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 Post subject: Summer fertilizing
PostPosted: Thu Jun 03, 2004 2:16 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2003 12:47 pm
Posts: 10
I live in the Austin area and have a relatively new St. Augustine yard (1 1/2 yrs old). I fertilized in the spring with 2 bags of Bioform Dry and 1 gallon of Medina Soil Activator. I used the Medina because it contained a good amount of iron and the Bioform doesn't have much. I have also been watering more deeply, though less frequently, for the past 9months or so. The results have been good. My yard which had been pretty thin and patchy really responded well. It is getting thicker and is staying green. Last summer it started yellowing and nothing seemed to help (I used corn meal, green sand, and bioform last year).

I am planning to fertilize again this weekend but not sure what the best choice would be. There are still a few thin spots, particularly in the front yard. Also, it appears to need a little iron as it is not as dark a green as in the spring. Bioform Dry has seemed to work well, should I just use that again? Dry molasses seems to be recommended a lot and I have never used it. Should I try that instead or in addition to? What about more Medina or Greensand since they both contain iron? The Medina seemed to make a huge difference this spring. I tried corn meal last year but didn't see much improvement--as least not as good as the results I saw after the feeding this spring-- so I'd rather not use it again.

Thanks for any input! I'm a little lost with all the choices.

Karen


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jun 04, 2004 6:42 am 
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Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2004 11:27 am
Posts: 27
Location: Burnet County
Hello Karen-

Since you live in the Austin area have you considerd visting John Dromgoole at the Natural Gardener? He also has a radio program every Saturday and Sunday on KLBJ 590am and addresses lawn problems in our area. Check out there website and the Organic LAwn Care guide and you should find what you need as well as the other help from this board. Good luck!
http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 05, 2004 1:12 pm 
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Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2003 3:45 pm
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Location: San Antonio,TEXAS
Although greensand contains iron, the kind of iron it has is not readily available to the plants. Where greensand works best is after a deep, penetrating, Texas rainfall. With our calcium type soils, the deep rains will essentially change any acidity you had built up in the soil back into a basic type soil (the original stuff). When that happens, the existing iron in the soil becomes bound to other elements. The chemical make up of greensand offers a preferred element to bind with the soil chemicals and that releases the iron for the plants to use. So if you can follow the chemistry of that, greensand really works best after a deep, prolonged rainfall. If you don't have that, then greensand will probably do little for you.

Molasses is a form of sugar energy for the soil microbes but it has no protein (which turns into nitrogen food for the plants). I don't know what is in Bioform Dry but it is probably a good organic fertilizer.

You didn't mention if you were in the shade. If you are in the sun, you should not have any thin spots to worry about. Do you know if anything might have happened to the soil in the thin spots? I'm thinking of some sort of chemical spill or contractor waste pit (from the original construction).

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