sprayer or no sprayer?

[Newby08]

what do you think... starting out do you need a large sprayer as in larger than your 5 gal backpack sprayer? What are the benefits and cons? I think the only con is the initial price.

What do you HAVE to have a sprayer for? How long can you go without a sprayer?

What about AACT's?

What's your thoughts?:confused:

[DUSTYCEDAR]

well u dont want to be putting fungicides in your aact tank so u r gonna need 2 systems if u are going to do conventional lawn care also

[Newby08]

The idea is to be mainly organic unless conventional is absolutely necessary. Is there not a substitute for fungicides as an organic? I guess either way it would kill the fungi in the AACT also... good point.

[Smallaxe]

The idea is to be mainly organic unless conventional is absolutely necessary. Is there not a substitute for fungicides as an organic? I guess either way it would kill the fungi in the AACT also... good point.

That is your best bet - too eliminate the fungal disease with proper irrigation and mowing practices, as you build the beneficials to take over. Sugar also works on some diseases, in the meanwhile, I have heard.

[Gerry Miller]

The idea is to be mainly organic unless conventional is absolutely necessary. Is there not a substitute for fungicides as an organic? I guess either way it would kill the fungi in the AACT also... good point.

Actually there is. Corn meal gives you natural disease control.
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=1372

[Newby08]

I just read that on another form last night, but I wasn't sure if they were talking about CGM or not. I thought that was a little funny that CGM would be used for both but no one ever mentioned it when talking about CGM.
Thanks for the website Gerry, now I know CGM and Corn meal are two different things and people aren't just forgetting add the G in the middle. I will definitely keep that in mind.

[Smallaxe]

Actually there is. Corn meal gives you natural disease control.
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=1372

That is a good post. The segment on alge could actually be useful for the "Stinky Lake Syndrome", that is hitting Wisconsin :)

Spread the corn meal on the muck in the water, then remove the muck with the corn meal, once the algae are gone.

Taking P out of the lakes is the goal, as well as preventing the P in the lake to begin with.

[Elden]

Gerry you just might be my HERO. I have actually been looking for something organic for brown patch on St. Aug. Of course when you google it like 3 billion things come up. Thanks, now I have a place to start w/ my research.

[Kiril]

From the linked article.

Cornmeal works as a disease fighter in the soil by providing and stimulating existing beneficial microorganisms that feed on pathogens such as rhizoctonia, better known as brown patch in St. Augustine.

Based on this statement, it is not the cornmeal, but the organisms it supports. This is consistent with claims that ACT can be used for foliar disease suppression. One might also suspect that any material which supports sufficient microbial activity will produce the same results.

[Gerry Miller]

From Dr. Ingham:

Corn meal is not anti-fungal. It is a food that feeds beneficial fungi, which then has the effect of out-competing the disease causing fungi.

As the beneficial fungi make structure in the soil, and open up air movement into the deeper layers of the soil, the disease-causing fungi are selected against, once again. Beneficials are strongly aerobic, the diseases prefer reduced oxygen conditions.

Build structure in the soil, and the diseases go away.

It would be better if the old-time USDA and the chemical sales people would learn to not rely on their out-dated methods for assessing what is going on in the soil. Plate methods were used in their research to show that "fungi" were reduced when corn meal, or corn gluten was applied to the soil. they did not work out the mechanism for the reduction in the bad guys, they just used the same old, tired paradigm of the chemical agents. If the disease fungi were killed, then it has to be anti-fungal.

When in fact, what corn meal of any kind does, as long as there are no toxic preservatives added to the material, is promote the competitive, suppressive, anti-disease fungi.

OK? got it? Clear? Please feel free to ask questions, we all have to get this knowledge out to the world.

Elaine R. Ingham

[lawnproslawncare]

smallaxe: Where are you located?