Hello latte194. When you say, "as easy Scott's," I'd like to remind you that no matter how you fertilize and take care of pests, most of the work goes into watering and mowing (and dethatching and core aerating). Fertilizing almost always needs to be done, but that's not most of the work. So here's a plan FOR YOU IN CHICAGO, not for folks in the PNW or in Phoenix or, really, elsewhere. Water - deeply and infrequently. Mow - mulch mow at your mower's highest setting every week. Fertilize - first in late May, second in early September, and last in late November. Weed control - Preemergent in early January and late March. Preemergent again in September. Weed control - Spot spray actively growing weeds in mid April and mid September using something like Weed-b-Gon or Weed-b-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer. That would be the plan for either chemical or organic fertilizer. There are no good organic weed killers that do not harm normal turfgrasses. No, corn gluten meal does not work. I like to use alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) on the lawn. I apply at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet (also 2 pounds per 100 square feet). I apply by filling a 2-pound coffee can with the pellets and then eyeballing a 10-ft by 10-ft area on the lawn. I scatter the contents of the can over that 100-square-ft area by hand, refill the can, and move to the next 10x10-ft area. I get the alfalfa pellets at a feed store in a brown, 50-pound, bag. It's generic. After you apply these you must moisten them so they swell up and expand. The next day you can drag a hose across the area and the flakes of alfalfa will fall down into the canopy of the turf and begin to decompose. Insect control - you should not need insect control on an organic fertilizer program. The reason organic fertilizers work is the microbes in the soil feed on the organic fertilizer and create plant food. This is the start of a food cycle so complicated that it's referred to as the soil food web. Everything which is beneficial seems to benefit from the regular feeding of organic fertilizer. The ecosystem full of beneficial microbes seems to out compete the disease causing pathogens except in rare cases. Thus the need for insect control is very rare. So the need for the insect control portion of Scott's 4-step program is eliminated. Weed control as I have described may seem more complicated than the Scott's program. One big benefit of spot spraying versus broadcasting the Scott's product(s) is that you don't waste product on areas where there are no weeds. The preemergents must be applied over the large area, because you don't know where the weed seeds are, but the spot spraying of the living weeds makes my methods more efficient. I feel like I'm leaving a lot out, but lawn care is not that hard once you have the basics of watering, mowing, and fertilizing. Nearly all the other stuff has an organic solution. If you are watering and fertilizing correctly you should not have a thatch problem. If you think you have hard soil, you can spray it with shampoo (3 ounces per 1,000 square feet) to soften it.

Wouldn't be so quick to blame Scott's or anyone else because your grass is looking like hay. If you burned it with too much fertilizer it now seems easier to blame Scott's. If you have a bluegrass lawn and it looks like hay now and your rainfall has been very dry this year like mine is, your bluegrass is dormant. According to your pictures it looks dormant to me. In my neighborhood anyone with bluegrass has a lawn that looks just like yours. It's appearance last year means nothing. If it is dry , no amount of fertilizer is going to help you, your supposed to know a little something about your lawn. Scotts is in business to sell a service. You need to tell them no in July.They can't spoon feed every customer they have. I am in no way affiliated with Scott's but can't understand the beating they take from unknowing customers. I am willing to bet if you power rake your lawn right now in your zone ,clean up the debris and wait for end of aug or september and then aerate and reseed, your lawn will respond with a healthy outburst of growth. Wait for the cooler wetter weather with shorter days and you will be fine. Do nothing but blame someone else and your in for trouble next from bugs etc in the thatch that is certain to build up from the hay as you call it. Do positive stuff and forget the carping. Having a nice lawn isn't that hard to do.

Don't even think about using any type of RTV (silicone) or other product on the head gasket. These gaskets already have either a "coating" or are "infused with" compounds to help then adhere to the head and 'block", and seal up tiny scratches and imperfections that might be present. If the gasket is of the "composite type" (pressed fiber/paper/metal), the following is how I tackle them. Absolute cleanliness of the mating surfaces is critical. I recommend using a liquid "decal and paint remover" to soften and loosen "composite type" gaskets (methylene chloride, brush on or spray on paint remover) followed by scraping with a brass or bronze "soft scraper" (so you don't gouge the aluminum). After carefully "scraping" the gaskets off, you want to use a "very fine" "scotch brite" pad to get rid of the remaining traces of gasket. Finally, use lacquer thinner or spray carb cleaner and a lint free towel or rag to clean up any residue left on the mating surfaces and inside the edges of any holes or cavities on the head and block. You should plan to change the oil and filter after you get the engine running. Just run it long enough (10 mintues or so) to get everything heated up so large debris (those little bits of gasket) can be washed to the sump and the oil filter can trap the micro debris. If the gasket is made of 100% "stamped sheet metal", skip the paint remover & scraping and go directly to the part of final cleaning with lacquer thinner or spray carb cleaner. Most stamped sheet metal gaskets have a very thin coating of "sealant" already on them. It is important that you clean the mating surfaces of the head and block using the above solvents to get rid of any traces of this sealant that might have transferred to the block or head. When handling the new gaskets (either type) make certain your hands are clean (or rubber gloved) so you don't contaminate the sealing compounds/coatings on/in the new gasket. Never clean a new gasket with any type of solvent, doing so can defeat the ability of the new gasket to adhere and seal properly.

I am pretty sure they will have it this year. It has been going on at least 15-20 years. Most of the time it is at the New Georgia landfill but a couple of years it was at the landfill near the Birmingham dog track behind the Birmingham Police Firing Range. I tried twice this week to call Ms. Atrie Robinson at the Keep Birmingham Beautiful Board at 205-254-2472 but she has not returned my call. She is a very nice lady who is always helpful. It is usually held around the second weekend of February. I'll try again tomorrow to get more info. Since you now have the number, it you hear from Ms. Robinson, please let me know the date and location. Mokey, aren't you in Montgomery? Let me know and I can give you directions. Send me an email. I hope you can join us. Do a search for "landfill" on the Alabama forum and there is info from previous years. - Terry