Alright, we're giving our lawn service the boot, and I'm going to see if I
can make our lawn look as good or better than the lawn service could, at a
much better price of course.

I need advice from all of you lawn-care turf-grass fanatics out there. I
know I'll only do this on an ongoing basis if it doesn't take a lot of time
and isn't a pain in the you-know-what. So all advice on how to do this is
appreciated!!

I'm going to buy a good broadcast spreader to apply fertilizer 4 times this
year to our 1/4 acre Minnesota lawn. I want a broadcast spreader that is
going to be trouble free, easy to push and hopefully provide many, many
years of service. The cheap ones, I've learned, aren't worth buying. I've
been reading up, and it seems like the best ones have pneumatic tires,
stainless steel parts that resist rusting, and upper end gear boxes,
something like this Earthway broadcast spreader:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/re...e%26n%3D286168 .

Would this be a quality spreader at a decent price, or are there other,
better built or more dependable broadcast spreaders that I should consider
that don't cost a fortune?

Secondly, I need a good weed sprayer that has a high enough capacity that it
doesn't have to be refilled constantly, and I like the idea of the ones that
don't have to be pumped constantly. I couldn't find much info online about
what the best sprayers are, but this one on wheels, with a 4 gallon
capacity, that doesn't need pumping, seems to get good reviews on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/re...e%26n%3D286168 .

Is this a good sprayer, or is there a better one out there that has high
capacity and doesn't cost a fortune? Are there any commercial sprayers that
would work better? Are backpack sprayers any better?

Also, does anyone know where to get the best prices online, for either a
broadcast spreader or sprayer?

I'm planning to buy my fertilizer, and possibly weed chemicals, from a
farm-supply store, rather than at a normal retail gardening store. By buying
the more generic fertilizer and chemicals, I'm hoping I'll save a lot
compared to the $55 per visit that the lawn care companies charge. Does this
sound like a good battle plan? Anyone else saved a lot of money doing this?

Any advice, suggestions or feedback on my grand plan here would be
appreciated, as would any spreader or sprayer recommendations. Thanks in
advance for your help!!


DK