turftoe – posted 26 May 2003 06:07
i have a ist growing season z52 lawn. i applied a feritlome product with iron and 2 days later half of my lawn is brown. despite following direction sto a “t”
Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 01 July 2003 13:09
It’s been a month with no reply. Things have changed I’m sure. What’s up with your yard now?
turftoe – posted 03 August 2003 14:28
well, all the money i spent sodding the zoysia went down the tubes. in addition to the huge mistake i made(the fertilizer had some weed killer in it), the wet spring washed my back yard pretty bad-ive had to endure a summer of a terrible looking back yard. against recommendations, i went ahead and put some shade tolerant fescue out that is just now starting to grow(better than mud). i plan on putting out fertilomes 5-star fescue in a couple of months–>too much shade for my Z-52. my fertilome lawn service said it was my only option short of bagging the turf idea and converting to beds. thanks for the concern.
Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 04 August 2003 14:43
Where are you located in the world? You must be in the north to get the fescue recommendation.
Are you interested in converting to organic fungus control and fertilizer? You’ve already made one mistake (getting a product with both fertilizer and weed killer). Can’t make that mistake with organic fertilizers. After reading the Material Safety Data Sheets for the Fertilome products, I wouldn’t touch them with a 20 foot pole. But that’s me.
Zoysia is not my favorite grass, so I would be inclined to grow something besides dirt. If the zoysia is so great, it will eventually take over anyway, right! Don’t hold your breath.
turftoe – posted 04 August 2003 22:39
im in north alabama. the fescue was recommended as an alternative to the z-52. i was told it would grow in the amount of shade i have, though wouldnt be as nice as zoysia. i put down shade tolerant fescue a couple of weeks ago just to see what would happen… and im inpatient(couldnt wait until sept for fertilomes 5 star fescue application)-it has given me a green surface. where can i read about the data sheets you are refering to? i have thought about the organic approach, i just dont have a “stash” of microbes(mulching material). anything other than 50 bucks a month would be an improvement.
Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 05 August 2003 11:26
To read about the data sheets, go to the Fertilome website and click on MSDS link. You will have to give them your name, address, and email. There doesn’t seem to be any checking on those items, they just want to fill up their mailing list, I’m sure. I know I used a bogus address and phone number. Anyway, after you register, then you can click on the MSDS for the various products.
You already have the microbes in your soil. All you have to do is feed them what’s missing from their diets. They get sugar from plant roots. The get protein from things that die on your soil. Chances are you don’t have anything dying on your soil, but you can feed them protein directly by getting a sack of corn meal or alfalfa pellets and spreading them at 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet of turf area. The cost is about $5-6 per 50 pound sack at a feed store. You can use any ground meal. Of course anything with whole seeds in it will sprout weeds for you (voice of experience).
I don’t come anywhere near spending $50 per year on my garden (5,000 square feet). It’s more like $15 per year plus water.