Black Castings

[Sustainable-Scapes]

I have been working with black castings for a while now and I am convinced that these products work better than synthetic fertilizers. Looking for feed back from anyone that has experience using these products.

[RigglePLC]

Sustainable,
fine, glad it works for you. How much better? Could we see some side by side pictures? Exactly what is a black casting?

[Marcos]

Sustainable,
fine, glad it works for you. How much better? Could we see some side by side pictures? Exactly what is a black casting?

I believe he's talking about 'worm castings', more commonly known as worm poop , Riggle! :rolleyes:

I agree wholeheartedly, Sustainable. :waving:
But unfortunately, the lion's share of folks on THIS forum don't understand that the real long-term key to success in their customers' lawn and garden, is first and foremost, BUILDING THE SOIL, and not just..... "feeding the grass".

[phasthound]

I believe he's talking about 'worm castings', more commonly known as worm poop , Riggle! :rolleyes:

I agree wholeheartedly, Sustainable. :waving:
But unfortunately, the lion's share of folks on THIS forum don't understand that the real long-term key to success in their customers' lawn and garden, is first and foremost, BUILDING THE SOIL, and not just..... "feeding the grass".

Yeah, they're a tough crowd, but they are learning. Maybe not the ones that post all the time, but others are listening. :)

[mngrassguy]

It's to bad customers aren't looking for the "long-term key to success." They have the "What have you done for me lately" attitude.

[Sustainable-Scapes]

Yes they are worm castings. The bi product a living machine that was designed to move nutrients through the soil.

I have been so impressed that my company is starting to market them here in Charlotte. I am not trying to sell anything here, just get people involved and also let them know there is an alternative way of doing things.

Stop and think about the food chain. The first ones to each are the microbes. Then everything moves up the scale to us. We have forgotten that point and we just put out synthetic fertilizer because it gives us a quick short term fix. Then we do it again and again. Now the organic model is slower to respond, but we loose the peaks and valleys of the synthetic model of fertilizers. Don't get me wrong I am not anti-synthetic. As a matter of fact synthetic fertilizers are organic, yes I said it they are organic, but so is arsenic.

The long term benefits of putting organic products back into our landscape and also repairing the soil ( that will be another topic) will far out way the short term response of synthetic fertilizers. Also the high salts in synthetic fertilizers are detrimental to the microbes that need to eat before we do.

One last thought, is the grass plant that your maintaining, whatever the flavor, was it meant to be mowed @ 3-4 inches?????? Then we put things on the ground to make it grow fast instead of things to sustain it's life...........................

[phasthound]

It's to bad customers aren't looking for the "long-term key to success." They have the "What have you done for me lately" attitude.

The client base for my application business just keeps growing. More & more people are getting in tune with using more sustainable services. Once people are educated about all the pluses, they are usually on board.
They begin to understand it's not just about green grass, how you do it is important.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

WE HAVE TO RETRAIN THE BRAIN of the homeowner

[Marcos]

It's to bad customers aren't looking for the "long-term key to success." They have the "What have you done for me lately" attitude.

Not all, mngrassguy, not all of them!

Good salesmen of (QUALITY) lawn-building programs... have to know the difference of how to sell or up-sell their customers long-term value vs. the low ball competitors' "bargain price".

When you walk in the door off a potential customer's lawn that's been used and abused by years of fertilizers and chemicals, it should be well within the means of any good saleman to go in there and not just "write up a quote for organic LC", but to go around the lawn and SHOW THEM WHY their lawn looks like cr##!
At the same time, you can explain the VALUE of a soil-building organic lawn care program....vs that of traditional chemicals.

Again....building the soil.....not just "feeding the grass".

[treegal1]

Even better. They have added yucca, sea kelp and other beneficial as well as microbes. To answer your question from the forum, they have figured out a way to feed these guys in the jug. The mycorrizal fungi grow under the side and push the glass off the slide under the scope. Quite an amazing productI am now standing in the BS, and its starting to get warmer, so I can only assume its fresh BS

[Puttinggreens]

Sustainable,

What rate are you applying the castings and how many times per year?

[Puttinggreens]

Reason I ask the above question is I am getting a 1000 lb tote of castings coated in coral calcium to play with and am looking for a starting point for apps.

[Kiril]

As a matter of fact synthetic fertilizers are organic, yes I said it they are organic, but so is arsenic.

Chemically speaking, if it does not contain carbon, it is not organic.

Also the high salts in synthetic fertilizers are detrimental to the microbes that need to eat before we do.

Not necessarily true. It is high concentration of salts in the soil which is detrimental to microbes and plants.

[MnLefty]

:rolleyes::nono::dizzy:

Isn't there another forum for this?

[kyle39]

Worm castings add thousands of different microbes to the soil. A win win.

[phasthound]

Worm castings add thousands of different microbes to the soil. A win win.

Yesterday, we delivered 12 tons of worm castings to the Master Gardeners of Mercer County, NJ.

[Boomer Sooner]

how many pounds per 1,000 sq ft would you apply for bermuda ? 1,000 ?