Compost as lawn fert?

[wsommariva]

Hi everyone. Now, thanks to everyone here, I have great compost. Not quite sure of some basics. I plan to fert the beds each Spring with it but how about the lawn? How much do I apply and do I need my Scotts fert any longer?

[Halfway]

High WS.

I had a very large load of compost one year and spread it on a highly thatched section of our front yard. Within just a few days the thatch was gone. I decided to use the rest on the lawn and it performed wonders.

It is a large lawn but didn't take long with a simple shovel. I simply shook the compost from the shovel until the black material was well seen over the entire lawn. Picture it as oreo ice cream with the black the compost and the white the yard. It was enough to do the trick!

Best of luck...you will be impressed.

[rainbowgardener]

And no, I wouldn't use the Scotts synthetic fertilizer with the compost.

[wsommariva]

That is good news. I can save good $$, thank you both. I'm putting in a new lawn next Spring and an irrigation system.

[Halfway]

I expanded my bins' capacity by over 30% to allow me additional room for composting areas of the yard.

It is amazing how it stimulated the decay of the thatch. No more renting a machine, wooot!

[wsommariva]

My lawn is so bad I don't have thatch

[Halfway]

My lawn is so bad I don't have thatch

[TexRx]

I'm planning on using nearly all of my compost on my lawn in the spring when my current pile will be done!

I also use organic lawn fertlizer

[toxcrusadr]

Thatch may or may not be a problem depending on what it is. IIRC true thatch is a problem of shallow matted roots usually resulting from watering too shallow and lightly. However if you are talking about a layer of dead and decaying grass blades on top of the soil beneath the live grass, I wouldn't think that would be a problem as long as the lawn is green on top. I can see how adding compost would lead to rapid breakdown of that dead material, though.

I would love to put compost on my lawn and even have a cheap source of sifted compost, but I'd need a spreader to tow behind the riding mower, which can be had for a mere $1000, too rich for my blood.

[rainbowgardener]

Can't you rent the spreader? It seems like the kind of thing you would use once or twice a year. No point in cluttering up the homestead with that kind of thing, even if you could afford to.

[toxcrusadr]

I haven't seen them for rent around here, but I might make a few calls and make sure. Good idea.

There are lots of plans on the web to make them, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.