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Well the topdressing season is going strong and people are aerating and topdressing as well as reseeding to improve their lawns. We need to say a prayer for Texas with all the drought and fires this is really hurting the lawns and sports turf since there is little water to irrigate with.
We know that aerating topdressing and over seeding are the best things one can do to improve the turf naturally. People often call in and ask how much compost should I put down on my lawn and of course the answer changes with different soil types and how much topsoil one has. The problem with many yards today on newer construction sites is the lack of adequate topsoil. Basically home owners find they must topdress just to get a stand of grass. Many times the ground is hydro-seeded and the lawn may or may not grow well. Topdressing on these type soils may take anywhere from 1/4" to 1/2" of topdressing since the owner is basically trying to create a good layer of topsoil. The alternative is to bring in a larger quantity of compost put down 2" and till it in to the soil and start over with the seeding process. Most of these homes can get a good lawn started by putting down a minimum of 1/4" of compost in conjunction with aerating and reseeding. The process will probably have to be repeated for a 2-3 years before the lawn will really respond well.
If you need more help call us any time. Have a good Fall.
Posted by John Bentley - 09.26.11 @ 11:08 AM EST
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Schools, Universities, Sports field managers, Landscape contractors and home owners are all getting ready for the fall topdressing season. Many will be in the process of going over their equipment and checking to see if the need new aerator tines for their aerators and new belts or chains for their topdressers. It is very important to go over the equipment and get it ready prior to season to avoid unnecessary break downs. Aeration and topdressing are two of the most important things you can do to improve soil structure and there by improve the turf. A good quality compost topdressing will allow the nutrients and microbes to permeate the aeration holes and improve the soil structure to reduce run off and allow for deeper turf roots. Besides helping reduce run off the process also helps keep the lawn looking greener longer in times of drought.
Get your equipment ready to roll.
Posted by John Bentley - 08.29.11 @ 10:23 AM EST
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Well, Spring has sprung and we are already seeing the grass start to green up in some parts of the country and soon it will all be green and we will be getting our mowers out to cut grass. Before we get to that point we should be considering how to start or continue an Organic Lawn Care program. Organic lawn care is growing and with the price of petroleum going up we will see the price of fertilizer shoot up tremendously this year so let's get started on building a healthy lawn now that will be good for the environment and our family health.
If your grass is already growing cut it a little shorter than normal prior to topdressing and aeration.
Begin topdressing the lawn with a good quality compost about 1/4" thick and then aerify the lawn. Make sure the moisture conditions are right, not too wet or too dry. Proper moisture conditions will allow the aerator to penetrate the ground properly and pull a good sized plug. Go over the lawn in several directions to make sure you have created enough soil disturbance so oxygen can get down to the root system. Allow some time for the cores to dry, about 1.5 to 2 hours spread seed on the lawn and then go over the lawn with a drag mat ( like a piece of chain link fence with a 2x4 attached to it ) to break up the cores and allow the soil and compost mixture you just created to fill up the aeration holes. The seed will also be blended in during the drag mat process. Now water the lawn completely and watch the grass grow.
This is the first step to a Healthy Organic Lawn. More details will come in future articles.
Have a great spring.
Posted by John Bentley - 04.07.11 @ 05:42 AM EST
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Earth & Turf will be showing two to three new products at this year's Green Industry Expo held in Louisville Ky. October 28th through the 30th. We will have two new topdressers and some new attachments. Earth & Turf continues to spend money on research and development to bring new products to the market that customers are asking for. If you come to the show please stop by our inside booth #10032 or our outdoor demo booth 6365D. Come out and run one our our new topdressers.
Hope to see you there.
Posted by John Bentley - 09.30.10 @ 01:25 PM EST
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Now is the time to begin planning for fall topdressing and aeration. Depending on where you live in the country you may have already begun the process. This year had widely varying moisture conditions across the country. Some areas were very dry while others had more than enough moisture. The people in the dry areas could very easily see the affects of poor levels of organic matter in their soil. The turf browned out faster and the recovery time will be slower when the moisture does come.
The best lawns always seem to be those made in the fall so if you had poor conditions it may be that you will want to over seed too.
Get going now to find a source of good quality compost. If you want to put down 1/4 inch of compost you will need 3/4 of a cubic yard of topdressing material for every 1000 square feet of turf area. Many people like the idea of topdressing first and aerating second. This makes a lot of sense since there will be no cores to drive over and smash with the topdresser. Also the cores will now be on top on the topdressing and will dry out faster. after about two hours the cores will be dry enough to drag mat, which is simply pulling a drag mat device or a piece of chain link fence attached to a couple of two by fours over the turf to break up the cores. Dragging also helps level the turf area out.
By next spring your lawn will look great.
Posted by John Bentley - 08.02.10 @ 12:35 PM EST
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I was just reading an article in Irrigation and Green Industry online magazine about St.Johns County Florida putting restrictions on irrigation and fertilizer applications due to excessive nutrients moving into bodies of water in the area. It seems as though they would begin looking at aerating and topdressing lawns with compost which would solve two problems for them. Number one it would reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and two it would add organic matter to the soil that would hold back the run off. The process would also improve the soil. Seems much more simple and earth friendly.
This situation is a prime example of how an alternative method could be helpful if only it was applied.
Posted by John Bentley - 06.30.10 @ 04:33 PM EST
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I just read an article which you can find at the following link: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100615/NEWS01/6150330/1002/NEWS about the Department of Environmental Conservation in New York encouraging a more organic approach to lawn care. This is a trend that has been moving south from Canada through New England and now into New York. It seems folks are waking up to the idea that organic may be a better way to go and it is good for the environment. We have been writing for some time about the importance of stopping the flow of chemicals into our waterways from run off. Because lawns tend to have poor soils aerating and then topdressing with Compost can help improve the soil, reduce water requirements as well as the need for pesticides and high power chemical fertilizers.
There are similar trends going on in other parts of the country but it is most pronounced in the Northeast.
Because of all the interest in organic lawn care other products are being developed that are also beneficial. We believe this trend will gain more momentum in the next few years and provide new options for home owners as well as new service opportunities for land care companies.
Keep topdressing.
Posted by John Bentley - 06.23.10 @ 11:38 AM EST
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