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ACT Brews


Question
Hi Charlotte, aerobic Compost tea (ACT). You mentioned brewing tea from Alfalfa, how long do you brew it for, do you add anything to it? Lava sand never heard of it I will have to look it up.
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Followup To

Question -
Hi Charlotte, I've recently switched over to using organics on my lawn ie: Alfalfa meal, soybean meal, and cracked corn and was wondering how you felt about using ACT or Compost tea on the Lawn? I struggle every year with keeping my front lawn healthy and surviving the summer.

Thank you in advance,

Joey.

Answer -
Hi Joey;
I don't know what ACT is, but compost tea will certainly be good.
What is ACT?
I probably have read it, and don't remember it.
I am jusyt this year getting into alfalfa tea and corn gluten etc.
For the last 8 yerasm all I have used is sugar in the spring and fall, and baking soda for fungicide.
Watering deeply is your best defense against heat, cold, and drought damage.
i always water to a depth of at least 6 inches.
even in our hot North Texas summers, my lawn stays gorgeous.
the roots are really deep ( from the deep watering), so they are pretty well protected from surface heat, and even though I usually only water about once a week, the roots are down where there is some moisture.
When we get up past 100 and stay that way for several days, I sometimes have to give another watering.
I water my roses and other shrubs more than that though. they require a little more water than the grass does, because there are so many more leaf surfaces to lose water from.
I haven't use spybean meal.
I have made alfalfa tea to water my container plants and houseplants with, but i just broadcast alfalfa meal all over my lawn by hand.
Lava sand is something you might want to try.
Lava sand has all kinds of nutrients in it.
I joined howard Garrett's ground crew.
That means i paid about 25 bucks for a membership and get a monthly magazine in my mail box, and a monthly online magazine, and have access to his video library and the forums.
I am really learning a lot more about organucs from that.
If you want to give it a try, the web addy is
  www.dirtdoctor.com
Write anytime
Charlotte

Answer
Hi Joey;
To make alfalfa tea, put 1 cup alfalfa meal in 5 gallons of water and let it set overnight.
Stir it up good, and either strain it and put it in a sprayer for foliar feeding or just water with it.
I put the dregs from the tea in the compost bin.
My husband picked up my lava sand at either Home Depot, or Walmart.
Lava gravel is larger chunks, of course, and it is very sharp, so you don't want to handle it with your bare hands, but slugs won't crawl on anything that will scratch up their stomachs because it kills them, so I put it in my flower beds, under the plants. that keeps them off my plants till the toads can get them all eaten. Toads love slugs.
Charlotte

PS;
\You might like to go check out this site.
It is Haward's website. to get access to the video library and the forums, you have to become a member.
It is about 25 dollars a year, but it is well worth it. that is where I am getting all this information about lava sand, corn gluten and alfalfa meal.
I had to go to a feed store to get alfalfa meal.
I got a 40 pound bag, made tea several times and cttered it all over my front lawn, and aded it to the soil of several container plants. I still have about half a baf left.
C

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