Subject: Re: What do I put on my Grass?

From: [email-masked]
Date: 29 Mar 95 18:54:15 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]> writes:
> I am not very knowledgable when it comes to gardening but I saw
> person on tv for a few minutes the other day who feeds his grass
> (and other plants) with common household liquids.  For example, he
> combines something like Coca Cola, Beer and some other stuff and sprays
> it on his grass (combined with water).  I want to put something on my
> lawn to feed it, keep it green and keep any undesirables away (weeds,
> clover, moss etc).  However, I do not want to use chemicals really.  I thought
> that this guy may be onto something.  Can anyone offer any advice?

Jeff, I think you're talking about Jerry Baker, whom you either love
or hate.  Most folks with a plants background sorta start sputtering
and choking when they listen to him (my limit is about 45 sec!).

If you want a nice lawn without resorting to "weed-n-feed" type
mixtures, spend some time making sure the soil is in good shape
and properly fertilized, you know how to mow grass correctly (most
people scalp their lawns) and you have chosen disease and pest
resistant varieties of grasses that are suitable for your climate
and growing conditions.  Know how and when to water, too.

IMHO, an excellent "beginners gardening book" that is easy to follow
and has solid information (even for the "old pros" is Rodale's
Chemical-Free Yard and Garden.  It takes you through the processes
of understanding soil, fertilization, ways to control insect pests,
weeds and diseases, and care of most of the kinds of plants the 
average homeowner is likely to grow.  I've got the 1991 edition,
(ISBN 0 87857-951-6), but there is a newer edition out for about
$20-$25.  Or get it from your library (request it, if they don't
own it).  It's a pretty sensible book, even though I don't agree
with all the advice in it... but gardeners always have their own
opinions...  ;-)

Kay Klier  [email-masked]

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From: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Mar 1995 16:25:52 GMT

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 29 Mar 95 18:54:15 -0600

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From: [email-masked] (MCoxSF)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 01:21:21 -0500

>that this guy may be onto something.  Can anyone offer any advice?

Try Miracle Grow in a sprayer;  I don't really consider it a chemical as
it is non-toxic.

MC

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From: Lawrence H. Smith <[email-masked]>
Date: 31 Mar 1995 19:09:57 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> , [email-masked] writes:
> ...I want to put something on my
> clover, moss etc). However, I do not want to use chemicals, really.

Clover is undesireable? I pity your lawn. Clover is nice, durable, fixes
nitrogen from the air, and offers the ability to hunt for 4-leaf clovers
in your own front yard. Moss has its own charm but does have some
failings compared to turf in durability.

No "non-chemical" applications will remove weeds. But you can pull them
out by hand and encourage grass growth to keep them from getting started
anew. As for greening things up, you can use chemical fertilizers
(they're not "organic", but they're not precisely poison either), or fish
emulsion, or manure/compost tea, or just spread manure or compost on it.

-Lawrence H Smith, Academic Computing Specialist for the Sciences
 Williams College Center for Computing, 313 Jesup Hall (413) 597-3073
[email-masked]      Cats, Coffee, Chocolate... Vices to live by.

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From: [email-masked] (Dick Gilman)
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 18:22:47 GMT

The key thing is to add potassium-nitrogen-phospate -  You can use
whatever you want to actually get this combo to the grass,
chemical, natural,  

Chemicals are not really chemicals - The ingredients they use are
naturally found in nature - in Aurora NC there is the worlds
largest phophate mine, the electric shovels they use can hold 75
cubic yards!!!!  I could use one scoop of compost please!!!  It
just that the mfg fertilizers contain higher concentrates of p-n-p
than found in nature.  The natural fertilizers - fish, manures etc,
just contain smaller amounts of p-n-p.  Will they work? of course
will they will.  Will they work better, depends - the lower
concentrates will definetly not stress the plants but you will have
to use them more often as the plants will use the p-n-p faster than
the higher, slow release chemicals. Manures can "burn" the plants
as the nitrogen is released all at once rather than slowly as in
the slow release chemicals.  Ever wonder why the liquid fertilizers
are more expensive??  They have the slowest release nitrogren
available!!!  That is why they almost never burn plants!!!

The problem with chemicals is that people over use them and the
high concentrates run off into the water systems, polluting them. 
I worked on a farm and we would get fined if the manure ever got
into the local stream, which if you think about it isn't manure
natural??   Well anyway if used properly in the correct
concentrations and under the right conditions unnatural
fertilizers are just as safe as the natural ones.  

  In article <[email-masked]>, MCoxSF
([email-masked]) writes: >

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From: Lawrence H. Smith <[email-masked]>
Date: 31 Mar 1995 19:09:57 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Dick Gilman)
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 18:22:47 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Dick Gilman)
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 18:22:47 GMT