Here's a good article to read, especially if you're still in the group that doesn't understand why mulching leaves one year doesn't show up in your next soil test as a higher OM level...

Soil Science and Organic Matter

That's a great article! We're fortunate that a permanent lawn is always non-till, and at least around here they tend to stabilize around 7-8% OM eventually (some decades).

We're just accelerating the process.

so, a couple of thoughts after reading that article. when we dump material on the lawn (MO SBM tow truck drivers etc) the efect is more to light the fire with the process ie organisms/bacteria/worms as well as encouraging strong root growth with release of nutrients which increses the Om level on the soil test? It would seem that Soil conditioner treatment would not just be helpful in addition to spreading material on top of the soil bust almost a neccesity if the goal was to increase OM at any reasonable rate. Makes sense that a growing medium where water could penetrate deeper and be retained at higher levels and roots could grow more easily would be just as important as providing large ammounts of decaying material and that a varied diet of material would encourage a wider array of bacteria etc at the top of the food chain to help this along.

or am i just out to lunch?

j rockford wrote:so, a couple of thoughts after reading that article. when we dump material on the lawn (MO SBM tow truck drivers etc) the efect is more to light the fire with the process ie organisms/bacteria/worms as well as encouraging strong root growth with release of nutrients which increses the Om level on the soil test? It would seem that Soil conditioner treatment would not just be helpful in addition to spreading material on top of the soil bust almost a neccesity if the goal was to increase OM at any reasonable rate. Makes sense that a growing medium where water could penetrate deeper and be retained at higher levels and roots could grow more easily would be just as important as providing large ammounts of decaying material and that a varied diet of material would encourage a wider array of bacteria etc at the top of the food chain to help this along.

or am i just out to lunch?

My OM went up nicely even without the soil conditioner last year, but I think its one big symbiotic relationship that needs time to get going. Andy and Morph understand the science better than me.

This year I put soil conditioner down nearly every week.

i was wondering about the time factor as well. if someone puts down say 400lbs annually on the same 1k of lawn over time would we see the OM go up in a consistant or stair step fashion or would it increase for a period of time not unlike compound interest assuming like weather conditions obviously until a levelling off at some point

I think stair step. Total wild a__ guess based on my experience.

It's all connected (New York Telephone style, if anybody remembers the old ad). Adding OM lights the fires and feeds the lawn, which generates more roots and attracts more worms which turn the soil and add their own castings and they attract birds to hunt the worms and poo on the lawn and increase incoming OM...

The soil conditioner may or may not help; it loosens the soil, but nature will do that anyway with copious OM. It just speeds up the process a little bit and fans the flames a little higher.

i was wondering about the time factor as well. if someone puts down say 400lbs annually on the same 1k of lawn over time would we see the OM go up in a consistant or stair step fashion or would it increase for a period of time not unlike compound interest assuming like weather conditions obviously until a levelling off at some point

Eventually you'll level off--just at a higher level than somebody not adding OM. But this gets you there faster and you step up nicely while going.

At some point, bacterial/fungal populations reach a balance, inflowing oxygen burns off OM, and things simply can't go any faster. You'd get a heavier O (organic) horizon on your soil, infiltration would max out, and match the burnoff rate.

so does it make sense that products that we spread for Om while they differ in terms of N delivered are interchangable for the sake of adding om and improving tilth? reason i am asking is sawdust is cheaper than sbm or MO. cornmeal as well.

Unfortunately, no.

Milorganite: About ten percent turns to OM, but it's great for iron and pretty good for feeding.

Soy, corn, alfalfa: About twenty percent to OM, poor to good feeding (soy is good, corn is poor, alfalfa is fairly poor). This ignores other benefits like corn's fungal suppression and alfalfa's root growth encouragement.

Sawdust: About 40% turns to OM, but it's slow--faster if you add a nitrogen source. It's zip on feeding and the only advantage it confers is as a mulch for dry soils.

Uh-oh. The thread above put me into Rant Mode.

<Rant On>

Re-read the thread above, and be honest and see if you don't see "how do I get there fastest?", "what can I buy to speed this up?" and "I wanna do better than that".

You're looking for the Turbo button.

There ain't no Turbo Button.

Soil is an incredible set of interacting parts that move at their speeds, not your's. If you think that it is listening to what you want you are kidding yourself. And when you kid yourself, you make yourself a target for the people that will try to sell you the latest fad.

Focus on making the optimal environment for a healthy, balanced, mineralized, living soil. Yes, at a minimum it's a five-year plan. You'll get there by doing that. If you don't and try thing after thing after thing that is a miracle cure, and abandon it every time that you don't get a 2% jump in OM on your next soil test, guess where you'll be in five years? Nowhere, but poorer.

I've been focused on what I call "Empirical Level" management for several years now. I try things and measure dry-mass, root-mass and Brix levels. I read the stuff from Purdue, Ohio State and Penn State, and then do my own tests. Guess what is the theme to all of the good test results? Basics, and more basics. Oxygen in the soil. Adequate but not excessive moisture. Good cheap OM and mineral sources at whatever rate the soil can handle them.

<Rant Off>

wasn't trying to get you riled up. i understand why you might think that but my questions were based on the article and some things i have been thinking about during the past season. i know the process will take years. that is why i enjoy the hobby. last year i did not do a lot of work with soil conditioner for instance, my concern was am i missing something is there a better balance i could be working towards things of that nature. when the article mentioned root growth as a huge contributor my thought was if i go the soil conditioner route am i creating a situation that makes sense for that dollar than an equivalent ammout of topress, craked corn whatever to get the desired result. was not sure so i threw it out there. a bag of milo costs about what 2 bags of sawdust pellets is that a better use of that dollar etc. thats all. the compunding question was curiosity on how it all works together

by the way, the lawn looks great, better than it did before i found the site and will be better next year as well.

Oh hell, it has nothing to do with "riled up". I hate to see folks spend $$$ on "miracle" stuff when the basics really get it done.

j rockford wrote:... when we dump material on the lawn (MO SBM tow truck drivers etc) the efect is ...

Who cares about the rant. I'm wondering about the tow truck drivers.

Should I be tossing all the local tow truck drivers onto my lawn, too?

Tow Truck Drivers have a nasty habit of trying to move when you throw them on the lawn. And the authorities frown upon the use of TTDM.

Repeat the following statement until it sounds normal and natural: "I have no idea where that tow truck driver went".

When you have that down, follow with "Has anyone seen my wood chipper?".

You mean the wood chipper you're currently hosing out into the barrel marked "dilute blood meal mix"? It's over there, painted bright red in interesting patterns.

My lawn is the test case for "There is no short cut!"

I bought a new construction - lawn was scraped bare.... Soil test showed nearly 0 OM.... Completely deficient in *Everything*.. CEQ about a 3.0..... and nothing would grow - not even weeds or Crabgrass....

I have been slowly working on it - and as more time passes with Roots in the Ground and good cultural practices - it just keeps getting better....

David (DCHALL) has harped on this many times - but the best source of OM in the soil is Roots in the Ground... Your grass sloughs off far more lbs of roots into the ground than you could ever add as an amendment.... Encourage healthy soil and strong root growth and everything else seems to work itself out...

Thanks

I haven't harped on that topic for awhile. What John is talking about is getting organic matter in the soil without tilling it in. Roots are meant to be in the soil, as opposed to leaves, twigs, banana peels, and coffee grounds, which are not meant to be in the soil. Grass and other monocots are different from trees and most other dicots in that most monocots shed their roots. They lose about 1/3 of their roots every year. Those roots are obviously organic matter and they are obviously in the soil. The microbes needed to decompose them are already in the soil and doing their job. So simply by growing grass you are improving the organic matter in your soil.