Poop Happens

[Highbeam]

If you look real close how many toxic heavy metals can you see ?


Our town's treatment sludge is mixed with bark/wood chips/sawdust and bulk sold to a company that bags it as potting soil. It is intended as a flower growing medium and not for vegetables or anything edible.

Ha! you can't see anything but black dirt and hair. The concentration of other things is extremely low as is any associated risk. People like to worry about the strangest things.

We affectionately call it Butt Dust.

 

[Highbeam]

Of course mixing it does not remove heavy metals. Never said that. I'm only speaking of GroCo, when I mentioned the heavy metal content. This product has been well tested and has lower heavy metal, herbicide and pesticide content than composted green waste. Milorganite has been tested with higher heavy metal content. That's why I mentioned it. I haven't found the Pierce county product. What is the name of the product you are using? Can you provide some links to the product(s) data and testing?

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wastewater/Biosolids/GardenCompost/GroCoSafety.aspx

Here's the stuff I use.

http://ci.sumner.wa.us/living/environment/sumner-grow/

"Safe to use in all gardens"

 

[Ashful]

Hmm... "this replaces chemical fertilizers," but they offer no N-P-K analysis.

 

[begreen]

There is a notable difference from sewerage sludge that is dried and directly composted and sewerage sludge that is anaerobically digested, then added to compost. Predigestion by anaerobic bacteria appears to produce a more refined and pathogen free material. It would be good to see an A/B comparison of these materials. That said, the Sumner product has a very nice advantage... free by the truckload.

 

[begreen]

Hmm... "this replaces chemical fertilizers," but they offer no N-P-K analysis.

This product is not a commercial fertilizer. Nutrient concentrations are estimates based on prior analyses but are not guaranteed concentrations.
Total Nitrogen (N) 4.3%
Phosphorus (P) 2.7%
Potassium (K) 0.15%

Looks like one needs to add a potassium source like greensand, wood ash or kelp meal for balance.

 

[Ashful]

... or just put down a balanced chemical fertilizer. It's good thing they've found a use for this waste product, but I dont see this as being a practical means of maintaining a balanced lawn, without controlled nutrient concentration. It's enough trouble keeping all factors in the green zone using commercial fertilizers and twice-yearly laboratory soil analysis. Free is good, but I'd be frustrated having less than ideal results, for time invested in retrieving and putting down this product.

 

[begreen]

I can see why Highbeam likes it, free is a good price.

 

[Ashful]

Highbeam has some property, if I recall. Can't imagine loading a half ton of this stuff with that shovel!

I put down approx 3600 lb. of chemical fertilizer, and 1000 - 3000 lb. of lime per year... and my lawn is not THAT large.

 

[begreen]

Could be fields if it is like our property. We put down zero on our lawn. All fertilizer is limited to gardens.

 

[Highbeam]

I can see why Highbeam likes it, free is a good price.

Nothing is free but this is close. I don't live on a golf course or feel like my lawn needs to look like a golf course. I mow it, it's green, I don't water it. The lawn is much greener and grows much faster after applying this biosolid stuff. I've never tested my soil or know anybody that has. I don't even buy chemical fertilizer anymore.

I had one good friend with about one acre of new lawn ready to rototill it under because it wasn't green enough and never took off when he built his house. We spread the biosolids heavily and he was very happy with the recovery. It has been several years now.

I maintain about an acre of lawn. I load garbage cans about half full with the stuff and then scoop it into a walk behind rotary spreader. The process is not unlike any other fertilizer except the application rate is higher.

Ideally a guy cold load this stuff into a big fertilizer spreader on the 3ph of a tractor and put down massive quantities overa large area but you would need two tractors. One to hold th spreader and another to load the hopper. Maybe one of those old tow behind manure spreaders would work.

 

[begreen]

Our lawn is an equal opportunity lawn. There's equal opportunity for grass, clover, dandelions and moss. Come late summer it's all brown anyway, except over the septic field.

 

[sloeffle]

I put down approx 3600 lb. of chemical fertilizer, and 1000 - 3000 lb. of lime per year... and my lawn is not THAT large.

Holy crap. You must have the nicest lawn in America. I have a 12 acres in hay / pasture and I don't put down that much fertilizer or lime. $600 a ton for fertilizer breaks the bank really fast.

 

[Ashful]

It beats the grass at any public course, but it's not up to private club standards.

 

[Cynnergy]

Our lawn is an equal opportunity lawn. There's equal opportunity for grass, clover, dandelions and moss. Come late summer it's all brown anyway, except over the septic field.

I don't understand people who try to get rid of moss - it stays green and you don't have to mow it. What's not to like?

 

[Cynnergy]

I put down approx 3600 lb. of chemical fertilizer, and 1000 - 3000 lb. of lime per year... and my lawn is not THAT large.

Where does your lawn drain to? Non point source pollution from fertilizer runoff is a huge issue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_zone_(ecology)

Phosphorus isn't too bad (it adsorbs to soil particles and isn't very mobile), but the nitrogen is soluble and just goes wherever the water goes (if it isn't taken up by plants).

 

[DBoon]

A neighbor actually farms mushrooms on oak logs.

And to think that you are throwing all those valuable mushroom covered logs into your fireplace every winter!

 

[Ashful]

Where does your lawn drain to?

A neighbor's lawn. The portion of his lawn adjacent to mine is the only decent bit of lawn he has.

Picking up 1500 lb. of Calcitic Lime on my way home today.

 

[Jags]

If I can't eat it, I don't encourage it to grow. I love when my lawn turns a nice shade of brown in mid summer.

 

[Ashful]

Jags, I watch many neighbors mowing dust and weeds in our hot and dry July weather, while my perfect weed-free lawn just stops and stays dormant for 5-6 weeks. Around here, weeds grow all summer, grass does not.

What's funny is those folks who chide my fast growing lawn in spring never have much to say while they're mowing weeds and choking on dust at 95F in July, while I'm relaxing by the pool.

 

[Jags]

My yard just "quits". And I love it when that happens.

 

[sloeffle]

Picking up 1500 lb. of Calcitic Lime on my way home today.

Assuming that you add lime and fertilizer per a soil test ? If you do any re-seeding I would look into the (broken link removed to http://www.barusa.com/professional-turf/products/water-saver-pro/lawn.htm) that they have now. They require 50% less water and fertilizer.

Personally I can care less what my lawn looks like. I live out in the country and trying to keep weeds ( I am okay with clover since it asphyxiates nitrogen ) out of my lawn would be a never ending process.

 

[begreen]

Come late July or early August we just stop mowing until the rains wake up the grass and weed again in late Sept or Oct..

 

[Ashful]

Assuming that you add lime and fertilizer per a soil test ? If you do any re-seeding I would look into the (broken link removed to http://www.barusa.com/professional-turf/products/water-saver-pro/lawn.htm) that they have now. They require 50% less water and fertilizer.

Yep... twice yearly soil tests, and the last one put my pH right on the lower boundary of ideal, recommending 21C (21 lb./1000 sq.ft. calcitic lime). I'm shooting shy of that, partly due to wanting to do this in a single shot (my pickup can only haul 1500 lb./trip), and because I'm really not that far off ideal to be really too concerned.

I'm seeding yearly with tall fescue, which has always been named ideal for our climate, but will check out your fine fescues. Most of the lower maintenance strands are historically pretty rough and scraggly, not as attractive.

 

[begreen]

Looks like this thread is down to the ground. Closing.