need help with beach front lawn

[shaner]

ok, heres my deal. im on the oregon coast. this particular lawn is irrigated and i fertilize it about every 2 monthes with a 21-4-21; 50% slow release nitrogen, fertilizer. the lawn will look great in spring and fall but in summer, the top part of the lawn is dry as a bone. the lawn is about 10-15 feet above the beach and the east side of the lawn slopes down to a building. the grass on the slope is looking awsome, but it gets a bit of shade from the buildings. i have irrigation set on 10 minutes a day, every day right now. but last year i decreased the water instead and it got better as well. i had figured maybe i was over watering because some of the heads overlap. a little flaw from the installer(not me). heres my solution so let me know what yall think. this fall i want to rake in a fine compost mix and switch to an organic fertilizer that claims you only apply in fall and spring. its been recommended that i mix in some of the original fertilizer into the organic to slowly let the lawn adapt to the organic and come off the synthetic. as far as the compost, im figuring that the salty, wind is doing the damage to the lawn more so than the sun and it probably needs more real nutrients in is soil and not just more fertilizer. thats just my theory that im planning on going with unless someone out there has a better idea. thanks.

sc

[mselainius]

sounds like a great idea to put the lawn on organics. mixing the chemical with the organic may kill off the bacteria needed to break the organic fertilizer down and make the nutrients available. So instead of mixing, I'd say put down some compost tea so you can get the microbacterial colonies started and then just start putting down straight organic. The fact that the lawn is missing these colonies due to years of chemical use is the only reason someone may have advised you to mix the two to help the lawn 'come off' synthetics. Also try to use a fertilizer with a 4-1-2 ratio because that may be too much potash. About the salty wind....how about you offer to plant some screening bushes to help cut down on so much salt being blown across the lawn? Sell the idea right and you could get more business~!

[Dr.Bizzaro]

Nehalem is a great place to live....Manzanita is fun to surf at. Your idea of mixing the organic and synthetics is a good one, being that on the coast some years we mow all year long and every year atleast to X-mas and start again first week in Feb.

Nothing helps semi-dormancy turf stands overwinter then high N slow release....our area they claim a 3-1-2 wilber ellis has a good winter blend.

[shaner]

the stuff i have is called hendrikus 8-1-2. ive never used the tea before. do you make it or buy it?

[Dr.Bizzaro]

I know Hendrikus...he's from Seattle and ran an organic gardening service to SUPER high end for years...no mowing schools or burger kings for him- I'm certain it will work GREAT as I've seen his turf around for years.



another good one is the Roots line...check 'em out @ www.rootsinc.com myself, being one who watches his dollars likes a product called Fe8, it would be a great one to use and you could use it all through the winter as a supplement....our PNW soils lack K and minor is MOLY. Roots 1-2-3 is a great product but you get what you pay for...Fe8 or Lawn Plex or Iron Roots are good tools in the hands of a dollar wise insurgent.....you get that deep green that only we see in the PNW without the top growth for nice looking turf through the sunny winter months...


I can't remember the guy, but I was drinking beers with a volunteer fireman from Nehalem- the beaches have sweet surf! Emerald Triangle infiltrates northward through your zone as well....


anyway, I would drop that granular fert after labor day, then again on halloween- each time about 1/2-3/4 lb N/ 1000 ft....and water it in with a Roots product...stay on Roots till X-mas then goto Fe Sulfate in late Jan.