
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The truth about when to apply lawn fertilizer and what fertilizer to use
You see and hear a lot of lawn fertilizer commercials this time of year. But not everything in those commercials is applicable to Colorado lawns.
- You don't need to apply fertilizer to your lawn four times a year, as many commercials would have you believe. Two or three applications are sufficient for most Colorado lawns. The best times to fertilize are around Memorial Day, Labor Day and Halloween.
- So-called "weed and feed" fertilizers might appear to save time, but they are more expensive than just fertilizer and unless you have an excessively weedy lawn, the herbicide will be applied to areas that don't require it. This creates waste and can lead to pollution from water runoff from your lawn. Instead, control weeds by pulling or spot spraying.
- Most established Colorado lawns have adequate phosphorus and potassium in the soil without applying additional fertilizer. Look for a slow-release fertilizer that contains mostly nitrogen, the first number in the ratio, much smaller or 0% phosphorous and a low percentage of potassium. If you're unsure of your soil condition, a ratio of 10-0-2 or 4-1-2 is fine.
- Grass doesn't distinguish between nutrients supplied by granular, liquid or organic fertilizers, so use whichever you prefer.
Why aerating is better than power raking for most lawns — and why the earlier you do it, the better
These tasks are best to do sooner rather than later in spring because waiting can cause damage to young grass roots.
- Aeration improves the grass root zone by pulling plugs from the ground, which lessens soil compaction while controlling thatch accumulation. Soil compaction is one factor that contributes to thatch buildup.
- Deep power raking (machine) often removes a substantial portion of the living turf, which is not good. Light power raking (lawn rake) of wet, matted grass can speed spring green-up by letting air move into the root zone and warming the turf.
- You can rent an aerator for about $70 or more, plus a tote trailer, or pay a lawn care company $70 or more depending on the size of your lawn. Usually, the minimum time to rent an aerator is four hours, so you can do multiple lawns to cut individual cost.
- When aerating, make sure your soil is adequately wet, which allows for deeper plugs and better aeration.
- You can allow the plugs to break up naturally, break them up using your lawn mower, or rake them up and compost them.
The truth about leaving grass clippings on your lawn
- Contrary to popular belief, grass clippings do not contribute to thatch accumulation in your lawn.
- Clippings reduce by one-quarter to one-third the amount of nitrogen you need to apply to your lawn because clippings recycle nutrients.
- Mow regularly enough that you only cut one-third of the grass blade length. This is beneficial to the grass blade and keeps clippings short enough to break down faster.
- If weather or another factor prevents mowing at the proper time, raise the height of the mower. Cut the grass again a few days later at the normal mowing height.
- Bluegrass lawns in Colorado should be mowed to a height of 2½ inches in spring, then allowed to grow 3 to 3½ inches as the weather warms. The longer grass length helps retain soil moisture.
When to turn on your sprinkler system and water-saving tips
- The longer you can wait, the better for water conservation but also to lessen the chance of a freeze damaging above-ground parts of your system. This winter, we have received less snow than average but much more precipitation in the form of rain than average, so lawns are in good shape.
- The rule of thumb for watering an established lawn is to do it as deeply and as infrequently as possible. Programming your system to deliver shorter periods of water in two cycles is optimal. This allows water to soak in and results in less water waste.
- Generally, apply 1 to 1.5 inches of water per irrigation. To determine how long this takes, set several shallow containers (such as baking pans) in different areas of the lawn for 30 minutes while irrigating. Measure in inches the depth of water accumulated in the containers for the amount applied in 30 minutes.
- The most efficient time of day to water is 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Contrary to popular belief, watering at night does not encourage disease development in Colorado.
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John Deere is looking for a different kind of CTO — a Chief Tractor Officer.
- The winner of the competition will help launch the agriculture equipment company's new TikTok channel.
One winning applicant will receive up to $192,300 to traverse the country over the next several months showcasing the way John Deere products are used by workers, from Yellowstone National Park to Chicago's Wrigley Field and beyond.
"No matter what you do — whether it's your coffee, getting dressed in the morning, driving to work, the building you go into — it's all been touched by a construction worker, a farmer, or a lawn care maintenance group," Jen Hartmann, John Deere's global director of strategic public relations, told AdAge.
To kick off the search, John Deere tapped NFL quarterback Brock Purdy (who will presumably be a bit busy this Fall to take the job himself) to star in a clip in which he attempts to set out on a road trip in an industrial tractor.
Suited up in the obligatory vest, work boots, and John Deere hat, Purdy's progress is interrupted by teammate Colton McKivitz hopping into the cab while a string of messages floods in from other athletes and influencers expressing interest in the job.
The clip also represents the first time that the 187-year-old company has used celebrities to promote itself, Hartmann told AdAge.
Video submissions will be judged against four categories — originally, creativity, quality, and brand knowledge — after which five finalists will be chosen and notified after May 17.
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You can now text any of our locations from your cell phone or by clicking the Text Us button on our website for status updates, payments, questions for any department and inventory stock! |
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7380 Space Village Ave Colorado Springs,
CO 80929
PHONE: 719.550.0680
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2930 S Grand Ave Glenwood Springs,
CO 81601
PHONE: 970.456.3633
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7993 Cherrywood Loop Kiowa,
CO 80117
PHONE: 720.644.4709
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19020 Longs Way Parker,
CO 80134
PHONE: 303.841.2299
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