Question
QUESTION: Wondered if compost material could be used instead of Humas and Peat Moss?  And you really don't have to do anything but rake it smooth?  We have mud and some grass on the fringes.  We are in Michigan the snow has just melted, hopefully for the last time, when can we do this and plant the tall fescue? Temps are still down to 20's some nights, days still only 30's and 40's most day.s

Thanks Linda

ANSWER: Compost is an excellent Soil Amendment, equal to Humus and in some ways superior to Peat Moss for these purposes.  This should be well rotted Compost, since bacteria working on decomposing matter tend to consume all Nitrogen in the vicinity.

Also, avoid any kind of activity on wet Soil or Grass.  It compacts the Soil very effectively -- the opposite of what you want.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sorry but how do we tell of the compost is well rotted. We can get it from our city, never have before.  Also when can we do this and plant the grass seed.

Thanks again Linda

Answer
Your city's Compost supply is almost certainly going to be cured -- 'well rotted'.  The contents have decomposed thoroughly; it looks like Soil; you can't tell it used to be Onions and Coffee Grounds and Eggshells and mowed Grass and Manure.

It抯 important for me to make this point because there are people -- LOTS of them -- who figure, I've waited long enough, I want to get started, What difference does it make if I put this slimy slop into my Soil or in the corner of the yard waiting around for it to rot?

Plus there are other people out there giving advice like, 'If you can't wait, skip that step -- just go ahead and bury the garbage; after all, they're going to end up in the same place anyway.'  Big mistake.  Aged, well rotted, fully cured Compost is the only thing to use.

Just the Before and After pictures alone should tell us that something happens to pre-Compost while it's becoming post-Compost. If you were to put the Onions, the Coffee Grounds, the Eggshells, the mowed Grass and the Manure in a blender and ran it on High, you would not have anything that looks like Compost.  Right?  Because at this point, you do not have Compost.  You'd have pureed garbage.  Not Compost.

But when you compost it COMPLETELY -- i.e., 慶ure?it, 慳ge?it, wait for it to become 憌ell-rotted?-- you enlist the aid of ubiquitous aerobic Bacteria, Yeasts, Actinomycetes, Protozoa and Fungi, and invertebrates such as Ants and Earthworms and Red Worms.  This little army of decomposers pulls the Carbon out of the cellulose molecules and the Nitrogen out of the protein chains and mixes them with air, then turns them into forms of C and N that plants can use to grow.

Best of all, you don抰 have to buy these organisms.  They are supplied for you.  Because they抮e all around us, working 24/7 in the Nitrogen Cycle.

You do have to make them comfortable, of course.  You want them to work efficiently.  You don抰 want them to take forever to make the Compost; you want this over so you can use it.  So you have to give them the optimal conditions you can get while they抮e working for you.

One key to this is the C:N ratio.  These organisms need 30 parts of Carbon for every 1 part of Nitrogen.  When parts of Carbon rise above 30, the microbes get tired and composting slows down.  Less than 25, and the excess Nitrogen converts to Ammonia -- a volatile gas.  This evaporates and causes undesirable odors.  Given enough Oxygen and other requirements, this composted material looks and smells just like Soil.  If you cannot see the material your city offers, you can smell it; if it smells like Soil, it抯 憌ell-rotted?and ready to use.

Note that directly burying the same materials straight in your Soil is completely different.  This is NOT composting.

The same Bacteria and other organisms breaking down the Carbon and Nitrogen are still there.

But they are trapped underground.  They can抰 get the air that they need.

Now you have anaerobes instead, living underground, without Oxygen.  Anaerobes release excess N as Ammonia -- you know that Ammonia is a noxious chemical (which is not good for anyone -- and the pH typically ranges from lower than 6.0 to nearly 8.5 before it evens off at the nearly neutral 7.0.  Much better that this should take place somewhere else, distanced from the roots and Soil around the plant.

If you have oodles of Compost now, go ahead and put down a thin layer right away.  When you're ready to plant in a few weeks, top-dress your Seeds with MORE Compost before you water.  It will shield them from hungry Birds and retain water a little longer.

As temps warm up, the organic matter in the Compost will build strong baby Turfgrass 12 ways, feeding it from all the major food groups.  Earthworms and Ants will keep the ball rolling.  Fait accompli.

The muddy areas by themselves are compacted and air-less.  Good microbes can't live a long, happy life there.  When it rains, water trickles between the powdery particles and pushes out every trace of air left.  No air means no Grass.  But a layer of Compost, followed by Seeds, followed by a layer of Compost or Humus or Manure, becomes Ground Zero for aerobes, attracting them from surrounding plots.  Slow but sure, these organisms till and correct the former muddy sites to their old, healthy, rich, delicious selves.  Just make sure you take VERY GOOD CARE of your Grass this Spring, and it will take care of you.  Keep me posted.