When to water my lawn in sandy soil?

[greendoctor]

If its just fertilizer, it should not have an odor. Check your invoice. In your state, an LCO must notify you of exactly what they applied. My guess is herbicides and urea. Urea is 46 % nitrogen and nothing else. No sulfur, no potassium, and no micronutrients such as iron. This why they have a bad name and give any one who applies liquids to lawns a bad name because of their cheap formulations. I gladly spend $5 or more per 1000 sq ft so that I am doing more than just spraying urea on a lawn.

Topdressing is applying a thin layer of material onto a lawn. In your case, that material should be about 1/4-1/2" of finely screened compost. You are a candidate for a machine to come and either blow or spread that material. It is rough work to spread more than a yard of compost. cgaengineer said you need over 50 yards.

[cgaengineer]

Ideally you would core aerate and spread compost over the entire site. Since your site is so large, I would opt to concentrate on one spot at a time...maybe the front lawn that everyone sees. Get this area right and work on the rest at another time. The added benefit to this is that you will get to see visible results compared to the rest of the lawn that has remained untouched.

Compost is pretty easy to spread by hand...but doing two acres would likely require a machine as greendoctor said..around here you can rent them.

[turbosl2]

Originally Posted by greendoctor

If its just fertilizer, it should not have an odor. Check your invoice. In your state, an LCO must notify you of exactly what they applied. My guess is herbicides and urea. Urea is 46 % nitrogen and nothing else. No sulfur, no potassium, and no micronutrients such as iron. This why they have a bad name and give any one who applies liquids to lawns a bad name because of their cheap formulations. I gladly spend $5 or more per 1000 sq ft so that I am doing more than just spraying urea on a lawn.

It looks like this time was TruPower 3 EPA#228-551 and Andersons Fertilizer with .2% Merit insecticide. EPA reg # 432-1349-9198

The first application was Barricade EPA#100-1139

Topdressing is applying a thin layer of material onto a lawn. In your case, that material should be about 1/4-1/2" of finely screened compost. You are a candidate for a machine to come and either blow or spread that material. It is rough work to spread more than a yard of compost. cgaengineer said you need over 50 yards.

It looks like i would need 84yards at a 1/2". So what is this stuff, and where do i get it. I can get black compost/mulch from my town for free. We are only talking a few yards at a time. I am just basciclly raking out mulch? I am interested, but how does a 1/2" of this help my soil structure. Do you have any pics/links?

[Duekster]

Originally Posted by turbosl2

It looks like i would need 84yards at a 1/2". So what is this stuff, and where do i get it. I can get black compost/mulch from my town for free. We are only talking a few yards at a time. I am just basciclly raking out mulch? I am interested, but how does a 1/2" of this help my soil structure. Do you have any pics/links?

Go 1/2 that amount or 1/4 inch per app each spring for a while.

Compost is decomposed yard waste, dairy or sewer sluge. I wonder where the black compost the city has comes from?

All will work but make sure they all are finished cooking, no heat or steam off the compost. All have pros and con's to them hence the need to know the supplier.

Do you have irrigation? Can trucks get in there easy and move around?

Hvaing said that sometimes the city will come land apply for you but not sure if they will do it on a small lot. Hold your nose for a few days. Check that, they might not get that close to a home

[Duekster]

Here is a good primer on compost

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ho.../benifits.html

[cgaengineer]

Originally Posted by Duekster

Go 1/2 that amount or 1/4 inch per app each spring for a while.

Compost is decomposed yard waste, dairy or sewer sluge. I wonder where the black compost the city has comes from?

All will work but make sure they all are finished cooking, no heat or steam off the compost. All have pros and con's to them hence the need to know the supplier.

Do you have irrigation? Can trucks get in there easy and move around?

Hvaing said that sometimes the city will come land apply for you but not sure if they will do it on a small lot. Hold your nose for a few days. Check that, they might not get that close to a home

With all the regs on sewage sludge I'm pretty sure that's the reason it's trucked to landfills or baked and Pelletized and made into Milorganite...

He would be more likely to get some either finished composted cow manure or nearly finished...I've topdressed with uncomplicated cow manure with great results...I wouldn't suggest it for most people since it can contain weed seed and many other contaminates but if you know where it's coming from it should be fine....it dries out quickly here and pretty much turn to dust after the first mowing and rain.
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[Duekster]

Originally Posted by cgaengineer

With all the regs on sewage sludge I'm pretty sure that's the reason it's trucked to landfills or baked and Pelletized and made into Milorganite...

He would be more likely to get some either finished composted cow manure or nearly finished...I've topdressed with uncomplicated cow manure with great results...I wouldn't suggest it for most people since it can contain weed seed and many other contaminates but if you know where it's coming from it should be fine....it dries out quickly here and pretty much turn to dust after the first mowing and rain.
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Nope sorry but much of it is land applied.

Cows eat weeds, you need it well composted.

[turbosl2]

Originally Posted by cgaengineer

With all the regs on sewage sludge I'm pretty sure that's the reason it's trucked to landfills or baked and Pelletized and made into Milorganite...

He would be more likely to get some either finished composted cow manure or nearly finished...I've topdressed with uncomplicated cow manure with great results...I wouldn't suggest it for most people since it can contain weed seed and many other contaminates but if you know where it's coming from it should be fine....it dries out quickly here and pretty much turn to dust after the first mowing and rain.
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Ya i am worried about the weed seed. I noticed that when we mulched from the town it was all weed in it. IF i have to but it it sounds like an expensive task every year. Even at $20 a yard were talking prob 2k by the time it gets delivered.
Here are some pics of the lawn, many dry spots.

[cgaengineer]

Originally Posted by Duekster

Nope sorry but much of it is land applied.

Cows eat weeds, you need it well composted.

Not around here...not that I'm aware of. Sludge goes to the local landfill. The water used in the treatment process is land applied...that I do know.
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[Duekster]

Originally Posted by cgaengineer

Not around here...not that I'm aware of. Sludge goes to the local landfill. The water used in the treatment process is land applied...that I do know.
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Revised 2012

http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications...cfm?pk_id=6978

And,

Composting: Dalton Utilities Putting Your Waste to Beneficial Reuse

You’ve heard of taking lemons and making lemonade? Well, Dalton Utilities is doing something similar with the byproducts of wastewater treatment! Dalton Utilities is partnering with Harvest Farms to take the solids (or sludge) from our wastewater system and put it to work to improve the environment. Why? We think a cleaner river and invigorated soil are good reasons. That is recycling in its highest form! It’s incredible to think that the wastewater produced today by homes and businesses in our community is not only being treated in such a fashion that it does not HARM the environment, but it is also being processed further in a manner that actually IMPROVES the environment! That’s what we call a win-win situation.

While the Utility is proud to be putting this waste product to beneficial reuse, it is a double benefit that we are able to reduce our cost of the disposal of sludge, resulting in an annual cost savings of over $400,000.

How is this done? In the wastewater treatment process, solids (or sludge) are pulled from the wastewater in several of the treatment stages. This sludge is then sent to a special digester for treatment. At our sludge handling facility, the final treatment stage involves adding a polymer or “caking” agent to the dewatered sludge which is then sent through a high-speed centrifuge to remove any remaining moisture.

At this point, the sludge is mixed with organic material, like tree bark and wood chips. The mixture is then composted in large containers where it must be kept above 131 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive days and average 114 degrees Fahrenheit for a total of 14 days. No special heating is required as the composting process produces its own heat. During this heating process, any pathogens in the sludge/organic matter combination are eliminated. The compost is then placed in windrows (long rows of heaped compost in an open field) on our Land Application System facility to complete the decay process for an additional four to six months.

But is it safe? The initial treatment process and the final composting process consume the contaminants from the organic matter. In fact, the composting process is closely regulated by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to ensure the safety of the product. According to Gerry Harstine, president of Harvest Farms, “All soil is made up of things that have decayed, but the end product of composted sludge is safer and cleaner than any soil you might dig up in your front yard.”

http://www.dutil.com/commercial/ww_facilities.php