Question
I am going to start organic lawn care.  You mentioned that I need to flush out chemical fertilizer/pesticides from my lawn before I go organic.  What does the flushing process involve?  I have put some Scott's Fertilizer and Preemergenet crabgrass two months ago, and I applied GrubKiller (pesticides I supposed) few weeks ago.

If I stopped using chemical stuff anymore and just applied compost by topdressing methods, without the 'flushing' part, would that still be an acceptable transition?



Thank you.

Answer
Well, it looks like the way I said, by excessive watering is about the only way to get the stuff out.
When I found on p[re-emergent saouns like maybe it is not all that offensive, as least not as much as the fertilizers etc for killing the micro-organisms, so I would go ahead and start the organic program.
here are many good organic fertilizers on the market. I have just not needed to use them since I started wirg just the sugar. My husband makes compost and each spring, my front lawn gets a liuttle of that too, as a top drssing, and especially since I put down the lava sand last year, and started using the alfalfa meal. They add so many nutrients, my roses and other flowers and shrubs too off, and everything just preked up even more than they already were, so I have added anything else.
I'm sure if you just apply lava sand, alfalfa meal, and sugar and water them in, in a short time, you will see quite a bit of improvement.
You could even treat with the sugar again in a few weeks, to make sure it is available for the microbes.
Jus applying the compost by top dressing would do quite a bit.
If you apply the lava sand, I would apply about 20 pounds per 1000 sq.ft. Alflfa meal, about 10 to 15 pounds per 1000 sq.ft.
Juast top dress with them and water well.
Charlotte

Hi Sung.
Flushing out is usually done by just watering till the water soaks down past the root systems, and on down.
Watering till it is wet to about 6 to 8 inches down, and waiting a few days and then doing it again, and repeating that 2 or 3 times is usually enough to wash most chemicals out of the soil.
If you have hard clay or enough clay in the soil so that water does not drain as fast as it should, it may take longer to flush them out.
That pre-emergent is the biggest problem. I don't know how hard that is to wash out.
Pre-emergent has to be put down in the fall, before the seeds are put down.
Usually the plants put out seeds to be carried by fall winds, and birds during the fall, and then they are in the ground and ready to germinate in the spring.
The pre-emergent prevents them from germinating.
It also prevents anything else from germinating. Other seeds that you may WANT to plant, or bulb flowers like tulips etc that you have in your yard.
You could top dress with compost, and you could apply the sugar etc. If there are any micro-organisms alive in the soil, the sugar would nourish them and help them survive.
Some other things that would be beneficial would be lava sand and alfalfa meal.
Those things are very high in nutrients and even without the other organics, they will nourish the plants.
They gradually release nutrients into the soil, so thy will still be working when the microorganisms get a good start and start doing their part of the program.
Compost that is made in a compost bin, and made right, has a lot of micro-organisms in it. That is a very good way to get them into your program.
Manures should be well rotted before adding to a compost pile. Don't add manure from dogs to a compost that is to be used on vegetable crops. the can add things yu don't want to ingest. If you are not growing vegetables or fruits, it is alright to add them to compost that is used just on grass and flowers.
I just scoop my dogs' droppings and dispose of them. I don't use them anywhere in the soil. I have fruits and vegetables, but things can travel into an area you don';t want them, from the ara thet are in.
I don't know anything about the comosts you buy in nurseries. I on't know if it has living micro-organisms in it or not.
It could be just decayed vegetable material that will add to soil that already has the living things going.
I would think, especially if you have had as much rain as we have had here in North Texas, that all the fertilizer has been washed out, possibly the insecticide too.
I am not sure about that pre-emergent.
I will try to research that today and tomorrow. If I can get an answer, I will add a followup to this.

Charlotte