Scott Reil wrote:
Compost tea at nearly any point is great (look at Al's pics)
I never did use compost tea. At least not so far. I used my compost, and not really all that much of it...Yet. I guess it made its own tea in regards to the biology it created. I'll hit it pretty hard in the fall. I am going to give the tea a try though when this rotating composter is done with its first batch. I have aerators from aquariums waiting to go.
I have a pretty good idea Buddy lives near me, so the soil is definitely heavy clay if that is the case.
You saw how little topsoil I had. It had eroded almost totally away. Buddy, save the money and your back. Don't strip it, fix it. Joel is right about the nutrient holding properties of clay. Work with what you have, then give it some time and you should be fine.
I'm still debating the idea of the slit seeding. If mine looks this good now it might be overkill, unless slit seeding it means a better overwinter for the lawn.
Our slope is doing great with the clover, trees and shrubs. Low-brush blueberries and Service berries have already been tasted. Buddy, clover is your friend.
The garden is the only problem spot. Leaves are yellowing on the Zucchini, beans and cucumbers. I'll have to post a thread on the permaculture forums if it continues. The reason I bring it up is that I put bagged topsoil (mistake on my part) and composted manure over cardboard on the existing back lawn in kind of a quick sheet mulch. It started off really well, but now has issues. Who knows what kind of topsoil you are going to get? Then what do you do, start all over? A cousin of mine had 4 inches laid over his backfill on his new home and it took three years and an irrigation system to get it to be only acceptable. He uses a lawn service and they mow low and use chemicals. Costs him big bucks and it still is not right. I told him to go the same route as I did, and he is finally considering it.
My results were quick, and I too had originally thought of turning it over and starting fresh in the fall. Now I am willing to stick with the program and wait three or more years for whatever weeds there are to die off. The little bit of clover flowers and dandelion actually look nice, once you change your mindset. Might use the corn gluten like my neighbor did, next year though.
Scott is right about trying to grow a lawn now. The few bare spots that our dogs created by digging holes is having a hard time with the seed I put on it a couple of weeks ago. Odd thing is that the dogs only dig now in those few bad areas. They do not dig any longer in the center of the lawn, now that it has filled in. They always sniff the ground intensely before digging. I wonder if they can smell crappy soil and love to dig only there, or is it just a coincidence?
Good luck, Buddy. Whichever way you decide go I wish you the best.
Al