TestDIYOrganic

Encap, the makers of the Fast Acting Lime which got a positive review from me a few years ago (because it helped green up my white grass!), is running 2 sweepstakes this year including 3 lawn makeovers and daily 3-in-1 Soil Meter giveaways. A couple other giveaways have already ended.

3-in-1 Soil Tester

It's day 17 of my project to grow grass indoors and it's been coming along nicely but not great. There were two main issues that were bugging me.



First, the level of the potting mix had fallen quite a bit after watering it a few days and I had wished that I added more potting mix to start out with. When I started my Jonathan Green Black Beauty experiment I made sure I had enough potting mix.



Second, while about 70% of the area had filled in nicely the other sections were very thin. This is most likely due my use of grass seed that about 3 years old. I tried using more grass seed to compensate but still got spotty results. Grass was still germinating, not all the varieties germinate at the same time, and those areas did have some new grass sprouting but I decided to ramp things up.



First I started by topdressing with about 1/4" of additional organic potting mix. I used my fingers to rake the potting mix down.



Then I added some more grass seed, concentrating mostly on the thin areas and topped it with about another 1/4" of organic potting mix.



Finally I watered it in but I've made some changes to my watering.



Instead of using water straight out of the tap and letting it warm up to room temperature I filled my spray bottle with filtered water from a Brita pitcher to cut down on the chlorine. Instead of using plain water I mixed in some Organica Plant Growth Activator Plus which contains a number of different beneficial soil bacteria and fungi as well as humic acid, seaweed extract, and some hydrolized soy meal.



The application of PGA+ was the reason I chose filtered water since the chlorine in my tap water kills the bacteria and fungi but I'm going to continue to use filtered water from now. Can't imagine the chlorine is good for the plants either.



The grass doesn't look as full as it did this morning because as careful as I tried to be, the top dressing did bury some of the blades of grass.



It's hard to tell in the photo because the color doesn't come through great in the photo but the color of the grass is starting to darken as well.

At least I hope I am. Because I started my fall lawn overseeding project late I ran into a problem. Leaves on an overseeded lawn. Normally I would just mulch mow leaves into the lawn but with the seedlings still small and fragile, they can't handle the mowing and leaving the leaves on the lawn would block the sunlight and air they need. After worrying about the grass seed germinating it finally started coming in.



I used my blower to concentrate the leaves in areas where I could rake without stepping on the lawn too much. I was careful to not disturb the soil and seedlings, just lightly comb the rake through the grass to remove the leaves. After seeing all the bags of leaves I had, it seemed like such a waste to put them out on the curb when they could be turned into a great soil ammendment for next year.



So I decided to learn about composting and determine what the best composter for me would be.



Maybe I shouldn't act like I'm completely new to composting, just using a different method. In previous years fall leaves get spread on the lawn, along with other plant debris from the vegetable garden, mowed to shreds, bagged and then spread over the garden beds as mulch along with grass clippings. This is the sheet composting method. By the next planting season the decomposed material is tilled into the soil. Even after doing that and mulching leaves into the lawn I still wound up putting a few bags to the curb. This year I decided to buy a bin and try hot composting. Because of the problems with tomato blight this year I figured the hot composting method might also help next years crop.



I previously commented on a compost bins review video I stumbled on which found that the best composters are the bin composters. The tumbler types didn't contain as much material or get as hot as the bins. While they may be prettier and easier to turn, I decided they just weren't worth the money for me.




The compost bin I decided on was the Geobin Composting System from Presto. It is similar to the Presto bin composter featured in the video review which performed the best. Amazon had the best price I could find and I received my order 2 days after placing it and using the free shipping option. Two days is a lot quicker than it would take my procrastinating butt to go out and find one locally.



Price was a big factor. I didn't want to spend a lot and for less than $40 and free shipping the GeoBin composter looked very appealing. It will pay for itself after two batches compared to buying bagged compost. I was considering just piling everything up but I liked the idea of having everything contained.



Size was another issue. I don't have a lot of space and the GeoBin composter only takes up a maximum 4' diameter space. It is also adjustable in size. Presto recommends a size of 3' to 3.5' in diameter. I think I'll only be using it in the fall so being able to hose it off, roll it up and stick it on a shelf in the garage in the spring is just perfect for me. Another option might be to just reduce the size substantially and have a smaller bin in the spring/summer. It's a very versatile bin!



There were quite a few negative reviews on the GeoBin Composting System. Most of them were about the stakes breaking and not being long enough. Based on the reviews and the pictures, it seems they might have addressed at least part of the problem. The stakes I received are definately not the same seen in the picture with the yellow tabs that people were complaining about. What came in the box are what look to be normal green garden stakes. They don't dig in deep into the ground but the weight of the materials inside should keep it from blowing over, especially if assembled in it's widest setting. If it's really an issue, longer garden stakes can be purchased seperately at most garden centers for a couple of bucks each. You also probably already have a few stakes you aren't using over the winter like I do.



The bin sides are made of a very thick plastic sheet that seems like it will last a long time. The issues people had with the stakes seem like they can easily be resolved so I didn't hesitate to make the purchase.



The one drawback I can think of is that it doesn't seem quite sturdy enough to use the sides to leverage a pitchfork or other tool when you turn the compost. Something like a Yard Butler Compost Aerator seems like a good tool to have to help aerate the compost in the bin. I'll see how it goes without one and buy one if I think I need it.



Assembling the GeoBin is pretty straight forward but the instructions could have been a little more detailed. So here's some tips in assembling the GeoBin Composting System that might help.



The bin comes rolled up and the plastic wants to keep that shape. When you first take it out of the box it may not want to cooperate. If it was earlier in the year I would unroll it on the patio on a sunny day to help it relax but the waather wasn't cooperating so I just unrolled it in a hallway for a few hours. This made it much easier to work with.



The GeoBin Composter comes with 6 bolts. They should be used 3 on each end. Think of a double breasted jacket. The nuts only need to be hand tightened. If you tighten them too much you might wind up breaking the plastic washers or stripping the threads on the plastic bolts.



Once it was assembled and staked into a corner of the backyard I didn't find it as offensive as I thought I would. It actually looks a bit sleek compared to other options such as chicken wire. Just make sure you line up the bolts properly so the sides stand straight and that the ground underneath is fairly flat.



Within a short period of time I was ready to start filling it up.



To help the material compost faster I shreaded up the leaves. Since I couldn't use the mower because of the new grass seed I remembered seeing a commercial leaf shreader that had a head like a string trimmer so I just used my Black & Decker NST2018 Cordless String Trimmer With Two Batteries. I would take some leaves out of one bag and place them in an empty bag then stick the string trimmer in like a giant stick blender. It worked out pretty well. After shreadding, the volume was a lot less than before. After the second bag I realized I could just dump the bag into the GeoBin and shred them in there. The larger surface area meant less reaching and pulling up which made it go faster.



Right now the bin is filled mostly with leaves and thatch that I pulled out when overseeding and some plants from the garden. Once the lawn can be mowed I'll add grass clippings and the rest of the plant debris that I'll shred with the mower. In addition I'll be adding used coffee grounds from my own coffee maker and ones I pick up at Starbucks, vegetal and fruit peels, etc. I'm going to need a lot of "greens" to add nitrogen to make sure the pile heats up. Just in case I threw in a bit of liquid organic fertilizer to get get things started.

For a long time, there was no manufacturer selling an organic starter fertilizer product and to be honest, not many people cared. The only benefit of having something marketted as an organic starter fertilizer is to help those that are transitioning from synthetic fertilizers that are accustomed to grabbing something with that label when it's time to seed. In this post I'll discuss the one new product that's labelled as an organic starter fertilizer and the role of starter fertilizers in organic lawn care.

What is a Starter Fertilizer

In the synthetic fertilizer world, anything labeled starter fertilizer has one unique characteristic. It contains a higher proportion of phosphorous than the other fertilizers. Phosphorous is the middle number in the NPK guaranteed analysis on the bag of fertilizer. A starter fertilizer might have a guaranteed analysis of 11-23-10 where another fertilizer from the same like would have an analysis of 26-1-12.

Why is Phosphorous Important When Seeding Lawns?

Phosphorous is an important nutrient for your lawn. Phosphorous is important for plant cell division and aids in root development. When soil is low in phosphorous the grass will not grow roots as deep as it would if there phosphorous levels were adequate.



Getting your new seedlings to grow and establish strong roots is exactly what you want which is why there is such an emphasis on starter fertilizers high in phosphorous.



An individual grass seed actually contains all the nutrients it needs to get started. Other than water, it doesn't need anything to go from seed to plant. The nutrients stored in the seed get depleted quickly and by the time the roots are forming it will need to get nurtrients, including phosphorous from the soil. If it doesn't find enough it will slow or halt it's development.

Why Are There No Organic Starter Fertilizers?

So if starter fertilizers seem to be so important in the synthetic fertilizer world, why has there been little development in the organic lawn care industry or demand from consumers until recently?



It's pretty simple actually. Organic lawn care isn't just about buying something that's not synthetic. It's also about maintaining a healthy soil. Once you have a healthy soil, you'll have a healthy lawn and adding phosphorous may not be necessary.



Phosphorous isn't used up as quickly as something like nitrogen. It also binds to the soil and doesn't leach out as much as nitrogen does so a little phosphorous can go a long way. Excess phosphorous serves no purpose, unlike excess nitrogen that will darken the grass and cause it to grow faster.



If your soil already contains an adequate amount of phosphorous, there is absolutely no reason to add any. The best way to find out what nutrients your soil needs is to send a soil sample to your local university cooperative extension office for analysis. Many people will find that they have adequate or even excess phosphorous levels in their soil. Unless your soil test indicates that you need to add phosphorous then adding it may not do anything.



Many organic lawn fertilizers are also already high in phosphorous compared to synthetic fertilizers. For example, Ringer Lawn Restore, which is a popular organic lawn fertilizer, has a guaranteed analysis of 10-2-6. Compared to the synthetic fertilizer mentioned above, that's more than 5x the amount of phosphorous by weight in relation to nitrogen. If you've been following an organic lawn fertilizer program chances are you don't have a phosphorous deficient soil.



There are also some environmental concerns regarding phosphorous, especially if you live near any body of water. Your local municipality may have also banned or restricted the use of phosphorous containing fertilizers. From what I've read, phosphorous doesn't seem to be so bad if used properly. Once it's applied and watered in it doesn't leach out much unless there is a large excess in the soil.

Organic Phosphorous Soil Ammendments

Not every soil is perfect and many people do need to add phosphorous to their soil after consulting their soil test results. There are very few organic soil amendments that are high in phosphorous. The most readily available high phosphorous organic soil ammendment is bone meal. It's one of the more expensive soil amendments but as stated previously, it's not necessary to apply as often. Espoma Bone Meal (pictured right has a guaranteed analysis of 4-12-0 which means it's 4% nitrogen by weight, 12% phosphorous and contains no potassium. If your soil test indicates you need to add 1 lb of phosphourous per 1,000 sq ft to your lawn, you would need to apply about 9lbs of Espoma Bone Meal per 1,000 sq ft to reach the achieve the appropriate level of phosphorous.

Finally An Organic Starter Fertilizer

I recently noticed that the Espoma Company has 2 organic starter fertilizers, Pro Granular Bio-Tone Starter and Pro Granular Bio-Tone Starter Plus. They are essentially the same except the Plus version contains endo and ecto mycorrhizae fungi, which I'll discuss further down.



The NPK of Bio-Tone Starter is 4-3-3. While not as high a concentration of phosphorous, it has a higher percentage of phosphorous than most other organic lawn foods. The full guaranteed analysis lists:



0.6% Water Soluble Nitrogen (N)

3.4% Water Insoluble Nitrogen

3.0% Available phosphate (P2O5)

3.0% Soluble Potash (K2O)

4.0% Calcium (Ca)

1.0% Total Magnesium (Mg)

0.6% Water soluble Magnesium (Mg)

2.0% Sulfer



These nutrients are derived from feather meal, dehydrated manure, bone meal, alfalfa meal, greensand, humates, crab meal, cocoa meal, and sulfate of potash magnesia.



In addition, they contain the following 15 strains of bacteria which are beneficial to your soil and plants:

Bacillus subtilis

fights fungus and is the main component of Seranade Garden Disease Control, an organic garden disease spray. According to Serenade it controls bacterial spot, powdery mildew, rust, gray mold, leaf blight, scab and more.

Paenibacillus polymyxa

is a bacteria that colonizes in the root zone and promotes plant growth and helps fix nitrogen.

Bacillus licheniformis

Another fungus fighting bacteria and helps cycle nutrients in the soil.

Pseudomonas alcaligenes

A bacteria used in bioremediation because it can degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon which is found in fossil fuels.

Bacillus megaterium

Used in bioremediation of soil.

Pseudomonas chlororaphis

An anti fungal bacteria.

Bacillus marinus

I believe it helps break down organic matter into nutrients plants can use.

Pseudomonas putida

Used to degrade organic matter and in bioremediation.

Bacillus coagulans

Secretes acids which helps make phosphorous soluble and more readily availible to plants.

Acidovorax facilis

I think helps fix nitrogen.

Bacillus thuringiensis

A bacterial pesticide.

Arthrobacter agilis

This one's neat it can biodegrade a number of common herbicides such as glyphosate (RoundUP) and 2,4-D. (source)

Bacillus pumilis

Helps decompose organic matter.

Rhodococcus rhodochorus

I think is used in bioremediation.

Bacillus lentimorbus

Similar to Bacillus popilliae which is used in Milky Spore Disease type products which help control grubs.

I'm not a microbiologist but I have been looking into some of these bacteria that are found in some of the Organica products I use regularly



Bio-Tone Starter Plus also contains endo and ecto mycorrhizae. These are fungi which attach to the roots of plants which helps increase the root mass. They help the plant get water and nutrients from the soil.



Even though I decided to get Bio-Tone Starter Plus instead of the regular Bio-Tone Starter fertilizer, I'm not completely sold on the benefits of mycorrizae especially in the context of this organic starter fertilizer.



From what I read, when the plant needs the help of mycorrizae it secretes carbohydrates from its roots. These carbohydrates attract and feed the mycorrizae. If the plant is growing in a soil that already has adequate phosphorous levels, it will grow large, deep roots on its own and not need the help of the mycorrizae. Since the starter fertilizer is already high in phosphorous.



These microorganisms should already be in your soil and some people feel adding them is a waste of money. I think that they are beneficial, especially when it comes to soil that has been previously treated with synthetic fertilizers. I have personally seen good results with microbial containing products such as Organica Plant Growth Activator Plus which I now apply regularly to help prevent lawn disease.



Bio-Tone Starter Fertilizer seems like a good product to use when you're laying down new sod or seed. It can also be used for transplants and other areas of your garden. This is an interesting account of Jesse Eldrid that used Bio-Tone Starter to help boost his Amaranth plant's growth so he can acheive the world record height.



The smell isn't too bad, it smells a lot like ORGANICA BIO-MATRIX which is my favorite organic liquid fertilizer. The smell goes away in a couple of days.



There are no spreader settings on the bag or on Espoma's website. I just did what I usually do. I know the approximate square footage of each area of my lawn so I just determine how many lbs I need to apply to each area, set my spreader to a medium setting and make multiple passes until it's done. After the first pass I see how much is left in the hopper and adjust the spreader up or down accordingly. With organic fertilizers you don't have to worry about burning the lawn. Making multiple passes also helps insure even coverage. I start going north to south, then east to west. The bag has a couple of holes that act as a handle which I found convenient. Other big bags of Espoma products have the same built in handle. After spreading the fertilizer it's important to water it in.



The best time to apply Bio-Tone Starter Fertilizer is 2 weeks prior to seeding or sodding because organic fertilizers need to be broken down by the soil microorganisms before their nutrients are readily available to plants.



Before deciding to use Espoma Bio-Tone Starter I would recommend you do a soil test and see if you need that much phosphorous. If you don't, but you still need to add nitrogen and would like to add the bacteria found in Bio-Tone Starter you can use Espoma 30LB 7-2-2 Lawn Food which contains less phosphorous and all the microbials in Bio-Tone Starter, except for the mycorrizae in Bio-Tone Start Plus.

One of the nice things about using organic lawn fertilizers is that their safe and natural. Many of the ingredients are used in animal feed. If you're storing your organic fertilizer in your garage or shed you might be concerned about your pets or the local wildlife (mice, rats, squirels, racoons, skunks, deer, bears) sniffing it out and breaking through the bag. It is also important to keep the organic fertilizer dry so that it doesn't spoil.



The best and most affordable items I've found for storing dry organic fertilizers are the Iris Pet Food Containers. It makes sense since these fertilizers are essentially pet food. The Iris pet food storage containers are durable and airtight. They'll keep the fertilizer fresh and prevent any animals from smelling the "food" and getting in to it. Use the link above to order from Amazon which has the best prices I've seen and free shipping on most of the sizes you would need. It also looks like Iris products are made in the USA.





They also makes storing the products easier and neater. You can stack them and unstack them quickly. You should label the containers so next application you know what's inside or you can just throw the whole bag inside the container which will make it obvious what the contents are.



If you're like me and you buy fertilizer for the entire season all at once, or sometimes have products that will last more than one season and need to be stored you will appreciate having the Iris pet food containers. The only difficult decision is which size you'll need. Organic fertilizer and ammendments are sold in lbs and these containers are sized in quarts.



What I have discovered that 1 lb of organic fertilizer is roughly 3 cups. It's not exact but it's close enough for most organic soil ammendments that with a little room for error should help us make the right size decision. The container doesn't need to be filled to the top to keep the fertilizer from spoiling.



For your convenience, below is a table listing Iris pet food containers and the amoung of organic fertilzer or soil ammendments they should be able to hold.

Container	Size (qts)	Holds (lbs)	Comments
	8 qts	9 lbs	Good for storing one or two bags of the Espoma Organic Tones small bags
	12 qts	14 lbs	Good for storing left over fertilizer or amendments from larger bags or 3-4 of the Espoma Organic Tones small bags
	15 qts	17 lbs	Good for left over fertilizer for large bags or mixing multiple small 4-5 lb bags.
	21 qts	25 lbs	Good size for holding common 25 lb bags of organic fertilizer or ammendments. Not quite easy to just throw an entire unoppened bag in it but you can empty out the bag in this container.
	28 qts	32 lbs	Has wheels to make it easy to move around. You can throw an entire 25 lb bag in this, bag and all or half of a 50 or 60lb bag.
	30 qts	35 lbs	Also good for storing whole 25lb bags or 30 lb bags as well as left over fertilizer from larger bags.
	46 qts	51 lbs	Good for storing 2 25 lb bags or one 50lb bag emptied.
	55 qts	62 lbs	Good for storing large 50-60lb bags of organic fertilizer or amendments or 2 25lb bags.
	60 qts	68 lbs	Good for storing large 50-60lb bags of organic fertilizer or amendments or 2 25lb bags.
	67 qts	76 lbs	This is the largest size they have, good for storing large bags of fertilizer or a couple of smaller bags.

They have different lid colors and you can choose to get them all to match or use the different colors to help identifiy different organic ammendments. There is a price difference between colors so I just went with the cheapest ones.




Iris also makes a 2 cup scoop to help empty the containers into your spreader. It also has free shipping from amazon so if you order a container add the scoop for 2 bucks more, it will be well worth it.




If you want to be super neat and organized, Brother makes and affordable label maker that will help you identify what you have in each container.



Hope you found this information useful and that it makes it easier for you to use organic products on your lawn. One of the difficulties in using organic fertilizers and ammendments is you can't always find what you want locally. So you either order it online or have to drive quite a ways. To save money on gas and shipping I tend to buy more than I need. I also don't have a huge lawn so in some cases one 50lb bag might be good for 3 or more applications and I need to be able to safely store what was left over.

Corn meal is used by organic gardeners to help fight and prevent lawn diseases caused by fungus. Applying at a rate of 10 lbs per 1,000 square feet every month helps prevent disease, 20lbs to fight an active disease. It is also a very mild fertilizer. Around 1.7-0.7-0.4 NPK. It's not just good for your lawn but also other plants (roses) and vegetables (tomatoes) that are susceptible to disease.



I just found something that I think is worth sharing. It's going to be a little more expensive than buying it from your supermarket, which is already more expensive than buying at a feed store or wholesale food distributor but you get the benefit of having it delivered to your home every month for free!



No excuse to forget it. It comes, you apply! And it's 100% organic so you're not applying genetecally engineered products to your organic lawn.



It's normally about $35 for 24 lbs with free shipping, but if you order a subscription it's only around $30. There is no obigaion. You can discontinue your subscription when you don't need it. You just have to remember to start your subscription in early spring when you start getting your lawn ready to wake up.

Click here to order your free delivery subscription of Organic Corn Meal now.



UPDATE: Also recently found Great River Organic Milling, Organic Specialty Corn Meal, 25-Pound Package which is a better deal Even more so if you subscribe to receive it monthly.

Your lawn can benefit from core aeration, especially if you have compacted soil. Renting or hiring someone to aerate your lawn can be expensive and purchasing a manual lawn aerator can be time consuming. There must be a better way?



There are products that claim to be liquid aerators that you spray on your lawn with a hose end sprayer. These include LazyMan Liquid Lawn Aerator, Aerify Plus and Nitron A-35.



But how well does liquid aeration work?



The first bullet point on the Aerify information page states that Aerify "Eliminates the need for mechanical aeration" (in bold) followed by "Reduces soil compaction". The claims for LazyMan Liquid Lawn Aerator are similar. Nitron A-35's makers don't go so far as to say it's a replacement for mechanical aeration.

The makers of Aerify go on to say how their liquid aerating product is better than mechanical aeration.

So what's in these back saving products and do they work?

The ingredient that is in all these products is a type of surfactant. In some it's ammonium laureth sulfate or some other anionic surfactant. The use of these products (alkyl sulfates) are common and chances are you come in contact with them (hopefully) every day. Surfactants make "water wetter" by reducing the surface tension of water. At least that's how Mr. Wizard explained it when I was a kid. The surface tension of water is like a little skin that holds a drop of water together like a balloon. These particular substances are also very good at creating foam.



You're basically spreading shampoo on your lawn. Expensive shampoo. The claim is that around 1 oz of product in 1 or more gallons of water spread over 1,000 sq feet, then watering in will reduce soil compaction. Does it seem reasonable that 1 oz of shampoo can do the same or better job than pulling around 20,000 4" deep 1" diameter cores? That doesn't seem likely to me and I'm someone who spreads cornmeal on my lawn!

University Studies on Liquid Aeration

The Colorado extension office has a page that agrees that there is no proof and that liquid lawn aeration is not effective. (Emphasis added.)

While it is difficult to ascertain what is contained in these products, a few have been shown to contain liquid humates (essentially liquid organic matter) and soap-like materials like sodium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate. It is simply wishful thinking to believe that a highly diluted solution of either of these applied to a compacted soil will in any affect soil bulk density. There is no indication that ANY of these products has ever been scientifically evaluated for effectiveness.



Simply stated, there is no "chemical" substitute for physical remediation of soil compaction - namely the traditional core cultivation techniques that have been used for years on all types of turf areas. At best, these "wonder products" might provide some minor degree of wetting agent effect - and nothing more. Wetting agents increase spreading and penetration of liquids across surfaces and into or throughout surfaces.

These two other publications from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and Oregon State's Cooperative Extension indicate that surfactants can be effective under certain conditions where the soil is very hydrophobic. Hydrophobic meaning the soil will not absorb water and instead will bead up on the surface like on a freshly waxed car. "Water does not bead up on wettable soil; therefore, unless beading is present, a surfactant or wetting agent would be an unnecessary expense." So unless your soil has a shiny factory finish, surfactants don't seem to do too much.



This USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program Study on water retention in golf greens(pdf) included humic acid. The conclusion was that it didn't do anything to aid water retention in the tested greens which is contrary to claims that humic acid will help increase the water retention of sandy soils. Though humic acid may have other benefits to the soil, I can't find any studies indicating that it can be used as an alternative to core aeration.

Just Use Humic Acid?

It seems like unless you have a particular condition, that sounds pretty rare, these products won't help with soil compaction but the humic acid and other nutrients some contain can have a positive effect on your lawn. You can get humic acid on it's own which will probably give you similar results and be cheaper.



I actually have some Aerify PLUS which I purchased based on some advice I received but I didn't see any noticeable difference in compaction. I got it before I started looking into the product. Later on, I core aerated with the Turf Hound aerator and that seemed to really help the grass as the holes allowed water and air to get deep into the soil where the roots are.



Aerify Plus is more than just a surfactant, it contains Humic Acid, Kelp and other elements and micronutrients. I plan to use it up after I found out that alkyl sulphates, such as ammonium laureth sulfate, are easily biodegradable and don't cause any harm to water. Once I finish the bottle, I'm just going to get humic acid and use kelp meal (Organica Kelp Booster) instead.



Maybe even a liquid kelp. At 2 tsp/gal/1k sq ft that 35oz bottle can do the 5 suggested applications to 21,000 sq ft. Need to be careful though because it contains a bit of potassium so make sure not to over apply and keep track of the other potassium you're putting in your lawn. Potassium isn't something that leaves your soil quickly, so you don't need to apply too much.



Basically, this is the way I see it. Wetting agents and surfactants are like tapping a stuck jar against the counter or running it under hot water. It will help get a stuck jar open but it's just a waste of time and water if the lid isn't stuck. If your soil isn't hydrophobic, your lid isn't stuck!