I am in Peaster, TX. just north of Weatherford. I have a mix of St. Augustine and native bermuda grass. (Built a new home in a cow pasture 2 years ago!) I am new to the organic life and fertilized with dry molasses, corn gluten (which my chickens loved) and alfalfa pellets in early April. Do I need to feed my lawn now? - It looks a little "stressed" because of the hot weather. I water once a week about 1" deep (tuna can method). Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

Bugsmom,

If the lawn is showing signs of stress you may want to increase the amount of water you are applying to 1.5 inches a week or more. Do you have a lot of trees? If so, the trees are using up a good portion of the water available leaving the grass wanting for more I would guess.

Also, another good way to help your plants become more tolerant of stress is liquid seaweed. You can apply it in a hose end sprayer set at either 1.5 or 2 oz. and spray the whole landscape with it. I use an Ortho Dial-A-Sprayer for this and it works great.

Generally when your plants/grass is showing signs of stress you do not want to add any fertilizer at that time, as the additional nitrogen could burn the plant.

_________________
---Scott in Texas---
"It begins with a garden... and becomes a way of life"
"Conserve today and save tomorrow!"

Gonna have to disagree with Scott and put in my two cents here.

Sounds like good advice, with the exception of no fertilizer. You fertilized a while back, with some good materials, but it's time to fertilize again. Most organic people fertilize twice a year, but three times a year is generally better. The combination you put out in April was good but you need ongoing food sources for your turf, bushes, trees and garden areas. Use a good balanced organic fertilizer and don't worry about burn. I'd recommend Ladybug, Bioform Dry, or one of the other balance brands. Organic fertilizer are formulated nitrogen sources not to burn or cause incorrect growth even during these hottest days. Get a good one and apply it at the recommended rate. What you'll get are stronger roots and better photosynthesis. Put down one more application in the fall and you'll set your soil up for protection over the winter, healthy root systems and good growth in spring. I fertilize every summer, right when it's hot (July or August), and have for years and get the most heat and drought resistant lawn on the block.

Put down more molasses with the fertilizer, and some horticultural cornmeal too, if the budget allows. You'll get a knockout reaction. And if you are willing to really give it a punch, add Medina Plus (with seaweed) as you water it all in and watch your plants get VERY happy!

Hope that helps!
Kathe

Thanks for the info. I use seaweed on my plants and garden. Works great on those. Never thought about my lawn!! Makes good sense. Thanks again.

You don't necessarily have to fertilize. A good organic system should be sufficient when the fertilizer is applied in ~April and September.

I'm relaying what I heard from John Dromgoule on the radio this weekend:

Remember that 90% of your organic fertilizer is in the blades of the grass, so make sure you are not bagging your grass. If you do decide to fertilize in July, only apply it at half the recommended rate.

Otherwise I agree with Kathe, you don't need to increase watering or worry about burn.

Is there any harm in using CGM as your ONLY fertilizer instead of using the others that Kathe suggested above?

uh...other than that it stinks like a big dog when it gets wet...I can't think of any, of course that was at 35-40 lbs./ sq. ft.

_________________
"A righteous person who is wise resembles God: he never disciplines anyone in order to take vengeance upon a wrongdoing, but only so that the person may be set aright, or that others may be deterred."
-St Isaac of Syria

I don't think CGM has any notable concentration of phosphorus and potassium. I believe it is only a source of nitrogen, I think it would be a 9-0-0 fertilizer.

I would say it depends on where you live and if your lawn is nicely established. Maybe CGM with a top dressing of compost in the spring would be sufficient.

Okay, looks like we pretty much agree. I advised fertilizing because I felt that the combination offered in spring is likely depleted by now and been metabolized out of the soil. I definitely agree with John (Dromgoole) that the fertilizer returns to the soil with the recycling of grass clippings by mulching and one should never, ever bag. But you still need to make sure the nutrition gets there and is supplied in the right balance, in the right amounts, and at the right time; hence the fertilization. It sounded like bugsmom provided nutrients but maybe using a balanced fertilizer like the ones I suggested would just be easier. Dry molasses, a basic sugar with organic material, usually rice hulls, would stimulate the biological activity and provide matter to biodegrade into some nutrients. CGM is of course mainly nitrogen. Alfalfa pellets contain a range of nutrients and trace minerals and will have provided good nutrition; how much would depend on the applcation rate that was used and where & how the alfalfa was raised. But these are all depleted after a period of time.

PLUS, Peaster is in north Texas, where we have had copious amounts of rain, which have washed nutrients out of the most carefully maintained organic soils of late. With organic materials, fertilizing 3 times a year isn't too much, but usually not necessary after the health of the soil is established and two times a year is enough to replaced depleted nutrients. Nutrients are removed by evaporation, insects, flowering, fruiting and other processes, and erosion in some cases (like heavy rains), despite the condition of the soil. Whether the nutrients are provided through fertilizers, compost, liquid amendments, etc. (so long as they are of natural origin) usually does not matter. Methods vary, and must vary, according to the soil. General recommendations are usually reliable but must be adjusted to conditions.

CGM is usually 9-0-0 and therefore not almost never sufficient as the only fertilizer in north Texas soils. Other materials can be used as fertilizer to establish conditions that allow the absorption of the iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, molybdenum, etc. and other trace minerals and nutrients by pH balance that all plants need in varying amoutns but it has to BE THERE in the first place.
That's all I'm sayin'.

Man, I talk a lot sometimes!
Kathe