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 Post subject: Dry Molassas
PostPosted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:15 am 
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Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:01 am
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Hello. I live in McKinney and I'm new to organic lawn care. I've been reading many of the posts on this forum and I have a couple of questions if someone could help please. My lawn (backyard- St Augustine frontyard- Bermuda) is 23 yrs old and I've used commercial fertilizer for the bulk of that time. The frontyard looks awful, the backyard is fine. I'm switching to organic and read where using shampoo to help break up the soil was beneficial. What proportions should I use? I have used Milorganite before with satisfactory results. Is this an acceptable organic fertilizer?

I was going to also spread dry molasses down to help stimulate the soil. I have dogs; will they eat this and does it make a sticky mess after watering?

For a beginning I was thinking of the following:
1) spray shampoo
2) spread dry molasses
3) spread milorganite.

Does this sound reasonable or is there another more practical formula for a beginners success?

Thanks in advance
Steve


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 Post subject: Re: Dry Molassas
PostPosted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 1:35 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2003 8:09 pm
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Location: Fort Worth,TEXAS
Next time David Hall passes through the forum he'll be able to answer your shampoo question. If you water in the dry molasses well it won't be sticky.

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 Post subject: Re: Dry Molassas
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2016 12:34 pm 
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The rate of shampoo is 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. It's been used up to 50 ounces per 1,000 with no ill effects, so you don't have to worry too much about over doing it. Check the hardness with a screwdriver. See how far it goes into the soil easily. Use the shampoo followed by 1/2 to an inch of water. Check with the screwdriver again in 3 weeks. I use generic baby shampoo. You can use any shampoo you can see through (no conditioners).

I've tried molasses at every concentration and never found it helped anything. Then again I had been organic for years before trying it, so maybe all the benefit had been achieved. Dry molasses is made by pouring 15 pounds of molasses on 35 pounds of crushed corn cobs or other inert material. Find your local farm and ranch COOP, not feed store, and see what they sell bulk molasses for. I get it by the gallon for about a dollar if I bring my own container.

Milorganite is fine. I use ground corn meal or alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

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