Kelp is also a good source of K. A pH of 7.5 is well within the tolerated range of peas, kale, beets and other veggies in these families, and a little above the range of solanums and cucurbits. To accomplish a more gentle lowering of pH, I'd continue using the alfalfa pellets and SBM (both of which will gradually acidify the soil over time) and add sulfur at the low end of recommended amounts, particularly if your soil is sandy. I use Tiger Sulphur, which is 90% S and 10% clay and the pellets "explode" once exposed to moisture and warmth. Till it well into the soil. For more quick results and less risk of getting your pH too low, use iron sulfate instead. You should be able to purchase that at a garden store. Iron sulfate heptahydrate has one-sixth the acidifying power of sulfur, but don't apply more than 4 lbs per 100 sq ft at any one time. Till it in.

toxcrusadr-- the *path* is supposedly 8' wide, not the spreader. And the path does seem to be... I didn't stop to measure it though : ) If that sounds funny though, I wonder if that's why I ran out of fertilizer sooner than I expected to... I'm not sure I'm up to all that calculating-- can I assume though that the higher the number, the more grains it puts out at once? The people at the store (who seem very knowledgeable, I mean) said that I want one bag to cover a quarter acre. Which I think is about the amount of grass we have, maybe a bit more. We have a tiny bit over a half acre total but that of course includes the house/pool/driveway/pavers out back etc. Regardless, that bag lasted for a bout 1/3 of my grass. I went back for 2 more bags and changed the setting on the spreader-- think from 8 to 6 and got some more range out of it. Still had to open the third bag though. Sigh. Maybe I should look for a highly rated spreader and buy that. This one was borrowed from my brother-in-law and I think I have found it online and if I'm right about which it is (the Scotts classic drop spreader), I see that it gets bad reviews, lots of them. Same reasons. I'm learning a lot of lessons lately, the hard way... Isn't that supposed to be the best way though? Or something. Oh and just FYI, that's only one of several bare patches. And there are plenty of weeds, trust me. It's hard to tell from this one picture but they are everywhere, all kinds. Some areas have less but some areas are also straight weeds so it all balances out, ha.

Hmmmm...horse manure is horse manure :-) Even when properly composted itself, it is not exactly a balanced product but can be used as an ingredient in a composting operation that includes other ingredients. And it is not a good idea to use the uncomposted manure of virtually any ruminant on a garden that will be used to grow edible crops. Horses have rather incomplete digestive systems. They are essentially a feeding tube and what goes in comes out relatively undisturbed :-) Weed or grain seeds pass through undigested. They also do not metabolize all the nutrients well and repeated use of even composted horse manures can result in a build up of certain minerals (magnesium is the biggie) to toxic concentrations over time. They are often treated with dewormers and these too get passed through without full digestion. And since worms are good for the garden, adding worm killers in any form is a bit counterproductive. If you use horse manure, or any other ruminant manure for that matter, make sure it is hot composted before use (or at the very least, very well aged) to eliminate any pathogens and to reduce the likelihood of weeds being generated. And if given the choice, opt for cow manure first -- their more efficient digestive system will result in a better composting product.

According to my calculations, you are short about 2 lb/k of P2O5 (phosphorus) and 4 lb/k of K2O (potassium). Probably the easiest way to get that 4 lb/k of potassium is to use a balanced NPK fertilizer, like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. It would also give you 4 lb/k of nitrogen and 4 lb/k of phosphorus. You don't need that much phosphorus but it won't harm anything (except possibly the mycorrhizae). You want to avoid nitrogen in the summer. So if you went with the balanced fertilizer, you would be applying probably 3 applications, one a month for mid August, September, October. The 4th could be next year. Divide the NPK number into 100 to get the application rate (example, for 10-10-10, divide 10 into 100 to get 10 lb/k rate). An alternative is to find SOP, potassium sulfate, 0-0-50. You could apply that once a month, even in the summer, at 2 lb/k for four months. That would take care of the potassium. Two applications of starter fertilizer in the fall would take care of the phosphorus. Since you're planning to overseed, it would make sense to use this plan, as you could do an application of starter fertilizer at seeding and another a month later. Milorganite could substitute for the second application of starter in the fall. Use bag rate for starter or 25 lb/k of Milorganite at 5-4-0 to get 1 lb/k of phosphorus. As for nitrogen, the balanced fertilizer plan would give you 4 lb/k, which is more than you need for the year considering that you have already applied nitrogen this spring. If you use the alternative plan (which I think is better), you would get almost a lb/k with each application of starter fertilizer (1.25 with Milorganite at 25 lb/k) and then you could do a winterizer application of a quick release nitrogen in late fall after the grass has stopped growing but before the ground freezes. That would get you off to a good start next spring, when you could hold off on fertilizer until around Memorial Day. Your organic matter is low. It's good to leave clippings on the lawn when you mow. This fall mulch mow any leaves in your neighborhood that you can gather. If this is new construction, there may not be many trees but do what you can. The compost you're planning will help. Mulch mowing leaves is like making your own compost for the lawn --and you don't have to spread it! Water in your applications. Milorganite does not need to be watered in. Phosphorus tends to get tied with quickly with calcium in alkaline soil. It's there, just not available to the grass. Using organic forms of phosphorus, like Milorganite, enables a slow release of phosphorus. If you test next year and phosphorus is low, it's probably because of the alkaline soil. It's still there, just unavailable. Such is life for alkaline soil.