Recent convert

[Butch McGehee]

I am a recent convert. Live in NW San Antonio on the re-charge zone. Dig 6 inches and hit rock. Yard does not look as good as when I bought the house in 1992. Part of the problem may be 21 mature live oak trees on 5000 Sq Ft of yard - not including house. Not much of the yard gets full sun. Converted about half of back yard to planting beds, mostly shrubs. Consulted with Shades of Green and will put down Concern pre-emergent when it stops raining. Plan to put compost on surface of lawn (St Augustine) in few weeks and also put down Medina Soil Activator. I bag the live oak leaves this time of year (Snapper mulching mower) and dump the leaves in the beds. Can anyone tell me what is smart as to interval and what to use on both beds and grass to improve appearance?

[Pamzilla]

Welcome Butch!

With adding good organic material like compost and mulch you can actually increase your amount of top soil. I like a yard with full shade so I am jealous.

I would think foliar feeding would be an instant boost to your plants. Plants can take up a lot of nutrients through their leaves. Compost, cornmeal, and other materials can be brewed like tea to make a great liquid spray to do this. Or you can buy great products for this purpose.

Molasses right away will help. This can be bought in granular and liquid form at local feed stores. The liquid form is your best buy but some like the easy use of the dry stuff. They make the dry stuff by spraying molasses on ground up corn. Don't try to spread the dry stuff on humid/wet days because it will clump too much.

Enjoy your inevitable success with organics!

[Gar]

Pamzilla is correct about folair feeding. Last year I only got 3 tomatoes from 6 tomato plants. Last fall Kathe Kitchens convinced me to start folair feeding and within 1 week new blossoms had set and I ended up with some many tomatoes that I was giving them away to the neighbors. After seeing what compost tea, as a folair feed does, I am convinced that it is well worth the time it takes to make and spray the tea. Some weeks I would spray twice. It didn't seem to hurt, but helped the production. At times I thought I heard the plants thanking me for the delicious food that was sprayed on the leaves, stocks and ground around the plants, whaile I would water them. The critters that were passing by must have liked it also because they would help me eat the cantalopes. This year I will start the folair feeding much earlier.

[Butch McGehee]

Just put down organic pre-emergent (Mostly corn gluten) with 8-2-4 organic lawn food. Then spayed yard and all the shrubs, to include foliage with Medina plus soil activator. This the right start for a beginner. What and when should be my next application?