The Green, Green Grass of Home

...and We've Moved!

2010-04-07T23:53:00.002-04:00

http://bestlawn.info/blogs/morpheuspa/

The issues are worked out with no major problems remaining, and the site is directly related to lawn and garden care. I'm very pleased to have been invited to blog there, in addition to being active on the lawn and garden boards.

You don't need to register to view my blog or the boards, only if you wish to ask a question.

Please join us!

We're Moving!

2010-04-01T00:07:00.003-04:00

http://bestlawn.info/component/wpmu/morpheuspa.html

I'm pleased to announce that I'm moving my blog over to Bestlawn.info. While I'll probably continue to maintain this in tandem for a while until we iron out all the issues, eventually that will be my new home!

More Photos

2010-03-18T19:52:00.002-04:00

Temperatures are holding in the high sixties this week, so development in the grass and gardens has been exceedingly fast. Here's an image from today, post mowing it to remove the dead tips. As always, you can click on any image to embiggen it.

You can see the color's darkened considerably in just a few days, and the grass is already mostly back. Even the new seed is beginning to sprout!

The neighbors' lawns...not so much.

Bonus Shot #1: A blue-blooming Iris Reticulata:

Bonus #2: Purple crocuses!

First Mow

2010-03-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

I just put the Robomower out for the first mow to remove the dead tips from the grass and expose the greener mat underneath. Temperatures will be sixty or above for the rest of the week, so getting some sunlight down to the soil will help wake it up. Not that it needs much help, the green edge is already spreading out from the curb and the gardens. At this rate, by Friday the lawn will be back for the year, a month earlier than last year.

In other gardening news, I have plenty of blooming crocuses. I'll have to take a photo later.

Soil Samples Taken

2010-03-11T19:35:00.001-05:00

I took my soil samples today for UMass Amherst soil testing. I'll be getting Test C, the standard soil test with organic matter. I had also gotten test E last year, soluble salts, but I don't expect that to have changed since I don't use synthetic fertilizers.

The soil difference over the last year is pretty amazing. There are very few remaining "sticky bits" of clay, and what remains crumbles pretty easily. I even disturbed a few early worms! Since half a ton of organic matter per thousand square feet went down on the lawn last year (much of that being chopped leaves), I would have expected some change. This was a bit surprising, however.

The drying soil is fairly dark, so I'm hopeful that my organic matter tests will come back with good scores this year. Last year I was at 4.6%, or tolerable but a bit low.

Let The Games Begin!

2010-03-07T17:34:00.000-05:00

They're beginning a month later than last year, but we had some snow this year. Additionally, the lawn probably doesn't need the organic material any longer (not after last year's addition of more than half a ton per thousand square feet). I'll take my soil samples for U. Mass Amherst shortly.

I've cleaned the gardens to fully open them up for the sprouting bulbs. The crocus should be blooming shortly, barring a sudden reverse in the weather. The back burlap line is down, and I lightly frost-seeded the entire lawn with the mix I chose for the damaged front area.

I added 90 pounds of Milorganite (12.8 pounds per thousand) today as well, for 0.64 pounds of nitrogen, 0.26 pounds of phosphorus, and 0.51 pounds of iron. That will activate over the next few weeks.

March Lawn Photo

2010-03-02T15:07:00.000-05:00

The last blizzard is melting away nicely, and the grass is being exposed. Here's a photo, plus a bonus--the gardens are beginning to sprout. If you look closely, you'll see the earliest of the jonquils and crocuses. Here and there I have an early tulip sprouting as well.

February Lawn Photo

2010-02-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

I took this one yesterday before the snow but after the extended cold period we had. The lawn is definitely in winter mode at this point and will stay there for a month or so. On the up side, this is the shortest winter period the lawn has shown (and the weather is pretty average this year), and even so, it's greener than last year at this time!

Winter Seeding

2010-01-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

I winter-seeded the bad areas of the lawn (mostly the front area where the Township damaged the grass in October and November). There were a few small holes from Poa annua incursions as well.

Winter-seeding involves dropping normal levels of seed, preferably just before some winter weather (although that's not required). We're slated for some snow tomorrow into Friday, possibly. The new seed will sprout as soon as it can, usually around April 10th or so here, and it then has about 2 1/2 months to prepare for summer.

I split my winter seeding into three parts. Part one was dropped back in late November when temperatures became cold enough that the seed wouldn't sprout. Part two was today. Part three, if I can do it, will be in mid to late February. However, one winter seeding sometime during the season would be just fine, and it can be done atop the snow if necessary.

The lawn isn't looking bad for January. For the most part, it looks the same as in December, except a bit paler. Winter color this year is excellent and temperatures have been normal. First feeding isn't slated until March of this year, but that will depend on the weather.

December Photo

2009-12-02T09:33:00.005-05:00

The lawn's starting to lose color for winter, which is fairly normal. It's still the greenest in the area, but I'm going to try spraying a little iron on it to put that into root storage for spring. That should accelerate spring green-up, as well as change the color a bit.

I sprayed yesterday with kelp, humates, and soil conditioner as well and that seemed to change the color to a bit darker this morning.

Kentucky Bluegrass Winter Seeding

2009-12-01T15:41:00.003-05:00

I've done the first winter seeding (of three) of the lawn, including lightly scratching the soil and distributing seed by hand at about 1 pound per thousand.

Winter, or frost, seeding is done after soil temperatures drop under fifty (ours are actually about 48 right now, but descending fast). The seed won't germinate until spring, although normal freeze-thaw cycles will carry it into the soil fairly effectively. Unless the spring is quite dry, it doesn't need to be watered, but will require some coddling the following summer until it matures--usually the following fall.

Frost seeding isn't as effective as a fall seeding at the appropriate time (around Labor Day or a bit earlier here). However, it's more successful than a spring seeding would be, since I don't have to worry about hitting the correct window of soil temperatures. The seed will sprout the first instant it can.

I tend to divide the seedings into three--December, which is put down on scratched soil, as well as February and again in March, which are scattered as the soil is still frozen at that time. However, one seeding would be quite sufficient.

The mix I chose is a bit different this year:

Midnight II--a Compact-Midnight type. This was in my original lawn, and makes up 33% of the mix this time. This is one of the more available elite bluegrasses, and has been in continuous and heavy production for ages.

Brilliant--a Compact-America type, 20% of the mix. This is to replace the Moonlight in the original lawn which is now extremely difficult to get in sod quality from my preferred suppliers. I have no experience with this grass, but the color should be comparable.

Prosperity--A Compact type, 20% of the mix. This is to replace the Bedazzled in the original lawn, which is similarly difficult to get. I used this on the back line and it's slightly darker than Bedazzled, although not enough to notice.

Blueberry--A Compact type, 13% of th mix. I'm testing this as according to reports it's quite dark and a beautiful grass.

Moonbeam--A Compact type, 13% of the mix. This is another test grass, and again, quite dark.

To keep the darker colored grasses from being obvious, I also seeded a band around the repaired areas. The mix should blend fairly well, but if not I'll overseed with Blueberry and Moonbeam next fall across the entire lawn.

Final Fertilizer for the Lawn

2009-11-23T20:17:00.009-05:00

I winterized the lawn today using Vigoro Super Green (35-0-5). It has a urea base, and about 1/3 of the nitrogen is slow release. As such, although temperatures are a bit high, it needs to go now. Urea needs several days to process in the soil before thinking about becoming available to the lawn, and by the time that happens our temperatures are projected to drop sharply.

Here's the entire list of items used on the lawn this year. Yes, the final total across the whole lawn is over 9,000 pounds...

Date	N	P	K	Iron	Organics	Other Notes
2/18/2009	0.85	0.43	0.43		42.7	Dog Food
3/1/2009	1.03	0.41	0.31	0.82	20.6	Milorganite, Sul-Po-Mag
3/14/2009	0.35	0.14	0.29		20.0	Alfalfa, Sugar
3/21/2009	1.38	0.54	0.33		83.3	Corn Meal
3/28/2009	0.10	0.00	0.20		10.0	Kelp Meal
4/4/2009	1.50	0.21	0.43		21.4	Soybean Meal
4/18/2009	0.14	0.06	0.06		7.8	Dog Food, Corn Meal
4/21/2009	1.71	0.61	0.17	1.97	30.9	Milorganite, Ironite
4/30/2009	0.70	0.24	0.10	0.93	12.0	Milorganite, Ironite
5/15/2009	1.47	0.48	0.27	2.16	24.0	Milorganite, Ironite
5/29/2009	0.82	0.23	0.12		11.7	Soybean Meal
6/3/2009	0.75	0.30	0.00	0.71	15.0	Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Milorganite
6/10/2009	0.91	0.34	0.36	1.80	58.3	Corn Meal, Kelp, FeSO₄
6/25/2009	0.90	0.36	0.00	0.72	18.0	Milorganite
7/8/2009	1.73	0.69	0.20	1.32	68.0	Corn, Milorganite, FeSO₄
7/22/2009	1.62	0.52	0.16	0.42	26.0	Soybean meal, Milorganite
7/31/2009	1.41	0.54	0.34	0.41	67.4	Corn, Milorganite, Kelp
8/8/2009	1.86	0.71	0.23	0.72	83.0	Corn, Milorganite, Compost
8/15/2009	0.83	0.30	0.20	0.21	50.0	Corn, Fe₃O₄,FeSO₄
8/23/2009	1.97	1.36	0.36	0.41	62.3	Corn, Milorganite, Starter
9/1/2009	2.13	1.29	0.28	0.34	21.4	Soybean Meal, Starter
9/13/2009	2.06	1.27	0.41	0.25	21.4	Soybean Meal, Starter
9/26/2009	1.51	1.30	0.24	0.63	15.4	Milorganite, Starter
10/6/2009	0.77	0.31	0.00	0.62	15.4	Milorganite
10/14/2009	1.36	0.98	0.11	0.72	18.0	Milorganite, Starter
10/22/2009	0.77	0.31	0.00	0.62	15.4	Milorganite
10/29/2009	1.47	0.75	0.38	0.72	18.0	Milorganite, Starter
11/12/2009	0.90	0.36	0.00	0.72	18.0	Milorganite
11/17/2009	2.45	1.07	0.46	0.33	306.4	Leaves 2,145 pounds
11/23/2009	1.35	0.00	0.19	0.00	0.0	Vigoro Super Green

Total per K ft:	36.80	16.11	6.64	17.55	1179.8	9087 active organic total

Final Fertilizer for the Gardens

2009-11-23T20:12:00.008-05:00

I put down 108 pounds of Milorganite today to increase the organic levels (54 pounds per thousand). That's the last feeding for the garden.

Here's the entire list of what's gone down this year:

Date	N	P	K	Iron	Organics	Notes
2/21/2009	0.90	0.36	0.00	0.72	18.0	Milorganite
3/7/2009	1.61	0.23	0.46		23.0	Soybean Meal
3/21/2009	0.41	0.16	0.10		25.0	Corn Meal
3/28/2009	0.73	0.25	0.83		35.0	Alfalfa, Kelp
4/4/2009	1.65	0.23	0.47		23.5	Soybean Meal
4/21/2009	1.50	0.60	0.00	1.20	30.5	Milorganite
5/30/2009	0.88	0.25	0.00		12.5	Soybean Meal
6/25/2009	0.90	0.36	0.00	0.72	18.0	Milorganite
7/20/2009	1.40	0.40	0.20		20.0	Soybean Meal
8/3/2009	0.90	0.36	0.00	0.72	18.0	Milorganite
9/13/2009	3.15	2.39	0.60		25.0	Starter, Soybean Meal
10/10/2009	3.20	2.61	0.35	1.44	36.0	Starter, Milorganite
10/26/2009	1.62	2.16	1.08		0.00	Starter
11/11/2009	3.15	2.52	0.90	1.44	36.0	Starter, Milorganite
11/23/2009	2.70	1.08	0.00	2.16	54.0	Milorganite

Total per K ft:	24.70	13.96	4.99	8.40	375.5	751 active organic total

Still More Leaves

2009-11-16T00:58:00.002-05:00

I've finished the lawn--with 2,000 pounds of leaves in 97 bags, or a cube 8 feet on a side (and a bit).

Any remaining stock will go to increasing the leaf mulch on the drier southern face, plus repairing the soil in the areas the Township damaged and still hasn't fixed (on day 12 and still going!)

However, any remaining stock is going to be limited. Last weekend's storm took down most of the remaining leaves, and I expect about 20 more bags before the end of leaf season.

The Last of the Milorganite

2009-11-12T14:06:00.001-05:00

For the season, anyway! I put down 108 pounds over 6,000 square feet (about 18 pounds per thousand), and went heavily through the Township-damaged areas. I'll follow up with photos of those when I can face them...

Normally I'd publish my entire year of organic additions, but I'll hold off until the leaves are done. I'm still importing them at a fairly high rate.

The Winterizer is yet to go, but that has to wait for soil temperatures to fall under 40. So far, that looks like it won't happen for some time yet.

More Leaves

2009-11-12T09:55:00.003-05:00

I've applied around 1,750 pounds of leaves to the lawn and I'm close to 80% complete at this point. The first areas of application are already invisible even applying at nearly 300 pounds per thousand. After a short period, the leaf litter breaks down into black organic matter that's invisible on the soil.

My current estimate is around 2,000 pounds of leaves (a full ton!) to complete the property. That should raise organic matter about half a percent in the soil.

Roses in November! Bonus Photo!

2009-11-04T11:09:00.002-05:00

I put in a Double Knockout rose in the back, and performance so far has been spectacular. I was careful to organically prepare the soil with two handfuls of cracked corn and two handfuls of alfalfa hay while planting, plus I've applied Milorganite, soybean meal, and large amounts of additional alfalfa throughout the season. For some reason, roses seem to love alfalfa. I also spray the bush and surrounding soil with liquid iron, kelp extract, and a small amount of humic acid.

This rose opened November first. Today is the fourth, we've had six or seven frosts, and the rosebush just keeps blooming. There are fifty more on the bush that look just like this...and no, I did absolutely no touching up of this image.

Mulching Leaves on Your Lawn

2009-11-04T10:49:00.002-05:00

In the past few weeks I've tapped two other properties of leaves to add to my own--with permission, of course. Both are kind enough to bag the leaves for me so I don't have to do it, and I'd like to extend my thanks (you know who you are).

So far, I've finished around 60% of the lawn and applied approximately 1,200 pounds of leaves (with some cut grass in the bags as well). I'll require a total of 1 ton of leaves, which works out to 285 pounds per thousand square feet.

So what do leaves do? They raise the organic matter percentage in the soil, provide fall food for your worms and micro-arthropods living in your soil, encourage bacterial and fungal activity in the soil, and mulch the soil for winter. Lawns that have been leaf mulched will retain their green color further into winter, green up faster in spring, and generally show greater health than lawns that receive no mulching.

How much should you use? Close to 300 pounds per thousand square feet disappears into the grass in a few days if well-chopped, but applications certainly do not have to be made at that rate. This study shows the results of mulching 150 to 450 pounds of leaves into the soil, and effects are generally excellent.

But isn't leaf litter ugly? Well, yes. The above study states that leaf litter at the highest application resulted in leaves still left on the lawn in spring. However, if you have a rotary mower it becomes easy to render the leaves invisible. With the very large amount I'm using, I mow slowly four times over the area to reduce the leaves to bits smaller than the nail on my pinky (and I have small hands!) By the time I complete the task, almost no visible litter remains--99% has fallen into the grass and becomes invisible. The remaining 1% disappears with the next rainfall.

What's the NPK ratio of leaves? Don't worry about it. Trees extract almost all the chlorophyll and nitrogen and place it in root storage for the winter. There is a small amount of phosphorus in the leaves, so mulching them is better than allowing rainwater to percolate through them while they sit on the street (my other post from today mentions eutrophication; leaves are one source of phosphorus that enters our waterways). Potassium levels are fairly low. The reason leaves are mulched isn't to feed the lawn but instead to provide additional organic material for the soil.

I've Been Busy

2009-11-04T10:43:00.003-05:00

Whew, sorry for the posting delay! I've applied 2 more applications of starter fertilizer, bringing my calculated phosphorus amount to 25 PPM. If that's correct, even at the pH of the lawn soil (7.2), I'm exactly at optimal phosphorus levels.

Please note that starter fertilizer should only be added after a soil test that shows you need it. Excess phosphorus can leach into water sources, causing eutrophication of lakes and streams. Eutrophication means that algae growth increases, oxygen levels in the water drop because of bacterial action, and fish have a difficult time surviving.

Many soils have sufficient phosphorus levels and won't require enhancement. Mine, however, did not. The lawn density has increased amazingly from rebalancing the soil for the final time this year and I'll be certain to take photos.

I've also applied Milorganite four times for a total of around 400 pounds, or approximately 60 pounds per thousand. That should help raise the organic matter tests for next year, as well as increase the iron above the 1.4 PPM test. However, the soils are still visibly iron-short and require spray applications to maintain color--I prefer Bonide #299, but any iron source will do.

I've also mulched large amounts of leaves into the lawn, but if you read the other post from today you already know that.

The First of the Fall Milorganite

2009-09-27T23:06:00.003-04:00

I've fed with 108 pounds of Milorganite (15.6 pounds per thousand square feet) to start the fall feeding on the lawn. I can certainly use the iron, as well.

This year, Milorganite continues to be added every two weeks either through the end of October or beginning of November, depending on how the weather plays out.

I've passed well over 5,000 pounds of material for the year so far, and I'm approaching 800 pounds per thousand square feet.

The Last of the Boron

2009-09-25T22:49:00.004-04:00

I sprayed the lawn with the last of the boron for the year, one teaspoon per thousand square feet. That should be enough to raise my boron levels from 0.4 PPM to around 0.8 PPM.

Boron's role in plants isn't clearly understood. It does help meristem cells differentiate into blade and root cells. Lacking it, the cells elongate but don't differentiate. Grasses aren't particularly sensitive to boron deficiency, but it's always best to adjust micronutrients into the optimal range if you're comfortable doing so.

Boron is also the touchiest of the micronutrients. 0.4 PPM is slightly deficient, 0.8 PPM is optimal, and sensitive plants will begin showing toxicity symptoms around 1.0 PPM. Only add boron after a soil test shows that your soil is deficient.

Starter Fertilizer

2009-09-22T10:10:00.003-04:00

It looks like rain out there, so I put down 21 pounds of starter across the lawn (about 3.5 pounds per thousand). My soil test last spring came back at 9 ppm phosphorus, which is a touch low. I'm hoping to increase that into the 12 to 15 range by next year, which will be sufficient for good growth.

I'd use bone meal, but I have trouble getting enough and the starter fertilizer is a much more rapid source.

Phosphorus is used for energy transport and storage within the plant cell, as well as being an integral part of the RNA and DNA molecules. In flowering plants, it assists with flower production, although that isn't an issue on the grass. I did, however, add some to the gardens as well to work in by next spring.

It's Been A While

2009-09-18T00:13:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay folks.

Here's a recent image of the lawn. I think the iron levels are finally starting to come up! This is post adding 4 pounds of sprayed iron sulfate from Bonide (the bagged, powdered stuff you can get in most stores). A week later, the color still hasn't faded.

The last 350 pounds of corn went down August 25th with a bit of Milorganite. So far in September I've fed twice with 150 pounds of soybean meal. I've moved 5,022 pounds of organic material this year, or about 775 pounds per thousand.

For the remainder of the year, Milorganite is the heavy-hitter. It works better as soil temperatures cool a bit.

Um...and Again

2009-08-15T20:30:00.001-04:00

I just dropped another 350 pounds of cracked corn on the lawn and the birds, at least, are pleased with me.

This is the second last drop at this level for the year--in fact, for a good long time, if not forever.

I just passed 2 tons of material on the lawn and gardens this year, or well over 650 pounds per thousand.

I Fed Again...

2009-08-11T18:07:00.000-04:00

We're moving toward September, so down went another 350 pounds of corn meal, 3 bags of Milorganite, and about 40 pounds of leftover compost (scattered very thinly across the property). That works out to about 80 pounds per thousand.

Fortunately, this is the last year. My back hurts.

An Updated Image

2009-08-05T19:22:00.004-04:00

It's been quite some time since I posted an image of the lawn. Things are doing well, barring the occasional bit of P. annua and P. trivialis.

As always, click to embiggen!

Still More Feeding and Compost Update

2009-08-02T15:23:00.002-04:00

We're getting a large amount of rain this week, so I put down another 350 pounds of cracked corn and 72 pounds of Milorganite yesterday. I fed the swale again to prepare it for fall.

That's down to another 1.3 pounds of nitrogen, but I'm adding it more for the soil changes than feeding the lawn.

The composting is working well in the free garbage can. The first load was very heavy on torn up sod, so it didn't break apart very well. I added more shredded junk mail and garden trimmings and the pile is now at 144°. Hopefully that will break apart the sod a little more.

At this rate, I should have a load of compost by the end of September, just in time to start composting the fall leaves.

Another Heavy Feeding

2009-07-22T11:01:00.001-04:00

Summer isn't even thinking about winding down yet, but organics take a while to work in. I added 110 pounds of soybean meal and another 72 pound of Milorganite to the lawn over 7,000 square feet--I usually don't feed the swale, but I've done considerable work back there and it could use the energy to spread.

For those of you playing along at home, that's 1.6 pounds of nitrogen, which is a very heavy feeding for July. That's on top of the 1.7 pounds that went down at the beginning of the month. Fortunately there's no chance of burning it, and the number of worms is exploding again.

This is the last year I'm going to be striking it this heavily.

I have to take photos of this. The lawn resembles June more than July (however, so does the weather around here), and is an incredible dark green with an aquamarine overtone. The color is more from the iron than the feeding, however.

Beginning Composting

2009-07-18T18:45:00.002-04:00

Our township gave away (well, paid for by my taxes) 95 gallon yard waste containers. My mother had a 65 gallon container with a small hole in the bottom which she wanted to get rid of, so I took it.

An hour later with the drill, it looks like it was used for buckshot practice by somebody who can't aim very well. I can't tell you how many holes are in it...one every inch to an inch and a half all over the container.

I tossed in some leftover sod after bashing off the soil and ripping it apart, followed it up with a pile of lawn weeds and a bit of shrub cuttings, and shredded some plain paper junk mail to get some browns into the pile. Half an ounce of molasses got added with some water as well to start the process.

I'll initially turn the pile in the next week to mix everything once I'm done weeding the gardens again, but after that it's going to be relatively unturned. Every once in a while I may get around to it.

I'm hoping that, filling it by August, I have compost next spring.

More Corn and Milorganite

2009-07-08T23:36:00.004-04:00

I fed with another 50 pounds per thousand square feet of cracked corn today, and added another 18 pounds of Milorganite on top of that. Hopefully the Milorganite will repel the birds and rabbits a bit.

Our weather is holding more like early June than July and we're still getting sufficient rain, although June's deluge seems to have stopped at least temporarily. While I wouldn't normally feed that heavily in July, this year won't be an issue.

Looking at the soil condition lately, this is the last year I need to apply at these incredibly high rates. The soil's finished transforming from solid clay to something much more friable. Technically, I could stop now, but there's no issue with continuing through the end of the season.

I do need to update the photos as the lawn is continuing to darken from the iron applications. I'll wait until I mow to do that.

Another Photo!

2009-06-21T21:01:00.001-04:00

A nice sunny day makes a huge difference when you have enough iron! As always, click to embiggen:

Image Update

2009-06-20T00:09:00.004-04:00

I took this photo about 20 minutes before sunset tonight. I added 2 pounds per thousand of ferrous sulfate just before it rained, and sprayed the lawn a grand total of three times for 5 ounces of iron per thousand total as a foliar application.

That is a lot of iron, but once temperatures during the day start rising above 80 I'll be less able to add it without burning. That will probably be the last soil application until late August. By the numbers, 11 pounds of iron per thousand square feet should have raised my iron levels to around 45 parts per million, but my soil's slightly alkaline state will enable it to bind most of that.

As always, click the photo to embiggen!

Chelated Iron

2009-06-13T11:38:00.002-04:00

I picked up some Bonide #299 Liquid Iron Complex quite cheaply (about a third the usual price), so I've applied that to the lawn.

The recommended rate for bluegrasses is 2 to 6 ounces per thousand square feet in enough water to apply it, and then spray to runoff. I diluted 2 ounces in 1 gallon of water and found it made a slightly thin spray. Next time I'll dilute half that in a gallon and go 500 square feet.

The hydrangea, which was a touch yellow, is showing a response in just a few hours. The grass should take 1 to 4 days to show any change at all. Since I went at 1/3 the normal rate, I may also have to apply more to achieve the color I want.

More Corn and Kelp

2009-06-10T19:46:00.001-04:00

Summer's about to heat up here in PA (if it ever stops raining), so I've added 50 pounds per thousand of cracked corn and 8 pounds per thousand kelp meal to help prepare for it, feed the lawn over summer, and help fight the fungi from all the rain we've had.

It looks like my ferrous sulfate will arrive Friday, so I'll be soil drenching on Saturday.

Iron Oxide

2009-06-08T21:49:00.002-04:00

Since iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) is so incredibly cheap, I've added 20 pounds over six thousand square feet, or about 3.3 pounds per thousand square feet. I'll report back later on the results.

One minor note is that if you can get it in granular form somehow, do so. The powdery stuff goes everywhere, even when mixed with Milorganite to even out the distribution.

Thuja standishii x plicata (Green Giant Thuja) Update

2009-06-07T14:43:00.002-04:00

The new Thuja, which I had estimated at a six inch growth rate this year, have grown considerably in two months already. The winner is a bit over 24 inches of increased height, the laggard is around eight inches taller. Since growth continues until August or so, these may get considerably taller than they already are.

Right now, width is fairly stable but increasing slowly.

Milorganite vs Ironite

2009-06-05T23:05:00.006-04:00

I keep seeing this search and thought about it for a bit. It's a good question.

First, the basics. Milorganite is 5-2-0 fertilizer with 4% iron and a few micronutrients in it. Ironite is 1-0-1 additive with 4.5% iron and a host of micronutrients in it. I hesitate to call Ironite a fertilizer when it has such low numbers.

So which should you use? What are you trying to do and what do you need?

For standard lawn feeding, the Milorganite is definitely the better choice. The iron in it is sufficient to green your lawn without burning it, and the nitrogen is organic and also will not burn.

If you have chlorosis (an iron shortage) or a known shortage of the other nutrients in Ironite, the Ironite is the superior choice. The nitrogen is water-soluble, but there isn't much at only 1%. The iron, at 4.5%, is slightly superior to Milorganite and will green the lawn faster.

To determine if you have a shortage of the micronutrients in Ironite, you should have your soil tested.

Many people state that Ironite (and, for that matter, Milorganite) have too many heavy metals like lead and arsenic. Milorganite meets the highest standards for fertilizer, and Ironite's heavy metal numbers are very reasonable for usage while correcting a shortage. I wouldn't use it as a matter of course, however.

I certainly don't advise the use of Ironite without a soil test as adding micronutrients you don't need is at best useless. At worst it can damage your lawn and gardens.

If you'd rather not add any level of heavy metals but do need iron, ferrous sulfate is another source. Usage will depend heavily on your soil pH and local conditions, so some research is necessary.

At this point, I've used Ironite three times this year. From this point forward, I'll be using ferrous sulfate instead as I don't feel comfortable increasing the other elements any more than they already are.

For other micronutrients, most are available in a sulfate or other form. Those numbers should be calculated by an expert, and you can visit the Bestlawn soil management forum for much more information.

***Update 4/2/2010--I'm changing some of my more popular pages to note that the blog is moving to Bestlawn:

http://bestlawn.info/component/wpmu/morpheuspa.html

Adjusting Micronutrients

2009-06-01T22:34:00.003-04:00

I've ordered a pound each of manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, and copper sulfate to shift my soil levels slightly. Although not far out of the normal range, I'd like to adjust those into the sweet spot for optimal growth of the lawn and gardens.

The chemicals are kind of festive. Zinc sulfate is white, copper sulfate a blue-green, and manganese sulfate a faint pink.

The iron I've dumped (around 5 pounds per thousand) is already binding and the color is decreasing. It looks like I need to add either iron oxide or ferrous sulfate, depending on which one I determine will do the best job. Given my pH of 7.2, I suspect it'll be the ferrous sulfate.

Given that pure ferrous sulfate is around 30% iron, it doesn't require much--no more than a pound or two per thousand square feet at a time, never to exceed 10 pounds per thousand per year. That must never be applied to a wet lawn, and should be thoroughly watered in immediately after application.

Photo Update!

2009-05-22T21:44:00.005-04:00

The iron has definitely kicked in, and the gardens are beginning to show some nice flowers.

This, after three years of organics, is very close to the lawn I want. I have some nutsedge to get rid of, but that's turning yellow and dying out now. Walking on this is like walking on a cushion.

As always, click to embiggen!

More Milorganite and Ironite

2009-05-13T23:46:00.002-04:00

I've just applied 4 more bags, 144 pounds, about 25 per thousand of Milorganite to the lawn. Additionally, I added another 4 bags, 160 lbs, of Ironite to continue to increase the iron levels. The grass is definitely less chlorotic and I'm hopeful that next years' soil test will show considerably improved iron levels.

I'm still working on the annuals, but I'm close to completion. I picked up a few heliotrope and Gerber daisies for pots, but I don't think I need anything else.

The Certainty application from earlier on the nutsedge is definitely working, although I may still patch some of the larger areas.

Certainty on Quackgrass or Nutsedge

2009-05-10T21:10:00.002-04:00

I have a little nutsedge (it could be quackgrass; it doesn't matter much), so I've sprayed those bits with Certainty at 0.75 ounces per acre equivalent.

I'm hoping that will knock it out. If not, I still have enough donor sod to repatch the entire area with plenty left over.

The annuals are now going in as well...ten flats worth. This year, I've used marigolds, salvia (red and blue), ageratum, dwarf snapdragon, rocket snapdragon, Orchid Madness petunia, star sapphire petunia, alyssum, Impatiens, Gazania, verbena, Melampodium, annual phlox, and cannas.

I'll take photos once they start to grow a bit. I won't finish until the middle of this week, I think.

Photo Update!

2009-05-08T19:17:00.002-04:00

It's been some time since I updated the images. Here's the lawn as of yesterday. The color is a little chlorotic, but it's been raining for eight days. That will recover fairly quickly, and the last of the holes are filling in now.

As always, click to embiggen!

More Milorganite and Ironite

2009-04-30T19:22:00.001-04:00

I'd applied a considerable amount of iron last week and the color deepened, but the new growth is already becoming considerably lighter. With soil tests of 1.4 ppm iron, I'm not terribly surprised.

I applied another 72 pounds of Milorganite and 60 pounds of Ironite to get my iron levels up a little higher. It looks like I'll need to do that again in two weeks as the levels now should be measuring around 9 ppm which is still too low.

Soil Test Results

2009-04-23T22:40:00.006-04:00

The University of Massachusetts test results of my lawn soil are back:

pH: 7.2 (a touch high...3.2 point shift in 3 years)
Buffer pH; 7.1
N: 10 ppm (organic lawn)
P: 9 ppm (a bit low)
K: 321 ppm (off the charts)
Ca: 3185 ppm (way off the charts)
Mg: 269 ppm
Ca/Mg Ratio: 11.8 (thoroughly wrong)
Organic Matter: 4.6% (up from 0.1%)
CEC: 15.9 Meq/100g
Aluminum: 19 ppm
Boron: 0.4 ppm
Manganese: 7.0 ppm
Zinc: 1.8 ppm
Copper: 0.5 ppm
Iron: 1.4 ppm
Sulfur: 45.7 ppm
Soluble Salts: 0.26 dS/M (normal range 0.08 - 0.50)
Percent Base Saturation: K: 4.4, Mg: 11.7, Ca: 84.1 (Ca/Mg ratio here is 7.1, though)
Lead: Undetectable

The soil pH is OK given the amount of raw organic material I apply and it'll drift down in a year or two as I back off and the fungal mass drops. Kicking in a little P (phosphorus) is a good idea. Iron's very low, so Milorganite would be a good addition to get both iron and P. I should ignore any potassium sources for the remainder of the year as that's quite high.

A whisper of boron is a good idea, too, but not much.

I've applied 7 bags of Milorganite for iron and phosphorus, plus I broke down and put down 3 bags of Ironite (which I would rather not repeat but will probably have to). I also purchased 20 Mule Team Borax, diluted 1 teaspoon in 1 quart of water in my sprayer and applied that over 1,000 square feet of the lawn with around 20 gallons of water dilution on top of that. That should bounce the boron levels a touch.

Photo Update!

2009-04-19T21:31:00.004-04:00

Here's an updated image from today. The color is greening, although density is still increasing only very slowly.

As always, click to embiggen any photo.

Bonus shots! Here's the back garden, plus two closeups:

Fifteen Thuja standishii x plicata (Green Giant Thuja)

2009-04-14T21:46:00.005-04:00

We'd like a bit more privacy on the back line, plus something that will stay evergreen and give a bit of wind protection. Thuja standishii x plicata, Thuja Green Giant, fit that bill perfectly. Our local nursery, Glenmar, promised 2 gallon, 2 foot plants. We got 2 gallon, 3 foot or taller plants, so I'm very pleased and the price was extremely reasonable at around $27 per shrub. Glenmar always has incredibly healthy plants and the prices are good.

Fifteen of those are now on the back line, one every five feet for a faster privacy screen and to limit their adult height and width. They shouldn't go taller than 20 feet, whereas a single specimen can get very wide and 40 feet tall.

For soil preparation, I used six small handfulls of corn meal mixed with a bit of alfalfa and a small amount of kelp meal in around thirty cubic feet of soil (per plant). That was mixed in to the soil and the holes were dug about 2' away from the bushes to give them a clear field with no competition. I didn't dig any deeper than the root mass to give them a solid base.

Advertising says they grow three to five feet per year, but that tends to be once they're established. Starting at 3 feet, I don't expect much more than six inches of growth this year, 18" next year, and then they should begin to grow quickly.

If you have questions about Thuja, visit the Bestlawn forum and use the Around the Yard section. You can sign up for free, and they have people who know a lot more than I do.

Certainty on P. annua (Annual Bluegrass) and More

2009-04-05T15:28:00.003-04:00

I sprayed Certainty at the recommended rate of 0.75 ounces per acre (although I spot-sprayed) on some P. annua (annual bluegrass) in the lawn. We'll see how that works--I'd rather not take out the patches with Round Up as they're very small and mixed in with the rest of the bluegrass.

I also applied 150 pounds of soybean meal to the lawn today, for about 1.5 lbs of N per thousand, 0.2 lbs of P, and 0.4 lbs of K. This will probably be the only feeding in April, and this won't be available to the lawn until April 25th or so.

Does Corn Meal On The Lawn Really Work?

2009-04-01T21:57:00.005-04:00

I found this search term in my logs and I was intrigued by the question. The short answer is: yes.

The longer answer is that it depends on what you're doing.

For fungal control, 10 to 20 pounds per thousand square feet are sufficient. Corn meal attracts trichoderma fungus, This fungus takes up space in the soil, giving your invading fungus less room to grow. It also has the ability to kill other fungi, which is a major advantage when fighting a fungus problem in your lawn. However, for severe infections chemical controls may be called for.

For soil conditioning, anything from 10 to about 60 pounds per thousand is fine. Your worms like to eat fungi and bacteria, and the corn meal will grow those in spades. Additionally, bacteria and fungi themselves help condition your soil by attaching soil particles together using glomalin, increasing the soil's structure.

For feeding the lawn I wouldn't use corn meal. Granted, organics don't feed the lawn directly, however there are higher protein (nitrogen) meals available such as soybean that don't require the amounts that corn meal does. Additionally, corn meal doesn't contain large amounts of phosphorous or potassium, making it a less effective fertilizer overall. Sixty pounds of corn meal per thousand square feet would be required four times yearly to feed the lawn. By comparison, fourteen pounds per thousand square feet of soybean meal four times a year will feed the lawn at the same level.

For smaller fungal outbreaks you can use the corn meal from the grocery store. For general soil additives, purchasing the corn meal from your local feed mill is far more cost-effective.

Cracked corn will work just as well, although you may notice birds feeding on it.

We discuss a lot of these issues over at Bestlawn and you can read all the forums without signing up. However, signup is free, they never send unrequested e-mail, and everybody is very helpful with lawn questions.

***Update 4/2/2010: I'm updating some of my more popular posts. This blog is moving over to Bestlawn:

http://bestlawn.info/component/wpmu/morpheuspa.html

Another Photo!

2009-03-31T18:23:00.007-04:00

As always, click to embiggen. This shot is from today, March 31, 2009. The color is starting to deepen and the density is slowly increasing. If you look very closely, you'll see a few minor problem areas that I've now core aerated. I'd already reseeded those over the winter and they should be sprouting sometime soon.

Bonus shot! Here's a blue blooming Iris Reticulata.

Soil Testing

2009-03-29T16:54:00.005-04:00

I'm sending off soil tests to U. Mass Amherst, but I also have a small and very basic sample kit of my own from Rapid Test.

The pH tested at 6.5 (see below), and I'm pending on the other tests waiting for the soil mix to settle. That could be 24 hours, so I'll update this later. (Later: N is testing as deficient, which is no surprise on an organic lawn. P tests as sufficient. K is testing as surplus).

Here's the pH test. I'm calling it 6.5, give or take a little. If that's correct, it's nearly perfect.

Here's the mixed soil sample (disgusting!) Make sure to use a cheap blender

And here are the soil cores for U. Mass Amherst.

Kelp on the Lawn and Gardens

2009-03-27T13:59:00.000-04:00

I just put down 10 pounds per thousand square feet of kelp meal on the lawn and gardens. Using a standard of 1-0-2, that's around 0.1 lbs nitrogen, no phosphorus, and 0.2 lbs of potassium. However, kelp generally isn't used for its NPK supply and functions far better as a soil conditioner.

Kelp contains auxins, cytokinins, and gibberelins, which encourage the roots to grow as well. That will help in both the lawn and gardens and assist in restoring more of the grub damage they sustained last fall.

More Corn Meal

2009-03-21T22:34:00.002-04:00

I bought 7 more bags of corn meal, six for the lawn and 1 for the gardens. That went down today.

One note that I have is not to purchase the fine-ground stuff in the future. I had to put that down by hand, whereas the rougher ground will go through my spreader. Doing it by hand took four hours.

Well, at least it's complete! That's now 83 pounds of corn meal per thousand (about eight times normal), or enough to condition the soil through spring. If I add any in May, I'll probably go with cracked corn. Right now, I have some very happy earthworms who will hopefully have more earthworms...

Corn Meal and the Lawn

2009-03-17T18:49:00.000-04:00

200 pounds of corn meal went down today, and I'm starting to account for the area that will end up being planted with Thuja come April. As of now, I'm using a typical standard of 6,000 square feet of lawn, figuring that about 1,000 will either be under or behind the new bushes and I won't want to feed it because I don't want it to grow that much.

So that works out to 33.3 pounds per thousand, about half what I'd like to add (but I could only get 4 bags and will need to go for four more). Corn meal is mostly a soil conditioner, or used to combat fungal issues, which I don't have. I'm looking to deepen the topsoil more, however, and for that it works well and can be put down in very large amounts as it has few resources. I use a standard NPK of 1.65-0.65-0.40 for that, a far cry from soybean's 7-1-2.

Updated (Late) Image and Mowing

2009-03-16T19:18:00.006-04:00

The lawn went through first mow yesterday, taking it down to 1 1/2" to get rid of the dead tips and expose the soil to a little more sun. It's greener, and the weather looks to hold in the forties and fifties this week so it should green up even more.

I took a reference photo of the bluegrass back in February but neglected to post it--whoops! Here it is now. As always, click to embiggen.

Alfalfa On The Lawn

2009-03-14T21:43:00.004-04:00

I distributed 100 lbs of alfalfa meal on the lawn today, for about 14 pounds per thousand square feet. I usually use a standard of 2.5 - 1 - 2 (NPK) for that, so it adds up to around 0.35 lbs of nitrogen, 0.14 phosphorous, and 0.29 of potassium.

It has the advantage of containing tricontanol (a growth hormone) as well, so the roots will respond to it very well. After some issues with grubs last year, any response I can get on the roots would be very good.

This already has my total organics near 85 pounds per thousand this year. That's quite high.

I also planted a second Double Knockout rose bush as the first one flowered after only a month in the soil and kept flowering until it froze. I added several handfuls of alfalfa meal to the soil--roses love it--and fed the older bush as well.

Several Tasks

2009-03-07T17:48:00.001-05:00

I moved a rose bush today to prepare for the new shrubs on the back line. That, at least, was fairly easy!

The lawn saw another treatment with Nature's Magic and Aerify since the weather was a very nice seventy. I also applied a small amount of Sul-Po-Mag to get 1/3 of a pound of potassium down.

Deinflation is Grand

2009-03-07T17:46:00.001-05:00

I stopped out at Albright's Mill in Kempton today for soybean meal (and corn meal for some new shrubs). Last year's price was $13.25, this year's was $10.97. If I'm doing the math right, it went down 17%!

Milorganite and Purchases

2009-02-28T22:33:00.004-05:00

The grass is starting to awaken very slightly (so of course we'll be getting 2 to 4 inches of snow tomorrow). I put down 144 lbs of Milorganite as a feeding now that the dog food has been consumed by the birds and worms.

I ordered 200 lbs of kelp meal from Dirt Works for $258 including shipping. That's a bit expensive, but I can't get it locally and that's enough for the whole year. I also bought a second EZ Flo system from Dripworks and a 50 pound bag of Sul-Po-Mag from Planet Natural. That should take care of most of my needs for the year as far as extras go. Other than that, the plan is for soybean meal in April, May, June, August, and September, and Milorganite in July and October.

Liming the Lawn

2009-02-21T14:01:00.003-05:00

Well, the weather's fair for late February, if you can call 38° fair. At least it's sunny.

I picked up four bags of dolomitic limestone (about 20% calcium and 10% magnesium) today at Lowe's for about $4 each--I spend a bit more for the pelletized. That gets 22 lbs per thousand square feet down, which is about 4 pounds of calcium and 2 pounds of magnesium per thousand.

That should only be enough to move the pH of the soil about a tenth of a point, so I won't worry about it. Since I'm sitting at a near-perfect pH of 6.8, I have no desire to shift it around at all.

I also took the opportunity to drop 18 lbs per thousand square feet of Milorganite on the gardens so they have something to work with as spring starts up (shortly! I already have 200 sprouting early bulbs).

Last Year's Totals

2009-02-16T19:05:00.004-05:00

I took the record of last year's totals, including what I did, and included it below for your perusal. Please note that my totals are very high as I'm trying to transform very poor subsurface clay into a decent environment.

For the columns the amounts are pounds per thousand square feet. N, P, and K are calculated off the item put down and the pounds used.

Only the total organic amount at the bottom (over a ton!) is the complete amount added.

I tend to use 2-1-2 (N-P-K) for Alfalfa, 7-1-2 for Soybean Meal, 5-2-0 (from the bag) for Milorganite, and 1-0-2 for Kelp Meal. Lime provides no nutrients, per se, but does release calcium and magnesium (I use dolomitic lime) over time.

Date	N	P	K	Organics	Iron	Other Notes
3/1/2008	0.39	0.16	0.31	15.7		Alfalfa
3/14/2008	0.12	0.00	0.22	11.5		Kelp meal
3/26/2008	1.20	0.40	0.00	20.0	0.80	Milorganite
4/10/2008	0.50	0.07	0.14	7.1		Soybean meal
4/19/2008	0.76	0.17	0.14	12.3	0.21	Soybean, Milorganite, lime
4/24/2008	1.50	0.21	0.43	21.4		Soybean meal
5/3/2008	0.25	0.10	0.00	5.0	0.20	Milorganite
5/7/2008	0.26	0.10	0.00	5.1	0.21	Milorganite
5/23/2008	1.48	0.59	0.00	29.5	1.18	Milorganite
6/7/2008	0.40	0.06	0.11	5.7		Soybean meal
6/21/2008	0.60	0.09	0.17	8.6		Soybean meal
7/4/2008	0.51	0.21	0.00	10.3	0.41	Milorganite
7/19/2008	0.51	0.21	0.00	10.3	0.41	Milorganite
7/26/2008	0.24	0.06	0.16	0		Miracle Gro, lime
8/2/2008	1.00	0.14	0.29	14.3		Soybean meal
8/4/2008	0.17	0.07	0.13	6.7		Alfalfa
8/16/2008	1.00	0.14	0.29	14.3		Soybean meal
8/27/2008	1.00	0.14	0.29	14.3		Soybean meal
8/31/2008	0.26	0.10	0.00	5.1	0.21	Milorganite
9/10/2008	1.00	0.14	0.29	14.3		Soybean meal
9/24/2008	1.00	0.14	0.29	14.3		Soybean meal
10/4/2008	1.00	0.41	0.00	20.6	0.82	Milorganite
10/12/2008	0.50	0.20	0.00	10.3	0.41	Milorganite
10/18/2008	0.50	0.20	0.00	10.3	0.41	Milorganite
11/1/2008	1.00	0.41	0.00	20.6	0.82	Milorganite
11/14/2008	1.05	0.10	0.67	0.0		Winterizer

Total per K ft:	18.20	4.62	3.90	307.6	6.09	2153 active organic total

Let the Games Begin!

2009-02-16T19:02:00.003-05:00

There's an initial photo update on my Flickr Page. The color isn't fantastic, but it's starting to come along.

I've added 40 lbs of dog food per thousand square feet (Dad's dog food is pretty cheap--much cheaper than alfalfa is at this point), about a third of which went down today. I'll look to get that done before Wednesday when we get some rain.

Now I just have to keep the dogs off it!

More Photos!

2008-09-04T21:56:00.002-04:00

Once again, on my Flickr page.

Things are doing very well (after 72,000 gallons of water this summer, they should be).

Soybean and Milorganite

2008-08-31T08:52:00.001-04:00

I've actually applied two doses of soybean meal this month for a total of 28.6 pounds per thousand square feet. Today I'll add a bit of Milorganite just to diversify the mix a little bit.

More Photos!

2008-08-12T21:02:00.002-04:00

Trying to copy images into Blogger is a bit of a hassle, so here's the link to my Flickr page...

Enjoy! The density and color of the lawn are excellent (I think the Nature's Magic is helping a lot) and the gardens are bursting with flowers. We're starting to come into grass' fall season, and I'm looking forward to seeing what it does.

Back Line Revision

2008-08-06T10:34:00.004-04:00

I've replanted the back line with 2 pounds per thousand of Galaxy blend (1/3 Midnight II, 1/3 Moonlight, 1/3 Prosperity). I also added 30 lbs per thousand of soybean meal, 10 lbs of corn meal, and 10 of alfalfa. Hopefully that'll hold it until well after sprout when I can walk on it again...

Lime and Death

2008-07-29T21:09:00.004-04:00

I added 10 lbs per thousand square feet of lime--mostly for calcium and magnesium . There's no visible change and won't be, really, as I already know both are within reasonable range. I just want to make sure they don't drop out of that. Photos soon!

The "landscapers" (believe me, I use the term loosely. Hence the scare quotes) had "worked" on the back line and "seeded" in new grass. If you consider annual rye new grass, which I don't. I just hit that with Round-Up last week, preparatory to thinking about planting next week when I'm on vacation. The area is 100 feet long by about ten wide, so I can easily cover that with two strip sprays I have left over, plus a few small garden sprinklers.

Watering Reconfiguration

2008-07-19T08:01:00.003-04:00

I'll post this separately as it's a very different topic. I spent some time reconfiguring my north face's watering and I'm thrilled with the results.

Prior to this, I was using Hunter PGJ sprinklers. Don't get me wrong, they worked and fairly well. However, the pressure on that face is a bit low, so I replaced them with MP Rotators (three 3000 and two 2000). Those function well at lower pressures and have improved the watering immeasurably. They're even close enough on the precipitation rates that I have no qualms about mixing them with the Hunter PGP.

They even used slightly less water, bringing the pressure up a bit!

I also added an EZ Flo hose-end system to the drip system in the back garden. That's working beautifully as well, and I no longer have to feed by hand. Next year I may add one to the front as well.

It's rare, but here are two products I can recommend: the EZ Flo fertilization system, and the MP Rotator 2000 and 3000. One mention is that it's best to use either a liquid fertilizer or a solid that dissolves well (Miracle Gro works fine) in the EZ Flo. My Maxicrop seaweed solid fertilizer clogged it a bit and I had to do a bit of cleaning. At least that's very easy to do.

More Milorganite

2008-07-19T07:59:00.002-04:00

Today was July's second feeding with 2 bags of Milorganite (a grand total of around 0.5 pounds of nitrogen again, so 1 pound total for July). Note to most people reading this: don't feed that heavily. I'm bringing in a first year bluegrass lawn and it's very hungry. For most of you, half that would be fine on any northern lawn. Southerners with Bermuda need to ignore me and feed very heavily during summer.

After this, it's back to soybean meal until October when it's getting too cold for that.

More Images

2008-07-05T10:14:00.005-04:00

It hasn't been quite a month since the image update, but the grass has changed since then. The Nature's Magic is definitely influencing the color (and I only put it down a week ago), plus the rain we're getting is helping a lot. I dodged out during one of our rare sunny periods this morning and took the following photos.

For reference, here are the dead areas of Poa annua on May 7th:

And here's the same area today (I'm standing perhaps 2 feet in front of where I was...sorry!)

Here's the side yard, with a bit of sunburn:

And here's the back gardens (the color of the grass is not that dark--it oversaturated a bit):

Organic Interdependence Day

2008-07-05T08:20:00.003-04:00

Yes, I did just make that up. Deal. :-)

As of yesterday, I dropped 72 pounds of Milorganite (about 10 lbs per thousand square feet) on the lawn. I'd already done the gardens at 18 per thousand the week before.

At the same time last week, I sprayed the lawn and gardens with Nature's Magic. It's composed of about half humic acid, half kelp extract. I think it improved the color a bit, and it does seem to be helping the soil to retain even more water.

It wouldn't be something I'd recommend to people with an established lawn, but mine is first year and still feeding very heavily. The color is still improving slowly, and I couldn't be happier with the density. I'll take photos once it stops pouring...which may be this week. Maybe.

I Am Duly Admonished

2008-06-15T10:06:00.005-04:00

Mr. Parafly noted that I haven't posted photos in forever. As you wish. They're always available on my Flickr page, but I'll post the ones I took today here...plus one from May.

May's shot shows the holes where I killed out the Poa annua, leaving ginormous holes...

Here's the shot from today, showing the closing holes:

The color looks a little odd because I took this photo in the morning. It always increases the yellow tone in the green.

This is the semi-standard front yard shot:

And here's the back gardens:

The Thuja Are In

2008-06-08T15:16:00.004-04:00

All four Emerald Thuja have been planted (they're all of a foot tall!) The tulip tree is also here, and that went in at the same time. I'm still waiting for the lilac, but they're supposed to be off backorder shortly.

Of course, the temperature just reached 90° F. Fortunately, these are so small and have such large root masses that keeping them damp is easy.

The builder decided to regrade the swale behind the house late last week. Right now, 11' x 110' of the property is torn up. Since they also removed Myrtle's wire, they'll be replacing that. I trust it's in the correct place (I called them, so it should be). Otherwise I fully intend to complain to the township.

I'll reseed that in fall once the weather breaks. It's right at the back line of the house, so although it looks awful at least it isn't in the middle of anything important.

They decided to seed the front easement as well in the small holes where the lawn is filling in. I think they used contractor seed (I can see rye in it), so I'll make sure that fails. Fortunately, during the summer that's extremely easy.

I fed the lawn this weekend with 40 lbs of soybean meal (the bag is fifty, but I had the setting a bit low. It was so hot I didn't want to go over it a second time). That works out to about 0.4 lbs N, 0.06 P, 0.11 K, and around 5 lbs of organics per thousand square feet.

Myrtle's Home!

2008-06-01T14:09:00.002-04:00

The Robomower 850 (named Myrtle) got here on Friday and it wasn't that expensive to repair. She's now done all three zones twice.

It's been a while since I blogged, but I've been busy. Six bags of Milorganite went down in May, plus setting up all the gardens (around 800 annuals), and keeping everything weeded.

I finally decided to close out the back line a little better, so I ordered 4 Emerald Thuja for there. That should compliment the 2 butterfly bushes and 3 lilacs very nicely, and they don't invade too badly.

The crepe myrtle (named Suzette...the name Myrtle already being taken by the mower) isn't doing well. That went into a pot, and I ordered a tulip cedar (actually, that's a magnolia) for that spot. Since they're native to Pennsylvania, that should do fine.

Robomower 850 Update

2008-05-07T19:13:00.003-04:00

Well, at least Probotics in Glenside, PA is really interested in helping their customers. They offer a shipping box to keep the ship-size from going over into the oversized rates, and gave me a very reasonable quote on the broken item. It's beyond my ability to repair, so they'll be the ones to fix it.

If their service is this good, when I upgrade (probably to a Lawnbott Evolution eventually) it'll be their sale.

Robomower 850 Issues

2008-05-06T20:42:00.002-04:00

I have a three year old Robomower 850 (one of those robotic lawnmowers) that has just stripped its gears. I did manage to replace that, but of course now the system won't power up.

Three years for something to break is not a good average. I'm now mowing the lawn with a reel mower.

An Unusual Frost

2008-04-30T20:24:00.003-04:00

I've been spending plenty of time putting in my annuals for the last few days. Right now, I have most of 5 gardens done out of 9 total, with two of the heavy-hitters done already. There are still two larger gardens to go, but at least the other two are considerably smaller.

Naturally, we went under a frost warning last night and this. I picked up a neat trick some years ago, although I don't remember where. Something's telling me that it was from Watch Your Garden Grow on NBC in the morning, but I could be wrong.

Regardless. I set my watering system to water for 3 minutes at 2 AM, 4 AM, and 6 AM. The water is fifty degrees, which is more than enough to warm the leaves, and water takes a long time to lose heat. As it freezes, it releases even more heat, limiting the damage to the plants.

If you don't have a watering system, water heavily before the sun goes down. That will carry some of the heat up top down below, plus inject enough water to get you through until morning. Of course, if temperatures dip well below freezing, nothing will work. For very delicate plants, it may not work, and in windy conditions it dries off fast and may cause more issues than it solves.

If you're reading this on a frosty night and the sun's already down, water anyway. It'll still help.

Poa Annua and Feeding

2008-04-24T20:59:00.002-04:00

When it rains, it pours. The triv died out, but I got a massive incursion of annua from last fall's reseeding. I had to wipe that out with Round Up, so I now have tons of little dead areas in the lawn. Fortunately, May is spreading month for Kentucky Bluegrass, so they should fill in fairly well.

The lawn, where it isn't in a dead spot, is a beautiful dark green. I'm hesitant to photograph it because the dead spots make it look terrible. Well, maybe this weekend I will.

I just applied 150 pounds of soybean meal, or just over 20 per thousand square feet. That's about 1.5 pounds of nitrogen per thousand, 0.2 of phosphorus, and 0.4 of potassium.

The gardens are coming back nicely and I put the cannas in last weekend. It's a little early, but the coldest weather we have on the docket for the next two weeks is 40 degrees.

Soybean Meal

2008-04-10T20:51:00.002-04:00

Today was the first application of soybean meal, but just a little snack for the lawn. I put down 50 lbs, or about 7 lbs per thousand square feet. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I jumped the gun a little bit.

The remainder won't go down for 2 weeks so it's available during May.

Poa Trivialis and Confessions of an Organicist

2008-04-07T19:06:00.002-04:00

I have a moderate incursion of Poa trivialis (okay, it could be P. annua but I'm not inclined to do a precise ID...it's one or the other). And I just broke down and spot-sprayed all of it with Certainty herbicide.

So much for 100% organic this year. However, if I let that go it'll beat up on my new grass. That's not acceptable.

No, I'm not taking photos. The lime green incursion into the darkening lawn is awful.

Milorganite

2008-04-05T11:55:00.002-04:00

The grass is starting to come back, but it hasn't grown through the dead layer yet in most places. At least the patches where it has are growing larger. Given the on again, off again weather, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

This month's fertilization is 140 pounds of Milorganite (the other 20 went into the gardens), so about 20 lbs per thousand square feet of grass. I'm calling it 1.2 lbs of organic nitrogen, 0.4 lbs phosphorous, and no potassium. There's an additional 0.8 lbs of iron in there as well.

Inflation Stinks

2008-03-24T18:38:00.001-04:00

My parents went to Albright's Mill in Kempton today for their soybean meal and picked up seven 50-lb bags for me at the same time. This year's price was $13.25, up from $9.80 last year.

For those of you keeping track at home, that's a 35% increase. In one year.

Spring Maintenance

2008-03-22T17:16:00.002-04:00

The weather is still warming but not exactly what I'd call springlike yet. I replanted two Black Knight butterfly bushes that had frost-heaved out this month, plus applied 39 and a bit more pounds of Milorganite to the lawn to keep that from smelling up the garage.

The grass is coming back, but it hasn't yet grown over the old, dead blades from last year. It won't be long before it does that, however.

Awakening!

2008-03-11T18:11:00.002-04:00

The weather is holding around 50° during the day, so the grass is just starting to awaken (about two weeks earlier than last year). I haven't bothered with a photo just yet--you do have to look very closely to see the change.

It appears that the Bedazzled is back the earliest, with the Midnight II and Moonlight lagging somewhat behind.

For Posterity's sake, I'll mention that the crocus are well up but not yet budding, the jonquil are well underway, the daffodil are started, and the tulips just breaking ground. Those are also well ahead of schedule.

Here's hoping we don't get a long icy period.

Kelp Meal

2008-03-06T21:09:00.002-05:00

The first fifty pounds of kelp meal went down today. I'll schedule the next fifty for next month some time or a bit later, depending on how the grass looks.

All things considered, at around 1-0-2, I added almost no nutrients. The primary use of kelp is for organic material in the lawn and to add a wide variety of trace elements.

The stuff stinks. I smell a bit like a rotted shrimp. I did wash thoroughly with a perfumed soap, so I now smell like a rotted shrimp...wearing perfume. The next time I do this I'll change clothes immediately.

A March Reference Photo

2008-03-03T17:28:00.005-05:00

Here's a quick reference photo of what the lawn looks like right now. Or, not very good all things considered, but not bad for early March. Most of the top dead material will fall through and disappear into the grass as it re-grows.

Eventually.

As always, click to embiggen. :-)

An Online Question

2008-03-02T13:09:00.003-05:00

One of my readers writes:

Q: Sodfather, hello from Northern Virginia. I did a total front yard restoration last fall. I removed the sod with a sod cutter, did a little tilling of the soil and then brought in several yards of top soil. I seeded with pure Midnight. I have full sun in the day and an irrigation system. The grass took 4 weeks to come up but stopped growing around November. My question would be; do you recommend overseeding now? I am about to purchase more seed. Should I buy some Bedazzled or stick with the midnight? What are your recommendations for feeding and when? I feel the grass needs to be thicker and understand KBG will fill in but I want to give it a jump start.

A: I'm not an expert in northern Virginia, but it's probably close enough for me to wing it. My restoration was last year, too, about the same time and mine stopped growing in mid-November.

You can overseed now if you like, although spring seeding always takes more poorly than fall does. Adding another cultivar would add more resiliency in case of disease or insect problems, but you'll find that Midnight is a pretty hardy grass to begin with and doesn't have too many issues.

Bedazzled is excellent, but you'll find it's a slightly lighter green. If you're looking to add a high note of color in the lawn, it's perfect. If you want a darker color, try Moonlight.

Feeding is the most important part (well, proper watering and mowing are actually more imporant, but I'm assuming you're somewhere in that range). For an organic feeding, feed at any time between now and May. For synthetics like Scott's, hold off until May. Spring grasses grow roots more than blades, so you want to encourage that. High nitrogen feeds force the growth up top. Organics, which are much more balanced, tend not to.

I just dumped 15 lbs per thousand square feet of alfalfa (mostly) meal on the lawn, and I'll feed with 12 lbs per thousand of kelp meal yet this month (which has very little NPK, but a lot of minor elements).

The First Feed

2008-03-02T00:50:00.002-05:00

I did see the question in comments and I'll answer it shortly--I got a bit sidetracked today.

First feeding of the lawn was this morning, on top of a quarter inch of snow (which melted by noon). I used 110 lbs of Mazuri chinchilla food which is primarily alfalfa. Unfortunately, alfalfa pellets are difficult to get around here.

All things considered, it's around 15 lbs per thousand square feet, or around 0.3 lbs of nitrogen. That should be just enough to get the grass started when it comes back.

Organic Feeding...When?

2008-02-26T18:54:00.003-05:00

Q: When should I put down the first feeding, and what should I use?

A: Around here, no earlier than March first (or, about three weeks before you expect the lawn to start awakening). My first feeding is around 15 pounds of alfalfa (OK, gerbil food from the local pet supply house) meal per thousand square feet, for a minimal feeding. The gerbil food is around 2.5% nitrogen, 0.5% phosphorous, 1.5% potassium, so it's a fairly weak feeding. That's correct for March.

Adding too much nitrogen to a cool-season lawn early in the season is a very bad idea (I covered that in the crabgrass post just below). This is a gentle boost to carry me over until I feed more heavily later on.

A Question on Pre-Emergents for Crabgrass

2008-02-20T20:46:00.006-05:00

Spring is only four weeks away--you can tell because the grass questions are starting. Here's one I'll blog about. If I actually ever get another visitor, please feel free to post questions in the comments. I'll answer what I can.

Q: When should I apply crabgrass pre-emergent to my lawn? (courtesy of a lawn junkie at work)

A: In the northeast, apply it when the forsythia bloom or when the ground temperature passes 50° and rising. This soil map will give you a more exact answer, but following the bloom is close enough.

Grass doesn't want to eat breakfast quite that early, so a crabgrass pre-emergent without a feeding is best. Feed your lawn in mid-May (for Scott's-type fast release fertilizers) for better results. Delaying the feeding encourages the roots to grow and minimizes top growth. Feeding it grows the top (green) part of the lawn at the expense of the roots.

You can use any pre-emergent you want, or none at all. I tend to find them not very effective, but other people have reported that they do help.

A Visitor!

2008-02-20T20:44:00.003-05:00

Ok, the first seven on the counter below were me, I admit it. #8 is not. Thanks for stopping by! Your contribution has taken me from an F-list blogger to...well, an F+ list blogger.

A Warmer Spell

2008-02-06T19:02:00.001-05:00

The temperatures are holding in the fifties, even at 7 PM. The grass is greening up a bit, although at least the garden refuse is rotting in faster than expected. The projected low on Sunday night is now 13°.

You just have to love irregular climates.

Taking Down the Gardens

2008-02-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

Yes, most people do it in November but I tend to leave at least some of the more elegant plants up until February or so. I used the string trimmer today to cut them down.

Over the next six weeks, the bits and pieces should decay away nicely, enriching the soil and preparing the gardens for spring.

January Overseeding

2008-02-03T13:47:00.001-05:00

I dormant seeded on January 12 when our warmer period ended. I've included a reference photo from October here--the best of the best, but can you blame me?

For this seeding, I couldn't get my standard mix (Midnight II, Bedazzled, and Moonlight), so I used a different blend (Midnight II, Moonlight, and Prosperity). It should be a hair darker, but not noticeable.

I hope this fills in the area on the western face where the fall seeding didn't take. I was careful to spread some across the entire lawn as well, so any color difference should be minimal.

Hello World!

2008-02-03T13:45:00.000-05:00

I intend this blog to record my lawn and garden activities. At first blush, that seems like an odd thing to show to the world, but friends and family have asked that I do this so they can copy what I'm doing.

There certainly won't be many posts until spring. I'm located in eastern Pennsylvania, so that would be mid to late March at the earliest. Still, a few things do happen over the winter, and I'll record those.