Plz show me some organic results..

[Rayholio]

LOL It's lookin' good for sure! I'm definately gonna have to start experimenting with different grass types

[ICT Bill]

Originally Posted by Rayholio

Do0d.. did I step on your cat or something??


This is an irrigated fescue crop in a mostly shady lawn.. I frankly never have had any serious problems with this lawn.. I just pulled the soil test at random..

But looking thru my other soil tests.. I have some with organic matter around 1.5% and some as high as 9% with most probably around 3%.. I'm not sure where the 'line' should be to recommend compost.. What is adaquate OM? Some of my lowest OM lawns are actually looking real good.. but they water the hell outta them..

Any thoughts?

BTW I'm reading your links now.. thanks for your help.

It has been our experience that 2% OM is the minimum, we would like to see 5% to 7% if possible to get a site almost self reliant

[Kiril]

Originally Posted by ICT Bill

It has been our experience that 2% OM is the minimum, we would like to see 5% to 7% if possible to get a site almost self reliant

Bill, just thought I would throw this out there. I have seen recommendations in the range of 20-25% (if memory serves me correctly) when starting from scratch. That recommendation came from probably one of the best docs on sustainable lawn care that I have seen. I posted a link to it in this forum a while back. Not sure if it was a recommendation based on typical soils in the region or not. I'll look through the archive and see if I can dig it up when I get a chance.

Found where I posted the link. Might as well reproduce the entire list (to follow).

[Kiril]

This link list is almost 1.5 years old, so not sure if all the links will work. The one you will most definitely want to check out is the Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest.

BTW, There should be plenty of credible information in these links that validate use of compost (in most cases yearly) for those of you who doubt its value.


Sustainable Landscapes & Habitats


Environmental Protection Agency:

GreenScapes Program

NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service):

Improving Urban Landscapes

University of Minnesota:

Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series (SULIS)

Oregon State University Extension Service:

Plant Selection for Sustainable Landscapes

Seattle Public Utilities:

Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest

Building Green:

Natural Landscaping: Native Plants and Planting Strategies for Green Development

National Wildlife Federation:

Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat

University of Maine:

Principles for Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat

State of Illinois:

Creating Habitats and Homes For Illinois Wildlife


Misc Related Information


NC State University:

Sustainable Practices for Vegetable Production in the South

University of California:

Soil Fertility Management for Organic Crops

Soil Management and Soil Quality for Organic Crops

Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California

Environmental Protection Agency:

EPA: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles

University of Vermont SERA-17:

Referenced Publications From SERA-17

Colorado State University:

Xeriscaping: Creative Landscaping

Organic Materials as Nitrogen Fertilizers

Texas A&M University:

Landscape Water Conservation...Xeriscape

Duke University:

Long-Term Soil-Ecosystem Studies (LTSEs)

State of California:

Coyote Creek Watershed Management Plan. Green Infrastructure Site Design Guidelines

ATTRA:

Sources of Organic Fertilizers and Amendments

USDA-NAL:

Soil And Water Management

Organic Gardening: A Guide to Resources

USDA-SARE:

Building Soils for Better Crops, 2nd Edition

Holistic Agriculture Library:

Factors Of Soil Formation. A System of Quantitative Pedology

[ICT Bill]

that should keep me busy for a while (and a half)

I have been told about soil tests from Idaho that have 0.7% SOM and seen others from the mid west with SOM at 9% and little better. I have never even heard of SOM at 25%, I'll bet that is some rich soil, maybe even too much of a good thing. I'll tell you after I peruse some of the literature

The recommended minimum I have been taught is 2%, it seems to make sense to me from my limited field experience. if the SOM can get up to 5 to 7% then we can start to get nutrient cycling going

i don't think anyone disputes that compost is a good thing, too bad it such a PITA to apply

[cudaclan]

Thanks Kiril, good reading.

[JDUtah]

I have seen test results from .7 to 1.8% here... yeah we umm... we need that om....

[Tim Wilson]

I was digging through our old soil tests the other day and found one with organic matter at 75%. Of course, that is ridiculous and was from the lab I mentioned before that I discovered to be out to lunch. BTW always us a properly accredited lab for soil testing. Many farmers trusted this lab for many years.

[roccon31]

trying to attach pic....

[roccon31]

for some reason i could not get the pics to show here, so i updated my old thread here

this lawn was spot treated (LARGE spots) with compost, seed, and a light starter fert app in early-mid october of last year. the prep work was key.