You can relax since one application of one of those poisons is not going to do great harm to your Soil Food Web. This article, on Natural Lawn Care from Ohio State may be of some help. Here is a link that might be useful: Natural Lawn Care

I know of the consequences of atrazine. Unfortunately, I have way too many broad leaf weeds that cannot be hand pulled, and I don't have the funds to rip out sections of Weeds/Turf and re-sod with flortam. I guess I'll just have to try atrazine with the organic fertilizer and see how the results turn out.

SC77 said the stuff in italics... Core aeration is not just about compaction. It's about getting oxygen to the roots, plus a priceless opportunity to get compost 3-4 inches down into your soil. It takes a lot more time to get OM down to the root level simply by topdressing a lawn, plus you run the risk of losing precious OM through runoff. Core aeration is a poor substitute for having proper fungal mass and thousands of miles of fungal hyphae enmeshed throughout the soil. There's no way you can achieve thousands of miles of core removal from a typical lawn, but a good fungal colony can do that in a week. OM doesn't run off. OM is sugars, living roots and microbes, and dead roots and microbes. They don't flow away, they live there or are stuck there. Sugars don't flow away because, as Dr Ingham said, they are only released from the plant roots in dosages needed to control the soil microbes. Compost - I have to challenge you on the importance of compost as well. I don't think it can simply be replaced by using organic fertilizer. The two play very specific and separate roles in organic lawn care. Maybe, in a very well established, mature organic lawn, one could get away with simply adding fertlizer such as alfalfa, sbm, or cgm, but in those of us that are still building up our OM %, compost is priceless. "The soil must first be alive in order for fertilizers to function well" -Paul Tukey (The Organic Lawn Care Manual). I agree there are two different functions for compost and organic fertilizer. Compost supplies microbes. Organic fertilizer provides protein...and lesser foodstuffs. What we might disagree on beyond that is how long it takes for organic fertilizer to build the population of microbes that were thought to be missing. If the microbe population is teensy, it might take longer for the fertilizer to work. But if I can apply 10 apps of fertilizer for the cost of compost, that's what I'll do. Fertilizer seems to work in 3 weeks. The use of compost is fraught with peril in that even a normal application of 1/4 inch can set a lawn back for a full season. Why? Because getting an even 1/4-inch seems to be impossible. Some places will have none and some will have 3/4 inch. Where there is 3/4 inches, the grass likely will die from being smothered. Sure it can be done, but we try to deal in practicalities. Every single year for the past 20 I have seen lawns killed or nearly killed by compost. I've never seen any lawn even slightly tainted by using too much organic fertilizer. ...price [of compost] doesn't have to be a problem. I further agree that price does not have to be a problem. My property in San Antonio is completely covered with trees and that is not enough to make a decent compost pile. I collect leaves set out by the curb to make a pile. With 20 large bags of leaves I make enough compost to treat our garden beds, about 1,000 square feet. I have seen you question Tukey's advice, but he is far from the only one suggesting that the addition of compost be at the core of every organic lawn program. Compost improves soil structure, adds microorganisms, balances pH, feeds existing soil life, and adds around 1% nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. 5% is the optimal amount of OM, which takes a long time to achieve anything beyond that is just gravy and won't hurt the lawn, only improve it. Tukey is an organic gardener in the tradition of Rodale. Without rereading anything of his, I would suggest that if he is a disciple of Dr Ingham, it is only inasmuch as she is a proponent of compost and not to the extension of the value of microbes feeding directly on protein dropped on top of the soil. If you want to rapidly improve the OM in your soil, you need to talk to morpheusPA. He has a few recent posts on this forum, but he has thousands of posts on another forum, and more recently has branched off into his own blog. He boosted the OM on his lot by several percent in one season by using zero pounds of compost but thousands of pounds of organic fertilizer. That was the nutritional equivalent of 2 cubic yards of compost applied every weekend all season long. There is no way to do that with compost in a practical or economic manner. It was more of an experiment, but it really, REALLY worked! So the idea that is takes a long time to improve the OM percentage is simply false. If you use the wrong materials, like compost, then yes, it takes a long time. Something you missed in the interview with Dr Ingham was the references to feeding the compost before using it. She didn't mention what she feeds it with, but I have talked to another of her disciples who uses a dose of oatmeal to feed her compost prior to converting it into compost tea. In other words, she recommends feeding it a protein filled organic fertilizer. Well, if you're going to feed the compost before applying it, then why not just feed the soil directly? After seeing this post I am further confused. You said you learned what you know from Dr. Ingham, but she is a HUGE proponent of the benefits of compost and compost tea. Tukey and Todd Harrington are both disciples of Dr. Ingham and they all agree on the importance of Compost and Core Aeration. Harrington has the largest residential and commercial base of organic lawns at over 2000 and is considered to be the forerunner in the industry. Dr Ingham is absolutely the premier leader in the compost tea movement. Great compost tea is a function of starting with great compost and following a critical set of rules for making the tea. One of those rules which is rarely mentioned is the water temperature. The problem cropped up with a critic of hers in Phoenix who ended up making worthless tea in the Arizona heat. Ingham called it, essentially, a rookie mistake by the Phoenix researcher. Aerobic microbes cannot live without air and water above 80 degrees F barely holds enough air for normal aerobic life. Trying to make compost tea above 80 degrees is a fool's errand because you have a concentrated population of microbes along with plenty of food. Once the air is depleted (immediately!), the aerobic microbes die and the tea is taken over by anaerobic microbes. But Dr Ingham does not mention this fact in the general guidance about making tea. Essentially this factoid limits the making of compost tea to a "non-summer" activity. You really want water between 50 degrees and 70 degrees for best tea performance. So I wish she was more up front about that aspect of tea making. I have seen so-called professional tea makers running their equipment all summer long and selling compost tea which is microbially worthless. Harrington is selling products and services. The profitability of aeration and the application of compost is through the roof. He'd be an idiot if he didn't promote the heck out of these services. And there is the authoritative Rodale history over the past 80 years. Everyone knows compost has to be an integral part of a conscientiously applied organic lawn care program. Everyone knows that except me. I believe any improvement following the use of compost to be coincidental with the increased emphasis and attention paid to the land where the compost was applied. I do believe there is a beneficial "micro mulching" effect, but not much else. In the article you referenced, Dr Ingham says, "Compost is the mix of plant materials." Even if you read the rest of the context, she never gets more explanatory. Compost is a mix of decomposed plant AND ANIMAL materials. How decomposed is it? Pretty darned decomposed. In fact I refer to it as a pile of depleted fertilizer materials. The stuff going in may have been weak in the protein department, but it is definitely weak in the protein department following months of aerobic decomposition. I might also mention that Dr Ingham has profitable products and services to sell. Part of the problem is, since the 1990s when all these hundred thousand species of soil microbes were discovered, there hasn't been enough time to run proper studies of the effects of the various foodstuffs in improving the soil. The foodstuffs used for the popular organic fertilizers include human waste (such as Milorganite and Hou-actinite), soybean meal, cottonseed meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, flax meal, used coffee grounds, alfalfa pellets, feather meal, hydrolyzed feather meal, blood meal, kelp meal, and poultry litter. All of these materials work stupendously well by themselves to improve the color, density, and growth of grass. So why would anyone waste the energy to run peer reviewed tests? Where is the profit in the results beyond what we in the trenches already know? If I can summarize: Compost is too depleted of protein to be of much value as a fertilizer Any organic fertilizer is much better than any compost, unless the compost was fortified with organic fertilizer Soil microbes are more resilient than people give them credit for. And I know some very smart folks who disagree with me on this. We'll never know until the research is done. Aeration is a poor substitute for fungal mass and miles of hyphae in the soil.

Types of Composting The first question many beginners ask is 'What is the best bin?" The first question should be, "What do you want to do?" Look at what materials you want to get rid of or have access to, and how much compost you want or need. Once you know what materials you have available or can scrounge you can decide on what type of bin is appropriate. A variety of manufactured bins are available; many do not work any better than cheap do-it-yourself types. There are many informational sites that have detailed drawings in building any type of setup you might need. Some of the most common are: Pallet Bin The cheap way to get started could be a square bin made of salvaged wooden palettes wired or screwed together. Pallets are easy to come by and make sturdy containment areas. Wire Mesh Bin Round bins made of hardware cloth are also very simple, cheap and effective. Diameters of three to five feet are best. Just get some sturdy utility fence material and form it into a cylinder. Use some zip ties or just twisted wire to hold the ends together. You can line the inside with breathable landscaping fabric or even plastic sheeting to help retain the moisture. Fold the top edge over and secure it with clothspins or binder clips or even staples. Rotating Tumbler Tumblers advertise quick and easy compost but beginners often have problems with them. For best results, tumblers require filling at one time, and carefully measuring the moisture and green/brown ingredients. They are a poor choice to start with unless you are willing to devote considerable effort to monitoring the inputs. After some experiance you may choose to add a tumbler as an addition to your efforts. Odors and animal pests are often a source of worry for beginners but proper understanding can eliminate problems. A proper balance of browns mixed in with the greens will keep the pile from smelling sour. Kitchen scraps should be buried in the middle of the pile - if they are added close to the surface they may draw pests. Problematic materials like fish should be buried deep or used in a special pile. The three major methods to compost are: An Bin Hot or Cold. Slow or Fast. Pile it and Let it Rot or Turn and Tend Regularly. The options are endless. This is the method that is most commonly used and is one of the most fool proof. Pile in your ingredients and nature takes it from there. The amount of care and work you put into the process determines your results somewhat, but even if you do nothing time will eventually reduce the pile to compost. Dust to dust and all that. A size of 3' x 3'b x 3' is said to be the minimum to get things to heat up for the best result. A hot pile is NOT required for the materials to break down. Heat does speed up decomposition, but requires more frequent turning and water. Microorganisms cause breakdown at temperatures between 50F and 158F. One reason for desiring hotter temperatures is to kill any weed seeds that may be present. Moisture and air are also necessary for composting. The hotter the pile, the more often it should be turned over to let air in. Heat dries out the pile core quicker. In hot dry climates you may want to wrap somthing around open compost piles. Covering the pile is a personal choice but a top of some kind will prevent rapid drying out of the pile and help to reduce leaching out of the nutrients. The location of a compost pile in sunny or shady areas of a yard does not really matter. The heat build up is provided by the microbial activity going on inside. Vermiposting A worm bin. A good choice for those with limited space, and fisherman. Makes small quantities but the material is VERY high quality. In colder climates, this should be done indoors since the worms work best between 50F and 90F." A good means of recycling food scraps. Lasagna or Sheet Composting Also known as "Interbay Mulch". This involves putting the materials directly on the beds to be enriched. Simple and cheap, this is a very "low impact" method. There are many folks just rediscovering and improving on this method that has been called a number of things in the past. Layer a mix of greens and browns as if making lasagna and let it sit and decompose in place. This is a great method of putting vegetable beds "to sleep" for the season ensuring a rich fertile bed for the next seasons planting. You can also use this method to prep grassy areas and transform them to planting beds. The Compost Mixture Some of the benefits of composting are reduction in diseases and wilts; a slow release of nutrients, moisture conservation, and improved tilth. It promotes a greater diversity of soil organisms that serve to "innoculate" your plants from a number of problems. It can be applied in a number of different ways. Mixed in as an ammendment, top dressing for slow realease and mulching benifit, even made into "tea" as a root feed or tonic. The process of composting is the breaking down by bacteria, mixtures of nitrogen-rich materials aka "Greens" with carbon-rich materials aka "Browns". Examples of "Greens/Nitrogen Rich" things would be: freshly cut grass, used coffee grounds, seaweed, spent flower blooms,tea leaves or vegetables and peelings. Basicly most organic, growing things that are still fresh and moist. Examples of "Browns/Carbon Rich" things would be: paper, fall leaves, straw, sawdust, shredded newspaper or woodchips. Basicly any dry or woody/twig types of things. Ingredients not suitable for composting are oil, grease, bones, fat, and diseased plants. Folks often ask where they can find materials to compost. The short answer is EVERYWHERE. But for the sake of clarity the very incomplete list below offers a few sources. As with everything in life, balance is good so go for several different items on this list. Good browns, all readily available, most for free Old 100% cotton clothes especially whites w/ no dyes. Laundry lint from drying cotton clothes (don't include any fabric softener sheets) Floor sweepings Black and white newsprint (preferably shredded - goes quicker - and preferably printed w/ soy-based ink - no heavy metals...) Brown paper bags from grocery store Torn/shredded carboard: brown boxes, brown packing tubes, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, tubes egg cartons (avoid printed, glossy or refined looking boxes, etc: cereal boxes would be bad, generic brown shipping boxes good) Cotton-based and paper-based kleenexes and paper towels Aged twigs: break 'em up as small as you can Aged wood chips (smaller and older the better) Sawdust from untreated lumber (check with a lumber yard) Wood ashes in VERY SMALL doses. Not barbecue charcoal ashes though!!! Too many heavy metals and carcinogens. Throw BBQ ashes in the trash and don't dump anywhere on your, or anyone else's, property. Straw Dried grass: either mow and dry or rake up dead grass from the lawn Dead leaves(though not those from diseased plants) Greens that are easy to find Grass clippings: These will mat together so mix well with the browns as you add to the pile) Plant prunings: Don't add prunings from diseased plants as some of the diseases may survive the composting process. Spent flowers: Avoid adding flowerheads that have gone to seed for obvious reasons. Coffee grounds: Your own or call the local coffee house/diner to collect theirs. Kitchen scraps: Very seedy items need to be composted in hot piles to avoid having many volunteer plants sprouting. Also anything that will root such as potato skins and onions unless they're very finely chopped or mushed in the processor. Corn husks are good greens. Many grocery stores will put a garbage can by their corn displays, this "garbage" is often free for the asking. Barnyard animal manures: Cow, horse, chicken, goat, sheep, and rabbit are good. Again, bury these well to avoid unwanted visitors (especially flies!). NEVER use dog, cat, or human manure/feces as they may contain pathogens or diseases that could be harmful. Green "manures": Alfalfa hay, vetch, winter rye, several legumes and clovers are good sources of nitrogen either as cover crops for the garden (during winter) or cut and put in the pile. Fish parts: Scales, bones, heads, and other seafood scraps. Don't use these unless you have a very large pile and are willing to bury these in the center where it's hot or your furry four-legged neighbors will stop by for a feast. Egg shells: Put these in the food processor with other kitchen scraps to create a slush or chop/smash them to a fine powder or they'll stick around forever. This isn't really a green but it is a good source of calcium for plants, especially for tomatoes. To add moisture to your pile Collect rainwater to use at a later date but cover and enclose the containers so you don't breed mosquitoes. Ever need to "run the water" to get hot water...don't let the cold water wash down the drain! Collect it and use it on the garden. Collect "gray" water from clothes washers, dish washing sinks and machines, and showers. Put a bucket by your feet in the shower, run a line from your washers, etc. The soaps in rinse waters actually add beneficial nutrients and can be broken down in compost. But, don't overdo it because you don't want to add more than can be used...you can always use this type of water elsewhere in the garden, too. Make a small indentation in the top of your pile to "collect" rainwater. Some folks collect (or directly deposit) urine as it is a very good source of nitrogen and will heat up a pile very nicely. Some "Don't Ever Add to Compost" items The main reason that most organic composting books don't recommend composting meats, dairy products, human manure, etc., is not that it's a sin, it's wrong, or it's bad. It's really because most home composters do not know how to design or manage their hot composting systems to get the piles aerobic enough, and hot enough, to keep it from smelling funky, and to break down all the potential pathogens that may exist in it. Small urban lots or apartment or condo gardeners would be hard pressed to manage a large enough composting system to effectivly handle such potentialy problematic items. The authors have to be very careful and conservative in their teaching, so people don't screw up their whole garden or kill themselves. Most home composters have lukewarm or cool piles. This could cause all kinds of odor and disease problems in the pile, if the user is not careful. The items listed can in fact be successfully composted but you need to up the skill level a bit before attempting it. Already mentioned: Never add dog, cat, or human solid wastes. Greases, oils and fats are not good. Bones (except seafood) take eons to break down and may attract unwanted visitors. Ashes from barbecue charcoals. Wood ashes are OK in SMALL amounts but BBQ coals like Kingsford contain many bad things and should be tossed out. Seeds: Though some seeds are killed (or sprout and then are killed) in the composting process, don't test your luck. Diseased plant parts: Several organisms which cause disease can survive the composting process Pesticides, fungicides and herbicides