Rich Richardson – posted 13 May 2003 19:31
I live in Northwest Arkansas. I have recently planted new zoysia plugs. What is the best kind of fertilizer to use and when.
Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 01 July 2003 13:27
The best (cheapest) organic fertilizer to use is either corn meal, soy meal, or alfalfa meal, depending on local prices at your feed store. You can pay 6 times more for the branded organic fertilizers but they have the same ingredients as listed above. So does dog food, by the way, but it also costs more and has salt in it.
You can apply any one of them at 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet any day of the year, rain or shine. If you accidentally dump the entire 50 pound bag in one spot, don’t worry. Just sweep most of it up and spread it around. The spot that took most of the hit will look as normal as the rest of the yard. The point here is that you canno overdo these organic fertilizers.
For chemical solutions, check out www.scotts.com. The cost for Scotts or other chemical fertilizers is identical to these feed meal organics when you consider the cost per square foot of turf. Over a complete growing season, the chemical fertilizers cost more because you need to redo it every few months. With the organic, you’re done for the growing season with one dose.
gasapple – posted 16 October 2003 13:50
Dear DChall of San Antonio,
I also live in San An and have a sodded (April) Cavalier zoysia lawn. I have done nothing but mow and want to get it ready for winter and I am VERY interested in pursuing an organic lawn. I was wondering if you had additional resources you could point me to on organic fertilizing and organic weed control? I’d also be interested in info on the introduction of natural organisms (insects). Perhaps you have web sites or locally accredited organic lawn companies in the San An area? Please advise…
Thank you in advance!