aroundtheyard.com Forums

Hi everyone,

My name is Mike and I'm relatively new to organic lawn care. I was working with a local guy for a couple of years and wouldn't you know it, he closed up shop and moved out of state. I did a soil test or two, and he had me putting down Bioflora crumbles. Since i don't have his ear anymore, I joined this site to get some tips and info I need to have a chemical free nice looking lawn.

First of all, has anyone ever used Bioflora? I searched it in this forum and nothing came up. Thanks for your help.

I live in O'Fallon, MO (about 40 miles west of St. Louis)

last soil test was 2014 (A&L Eastern Labs)

organic matters at 3.0% ENR is 86

I've never heard of that particular product but I will suggest to you a slow release that most of us use which is milorganite. There are a myriad of other organic fertilizers. Just don't exceed 1lb/k sq ft per month of nitrogen. Bag rate of milorganite will provide about 3/4lb/k sq ft. Hold off for now until summer temps start to retreat.

BioFlora Crumbles product label

A different forum says to use alfalfa pellets as fertilizer. Isn't that just dried compressed alfalfa grass. I leave my clipping on the yard, so I don't see the advantage of adding yet more grass. Pelletized or not.

Will Milorganite improve the soil, or is it just a fertilizer?

Milorganite will improve the soil indirectly by feeding the bacteria and fungus in the soil but it will not increase the organic matter by a measurable amount. Alfalfa pellets are one form of organic, plant derived and animal derived fertilizer, among many. Yes, they will help your soil in addition to your grass clippings, as will any organic matter you add.

Alfalfa has a touch more nutrients than clippings. It also contains a natural growth hormone good for grass called Triacontanol.

According to the label, Biofloral Crumbles contains a poor organic fertilizer fortified with the following three chemical fertilizers: ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate.

Alfalfa is much higher protein content than lawn grass. In fact alfalfa is high enough to be a protein supplement for livestock, and bunnies. The idea behind mulch mowing the grass is to not waste anything, even though it is a low protein content.

mrmumbles, on another forum, also mulch mowed his lawn but you can see how much greener, more dense, and higher it is than the surrounding unfertilized lawn.

Sorry, David - I agree with you on many things, but this ain't one of them. I really believe (strongly) that this isn't about the protein content. Alfalfa is a great (maybe the best) source of Triacontanol, and I can do exactly what that picture shows with synthetic Triacontanol and zero protein. I've done it many times.

Harrrumph!

That could be, though. Alfalfa has nowhere near the protein of, say, soybean meal or corn gluten meal. But it's not bad. And if you can get that effect, it's good stuff. I just need to learn more about triacontanol.

I googled Triacontanol and it looks like it's used a lot to promote growth in another type of grass growing.

It's also used to get 2+ years of growth in one year with Hosta, Rhodo's, etc.