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Chat with an old timer at McMenamins made me rethink my lawn care
I was grabbing a beer at McMenamins on Friday and got to talking with this guy who's lived here since the 70s. He said I was wasting my time with all these chemical fertilizers and that the soil here just needs compost and aeration twice a year. Made me realize I've been dumping $80 a season on stuff that probably just runs off into the creek. Anyone else ditch the big box fertilizer for something simpler?
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bettyhunt5d ago
The old timer might know what he's talking about for his yard specifically, but lawns around here are different depending on what microclimate you're in. I've got heavy clay that doesn't drain well at all, and just compost and aeration left it a muddy mess for weeks. A light application of a balanced fertilizer in spring helps it green up without that runoff issue if you water it in properly.
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schmidt.amy5d ago
Wait, hold up - "compost and aeration left it a muddy mess for weeks"? That's wild, @bettyhunt. I've got clay soil too but more like the kind that bakes into concrete in summer and turns into soup in spring. That runoff thing you mentioned is real though, especially if you're on a slope like my back forty. I tried topdressing with screened compost once and ended up with little rivers of mud running down the hill for days. A light fertilizer that you can actually water in seems way smarter than dumping a ton of organic stuff that just sits on top and gets washed away. You're saying a balanced one works without that mess?
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