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PostPosted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 7:13 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:52 am
Posts: 56
What is 'CM', can't seem to figure that one out - so many abbreviation now-a-days.

Beside CM, what other organic material have you been putting on to make your soil much less hard. I have that problem on much of my front yard.

______________

Hi Mike,

CM is corn meal.

Before laying the new sod:
Expanded Shale
Lava Sand
Texas Green Sand
Molasses
Used coffee gounds
(already had Peat Moss in the soil)

Once the sod was down I applied Thrive/Turf
Organic Fertilizer/Calloways
Alfalfa
We make weekly stops a Starbucks for the coffee grounds. I start at one end of the yard and make my way around. It takes me awhile to get enough to complete the process. Then I start over.

I spray either Garret Juice or Ladybug's John Recipe once a month.

Once a month I spread Molasses
I used Corn Gluten Meal (CGM) as a Preemergent last month.
I have spread Texas Green Sand a few more times.

I still need to spread the compost top dressing.

My goal was to spend this year getting the soil is good condition. I think I can cut back a bit next year.

Char Harris
Flower Mound


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PostPosted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 10:10 am 
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Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:27 am
Posts: 16
Wow - thanks for the info. Think I will have to do it a little at a time - sounds expensive; haven't worked for quite some time, and/or try in my most worse areas and expand from there.

I too get my coffee grounds from Starbucks, got five big bags right now waiting for use.

However, how heavily do you put your down. When I have tried to put it down, it is hard to get dispersed thinly so that I do not put too much down - or, is that a problem to be concerned about?

..Mike


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PostPosted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 2:05 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:32 am
Posts: 53
Hi!

When we started developing take all fungus in another part of the yard that hadn't had it previously, after talking with an agricultural expert about applying peat moss to control the fungus because it was acidic, I chose to apply the coffee grounds because of the acidity (although I just got through reading that there may not be much left!) and cost effectiveness.

When it seemed that sprinkling the limited amts. of grounds wouldn't give the most efficient results I was looking for, I decided to spread them with my hand - like peanut butter - right over the patches! It has really, really worked very well! And you don't have worry about drying them out before applying them!

This forum has been a lawn saver! The part of the lawn that was really walloped by fungus earlier this year is so much better. Thanks so much to everyone!


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PostPosted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 9:21 pm 
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Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:27 am
Posts: 16
So it sounds like you put the coffee grounds down fairly thickly, by hand.

I first mixed a 20 lb bag of coffee grounds with a 30 or 40 lb of playground sand, mixed them both in a wheel barrel and then tried to spread it with a shovel on the spots that I was having problems with. Did this about 3 or 4 weeks ago, then watered them in.

Seems to early to know whether it stopped the actual Take all fungis, 'appears' the area is even more dead - but it may be just that the Take all finished killing the top part of grass. If there are any surviving roots, maybe they will start growing soon, or do so come spring.

The grounds seems to be doing something good - small weeds are starting to grow where there were not any before; but I can hand pull those at this stage.

This week sometime, I think I am going to buy some peat moss like you and others have recommended. I just have been trying things first that I could get for free.


I appreciate the response and advice that I have been getting from each of you.

...Mike


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 9:01 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:52 am
Posts: 56
However, how heavily do you put your down. When I have tried to put it down, it is hard to get dispersed thinly so that I do not put too much down - or, is that a problem to be concerned about?

..Mike


_______________
I really wanted to be able to apply the coffee grounds in my spreader. So.....I bought a big square container. Laid newspaper in the botton and then added the coffee gounds. I left the container in the backyard in the sun for a few days. Every so often I went out and mixed the grounds until they were nice and dry. Put then in the spreader on the highest setting....nothing went thru.

Most of our Starbucks use these really nice aluminum bags. I now just carry the bag and sprinkle by hand.

I do not apply too heavy. BUT this happened to me once. I had some bags with the coffee filters mixed in. This made it a little harder to 'sprinkle.' And I ended up dropping the whole bag. So I had a pile of grounds in one area. I used a broom to spread the grounds. But it was still pretty heavy in that area. I watered the gounds in ALOT. A few days later that area turned brown. After a few weeks, the brown grass was mowed off and the area turned a beautiful green! So I had a happy ending...but I do not make a habit of apply that heavy.

Char Harris,
Flower Mound, TX


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:37 am 
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Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:27 am
Posts: 16
Thank you Charr. Good descriptions of how you do it and especially the example of when you drop the bag. I will now continue spreading it, by hand in the future. Then come spring, I will see what happens.

I am going to spread it over the entire yard and maybe improve all the grass. Just did not want to do it too much and your dropping of bag allevated a big concern there.

BTW, when I go to starbucks, I Ask if they have any coffee grounds because the smaller 'packages' that you refer to are seldom in the can at the front of the store - they have been taken or they have not taken time to bag them.

90% of the time, they have at least one plastic bag available that weights over 20 lbs of grounds. I then ask them to double bag them in another big bag. That way, I get a lot more, and they do not have to mess with putting them into the small, air tight bag. ...for those who do not know - it is official company Policy that they provide coffee grounds to their customers when requested; if they have any.

Best to go pick them up at mid-morning or mid-afternoon - any time AFTER their 'busy rush time'. You do not have to buy anything when you request these - I don't even like or drink coffee. :)


l


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 8:06 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:32 am
Posts: 53
I really don't spread out the coffee grounds too thickly at all - less than 1/8 of an inch, maybe even 1/16th. I put on a thin latex glove, grab a glob, and just spread it on with my fingers over the patches. It's a thin layer, but I make sure it covers the entire area. I just leave it and let nature go to work. I think that I saw results between two to three weeks? :?: The St. Augustine seems to really like it, it provides direct application at a high concentration, and it saves time, time, time! (I tried drying it out too in large containers...)


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 1:48 am 
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Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:27 am
Posts: 16
Thanks OU. That's the instructions that I needed. I am going to get my spread in the next few days so that it will catch some of this rain that is 'suppose' be coming.!


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 5:55 pm 
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Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:32 am
Posts: 53
Mike,

I really hope that it helps! I try to check every week and continue to spread over spots that seem to need additional applications. If the coffee has any white mold on it, that's just an added benefit!


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