Sounds like a misprint, I use approx 14-15lbs/1000sqft when I apply onto my bermuda.

Could you post that link here?

Dan

Here you go. Click on Organic Fertilizers, #234.pdf.

(You have an amazing lawn, BTW - and I'm an anti-Bermudite.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado State

That amount it for tilling in to existing soil.

Has anyone ever spread it that heavy? At quadruple the rate, it begins to become a little cost prohibitive - at least for me.

That would be very costly. The average is 10-20lbs per 1000 when broadcasting over established lawns. By no means will it hurt anything to go over these numbers. You dont want to smother your existing grass though, which im sure a quadruple rate would do. The 20-25 lbs per 1000 your applying is more than enough for all/any of the grains. If you want to apply more, wait 1 month before doing so, but its not necessary.

If your planting from bare soil you could safely till in higher amounts of grains/amendments. You must consider all factor; length, width and now depth.(6-8") I wouldn't recommend applying 80lbs directly on top of the soil without tilling.

When you see a fertilizer application rate expressed in lbs/100 sq ft, usually it is in a gardening not a lawn care context. Lawn fertilizer application rates normally are expressed in lbs/1000 sq ft.

-Deerslayer

I think I should expand and clarify my previous post. The Colorado State paper lists an SBM application rate of 8 lbs/100 sq ft. I believe that rate is intended for a vegetable garden.

-Deerslayer

Yup, yup, the nail's been hit right on the head! That publication is titled: "GardenNotes #234" and it's specifically for ammending your garden. I do about the same, this last spring I tilled in about 10lbs each of soybean meal & alfalfa pellets into the garden before planting my tomatos, peppers, onions, radishes etc etc. But when I fertilize my lawn monthly, I use the amount that would come close to 1lb N per 1000sqft. For soybean meal, that's about 14lbs/1000sqft.

By the way, the veggies from the organic garden are awesome :)

Good day, Dan

I don't think the Colorado site made an error. Based on their synthetic based approach to organic gardening, I think they believe the 80 pounds per 100 value. How can a university discuss organic gardening without mentioning bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and microartrhopods?

Besides smothering any turfgrass you applied it to at that rate, a stench would develop quickly and last for at least a week. Tilling it into the ground is wrong for several reasons:
1. destroys earthworm based aeration tunnels
2. destroys soil structure created by bacteria and fungi
3. buries nutrients below the level of the microbes where they can feed
4. brings deeper living microbes to the surface to die and sends surface dwelling microbes deep to die

Maybe I should modestly add that the best source of organic info for lawn care, as far as I've read anywhere, is the FAQ on Organic Lawn Care posted in the FAQ section of the Organic Gardening forum. That FAQ has been downloaded at least 20,000 times from websites that use counters. Based on the small size of those websites, I'm guessing the FAQ has been downloaded more than 50,000 times from GardenWeb. In the years since it was posted in various places, there has never been any discussion about errors or major improvements. Whereas I could write essays in reply to the information in the Colorado State site. Their site looks like it was written by a freshman who read about organic gardening in a synthetic gardening text. Is there link to a better Colorado State website that I'm missing?

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Lawn Care FAQ