Cracked Corn Down!

I got motivated and dropped the cracked corn on the lawn immediately. I've applied 20 pounds per thousand square feet.

Cracked corn is a fairly mild and gentle anti-fungal for the lawn, as it encourages Trichoderma fungi which will hunt other surface fungi.

As a feeding source, it's extremely light. All told, it works out to 0.33 pounds of nitrogen per thousand.

Yearly Garden Additions

I'm already done with the gardens' feeding for the year, so I guess it's time to add the amounts for the year. In addition to the Milorganite, I fed with Miracle Gro 24-8-16 from May through early July at a bit under half rate weekly through my EZ-Flo irrigation system. From early July to mid-September, I used K-Gro from K-Mart 15-30-15 to encourage flowering. That was also at about half rate weekly through the EZ-Flo system.

Organic additions were about 100 pounds per thousand less than last year, until you consider that 19 cubic yards of mulch went onto the gardens this year for an additional amount of 3,000 pounds per thousand square feet. That was an extraordinarily heavy addition of mulch.

Date	N	P	K	Iron	Organics	Other Notes
3/18/2011	0.50	0.20	0.00	0.40	10.0	Milorganite
5/1/2011	1.35	0.54	0.00	1.08	27.0	Milorganite
6/1/2011	1.20	0.48	0.00	0.96	24.0	Milorganite
7/1/2011	1.55	0.62	0.00	1.24	32.0	Milorganite
8/1/2011	1.13	0.45	0.00	0.90	22.5	Milorganite
9/1/2011	1.13	0.45	0.00	0.90	22.5	Milorganite
10/1/2011	2.47	0.99	0.00	1.98	49.5	Milorganite
Total per K ft:	9.33	3.73	0.00	7.46	187.5	373 active organic total

Soy and Milorganite

Is that soyorganite? Perhaps!

I tend to like applying a heavy mass of organics to the lawn in August to feed it in September when the grass really wants a nice dinner. I'll do it again in September for October.

I just applied 16.7 pounds per thousand of soybean meal, plus 17.1 pounds per thousand of Milorganite. The grand total protein is about 14 pounds per thousand square feet, or about 2 pounds of nitrogen (eventually) per thousand. Other elements are low except iron, which is almost 0.7 pounds per thousand.

Don't try this with synthetics or you'll burn the lawn badly. For organics, it's fine, and provides a nice base for fall.

Yearly Garden Additions

This is for the gardens, which received about 560 pounds of organics (not including mulch), or about 280 per thousand square feet.

Date	N	P	K	Iron	Organics	Other Notes
3/18/2010	2.25	0.90	0.00	1.80	45.0	Milorganite
3/28/2010	1.80	0.72	0.00	1.44	36.0	Milorganite
4/7/2010	3.40	2.88	0.40	1.44	36.0	Milorganite, Starter
4/11/2010	1.75	0.25	0.50	0.00	25.0	Soybean Meal
5/6/2010	2.50	1.42	0.70	1.44	36.0	10-10-10, Milorganite
6/3/2010	2.95	1.77	1.02	0.00	25.0	10-10-10, Starter, Soy
7/1/2010	2.25	0.93	0.63	0.00	25.0	Starter, Soybean Meal
8/1/2010	1.05	0.90	0.13	0.44	11.0	Starter, Milorganite
9/1/2010	1.75	0.25	0.50	0.00	25.0	Soybean Meal
10/2/2010	0.90	0.36	0.00	0.72	18.0	Milorganite
Total per K ft:	20.60	10.36	3.88	7.28	282.0	564 active organic total

Yearly Lawn Additions

As of today, the year is done. The Winterizer went down this afternoon!

Here's the chart of all additions on the lawn throughout the entire gardening season. It sums to about 2,880 pounds total material, or about 450 pounds per thousand square feet. I'll publish the gardens separately.

Date	N	P	K	Iron	Organics	Other Notes
3/7/2010	0.64	0.26	0.00	0.51	12.8	Milorganite
4/1/2010	0.77	0.31	0.00	0.75	15.4	Milorganite, FeSO4
4/11/2010	0.35	0.14	0.09	0.00	21.4	Cracked Corn
4/25/2010	1.16	0.17	0.33	0.00	16.7	Soybean Meal
5/7/2010	0.60	0.81	0.15	3.57	0.00	Starter Fertilizer, FeSO4
5/21/2010	1.01	0.28	0.14	0.41	17.4	Soybean Meal, Milorganite
6/15/2010	1.01	0.28	0.14	0.41	17.4	Soybean Meal, Milorganite
7/8/2010	1.01	0.28	0.14	0.41	17.4	Soybean Meal, Milorganite
7/20/2010	0.00	0.00	0.00	3.57	0.00	FeSO4
8/1/2010	1.11	0.39	0.06	0.73	21.0	Milorganite, Soybean Meal
8/15/2010	1.26	0.24	0.29	0.21	19.4	Soybean Meal, Milorganite
8/29/2010	1.77	0.44	0.29	0.62	29.7	Milorganite, Soybean Meal
9/12/2010	1.00	0.14	0.29	0.00	14.3	Soybean Meal
9/19/2010	1.16	0.00	0.16	0.00	0.00	Vigoro 29-0-4
9/26/2010	1.00	0.14	0.29	0.00	14.3	Soybean Meal
10/3/2010	0.96	0.39	0.00	0.77	19.3	Milorganite
10/11/2010	0.83	0.00	0.11	0.00	0.00	Vigoro 29-0-4
10/17/2010	0.90	0.36	0.00	0.72	18.0	Milorganite
11/15/2010	1.55	0.68	0.29	0.00	194.2	Leaves
11/28/2010	1.50	0.00	0.21	0.21	0.00	Vigoro Super Green
Total per K ft:	19.59	5.31	2.98	12.89	448.7	2879 active organic total

Cheater!

The lawn is having some slight issues coming back from this summer's damage. Root growth has been excellent from what I can tell, but top growth is slow and spreading is very slow.

So I applied 4 pounds per thousand of 29-0-4 (4.8% of that is slow release nitrogen) today and I'm currently watering it in. It works out to just about exactly a pound of quickly available nitrogen per thousand square feet.

The weather is still a bit on the warm side for grasses, and very warm for late September. Our daily high today was 82°, with estimated highs ranging from 73° tomorrow to 83° on Wednesday. That's limiting the lawn's recovery, but we're also running out of time. While frost and freeze may be late, I don't think they'll be all that late.

I could be wrong about that. I hope I am.

I should see the initial impact from this application by Tuesday or Wednesday, with faster growth continuing for a number of weeks.

Highest Feeding Point

The weather still says summer with highs of 94 degrees or better through the week (exceedingly odd for late August). However, the grass will begin consuming massive amounts of nitrogen in September, so the year's heaviest feeding went today.

I applied 14.3 pounds of soybean meal, plus 15.4 pounds of Milorganite per thousand square feet. That will supply 1.77 pounds of nitrogen, 0.44 pounds of phosphoric acid (equivalent), 0.29 pounds of potassium, and 0.62 pounds of iron.

The next feeding will be applied in two weeks, but that will be somewhat lighter.

More Lawn Feeding

We have showers coming through today, so I ducked out between the raindrops and fed the lawn for the second time in August.

This time, I used 14.3 pounds per thousand square feet of soybean meal, and 5.1 pounds per thousand of Milorganite. That works out to a grand total of 1.26 pounds of nitrogen, 0.24 pounds of phosphorous, 0.29 pounds of potassium, and 0.21 pounds of iron per thousand square feet.

Technically, this feeding was completely unnecessary--it brings my August total to 2.37 pounds of organic nitrogen per thousand square feet. However, with the damage done to the lawn by the hot and dry summer, plus the fact that fall lawns are very hungry, this can only help it out.

The current grand total is 159 pounds of organics per thousand square feet, yielding 8.92 pounds of nitrogen. September's feeding will be similar, and I'll back off in October and November.

Feeding Update

I've been pretty good about publishing photos, but I haven't been so good about updating how I'm keeping the lawn looking like that!

With my low iron levels (1.3 PPM on the last soil test), and slightly high pH, iron's critical. I've dropped 50 pounds of ferrous sulfate (7.1 pounds per thousand) this year to help with both iron levels and the pH. Ferrous sulfate has about 1/8th the acidifying power of elemental sulfur, so this is the equivalent of a bit under a pound of sulfur per thousand.

I've backed off on feeding this year what with the heat and the fact that the soil simply doesn't need it any longer. So far, 118 pounds per thousand square feet of organic feedings have gone down. I'm dividing that into half Milorganite, half soybean meal for most feedings, although I did drop 20 pounds per thousand square feet of cracked corn earlier in the season to help with any fungal issues.

All things considered, that works out (per thousand square feet so far this year) to 6.5 pounds of organic nitrogen, 2.5 pounds of phosphorus, 1 pound of potassium, and 9.6 pounds of iron.

August's feeding goes right around the first, and that will be pure Milorganite. The second August feeding will be soybean meal, around the 15th. That will help get the lawn fed for fall when it really wants the nitrogen. I'll continue heavily feeding in September as well since the weather is still compatible.

Garden Feeding

I'm trying to transform the garden soil to the same standard (or better) than the lawn soil.  So I fed again with another 72 pounds of Milorganite, or 36 pounds per thousand, plus added 16 pounds of starter fertilizer to raise the phosphorus level in the soil.  The lawn is stabilized at 20 PPM, the gardens should be identical as they received the same treatment.  40 to 60 PPM would be better for gardens where I ask for a great deal of blooming all season long.

So far, that's a grand total of 117 pounds of Milorganite per thousand this year.  Although extremely high (and it will be struck with 50 pounds of soybean meal Friday), I'm trying to add as much organic food as possible before I mulch next week.

Feeding the Lawn

Another 108 pounds of Milorganite went down today over the entire 7,000 square feet (for 15.4 pounds per thousand).

This year I'm trying to enhance the gardens as well, so I dropped 36 pounds per thousand through them.

Please note, if you're feeding with synthetics, it's far too early in Pennsylvania to even think about it--wait until mid May for better results.

Let The Games Begin!

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.

Final Fertilizer for the Lawn

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

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

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

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

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.

I've Been Busy

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

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.

Starter Fertilizer

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.