*Such an underrated, under-appreciated channel!* Let the Amateurs listen to “the RU-vid grass guys”. But *MATT KNOWS HIS STUFF!* He’s a *PRO-FESSOR!* In *ADVANCED* Soil Studies! *Not* for the Beginner! *THANK YOU MATT!* 🙏🏽 YOUR KNOWLEDGE *DOESN’T* GO UNNOTICED!
Watching this has been one of the most informative videos I have seen on lawn care explained in a way that anyone can understand it. Not being educated in the field listening to or watching some information is lost to not having knowledge of the subject. Just loved this and it made more sense to me on the first steps for fixing a lawn. Thank you
So, what you're really saying is that I need to glyphosate my new yard, plant clover, till that clover in, and re-start next spring. Did I hear that right? :D Glad to be back in Grass Factor Academy!
Congrats and thanks for sharing. Your vids have taught me allot and at the level I like to get to. Q: A vid or link to the ‘science’ for mentioned product would be great.
Golden wisdom. White board discussions have already steered me off some of the “over commercialization” of some remedies. The science of course if the most obvious in your briefs. Thanks 👍
Gee I wonder why Matt never answered here. Compost top dressing has done well for my St. Augustine lawn in SE Texas. The product I use is rich in beneficial microbes.
Bringing in top soil brings in some weed seeds in my opinion, and some overall inconsistency in the lawn. Go Big Orange btw (even though we suck right now)! I use milorganite after the first cut after I over-seed or have new germination. Beefs up those roots and drives them down deeper in the soil.The iron in it brings out the blue and makes a deeper shade of green. I even occasionally use a liquid chelated iron app for a quick boost and a dark green color.
Coming back on here to further shame myself- -I was one that was going to truck out the clay and bring some sand in and try and get more of a loan that that triangle that goes around the internet shows. I previously wasn't big on organix until this 2023 season. But the headache and expense you saved me just to go ahead with what I got already. About 10 years ago, because of flooding in our Chicago suburb of water coming up to the main drain main drain, I did have a garden center throw into my cargo van one half yard of compost which look like black fudge and then a half yard of black top soil. I should have said he mixed both parts up first so that the whole pile would contain asbestos 50/50 as possible. The organic level in the lawn is at 6.7% which was high cording to The soil test company. I'm only caring for about 850 square feet so it's not that more expensive to use organics. In fact, I wonder how much money I lost with urea nitrogen volatility out of the bag cuz I had to store it year after year cuz I couldn't use it all up. I'm no longer doing urea fertilizers anymore unless it's the Miracle-Gro liquid grass seed. No more granular urea.
Hi, I really enjoyed your video! I always learn something from each of them! I know you touched on the concept of solid cultural practices, do you have a video that takes a deeper dive on those practices? Thanks again for the excellent content!
Barry Camarillo this is not a one and done thing, so I would choose one or the other, but in theory you can do both. Humic is much much cheaper than biosolids so I usually go that route. But yes, apply it at the same time as synthetic fert. For best results, apply it every time you apply synthetic fert or micros
Only when it becomes excessive, which in home lawns is actually quite rare. The amount of dethatching seen in RU-vid is a joke and is wasting valuable nutrients that will be recycled back to the plant. Have you ever seen a golf fairway dethached?
It has been almost 6 years since this video was published. Since then I understand that you've soured on the use of humic acid (I'm referring to your August 2021 video entitled "Is HUMIC ACID A Scam?"). Is there any other advice you would add, remove, or change as far as developing a healthy soil?
*Standing applause by millions of people* And to think that I couldn't get any grass seed to germinate in the front yard I'm caring for when all I needed to do was to add paper towel matter. Now I know to buy a couple pallets of paper towels and lay them down over the dirt to grow my grass seed.
Is clay considered to be "dirt" for the purposes of this discussion? It seems almost impossible to root bermuda sprigs into Georgia-Carolina clay that does not absorb or hold water. I would love to find out that I am wrong about this.
I am working through your humic acid video and had a question - Root cycling effect seems to be pretty much feeding the grass as much as you can with NPK, as well as micronutrients and letting nature take over. Is that correct? No more humic? I have not finished the humic acid video but the summary i've seen from others is that it's more meh than anything. what about overseeding with an annual cool season rye? It's supposed to be able to root very quickly and deeply. Wouldn't that serve as additional chances for root cycling as well as bringing the root cycling effect further down into clay? (i'm in Austin)
Our son bought a house and the lawn is in terrible condition that I'm trying to help him with, and I've found your videos informative and helpful. I do have one question, at the end of the video you mentioned aeration as a good cultural practice. I've been told/taught aeration isn't necessary as earthworms and night crawlers do the same thing, so I haven't done it in several years. Why do you consideration aeration a good cultural practice and is it a universal "always" or are there exceptions. Thanks in advance for your reply.
There's always an exception. Typically the longer lawns are establiahed, the less benefit you'll see. The biggest ROI is if you're collecting cores to reduce bulk density
this is awesome info. can you tell me what my yard would need from this soil test. I have an acre of common bermuda. thanks pH (1:1 Water) 6.02 Optimum Phosphorus, ppm 195.29 Very High Potassium, ppm 411.09 Very High Calcium, ppm 1,810.96 Very High Magnesium, ppm 219.71 Very High Sodium, ppm 26.47 Optimum Sulfur, ppm 20.88 High Copper, ppm 5.90 High Zinc, ppm 20.88 High
Hey. Great lecture. Question: I read that N helps with decaying wood (like old tree roots) and that wood is a good source of organic matter. So would spreading small amounts of saw dust and/wood chips over the lawn help with the organic matter, and if it would, how could we compensate the N lost in decaying wood? If the part about wood sucking on N is true.
+Ales Gantar 0art about would using up N is true. You would be better off composting the wood, using N with it, and letting it begin to break down then distributing it. At that point it's a charged carbon source
Probably.not. biologicals aren't going to outcompete what's naturally happening in the soil. As long as something is growing on it, you're about as maxed out on soil biology as you can get.
@@TheGrassFactor so maybe just adding RGS and Humichar, and Humichar acid into my program. I did my very first soul test. Low ph 5.0-5.2 low NPK and CeC of 2.8 and 3.5 in Sandy soil. So I’m wanting to start focusing on getting lime Down I watched your video on lime. I put some big box fast release as well as slow release in split apps. I’m going to see if that raises it by early spring at least a little. I have just been putting fertilizer out in spring and fall and I’ve learned it’s not enough. I’m focusing on getting my dirt built up better to utilize what nutrients I’m spending my fixed income money on. I have about 24k area of grass to maintain and it’s tough on this old lady! I enjoy your videos as I learn from them ! Ty
How do you deal with soil that was forest just a few years ago (about 5 years). The front yard was imported soil to change grade. The rear doesn't drain well despite grading and french drain installations. I'm desperate. Thanks in advance.
Jon B have you tested it? And when you say it doesn't drain well, what does that mean? Holds water? Sheds water? Irrigated? Shoot me an email if you don't mind
What is the cheapest way to make or buy these products? I need Kelp, humic acid, and micro nuetrients. I got a soil test. I need: Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu, Boron. My N, P, S, Mn, and Ph are all good.
The Grass Factor branching from this. What would you recommend the max depth of sand when leveling. I have a deep area that I need to level 4-5". Should this be leveled over 2-3 times?
Scott Anderson all leveling will have to be done in stages. It takes years to get right. If it's Bermuda, I say bury it. If it's cool season, do not cover more than I third of the leaf blade
Takes years?! Lol I put down top soil last year to level and seeded to thicken lawn. Feels better, but still needs more leveling. Should it just be something i do once a year? And just strict sand? I have cool season grass
Matt, Matt, my brother, great info, but I have a problem... I'm in TX, and we have CLAY & LIME STONE. If I were back in Michigan, this would work easily. I'm not a fan of the sand videos 📹. Why would you put sand onto clay? 🤔 I do use the Bio Stimulants to feed my soil just got to correct my uneven soil real bumpy. My favorite video is "The 45 Day Turnaround." I'm about to embark on that myself; it's the backyard 😔 neglected for 3 years, no food, just nature's water. Solitary Confinement 😪 Keep the information flowing we need you.
Hey Matt, I got a question.. I have this client who last year had his septic system relocated, and a ton of soil was was put down and its DEFFINETLY not the greatest soil, the project was completed and seeded in spring of 2016 and they don't have an irrigation system and frankly he doesn't want one.. All the new grass died and crab grass galore took over, so fall of 2016 I aerated (ground was Rock solid) and seeded! So the grass took off and this year the grass is just ehh thin and looks like shit... So I plan on going out there in a week or two depending on weather (here in the north east it's kinda dry and waiting for the weather to start turning and get more rain) the soil is still rock solid and was thinking would it be good for me to aerate, seed, starter fert and apply the humid acid? The rest of the lawn looks absolutely phenomenal considering he does not have an irrigation system it's just I'm struggling with the large area of the lawn.. I took it over in 2014 and turned that place around and was upset about the soil that was added and now I'm annoyed that I can't get this section of lawn to look like the rest... So again aerating, seed, starter fert and humic acid? As far as next year I will apply the humid acid over the areas to help mend the soil
Bimmere yep, anything to boost the carbon content in the new soil areas,otherwise it will remain hard and impervious to water. Continue to use Humic every time you fertilize. This is where Greene county products shine.
I guess I am going to have to out paper towels on the perennial bare spots on the lawn I take care of. 🤷 Even crabgrass does not grow in said bare spots...😐
So basically get something to grow, no matter what, annual grass. Sunflowers. If you really want grass to grow, plant a vegetable garden and pretend to keep it out, you will have grass on no time
So in a new McMansion where the property has been graded and compacted and the topsail removed, you say that growing grass on the remaining “dirt” is ok? Healthy soil requires a robust microbial environment. You cannot replicate that by overlaying sod or seed onto a sterile soil then trying to replicate nature. The effort is futile and all the watering and tons of NPK will not change a crappy soil. Losing the microbial environment is like ripping the engine out of your car Improvement of that “dirt” layer before growing grass is the only way I know to lessen headaches down the road
@@TheGrassFactor exactly my point. You in effect create a junkie that survives because you provide the drug. That’s how Trugreen has become a millionaire business. You create a situation that’s only sustainable with intervention. NPK has to be processed by microbes to become plant accessible. If you are growing grass in sand that’s essentially sterile then the only way you are doing so is with a lot of irrigation and feeding. There is no soil engine driving the train I have watched too many artificial lawns become moonscapes after people ended. Trugreen contracts Say what you will dirt is not soil . Soil is an environment with healthy microbes driving the car. I would never plant anything in dirt. You really only have one chance to get it right so make the effort to improve the dirt before you run to Home Depot
@@bluejay3945 lol, it requires intervention because the height of the turf on a golf green is asking it to perform beyond it's genetic limitation. If you let it grow to a quarter inch to a half inch, it becomes a self sustaining system. You're providing a very unreal perception of soil. Nature is way more powerful and regulatory than you give it credit. You can take sterile sand, add a minute amount of phosphorus, and within weeks, assuming there's sunlight, it will begin growing life - bacteria & fungi. With a quick Google, you can find thousands of supporting published studies
@@TheGrassFactor thanks. I’ll just disagree about it and I believe you underestimate the amount of human intervention required to make up for the elimination of a natural soil system. Appreciate your responses and have a great remainder of the year. Best to you and yours
