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Top Dressing with Compost versus Compost Tea
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Author:  martyn [ Mon Mar 28, 2005 1:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Top Dressing with Compost versus Compost Tea

Hello, just joined the website and live in Celina on an acre lot with Bermuda grass on top of rocky soil. Just beginning an organic lawncare program. Already put down molasses. Compost is next. My question is: does compost tea acomplish the same thing as top dressing with compost? It would sure be easier to spray than spread.

I will follow compost with treating weeds by pulling and vinegar solution. Then will spread corn gluten meal.

Have I got it right? Any input would be appreciated.

Author:  pakin [ Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:01 am ]
Post subject:  Compost v. spray

This isn't an answer, but I've wondered about this myself. Just by observation, it seems to me that if you have compost on the ground, every time you water or it rains the "tea" from the compost would go into the ground. This seems logical for gardens/shrubs, maybe too much work for entire lawn.

pakin

Author:  jrosto [ Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:18 am ]
Post subject: 

I would think that applying compost would be much more effective than just applying the tea. The compost would provide organic matter to your turf where the tea would just improve your "micro herd". The compost would act as a food source for the "micro herd" and break down into humus. If you do not use compost, be sure to mulch your grass clippings and leaves into your lawn. I'm not yet an expert on this, but it does seem to be logical.

Hope this helps

Author:  user_48634 [ Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:22 pm ]
Post subject: 

Nothing is a perfect substitute for something else. The reason you use compost is to deposit about 25,000 different species of microbes onto your soil. Then you wash them down with water. When you make compost tea you lose some species count but you gain a factor of about 1,000 in the number of individual microbes that survive in the tea. Tea really multiplies the value of compost. With the low cost, ease of application, and relatively good effectiveness, my vote is for compost tea. And you can apply compost tea every evening if you want to. Applying compost is pretty much a one time per season thing.

Now I need to say that I'm not as big a fan of compost as some radio personalities. I'm also not a big fan of molasses and I think corn GLUTEN meal is a waste of money as a fertilizer. Explanation: Malcolm Beck founded Garden-Ville here in San Antonio to sell compost. He's been in that business for over 30 years. Garden-Ville's piles of compost are about 200 yards from his front yard. How many times do you think he applied compost? Answer: Twice, about 15 years apart, and he says the second time he didn't need it. Why? Because once you get the microbes living in your soil, they stay unless you use chemicals which kill them. With molasses I just never had anything good happen with it on my grass. And with corn GLUTEN meal, it's just too expensive to use as a fertilizer. I use REGULAR corn meal and also alfalfa pellets, because they put out protein at a good cost.

From where you are now I would apply corn meal and/or alfalfa pellets at a total rate of 10 to 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Water deeply and infrequently, and mow at the lowest setting on the mower (low setting is for bermuda, centipede, and bent grass only). Low growing bermuda will become very dense and feel good on your bare feet. When you grow it like that it will take on a dense horizontal growth pattern.

Author:  martyn [ Tue Apr 05, 2005 11:33 am ]
Post subject: 

thanks for the replies.

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