Paul Jenny

Hi Paul !!! That is so true. My wife and I are planning to move there in a couple of years. Her parents live in the lovely town of LaConner. We will probably be in the Bellingham area. That is all for now. Thanks for the great website.
Paul

I still am unclear on what constitutes as nitrogens and carbons. Nitrogens are stuff like grass and leaves, carbons are wood; where do kitchen scraps fit in ? You said no meat , so vegetables would probably be nitrogens. What about fruit, rice, pasta ? My Chemistry professor would not be impressed with my questions. ops:

Hi Paul-  This thread brings a question to mind. I am about to send a sample to your son to test its pH. Should I have a complete analysis done and does your son do that also ? I know there is a place in Fort Wayne,IN ( the closest place to me ) that will do one for around ten bucks. You mentioned that most lawns are Ca deficent. Of course there is the chance that I am just looking for trouble. The old addage comes to mind - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  I am just trying to cover all bases.  

MJC- Welcome. I am glad you are wanting to go organic. I am not the expert here ( Paul Wheaton, the administrator is ) but I think that the dolomite has the same effects as lime which is to raise the pH. Your pH is a little low, but not much. I am not sure why they reccomend sulfur because that lowers pH. I say forget about the chemicals ( I think the dolomite is a chemical) and plant your grass seed. I use the Ringer brand fertilizer. It is an organic fertilizer with an initial burst of nitrogen and has some delayed release of nitrogen also. Once your grass reaches its mowing height ( 3-4 inches ) water infrequently and keep mowing high (3-4 inches).
http://www.richsoil.com/lawn/index.jsp
This article can tell you more. I am sure others will offer some advice too. There is probably more to do before planting or at least other options. Hopefully Paul Wheaton will be able to get back to you also. He has really helped me a lot. Good luck ! Try not to use chemicals. Nothing good comes from it but bad things do.

You gotta be kidding ! I had no idea that non stick pans were that bad. I guess I will stop using mine. Thanks for the info. Yet another reason I love this website !

http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/weed_web/index.htm
This is another good site.

Nutsedge is a perennial but smartweed is an annual. Here is a better site for weed identification.
http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/weedid/

Bad news. Nutsedge is a perennial. I am not sure what smartweed is.
http://msucares.com/lawn/lawn/weeds.html
Where I do not like this sites idea on weed control, I did find it very informative.

Thanks Paul.  I would like to wait until spring  but it is already 10 inches tall and right next to my driveway. I am sure some of its roots are under the driveway and I am real concerned about them getting damaged. I have never heard of Alaska fish fertilizer. I take it that does not mean using Alaskan caught salmon. If it is, that poor tree will have to stand in line ( behind  me ) to get some ! 
How deep do roots grow and how deep do I dig the new hole. I have heard that roots are usually twice as deep as the plant is tall. Is that true ?

I am not sure exactly what they are but I googled them and one ag site said to use a pre emergent. The only one that I can think of is corn gluten. I have never used it ,(yet ) but you could give it a try. Let us know how it works. The other thing is to use Paul Wheaton's advice on weeds.Mow high, water infrequent, and fertilize ( no chemicals please  ) Good luck !