--Calling all garden bloggers--
I've got a large new garden wintering. I started with about 30% organic fertilizers last summer, but I want to go 100% on BOTH the garden and lawn, yet the choices seem ENDLESS. What works for you? Suggestions?
Lawn
--I put down my first application of Ringer Lawn Restore in the fall. Does this work for you? Anything better?
--Does a person really need corn gluten meal to prevent weeds? It's pricey.
--Should I spread 1/2" of compost on the lawn?
(--Anyone want to aerate my clay for free?)
Garden (shrubs, trees, perennials)
--I've got very high ph clay....
--Green sand? Yes or no?
--Worm tea? Worm castings?
--Bat guano?
--An all purpose fertilizer? There are several.
How much is too much? I'd imagine if you use bat guano, there's no need to use an all purpose fertilizer, but maybe still worm tea?
--Any root stimulator suggestions for transplants?
Trees
--I anticipate iron chlorosis soon on my river birch, and maybe bald cypress (so I've read). Any suggestions here for treatment? Is sulfur an option, or something more specific for chlorosis?
Too many choices--and what REALLY WORKS?
Thank you thank you thank you. Free human guano for everyone (bag your own).
5 comments:
I can honestly say I've never been offered Bat dung--but really appreciate the kind gesture.
I only have a few rules for my gardens. In the Fall, I put down composted cow manure, a layer of mulch, and let it cook till Spring. In the Spring, I use my hoe cultivator---turn over all the good stuff---and mix in Espoma Flower Tone. I plant the plants and add more mulch. Mulch, cow poo, and Espoma is all I use.
Once upon a time when my evergreens needed a boost==I used some Ironite. I got the Ironite at a local feed old timey hardware store.
Good luck with your garden!
Bat guano is very high in nitrogen but can burn so be careful. Corn gluten is effective as a seed killer but timing of application is critical and it will take several seasons as it is not totally effective. I think the rule is to put it down when the forsythias are in bloom for best effectiveness! Yes, compost on the lawn right after core aeration! You can rent a machine for that. I do it the hard way with a plug core aerator. Too much ledge here for a machine! Greensand is something I would use in the vegetable garden or add to the compost heap. It is not really organic but mineral, I think!? Lots of organics to choose from but in NE don't you have a lot of manure? Composted manure works great.
FGG--Not bat dung, I was offering human dung.... Anyway, nice and simple, that's how I like it. Maybew there's no wrong way to do it, but I'm impatient with my clay soil and know I shouldn't be. I've heard good things about flower tone. Thanks!
Layanee--I need to find some local sources for composted manure. Late last summer I bought stuff at the big box, and that didn't feel right. You would think with all the beef here we'd have a brand called Omaha Poop Steaks. Maybe not.
Composted manure is the way to go on lawn and flower beds. I have heard some iffy things about it on veggie patches though, unless you are certain it is fully composted at the proper temps. I use the bagged Black Kow on the veggies and bulk delivery of regular composted manure from the local rock yard for the lawn and garden. Gravel, rocks and mulch or compost seem to go together, sold by the bucket, yard or truck load. Look for that type of business. Good luck!
Frances at Faire Garden
Well Frances, manure it is then. I don't grow veggies--maybe someday. There is a place 2 miles away where I got my pulch and stepper, so maybe they have some poop.
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