Seasonal weekly benchmark — May 13
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 13 selected · 12 snapshots
Key takeaway
The lawn fertilizer category has its tightest cross-model consensus yet in our dataset: Scotts and Milorganite both at 12-of-12 cross-prompt presence. This is the only category in our dataset where TWO brands have hit 12-of-12 simultaneously. Jonathan Green and The Andersons hold the premium tier across 3-4 models each. Notable W20 development: Gemini broke from consensus by surfacing Lesco 24-0-11 as #1 in both P1 and P3 — first time any model has ranked a brand above Scotts in this category across our 3-run history. Worth tracking next run to see if this is volatility or a Gemini-specific trajectory.
Mention Frequency Trend
Brands ordered by mention count in each run. Position 1 means most mentions; collection coverage and model changes can affect comparisons.
Scroll sideways to see all dates and labels.
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 | Jonathan Green |
| Claude | Scotts | Milorganite | Jonathan Green |
| Gemini | Lesco | Milorganite | Jonathan Green |
| Perplexity | Scotts | Milorganite | The Andersons |
What This Means
- ChatGPT (commerce-formatted): Surfaces 10+ specific Scotts SKUs in P1 — clearly favors product-level breakdown over brand-level comparison.
- Uniquely surfaces O.M.
- Scott & Sons Natural Grass Food.
- Claude (most opinionated): Recommended The Andersons PGF Complete 16-4-8 at $45-60 as premium pick — pattern matching across categories: Claude consistently surfaces premium upstart picks ($45-60+) that other models treat as niche.
- Cites soil test cost specifically.
- Gemini (lifestyle-formatted): Personality-typed brand framing ("Professional Choice," "Safe Bet for DIYers," "High-Performance Balanced").
- Uniquely surfaces Lesco 24-0-11 as #1 in both P1 and P3 — first model to position Lesco above Scotts.
- Also unique on Simple Lawn Solutions liquid and Vigoro.
- Perplexity (most consolidated): Most balanced cross-tier coverage.
- Uniquely surfaces Ace 29-0-3 Weed and Feed, Safer Brand Ringer Lawn Restore II.
- Most aggressive on soil pH testing as prerequisite.
Findings and Limitations
- Lesco only appears in Gemini (P1 and P3 as #1 ranking).
- Simple Lawn Solutions only appears in Gemini.
- Vigoro only appears in Gemini.
- Safer Brand only appears in Perplexity.
- Ace only appears in Perplexity.
- Scott & Sons Natural Grass Food only appears in ChatGPT.
- Major brands like LawnStar, Andersons Humic DG, BioAdvanced, Spectracide, BioWorks, Ironite are absent from this run.
- Notable: this is the third Lawn Fertilizer run in our dataset (March 26 W13, April 17 W17 May 3 W18, now W20) and Lesco surfacing as Gemini #1 is the most significant new finding — first time any model has displaced Scotts from the #1 position in this category.
Recurring themes in the answers
- All 4 models recommend Scotts Turf Builder as the universal default and Milorganite as the safer organic alternative.
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. Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food best for most homeowners 32-0-4 analysis high nitrogen no phosphorus easy to find. 2. Milorganite Slow-Release Nitrogen Fertilizer safer slower feeding lower burn risk steady feeding. 3. O.M. Scott & Sons Natural Grass Food natural lawn care kids pets safe. 4. Jonathan Green Organic Lawn Food premium organic soil-health angle. 5. Scotts Green Max Lawn Food fast green color iron content. 6. Scotts Halts Crabgrass Preventer With Lawn Food early spring crabgrass prevention. 7. Scotts Weed & Feed broadleaf weeds plus feeding. 8. Scotts Starter Food for New Grass seeding/overseeding. 9. Scotts Ultrafeed longer feeding window. 10. Expert Gardener Lawn Fertilizer Plus Iron budget green-up.
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 Overall: Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food most popular 32-0-4 NPK quick-release and slow-release nitrogen fast greening 2 months feeding $25-28 5,000 sq ft. Best Organic/Low-Risk: Milorganite 6-4-0 slow-release heat-dried microbes 10 weeks iron deep blue-green virtually impossible over-apply $15-25 32 lb. Best Premium: The Andersons PGF Complete 16-4-8 4-1-2 NPK humic acid soil health small granules $45-60 5,000 sq ft. Best for Quick Results: Scotts Green Max Lawn Food iron content 3 days $33-38. Soil test first $15-20 from extension office. Spring April-May, Early Summer June, Early Fall September most important, Late Fall November winterizer.
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?
Top-tier picks 2026: 1. Professional Choice Lesco 24-0-11 golf course look specialty store SiteOne 50% slow-release nitrogen 6-8 weeks no surge growth. 2. Safe Bet DIYers Milorganite 6-4-0 organic slow-release impossible over-apply 4% iron deep blue-green carpet look summer applications. 3. High-Performance Balanced The Andersons PGF Complete 16-4-8 4-1-2 NPK ratio Humic DG soil conditioning Bermuda/Zoysia/Bluegrass peak growing. Scotts Turf Builder 32-0-4 high availability fast green-up easy.
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