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tarheel23_gw

getting darker green color

tarheel23
16 years ago

I have a TTTF/Midnight KBG mix. Seeded from scratch last Fall and the grass is doing very well. I went organic this Spring; compost, soy bean meal etc. I'm going to put down some more SBM soon. I follow good cultural practices from watering to mowing high and frequent and my blade is sharpened regularly.

The turf quality is good but I'm not as pleased about the color. It's good but not great. Is there anything I can do to encourage a darker green color? Organic of course.

Thanks,

Rob

Comments (8)

  • deerslayer
    16 years ago

    More SBM will probably improve the color of your lawn. If it doesn't, you may need a soil test to pinpoint the problem.

    -Deerslayer

  • billhill
    16 years ago

    I think last falls planting has not yet reached its optimum thickness and color. It should continue to improve this season. Overseading this fall or dormant seeding with elite KBG may be helpful. Also, some consider Milorganite organic. It contains 2 percent iron, or maybe its 4 percent. That will help darken the color.

  • bestlawn
    16 years ago

    With Midnight in your mix, I wonder that you want a darker lawn. That makes me curious to know the fescue cultivars that were mixed with the Midnight.

  • tarheel23
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Bestlawn,

    I used Confederate blend TTTF from turf-seed. I don't think that's the problem. As billhill said, maybe it hasn't had time to reach it's optimum color.

    I think it's because I haven't given it a lot of Nitrogen. When compared to my next door neighbor's, his is a little greener. Of course he uses Chemlawn and that would explain the color difference. His turf quality isn't near as good as mine though. It's uneven and the blades are really thick from too much fertilizer and poor mowing. He'll probably run into problems when it gets really hot.

    Should I try Milorganite or even Ironite? Or would the SBM be better? I understand that eventually I will acheive great color through organics. I'm just looking for advice on the best way to get there the quickest.

    My lawn does look great only seven months after seeding from scratch though. I've learned a lot from the lawn forums.

    Thanks.

  • deerslayer
    16 years ago

    Based on my experience, SBM delivers N more quickly than Milorganite.

    When I started my organic lawn program, my lawn wasn't as dark as my neighbor's chemical lawn the first spring. I applied more SBM and soon they had the same color.

    -Deerslayer

  • woodycrest
    16 years ago

    the required ingredient is time.
    more soybean meal will certainly help.

    why is it that we always compare our lawns with the Joneses?....just wondering :)

  • Billl
    16 years ago

    I think you are stuck in the transition time from synthetics to organics. With organic fertilizers, you are basically letting nature slowly break down proteins to release nitrogen for your lawn. That process takes several months to complete. In the longrun, that is fine. You put out some fertilizer now, again in a few months, again in a few months etc. Some of what you put out the first time is still breaking down by the next time you fertilize, so you are kinda overlapping and it builds over time. Right now, you don't have an earlier application to overlap, so you are running at half throttle. You can just sit back and accept that or toss out some extra fertilizer now to make up the difference.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    16 years ago

    If you have greensand (glauconite) available, you might try that at 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet. My organic lawn is the greenest around. It will work for you.