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PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 9:14 am 
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I hear people say they are going to fertilize their yards (organically) and I hear people say they are going to apply compost to their yards. Are fertilizing and composting the same thing? If not, do I need to do both? I know where to buy compost, but not sure about an organic fertilizer. I am about to apply corn meal to the yard because I think I have a fungus and I am going to apply corn gluten meal also.


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 12:27 pm 
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Two different things.

Compost supplies the perfect balance of living soil microbes to your garden.

Organic fertilizer provides a source of protein for the soil microbes to eat. Microbes need both protein and sugar to survive (probably vitamins, too). They get the sugar from plant roots (photosynthesis of excess sugars). They historically have gotten the protein from dead animals, manures, and dead plants that fell onto the ground. Now with organic fertilizers, they get it from us.

Corn meal and corn GLUTEN meal are both organic sources of protein. You're on the right track. Other organic fertilizers are alfalfa, soy, cottonseed, coffee grounds, linseed, and any other ground up seed, bean, or nut.

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 5:49 am 
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Thanks. How exactly do I spread compost and fertilizer over my yard? By a shovel or do I need to buy a spreader that you push?


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 10:29 am 
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Compost comes to your house in a dump truck and gets dumped in a pile. You wheel barrow it out to the yard and drop piles of it around. Then using a shovel, you distribute it as evenly as you can. After that you use a push broom to sweep it off of the grass blades so that all the grass blades stick up through the compost.

Fertilizers get distributed with with a broadcast spreader or by hand. Some will go through a drop spreader. The hand method is great training for when you get your chickens. :shock:

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