how often can you use this tonic on your lawn. I'm in Long Island N>Y> and help please?
Secret Lawn Tonic Recipe From Golf Course Groundskeeper - Updated
I am always on the lookout for gardening tips and cheats because, well, I'm awful at gardening. My local news station airs this one every year, and it has always worked wonders for my lawn. And as I live in the arid climate of Colorado, it's even more useful these days. (See also: 7 Ways to Improve the Life of Your Lawn Mower)
The recipe came from Tim Heffron, a former groundskeeper at a golf course. All you need are five common household ingredients and a 10-gallon hose-end sprayer. This recipe can be modified slightly for other less dry climates, but for areas like Colorado it works wonders. And it's a heck of a lot cheaper and more effective than the store-bought mixes.
You will need:
- One full can of regular pop (any kind-no diet soda)
- One full can of beer (no light beer) 12oz
- 1/2 Cup of Liquid dishwashing soap (do NOT use anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid)
- 1/2 Cup of household ammonia
- 1/2 Cup of mouthwash (any brand)
Directions:
- Pour into 10-gallon hose-end sprayer (other sizes will work too)
- In high heat, apply every three weeks
UPDATE - 6/23/09
I have received several emails recently asking me about the 10-gallon hose end sprayer, and if you need to add 10 gallons of water to the solution.
The 10-gallon hose end sprayer is actually quite small, enough to fit the undiluted solution. You can find them in most hardware stores, and I found one for less than $10 at Amazon. You fill the hose end sprayer, attach it to your hose and turn on the water. The solution is mixed with water as it sprays out, automatically diluting it, and should give you enough for 10 gallons of the diluted mixture. I hope that helps.
That's it! Simple, easy, cheap and very very effective. But I already know what you're asking. How does this work? Well, Heffron explains the science behind the homemade tonic:
The liquid soap is a wetting agent, helping the formula penetrate the roots.
The ammonia promotes growth and turns your lawn green.
The mouthwash does something you would never suspect mouthwash would do. It kills the bugs and grubs.
NOTE: Do NOT use anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid in the mixture as it will kill off important microbes in the lawn and soil that help "digest" thatch.
Says Tim,
"It essentially messes-up their re-productive cycles and keeps them out of your lawn and makes it look a lot better and leaves it minty fresh," laughs Heffron. And because it's applied with the hose sprayer, it's a direct shot to your sod. "When you don't have a lot of water and we're on watering restrictions, this is another way to get the nutrients to your lawn and keep it growing."
So there you have it. My lawn is already starting to awaken from its winter hibernation here in Colorado, and it won't be long before the scorching sun will turn the neighbors' new green growth into brown, dry thatch. But with my trusty tonic by my side, my lawn will be greener than blood from a Vulcan.
Additional photo credit: Amazon
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I've been using this on my lawn for over 10 years. Not that it means much to anyone, but I swear by it. I've actually had lawn company sales people ask me what company I'm using on it. And all of my neighbors are using this on their lawns.
One point that's not mentioned in the article: it's best to apply this in the morning, AFTER you've lightly watered the lawn first.
A prior poster asked about soaps: I like regular Joy and Ivory the best.
And applying in high heat is fine. Again it's just best to apply it in early in the day.
I have tried this recipe before and it did wonders for my lawn. i actually had it written on my garage wall for fast, easy reference. However, since I have moved twice since those days, I could never remember the recipe.
I did always remember the beer, but I would always get out of the liquor store and forget the rest of the ingredients, so I usually just drank the beer while fertilizing with store bought stuff. ;)
Thanks for posting this solution for my lawn.
Shawn
I am a biologist and a chemist, a PhD in both. The ammonia has such a small amount of nitrogen in it, and it has such a high evaporation rate, that very little if any of the nitrogen reaches the roots. The beer is supposed to be used for the active yeast for breaking down the mulch, but in processed beer the yeast is dead. The shampoo makes the blades of the grass shiny and does sort of act as a soil softener. The soda is just plain silly and attracts more bugs that the mouthwash would kill. Plain soap would do a much better job at killing the little aphids on your plants if you had them, the soap coats their skin and prevents them from breathing. If you want to actually 'test' this concoction, I recommend actually measuring the results. Mark out two sections of lawn one square foot each and mark them with spray paint or ribbon; put them some distance apart in equal amounts of sun/shade. Measure the of mulch in each sample - at this point - they should be the same. Next test the soil hardness by pressing down on the soil, you could use an expensive tool, or you could just see how much 'give' the soil has and how hard you have to press to make an indentation of a certain size. As far as the bugs, yes, you would have to count them. Next do your treatment on only one sample. Then remeasure each sample every five days to a week. Re-treat and then remeasure each week. If in eight weeks after two applications, the only thing you will see is that the treated sample is shiny. I recommend, taking a shower with the soap, rinsing with the mouthwash, dumping the soda (useless anyway), and drinking the beer. I have the best lawn in the neighborhood. I drink the beer while I use iron to make the lawn greener with out expediting the growth. Use Milorganite to also make it green and promote growth (all natural, comes from water treatment plants) PS: If you 'must' do this goofy mixture, put a golf ball in the sprayer to help mix while you apply.
Seriously people - think and test. Be your own judge.
Dave here, I'm going to try again. If this doesn't work this time I would like someone to give me the name brand of all the ingredients you used as I used cheap value brands. Maybe there is a difference and please be specific on the application rate.
I don't know the exact "science" of how each of these ingredients work, but I use this tonic faithfully on my lawn and not to brag, but I have the best lawn on the block. I have people stop all the time and tell me how beautiful my lawn is. I have been watching my neighbors yard who spends hundreds of dollars a year on lawn-care companies and my yard is 100% better looking than theirs. If it works for one person, they all you nay-sayers can do what works for YOU!!! I think perhaps some of these people own or work for lawn-care companies. I've had them myself, but they just didn't do for me what I expected. I take care of my OWN yard now!!! No need to judge people who choose to try this on their lawn. It is far better than using chemicals and I'm not saying this provides ALL of the nutrients your lawn may need. It is an individual thing and I do recommend you have your soil tested to see what your lawn is requiring. For me, I water my lawn prior to putting the tonic on (or right after a rainfall), that way it isn't just evaporating. I do it once a month and I use an Ortho brand sprayer that holds all of the tonic. I set my dial just below "4" and the water automatically mixes in the proper ratio. I would say this mixture is enough to cover at least 10,000 sq. ft as that is what size my lawn is. I spray it on pretty good...It makes my grass super soft and I do not see a lot of insects or insect damage on my lawn. It has NEVER turned my lawn brown or killed the grass....I do not use "Dawn" detergent because as someone said, it has degreaser in it. I just go to the Dollar store and buy the cheapest dishsoap that is not anti-bacterial or containing degreaser and the cheapest mouthwash, ammonia, generic soda and whatever brand of beer we have in the fridge. Just don't used diet soda. Works great for me and I hope it does the same for you!!! Keep us all posted on your results!!!
Barb I can tell you that I do not own or work for a professional lawncare service. I too take care of my own yard. I must admit I have in the past ( prior to this year) purchase store bought seasonal fertilizers. Trust me I would love for this solution to work for me also, but unfortunately I have yet to see any results. One item that I deleted was the mouthwash as I thought that was used to kill grubs and or other insects. Also used a Miracle-Gro hose-end sprayer. (Does not have a dial adjustment) It could very well be that this sprayer is not mixing the formula appropriately and leaving out the mouthwash has had an adverse effect. I can say that I enjoy working in my yard and have also had one of the nicer yards in the neighborhood. Next step would be to buy the Ortho sprayer and add the mouthwash before I make final judgement.
We live in Orlando, Florida. We do it about once a quarter. We would never do anything else. We have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood, even through the hottest months while everyone else's lawn is burning up... And it definitely keeps the pesky bugs away... It's the bomb!
Have read numerous posts but I don't remember seeing anything
about preparing the solution in advance. Can a couple gallons
be mixed in advance and held until ready to use.
Robert
Wow! I have been looking for a solution like this for YEARS! Thank you for sharing your secret formula! :)
Has anyone tried this tonic along with Scotts? I just put down Scotts and would like to try the tonic, is that going to cause issues?
someone ask about the safety issue is this tonic safe for cats and dogs. My cats like to eat the grass outside, does anyone know the answer to this please?
HOW LONG DOES THE AMONIA LAST WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PUT ON A PASTURE THAT WILL HAVE HORSES ABOUT THREE MONTHS FROM NOW?
Greets,
I tried this out for the first time this year and it's working great for me.
The ingredients I used were...
Budweiser Beer 12 oz out of a bottle
Coke 12 oz can
Palmolive original dish soap 1/2 cup
Scope original mint 1/2 cup
Clear Ammonia 1/2 cup
I used an Ortho 32 oz sprayer (the mixture just fits) and set it at 2.5 oz per gallon. I slowly walked the yard 1/2 acre. I had to make 5 batches. As far as what the ingredients do specifically I'm not sure but it works for me.
The yard does smell minty fresh which is kind of nice but it fades by the next day. I can honestly say that this worked for me as my grass is super green. I even had some grass coming up that I had seeded in the fall. The new grass was not as green as my established grass but after spraying this mixture it greened right up. My grass is super green and my surrounding neighbors lawns are no where near as green. It almost looks like I painted it a dark green.
I would let it dry before your pets walk on it.
Anyway it works for me so hopefully it will work for you. I plan on spraying the lawn every 4 to 6 weeks.
I followed this tonic to the tee and sprayed on Wed. and by friday, my lawn seemed to be turning brown. Noone shows any before or after pictures and nothing says anywhere that it will turn brown before it turns green. Has anyone experienced this?
Wanted to try this but...
My 10 gal. sprayer has a measuring idle.
It measures 1 tsp-4 tsp, 1-3 tbs and 1-8 oz.
So what setting should I use.
Recipe makes 36 oz of concentrated 'Secret Lawn Tonic,' and the auther states, "should give you enough for 10 gallons of the diluted mixture."
36 oz / 10 gallons = 3.6 oz per gallon
Assuming your hose end sprayer's concentration settings are per gallon, I would set it somewhere at or between 3-4 oz and see what happens.
I haven't tried this yet, but I will be this coming weekend. I don't know if it will work, but it's cheap to find out and it's fun to try stuff like this. I can't find a downside.
Maybe I'll be the proud owner of the greenest lawn in NW Austin. Take that neighbors!
I found this article, and read all the comments, looking for a solution to my garden problem. I live in Clearwater Florida, bought this house about a year ago. So far, I have not been able to grow much of ANYTHING, not even weeds. Most of my neighbors have lawns without watering or fertilizing, and I have been trying and I have mostly bare dirt.
I went looking on the Internet for the rate of application of Ivory Dishwashing Liquid to correct soil that repels water. The soil here is pure sand, yet hard. I have to work hard to soak an area just to dig a hole to plant grass plugs, and when the hole is finally dug, the soil is bone dry underneath. So then I filled the holes with water, and it doesn't drain. I finally realized that this is why nothing will grow.
So, I do have a specific issue to address, and the entire property needs the addition of a surfectant so that water will penetrate the soil. Ivory dish liquid is the inexpensive answer (and the rate would be as per the recipe given here, diluted just with water. I will add food coloring or Miracle Grow so that I know when the solution is gone from the sprayer.).
I am not sure about the other ingredients in this recipe, if they do any good. I can say with certainty that if diluted per the instructions, they won't do any harm. However my guess is that it is the DISH SOAP that makes the biggest difference and results in the reports of "greenest lawn" among the comments.
Soil wetting agents are discussed in many places on the Internet, and I believe it was Colorado State University IFAS Extension website where I found discussion that... the soil should be well watered (as much as possible) before and after application to move the surfectant through the soil. You want some of that soap to get down well into the soil so that water behaves as it should to wet roots, and then keeps on draining away from the roots.
How much to apply? Has been asked over and over, and answered in the comments. Perhaps the blog owner could revise his article once more, to give the full answer which is: Apply as much as you like, so long as you dilute it per the instructions (hose end sprayer on any setting, and don't be stingy with water).
So - I've read through all the comments and, although I haven't personally tried it, I AM planning on it. Everyone seems to be hung up on how much to use. The article says 3 oz/10 gal. My sprayer has tea/tablespoon settings. There are 2 tablespoons in a fluid oz. That would make SIX teaspoons (3 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon), but my sprayer only goes up to 4, so I'll use that and hope for the best. Anything is probably better than nothing. Even if it doesn't really do anything, it's not earth-shattering to try it.
As for it working or not working, please remember that all soils and weather conditions are not created equally. What may work in Colorado may not work as well (or maybe better?) in Hawaii. The advice and recipe here are free, though, so use it or don't. Again, the results are going to vary for every lawn it's used on. It may even go so far as working well on YOUR lawn, but do nothing for your next door neighbor.
As far as pets go, if your pet is eating the grass, something is missing in it's diet. Talk to your vet about that one. As far as just walking around on it, just keep the pet from walking on it until it dries. The same advice would be given from the big lawn care pros with their chemical sprays.
Ok, I'm off to give my lawn a bath. If anything, maybe it will just get it a little drunk. That's ok, too, though, as it won't be driving any time soon! :-D
The article says don't use anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid, but most mouthwash are anti-bacterial. It does I can use any brand of mouthwash. So the anti-bacteria ingredient in mouthwash is different from the one in dishwashing liquid? I don't get it. Unfortunately, I sprayed it this afternoon, and I just realized it now (5 hours later). I will see if it works or not.
It seems it does work. My lawn is a little greener than before, although I still worry about the mouthwash would kill the microbes in the soil. BTW, I live in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
I have been using this formula in combination with a regular maintenance routine for three years...the results are stunning....I recommend this to everyone. Eastern Canada.
Tried it just a few days ago. The lawn does seem a little greener so far. I thought I was going to have to buy one of those hose end sprayers but found I had several leftover lawn weed killer bottles that just happen to be hose end sprayers that work just fine. The miracle grow solids sprayers did not work right in my opinion because they are filling with water all the time to dilute solids. This stuff is a lot cheaper at the dollar stores. So we have to keep Pabst Blue Ribbon on hand now. Even with those $0.75 beers an application might not even cost me $2 for my whole yard. My yard was just starting to look kind of dead in comparison to the neighbors but now it's looking good.
used this recipe exactly as it is stated. killed my entire lawn. be careful...stick with the old standard, scott's or miracle grow. i am not a happy camper about this
IS THIS MIXTURE SAFE FOR PETS.... WITH A GRASS OUTDOOR RUN FOR MY DOGS, I WOULDN'T WANT THEM TO GET TIPSY FROM THE BEER...
I've used this tonic for a little over a year. It's the best my lawn has looked in my 16 years in the house!
Do I have to water before I apply this and how long afterward can I water? It sounds fabulous.
Thank you so much.
Read Jerry Baker's lawn book. I've been doing this for years. And yes, it works. Most importantly is that your lawn needs water!
Too bad its Jerry Baker's recipe from 25 years ago.Yah know that nutty guy who was a renowned gardener always mixing up things to use in the garden.He also said metal things were good cause the static electricity from storms would super charge the plants even more when storms passed by..
This has been a dry spring/summer here in Michigan. I'm built on a sandpit with very little topsoil to hold moisture or feed the lawn. So I am dry even in a rainy year. I've been watering like crazy this year to little avail. Also fertilized spring and summer. Used iron for quick greening. Nothing. Tried this, and one week later(and one good soaking rain later), I have the only green lawn in the area, and many others have in-ground sprinklinng systems and use the commercial companies with truck sprayers. They're bummin'- I'm NOT. I'd say this works, but I've also been watering and previously did use normal purchased products already. But this stuff did it as far as I'm concerned. I put it on using 5oz setting. If you killed your lawn with it, I'd guess you haven't watered after, or you put it on way too rich, or both.
Bought a home 3 years ago and the front lawn was mostly weeds. I spent last year planting and pulling tons of the weeds only to have my new grass die. I found out it was grubs a little too late so everything I planted last year is dead. This year I started again, after killing off the grubs. I can't tell you how many trash bags full of weeds I pulled. My wrist is so messed up because of the pulling. I pulled runners of grass and replanted in the bare areas and then I came across this blog. I thought, what the hell, it can't get any worse. Well, I did not add the beer or soda because we drink neither and I didn't even measure the other ingredients. It has been 3 weeks and my lawn looks so much better. It is even greener than my neighbor who used to be the envy of the neighborhood. I plan on doing it again in about a week. I still have a ton of work, getting things to fill in and pulling yet more weeds but I am well on my way. I am in Dallas Texas USA by the way
I've made the mix but my sprayer is 32 oz what setting should I use.....urgent and thank you so much
Susan
hi, it sounds like an amazing receipe. i cant find ammonia in the stores here in montreal. with what should i replace the ammonia with? thank you and much appreciated
Hi, I have a friend who lives in Canada, she just started to use this tonic, eventhough she got the recipe from some guys we treat a golf field. She says that it is been working great on the lawn but my question is if this tonic can be applied directly to perennials and evergreens since she doesn't have any plant. I have pereennials, some fruit trees and pines and two of those (one white pine and one ireland pine) has been eaten by moths, they're becoming a big problem in my garden besides the grubs, just today I killed tlike 35 grubs as I worked in the garden.
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This "Tonic" really works! When we purchased our first home we had the ugly patchy brown grass, We called a landscaper to see how much it would cost to bring our grass back to life. After hearing him talk about how many things he had to do to bring it back to a beautiful green came the price..... $1,000.00. I could not believe it! It was a small area. Well we did not go with the landscaper, but my husband did purchase a Jerry Baker book. In the book was the tonic.... We tried it on the grass and we had the best looking grass on the block (as told by our neighbors, family and friends).
Still using the tonic.....
Thanks!
Mateo Family
I am amazed at the comments, if you have doubts, try a small area, And I cannot believe all the questions about how much water, can't you people read. Thanks Paul for this info. I will try it this spring. I believe that the Landscapers wwont tell you the truth, they need to make money on their fertilizers. I bet some are doing this.
Looks easy and deffinetly in my price range. I have two questions please. Pets no problem? And my well, no problems their either? Thanks
I have used the procedure once now but was wondering if it should be done once a week until the weather gets hot and is it best to do first thing in the morning or in the evening?
I have this same question, but I'm betting that it is not safe for pets. I think most mouthwashes contain artificial sweeteners, and even small amounts can kill animals.
to the person who is overrun with moles if you put human hair down there holes they will move out because they are blind and they go by sence of smell so it screws them up hope this helps
I am so excited about trying this on my lawn in No. Central Florida. For a year or so I have admired a lawn in our town. It is absolutely beautiful! I decided to stop and ask the owner just how she kept the grass so perfect. She told me the only thing she did was treat it every 3 weeks with this tonic! She showed me her 10 gal. hose end sprayer but I hadn't been able to locate one anywhere. Now I can refer to the comments with the proper ratio for mixing in any sprayer. Thanks!! She has no sprinkler system or professional pest control. She sprays all of her plants and hedges and they are amazing. She does water with a regular sprinkler regularly. After reading these comments, I can't wait to see what happens!
