Fall 2008

The lawncare seminar I attended emphasized that the best value per dollar spent is to aerate your lawn, overseed it by spreading grass seed all over, and then topdress with a thin layer of compost. Aerating reduces compaction (which favors weeds). Fresh grass will increase the grass density which crowds out weeds. Compost will increase the organic matter in your soil.

So Brian rented an aerator from Route 12 Rental jointly with a couple of friends and they aerated our lawns and theirs. Be sure the aerator you use actually pulls cores out of the ground. This is the best way to aerate. Also be aware that aerating with a machine requires muscle. The machine is heavy and you have to manhandle it to turn it. I am going to look into a way to aerate without renting a machine.

Brian spread grass seed all around the lawn and then it was time to buy the compost. Since our organic matter was low, we wanted to spread a lot of compost around, about 1/4" thick. Since it was most cost effective to buy compost in bulk and pick it up in Brian's truck, we called a nursery that supplies bulk compost and they suggested we use BOB or blended organic bark compost. We brought home a yard of it (one small pickup truck load) and raked it around the yard.

After consulting with Wally at Pesche's we are questioning whether our choice of compost was the best one. He recommended a different product entirely and is concerned that the BOB compost will not have been decomposed enough before we spread it on the lawn. If it wasn't, it will decompose now and potentially suck nitrogen away from the soil and our lawn. Oh well, live and learn!

Since our calcium to magnesium ratio was low, we decided to add calcium to our soil. We used gypsum because it adds calcium to the soil without affecting the pH of the soil. Other calcium products could raise the pH which would favor weeds over grass. We bought a bag of gypsum and spread it around the lawn with our neighbor's Scott's spreader. Oh, the irony of using a Scott's spreader in pursuit of a natural lawn!