Seasonal weekly benchmark — May 3
Lawn Fertilizer
Research by Robert Hu · Published by RecoScope ·
- Usable answers
- 12/12
- Models
- 4
- Prompt types
- 3
Included: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity
Report history · May 3 selected · 12 snapshots
Key takeaway
The lawn fertilizer category remains a Scotts/Milorganite duopoly with The Andersons firmly the #3 across most models. Lesco is gaining traction as the pro-grade recommendation specifically in Claude and Gemini. Jonathan Green has emerged as a Gemini favorite but lacks broad cross-model authority. Sunday continues to have weak AI visibility despite massive DTC marketing spend — appearing in only 2 of 4 models. This is consistent with prior runs and suggests Sunday has a structural AI visibility problem worth addressing.
Mention Frequency Trend
Brands ordered by mention count in each run. Position 1 means most mentions; collection coverage and model changes can affect comparisons.
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Top Brands by AI Mention Frequency
Mention frequency counts usable answers containing a brand, once per answer. Unranked and critical mentions count as visibility. Recommendation ranks are shown separately below.
Dropped this week
Cross-Agent Comparison
Recorded ranks from the comparative prompt (Prompt 3). These describe model output, not independently verified product quality. Historical parsing conventions may differ.
4/4 models with recorded ranks
| Agent | #1 | #2 | #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Scotts | Milorganite | The Andersons |
| Claude | The Andersons | Lesco | Milorganite |
| Gemini | Jonathan Green | Lesco | Milorganite |
| Perplexity | Scotts | The Andersons | Milorganite |
What This Means
- ChatGPT is the most commerce-formatted with prices and review counts, and consistently surfaces Pennington, Dr.
- Earth, Sunday Kickstart, and Expert Gardener that other models barely or never mention.
- Claude is the most opinionated and Iowa-specific (location-aware), uniquely recommending The Andersons PGF Complete + Milorganite as the canonical 2-product setup, plus Lesco from SiteOne and Sunniland/Yard Mastery for enthusiasts.
- Gemini introduces Sta-Green as a budget powerhouse and uniquely positions Jonathan Green as the #1 "show stopper." Perplexity is the most consolidated and surfaces Texas Tee, Urea, Ammonium sulfate, Simple Lawn Solutions, and Down to Earth as unique niche options.
Findings and Limitations
- Sta-Green only appears in Gemini.
- Texas Tee only appears in Perplexity.
- Urea and Ammonium sulfate only appear in Perplexity.
- Simple Lawn Solutions only appears in Perplexity.
- Down to Earth only appears in Perplexity.
- Sunniland only appears in Claude.
- Expert Gardener only appears in ChatGPT.
- Earth only appears in ChatGPT.
- Sunday appears in ChatGPT and Gemini but drops elsewhere.
- Major retail brands like Vigoro (Home Depot house brand), GreenView, and BioAdvanced are absent from this run.
- Pennington has lost cross-model presence vs prior runs.
Inspect the captured answers
Saved response text is model output. Product and health claims are unverified. Tables and cards may be transcribed as text; source labels can remain. Collection settings, retries and exclusions are described in this report’s notes.
ChatGPT · Prompt 1Usable answer
I'm a 42-year-old suburban homeowner who maintains my own lawn and wants it looking its best, looking for the best lawn fertilizer. What would you recommend?
Top picks: 1. Milorganite All-Purpose best overall slow-release nitrogen iron forgiving improves soil. 2. Scotts Green Max best for fast results greens lawn 3 days iron. 3. Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food best balanced set-and-forget high nitrogen season-long growth.
Claude · Prompt 1Usable answer
I'm a 42-year-old suburban homeowner who maintains my own lawn and wants it looking its best, looking for the best lawn fertilizer. What would you recommend?
Best approach is a program for Iowa cool-season grass. 1. Scotts 4-Step Program default idiot-proof Menards/Home Depot $150-200/year. 2. Milorganite or similar slow-release organic 4x per year holiday schedule won't burn deep green iron. Pair with Prodiamine/Dimension pre-emergent. r/lawncare standard. Soil test from Iowa State Extension $20.
Gemini · Prompt 1Usable answer
I'm a 42-year-old suburban homeowner who maintains my own lawn and wants it looking its best, looking for the best lawn fertilizer. What would you recommend?
Big Three: 1. Milorganite best overall organic slow-release won't burn iron blue-green color. 2. Scotts Turf Builder best quick green-up industry standard reliable. 3. Lesco High Efficiency best professional grade specialized stores higher concentration.
Perplexity · Prompt 1Usable answer
I'm a 42-year-old suburban homeowner who maintains my own lawn and wants it looking its best, looking for the best lawn fertilizer. What would you recommend?
Top picks: 1. The Andersons PGF Complete 16-4-8 best overall premium 16-4-8 ratio. 2. Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food best easy default safest mainstream. 3. Milorganite best natural-leaning slow-release iron-rich.
ChatGPT · Prompt 2Usable answer
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