I have used the granular.

It is a biochar and composted chicken manure product.

Grass factor did a video on biochar that you may find useful. https://youtu.be/rJHHE-FOB8Y

Situations that may benefit from the product would be establishment, low OM and low CEC soils. I would let soil test and local conditions guide use

I liked x-soil better as a product as it was more homogeneous and easier to spread but it is no longer available.

I don't have any experience with the liquid but I believe it is just humic and a proprietary wetting agent. Seems expensive to me for what you get but again no experience with it

 

so the "bio char" and chicken sh-t add organic material to the soil? Is there a cheaper way to get organic material on the lawn? Like Peat moss, compost, etc?

 

@john5246 In theory I believe the poo adds organic matter and the bio-char gives it a place to live. That being said I think a little poo here and there isn't going to move the long term needle on OM unless you free range chicken on your turf.

 

I think the cheapest way is good old fashion root cycling which is the approach I am taking now that my turf is established.

I think the bio char products helped accelerate rejuvenating my long neglected, sandy soil during a renovation and the first year after. I saw decent bumps in OM and CEC. I'm sure that's multi factorial but I would use again in that particular scenario

Peat moss is not a sustainable resource and it was quite expensive when I spread it during seeding

 

Peat moss is not a sustainable resource and it was quite expensive when I spread it during seeding

It also sucks to spread.

 

I think the cheapest way is good old fashion root cycling ... the bio char products helped accelerate rejuvenating

^ this

The more root cycling, the more your soil benefits. The biochar helps low CEC sandy soils retain nutrients and moisture longer.

 

I just picked up two bags from my SiteOne. One of the guys there used to be a golf super before working there and spoke very highly of the product. His recommendation was do two apps a year, ideally around an aeration, one spring, one fall. My CEC is low per my soil analysis and it's sandy soil as it is so I'll give it a try this year and see if it improves my results for next year.

 

@Togo Good to know, I'm planning on picking up some as well within the next couple of weeks. Carbon is the only lawn care luxury item I'm allowing myself this year. I bought into all of the YouTube BS earlier on but now I'm focusing on NPK & PH in accordance with my soil test.

 

@Togo Good to know, I'm planning on picking up some as well within the next couple of weeks. Carbon is the only lawn care luxury item I'm allowing myself this year. I bought into all of the YouTube BS earlier on but now I'm focusing on NPK & PH in accordance with my soil test.

Same, I got my soil results, pH perfect for first time, still fighting a K deficiency but I'm keeping it simple, gonna spoon feed my macros, maintain pH, and this was easy to apply so I'll give it a go and if it helps great and if it doesn't then not the dumbest thing I spent $50 on 😆

 

@john5246 In theory I believe the poo adds organic matter and the bio-char gives it a place to live. That being said I think a little poo here and there isn't going to move the long term needle on OM unless you free range chicken on your turf.

what are your thoughts on human feces from Milwaukee?

 

I think the cheapest way is good old fashion root cycling which is the approach I am taking now that my turf is established.

I think the bio char products helped accelerate rejuvenating my long neglected, sandy soil during a renovation and the first year after. I saw decent bumps in OM and CEC. I'm sure that's multi factorial but I would use again in that particular scenario

Peat moss is not a sustainable resource and it was quite expensive when I spread it during seeding

What is "root cycling"? I actually haven't come across that term

 

I was and I have been sold by Ron Henry. Just watch his videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoovGJKY8sU

I put down two bags last month. A big believer in Pro-G!

 

I was and I have been sold by Ron Henry. Just watch his videos:
...

Be mindful that some Youtubers make good money promoting products like this and at $65 for 40lb bag someone is definitely making good money here.

 

I was and I have been sold by Ron Henry. Just watch his videos:
...

Be mindful that some Youtubers make good money promoting products like this and at $65 for 40lb bag someone is definitely making good money here.

My local site one sells it for $24.95 / 40 lb. bag

 

My local site one sells it for $24.95 / 40 lb. bag

Right exactly. If we assume SiteOne are not selling at a loss and Ron can source the product at the same price then someone is making an extra $40 for each sale through Golf Course Lawn.

 

@Togo Good to know, I'm planning on picking up some as well within the next couple of weeks. Carbon is the only lawn care luxury item I'm allowing myself this year. I bought into all of the YouTube BS earlier on but now I'm focusing on NPK & PH in accordance with my soil test.

full agreement with ya. I fell for the Humic BS for 2 5gal apps. I am ashamed i fell for J>P> BS. my turf is even better now concentrating on just NPK.

npk. keep it cheap. its grass......and i get mine green and thick cheeeaaap.

there are 2 guys I LIKE. Matt Martin. Pete Deny. Pete gets it done and knows how to grow turf. Matt Martin is a wealth of knowledge.

 

I've used the non-pelletized version of this a few times (the Mirimichi CarbonizPN) and I've come to appreciate that it's the only reason I can even grow turf on the crap filldirt I brought in & spread under my sod! I had 0 phosphorous and just barely enough Potassium when I started. I credit these ingredients with creating a top layer where nutrients/water/roots can take hold in.

The downside to the carbon/compost mix is that it retains water so it can make clay soils a bit soggy on top.

 

I think the cheapest way is good old fashion root cycling which is the approach I am taking now that my turf is established.

I think the bio char products helped accelerate rejuvenating my long neglected, sandy soil during a renovation and the first year after. I saw decent bumps in OM and CEC. I'm sure that's multi factorial but I would use again in that particular scenario

Peat moss is not a sustainable resource and it was quite expensive when I spread it during seeding

What is "root cycling"? I actually haven't come across that term

Basically circle of life. Growth, death, decomposition.

"Underground plant parts such as stems (rhizomes) and roots cycle as living, dead, and decomposing organic matter.

The accumulation of organic matter in the top 3 to 6 inches of a turf system provides nutrient and water holding as well as cushioning and insulation."

http://nysgolfbmp.cals.cornell.edu/manage-organic-matter/

 

I was and I have been sold by Ron Henry. Just watch his videos:

I put down two bags last month. A big believer in Pro-G!

ok so you were duped by youtubers? I think we should share pictures of our lawns and I can tell you my lawn is amazing with just using synthetic fertilizer and mulching clippings

If I ever see milorganite on sale for $8 I might buy a bag.

 

My local site one sells it for $24.95 / 40 lb. bag

Right exactly. If we assume SiteOne are not selling at a loss and Ron can source the product at the same price then someone is making an extra $40 for each sale through Golf Course Lawn.

like the saying goes, a fool is born every minute...

obviously there are fools in every consumer industry, women also fall for scams/snake oil a LOT with beauty products. Lip plumping and other creams are a multi-billion dollar industry

These big companies just want to cash in so Scotts and other companies will release "soil enhancers" too

 

@Togo Good to know, I'm planning on picking up some as well within the next couple of weeks. Carbon is the only lawn care luxury item I'm allowing myself this year. I bought into all of the YouTube BS earlier on but now I'm focusing on NPK & PH in accordance with my soil test.

full agreement with ya. I fell for the Humic BS for 2 5gal apps. I am ashamed i fell for J>P> BS. my turf is even better now concentrating on just NPK.

npk. keep it cheap. its grass......and i get mine green and thick cheeeaaap.

there are 2 guys I LIKE. Matt Martin. Pete Deny. Pete gets it done and knows how to grow turf. Matt Martin is a wealth of knowledge.

I also fell for the humic. I believe it's naturally occurring in the soil anyway. Similar to how they sell you creatine when your body already makes it. There's so much unregulated scams out there.

 

I was and I have been sold by Ron Henry. Just watch his videos:

I put down two bags last month. A big believer in Pro-G!

ok so you were duped by youtubers? I think we should share pictures of our lawns and I can tell you my lawn is amazing with just using synthetic fertilizer and mulching clippings

If I ever see milorganite on sale for $8 I might buy a bag.

I believe we as lawn obsessors, we are going to include as many products into our lawn that give us the best results. At the time I saw Ron's videos late last year I was looking for a soil amendment product and didn't want to spend $85/bag to do it. Once I saw Ron's video, I thought for $25/bag it's well worth the try. Can I say that my soil has improved and is better now? Time will only tell. This product is supposed to work naturally within the soil over time.

In terms of synthetic vs organic, you can get very good results with synthetic fertilizers. I believe it depends on the grass type and watering schedules during the hot summer months that give you the best results. Once I switched to organic, the results speak for themselves! Some products that are synthetic that I use are starter fert as well as Ironite.

 

@john5246 In theory I believe the poo adds organic matter and the bio-char gives it a place to live. That being said I think a little poo here and there isn't going to move the long term needle on OM unless you free range chicken on your turf.

what are your thoughts on human feces from Milwaukee?

I would use it in moderation if I had the right grass type. I have fescue in the transition zone and like to get my N down before the soil heats up enough to use Milorganite. Here's a pic of how you can roll your own liquid alt to Milorganite. Who said organic had to be expensive..... :lol:

 

I think we should share pictures of our lawns and I can tell you my lawn is amazing with just using synthetic fertilizer and mulching clippings

A lot of us do share pictures of our lawns throughout the season, in fact there is a whole section of the forum dedicated to lawn journals. You should start one, I'd love to see your regimen.

 

I think we should share pictures of our lawns and I can tell you my lawn is amazing with just using synthetic fertilizer and mulching clippings

A lot of us do share pictures of our lawns throughout the season, in fact there is a whole section of the forum dedicated to lawn journals. You should start one, I'd love to see your regimen.

Ok I will go do that. I want people to see what can be accomplished for less than $150 dollars for a 5,000 sq ft lawn.