"Should you water the grass afterwards?" Well, no, not necessarily. I attempt to apply the soybean meal when there's some rain in the forecast though. It really doesn't hurt anything if it sits a few days. One exception in my opinion is with alfalfa pellets. It's really best to water those in....when you water em, they sorta melt, breakdown some & go right to the soil & that gives a good start to the decomposition process. There may be some differing opinions, but that's my 2 cents Good day, Dan

"So, saying you're going to need all of those pesticides/herbicides with a synthetic program couldn't be further from the truth." and "I don't ever apply a pre-emergent or use weed and feed products." Well, you're one of the minority, because the truth is, all you need to do is go look at your local big box store & look at the stuff people are walkin out with.... You'll see all those "other" products in peep's shopping carts... At this very website, there are countless threads with folks askin how to get rid of their weeds & improve their lawn... they're all lookin for the "easy button"... the magic bag of stuff to put on the lawn.... I know... many moons ago, I used to be one of em... and I see my neighbors doin the same thing.... Having said all that, I agree with you... because it's the cultural practices that really keep the weeds at bay... in spite of that, there are countless numbers of people that won't/don't do what we say here.... they cut their cool season grass too short, or their warm season grass too long, and water far too frequently & shallowly... and go to the big box store to go & buy the "weed stuff." My next door neighbor is a perfect example. He's come to me numerous times over the last year asking about how I keep my lawn so nice..... we have the exact same turf that was put in by the builder many years ago... yet to look at the two lawns, they look completely different, and even after explaining to him how deep his bermuda roots are & that he doesn't need to water but every 10-14 days in the heat of summer... he's out there watering every day in the 100 degree heat... and then, as if I'd never explained anything to him previously, asks me how I keep all the weeds outta my lawn! The bottom line is that it's currently no more expensive to fertilize with grains than with synthetics, or vice versa, but for the average homeowner, if they come here & learn & decide to switch to organics along with learning & following good cultural practices, they can save a significant amount of cash. My 2 cents, Dan

Now is the best time to start an organic lawn care program. Water properly and mulch mow as high as you can, since the more grass blade you leave exposed to the sun the more nutrients that leaf can manufacture to feed the crown where more grass will grow producing a thick turf that will aid in suppressing "weed" growth. Contact your county office of the Michigan State University USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done so you know what your soils pH and nutrient levels are and what might need to be done to correct any deficiencies and dig in with these simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to see what else you might need do to make that soil into a good, healthy soil that will grow a good, healthy turf for you. Keep in mind that making the transition from "conventional' to organic is not simply switching which "fertilizers" you use. Here is a link that might be useful: MSU CES

I live in MA and the grass usually stops growing in early November. I started my fall feedings with milorganite at 10 lbs/1000 ft^2 in early August. I've applied soybean meal @ 7.5 lbs/1000 ft^2 the first week of September and this weekend. I plan on applying 10 lb/1000 ft^2 of soybean at the end of the month and another 10 lbs/1000 ft^2 of milorganite in mid October. If the lawn is still growing by halloween I will apply milorganite or soybean at the rates above. Many will say that you need to apply urea once lawn growth ceases to get a deep green through early winter and spring, but with the approach above I seem to get excellent results. Cryophile microbes need food too.