Question
QUESTION: I have tried to go the organic route this year.  I used corn gluten and corm meal, but I had some leftover scotts summer guard.  Did I just undue everything and kill the fungus I was trying to grow to get rid of the dollar spot?  What about using milky spore with the corn meal?  Same deal?  I was told that using any insecticide will kill the good stuff i was trying to grow?  What am I doing?  Should I stick with the industrial stuff or the organic?  The problem is I can't tell.  My lawn looks great, I hope it is the corn meal.  For the past three years I have applied the fungus spray at least twice by now.  I don't want to use it so I went with the corn meal.  It has been down for a week and a half...to soon to be effective?  Again, if I use a scotts product will it negate the organic?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

ANSWER: Complex question or format to pose the questions.
If you commit to organic, stay with it for a while and live with the results.  If you chose hybrid practices, the results may be more predictable.
I am not familiar with all the cookbook materials and practices that many recommend.  I tried that route, but found that there was not enough data, research, or libraries of expertise to diagnose and bail out a situation when I needed them.
If the soil substrate is on a healthy level, the plants will perform well, normally.  In turf, there are seasonal and persistent pests, fungus, insects, and bacteria, which will take an opportunity to invade.
I found that a mature, active compost denied most diseases while furnishing nutrients for good appearance and health.
Cornmeal, gluten, grits, etc. will provide N from protein, sugars form starch, but may also be a breeding ground for something else.
You can choose a hybrid approach, if you can live with it.  A fungicide will attack good and bad fungi, just as a pesticide may attack both.
The soil has more micro-organisms in a square meter than all the vertibrate and invertibrate life we can see on the face of the earth.  I have to believe that most will survive a once-in-a-while pesticide application.
If this did not answer your question, please rephrase it to a more simple choice with details on the cornmeal recommendations.
Best of luck.


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QUESTION: Thank you very much.  I re-read my email, a bit confusing.  I started using the organics this year only to reduce my use of the industrial stuff.  The hybrid term is excellent, and that is what I will most likely stay with.  My lawn is very green right now, without the use of the fungicide, for the first time.  Maybe that is due to the weather??  I am not sure if corn meal works that quickly (3 weeks).  My main question was would the use of comercial products kill anything organic I had going on.  I have stayed away from the grub ex since I heard the earthworms pay the bigger price.  I have a very hard compacted clay soil.  I have NO idea how my lawn looks as great as it does.  I try to use gypsum when I can find it.  Do you have any insight on grass seed?  I have searched the Internet for three years to find a site that claims the best grass seed available.  I have yet to find it so I have ended up going to Ultra Fescue from Penningtons and Scott's.  Is it okay to hit the sunny areas with one tyoe and the shady with the other?

I apologize for all of the questions, but I have had these for years and could not get an answer.

THANKS!!!!!!!!  

By the way when you say live with the results of the organic approach, I take it that it is not that great?
ANSWER: The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizer will have an effect.  The choice is whether the damage done is worth a one time application for the purpose of control.
Some years ago, I had a grub problem and decided to treat for it.  In this case, I used milky spore granules and treated one acre very cheaply and effectively.  Other times, I have used chemicals to solve an acute problem.  Mainly, I stay with biological soil building and strenuously observed maintenance practices.  Op cit: aeration, fertilization timed well, overseeding, proper mowing height, mechanical and chemical removal of invaders.
Seed source is a problem.  Find a good source and stick with it.  Mainly, you want to have certified seed of the right variety.  Not knowing where you live, I can not recommend any varieties.  A search of your state's ag school literature may produce a list for your area.  It has been the source for my queries.  NC State has one of the bes turf divisions of which I am aware and I am proud of them, all.
And, yes, application of different seed in different areas is fine.  A mix should cover these cultural variations.
Best of luck.


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QUESTION: Thanks again!  I live in (Eastern) Loudoun County, VA.  One more question.  If I use a sun and shade mix, won't one go dormant during the year, thus turning that area partially brown?  or will it die off and only the grass that is suited for that area will continue to grow?
ANSWER: Loudon Co is in the hot zone of VA, like the Piedmont of NC or eastern NC.  If you have planted winter grasses, they may suffer during the summer.  Fecscue is stressed now.  Bluegrass may appear stressed a bit later and in mid-winter.  You may have to consider irrigation if you want a pretty lawn in summer.  During a drought, bluegrass and Fascue will brown out uniformly and recover when rain returns.  The more the soil is built up, the faster the recovery and the less the stress.  Salts have a good deal to do with drought stress.
In fall, overseed each year to bolster stand.  Learn to live with drought stress on your lawn if you do not irrigate.

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QUESTION: Again and again, thanks for the answers.  I feel horrific for asking all of these questions, but it has been killing me for years that no one at any nursery can answer them.  One last one...I have some grass that has course, thick, and long blades.  I always thought that was the K31 grass.  I have pulled it out and reseeded whne I have thte time, which I have little of during the daytime.  I assume it is grass from the contracter?  THe grass grows out and does not allow the fescue to grow.  It is green and stays green.  Should I let it be?  It loks okay from a distance, but ugly when you look at it.  I guess I am going overboard?

Thanks for the help.  Is gypsum a joke or is it worth the price instead of lime?  (I guess I had one last question)
ANSWER: I am sorry.  I can not identify the grass you described.  It may be crabgrass.  Check with your local ag agent to be sure.  Crabgrass does stay green most of the year in the Piedmont.  If it is, you can treat with chemical herbicides once to discourage it.  Or you can remove each plant by hand.
Lime is fine. Gypsum is lighter, so it should go farther on application.  I use lime.
Using compost for fertilizer topdressing in fall will, usually, provide nutrients for a year.  3/8" or one cubic yard per thousand square feet the first time.  Less after that with the occasional application of N to boost growth.
Best of luck.

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QUESTION: Thanks for all of your info.  It has all been very educational.  If I can still ask some questions, here is one.  I brought some of the grass in question to a local nursery and received no answers..."some kind of fescue."
Tall fescue and blue grass look different, I know.  But does tall fescue have a wider blade than bluegrass?  I noticed that in a dry patch I have a thicker, wider blade grass emerging in a sort of clump, and the finer blade grass is not coming back.  Is the wider blade grass the tall fescue or the blue grass?  After following your advice to check with the college (VT) I see I should use the tall or a mix with the bluegrass.  I also see that Scott's has a blue grass mix this year, but is that formulated for the country or this region?  I never knew it would be this hard to find the right seed to put down!  
Thanks again in advance.
ANSWER: The mixture should be described on the bag of Scotts seed, along with a certification standard.  Alternately, you can purchase varieties of tall fescue and cluegrass separately, which match your region.
If you checked with UVM, they should know which ones work.  There is a good website for UVM horticulture info:
http://www.uvm.edu/search/?Page=google.php&site=UVM&q=horticulture++turf&btnG=Se
I would not worry too much about exact varieties, unless you desire a perfect lawn.  Then, ask for those varieties for VT from you cooperative extension hort agent.
Bluegrass is fairly universal for northern turfs.  Fescue is also tolerant of northern regions.
The wide blade grass, again, may be crabgrass, if it comes up in bare places.  Leaves around 3/8" wide and 6-12 " long with a seed head of three or more branches along the top.  Fescue/bluegrass leaves are much narrower and seedheads should have already formed in VT.
Best of luck. Ask you local ag agent for more detail.
Tom


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QUESTION: Thanks for the help.  All seems to be well.  I still have a small problem with dollar spot, but it is no where as bad as last year.  I can handle what I have and will try the third application of cornmeal to see if it will do anything.  Thanks to you I also have a good idea of what seed I will use in the fall.  You wrote about putting down compost.  I am a bit stumped...what would I use?  A mix of manure, soil and peat?
ANSWER: Cameron:

I see the mistake in one of my answers.  You referred to Virginia Tech, not Univ of Vermont.  Loudon Co. is in VA.

All comments about fescue and bluegrass still apply.

Compost is commercially available in VA near DC.  I suspect that there is a local supplier somewhere close.  That is what I proposed as a source.  Bagged product is called "garbage soil" in the trade and deserves the name by comparison to professionally produced product.  It is easy to spread and light enough to handle.  It is the most complete soil builder available for organic practices and will increase the A horizon of soil better than anything I have seen.

Hope this answers your questions.  Glad it is working out for you.


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QUESTION:  Quick response, thanks!  No mistake, I undertood what you were talking about. I have never seen anything as bagged compost, but I will try to find it.  I grew up in NJ and I used to transport leaf compost from a recycling center to my house for gardens.  Is it anywhere near the same thing?  One thing I meant to ask was about something I read.  Regarding dollar spot and other fungus, the article said to prevent it, don't put too much nitrogen in your lawn too early in the spring.  How is that possible to avoid if you have to fertilize in the spring to kick start everything?
ANSWER: Cameron,

You may have misread my recommendation.  Bagged compost is not worth buying.  Bulk is, generally, better.  Somewhere i your area is a professional supplier of compost.  It may have distributors for retail market.  They will have good product.

I fertilize in the fall to create strong plants ready for spring.  Winter is OK in locations with marginal winters, like the Piedmont. If my lawn needs it in the early spring, I add no more than 1 lb. of N per thousand sq. ft. to boost performance.

I am not that familiar with dollar spot.  Have seen it, but never had it.   Good compost is antifungal.

Try this URL for local compost producers:

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/compost/452-230/452-230.html


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QUESTION: Thanks again for the advice.  With regard to the compost, should I put it down before, during or after aeration and overseeding?  Also, if I use a commercial product to fertilize in the spring, how do I limit the nitrogen?  Should I use something like ironite and follow the 1lb per 100 sqft?  How late into spring do I have to worry about the amount of nitrogen?

Answer
Cameron:

I apply compost after aerating and seeding, as a cover and fertilizer.

You should have no need for fertilizer in spring if compost is vital and has adequate nutrient value.  You will be able to tell by response of grass.  No mistake about it.

Iron has never been a problem for me. I found 5000 + part per million of Fe in my compost.  Maker or seller should have analysis to see if Fe is enough.

I stop fertilizing when weather turns hot, usually late April or early May.  Again, this is simply a boost if the lawn needs it.  It will tell you.  At this time, I only apply one pound N per thousand sq. ft.

Best wishes.