I just mailed my soil to Logan Lab. The jar test shows my soil is approx 50/40/10 or 60/40. If you would have asked my three months ago if i have sandy soil, I would have said emphatically NO.

I am very sure my soil will be high PH and lacking in many nutrients. Right now I am trying to understand what does what for the soil and would like your input. There are two things that I can get, all you can carry, for free. One is UCG from Starbucks and the other is compost (no biosolids) from a city community garden.

I would like to add a few other items to this list. One would be a liquid aerification and I don’t know what else. I am leaning towards soybean meal ($16./50lbs), molasses ($7.50/gal) and kelp meal ($80./50lbs).

I have put down soybean meal 20lbs and alfalfa pellets 25 lbs but not much else. I am looking for the most out of my non chemical dollars.

If you had a minimal budget (less than $200.), what would you get for your soil?

K

What to get will depend on your soil test, so let's hold off on that for a bit until we know. At that point, it can be prioritized.

However, the free stuff like coffee grounds and compost can go whenever you can manage it. Organic material is never an error when topdressed.

OK - while I wait, I'll be spreading thin layers of the coffee and compost

Thanks

K

I would put all the money for kelp into soybean meal.

Dchall_San_Antonio wrote:I would put all the money for kelp into soybean meal.

Thanks

K

Oh, kelp meal. Yes, agreed. Soy has a better bang for the buck.

If you want to use kelp, get the concentrate off e-Bay and spray the stuff. Much cheaper, and I started injecting it into the garden watering system this year. Those plants, for the fifth of July, are enormous and nonstop blooming.

I haven't written the report on the grass yet (the test isn't done), but I've dumped close to 50 ounces per thousand square feet this year so far (of the concentrate, total). Root growth has been incredible, top growth is strong and still thinks it's May. Since I think it can tap resources from Earth's mantle at this point, I guess that shouldn't surprise me.

MorpheusPA wrote:If you want to use kelp, get the concentrate off e-Bay and spray the stuff. Much cheaper, and I started injecting it into the garden watering system this year.

WOW are you referring to this cgi.ebay.com/Kelp-Seaweed-Water-Soluble-Powder-Organic-Fertilizer-/320450455801?pt=Fertilizer_Soil_Amendments&hash=item4a9c55e8f9 You are right, much much cheaper.

Thanks

K

That's it. Four ounces in 1 gallon of water, apply that concentrate at 2 liquid ounces per thousand square feet. One gallon would go 64,000 square feet, or, in my case, last about 2 weeks.

I've got something like 80% sand myself. I've had a very noticeable improvement in the health and color of the grass going to an alternating schedule of soybean meal and Milorganite around once a month since late last summer. I figure I'll have no more than $150 (5K square feet) into it for the year.

Grimm wrote:I've got something like 80% sand myself. I've had a very noticeable improvement in the health and color of the grass going to an alternating schedule of soybean meal and Milorganite around once a month since late last summer. I figure I'll have no more than $150 (5K square feet) into it for the year.

Thanks Grimm, I have half the sq ft that you do, so this is great to hear.

K

Well if you have half the size of mine, then you only need one bag of soybean meal or Milorganite at a time. Being in LA you could do a bag of soybean meal once a month all year and not break $200.