I have never ordered a gallon, but did just receive a quart yesterday. I just opened it. The cap was very tight, but the seal was still sealed. It was filled to within 1.5 inches of the top and the color is like lime jello (I haven't a clue as to the color of green Koolaid) - darkish green, but looks lighter in the light because it's thin. Definitely the color of foliage in the med to dark range. It is thin like water. It does have a faint odor - maybe a teeny whiff of vinegar with something more earthy in it.

OK, now the rest of it. >>They really hide all the blemishes, even the big obvious ones where the trees were removed. Shh. That happens in every lawn photo. :-) >>-The 32 lbs of Mag-I-Cal is the total amount I put over the whole lawn. I know it's much stronger than standard calcitic lime. I think (hope) I did my calculations correctly. Good. I once accidentally overapplied 12 pounds per thousand to the gardens and watched the plants turn yellow. Calcitic shouldn't be applied at more than 9 pounds per thousand square feet at a time, with a minimum of 3 months between applications--and repeat only if pH is extraordinarily low. -I'll revise my Milorganite schedule to cut out the June and July feedings. I'm not sure about feed stores nearby, I'll have You certainly can if you wish, or not if you wish. While I tend to recommend against summer applications on healthy lawns, it's not exactly going to be a problem. Quite the opposite, and if you notice color fading badly in the summer sun, feed it. It might need the free iron. >>application. So basically for the same price I'd get more bang for my buck out of the soybean meal? I know dchall That does depend. The bag rate for Milorganite is 14.4 pounds per thousand. I generally recommend 20 to target 1 pound of available nitrogen per application (organic N does take a while to work in, so far less than that is initially available). For soybean meal, 1 pound of N per K is 15 pounds of soybean per thousand. So you're using three quarters the amount to do the same feeding job. If raising OM is your goal, neither soy nor Milorganite is technically your best choice. Cracked corn requires 60 pounds per thousand to supply the same 1 pound of N per K. Which means it's less likely to smell terrible at very high levels of application (decay scent is nitrogen compounds--less nitrogen, less smell, as a general rule and all else being equal). >>uses Alfalfa pellets, is there a reason you prefer soybean meal over alfalfa? Is Alfalfa more expensive in our region? For me, it's pricey. To get that 1 pound of N equivalent, alfalfa needs to go down at 50 pounds per thousand, more than three times the rate of soybean meal. Since it's about the same price, the nitrogen is three times as expensive. Northern lawns don't benefit--and actually can suffer delays--from too much alfalfa put down at once. 20 pounds per thousand per month is the maximum rate the guru I learned from recommended. >>-I definitely understand what you're saying about just spot spraying weeds. Seeing the amount of crabgrass that is popping up this year, though, By all means area spray if the problem is widespread in the area. Spot spraying is great, but sometimes clearing the deck initially is required. >>I think I still want to use a preemergent in the spring. I've spent several hours the past couple weeks pulling crabgrass and it's continuing to pop up faster than I can pull it. Pre-emergents are wonderful. I spray Prodiamine once a year for a 9 month shield. It's not perfect, but I'm also not complaining about 90% effective. I haven't pulled a weed from the stone patio in years. I don't have to. >>I expect improvement as my yard thickens, but one of my neighbors yard is 100% weeds, so I may always have a bit of a battle on my hands. You've seen my lawn? The lawns to the southwest, south, east, northeast, and north are weed pits. No worries, your lawn can outcompete any weed. With the possible exception of some of the Poa genus. >>-I've considered edging my driveway with some landscaping, but like the idea of the grass going right up to the edge of it, mainly to keep the mowing as simple as possible as ridiculous as that is. No problem! We all have our aesthetic preferences. >>Like dchall said I'll stick some tuna cans there the next time I water and see what's happening. I'll give it one more season and if I can't keep control of it maybe I'll throw in some landscaping. At the very least maybe an 8" border of light colored pavers will be enough of a buffer. Good plan. Keep in mind that areas bordering pavement may require watering more often. When I designed my irrigation system, I did it so that the south face of the driveway was zoned with other things that need more. Now if I'd remembered to do that on the north side...but no matter. I'll eventually turn that into another 20 square feet of garden attached to the gardens on either side of it. >>-I'll have to sneak out and chop off some of that pine tree. If the branches are over onto your property you have every legal right to cut them off at the property line. It might be impolitic to do so, however, so I fully support your decision to wear black and do this at 2 AM. Storm damage sometimes comes up so suddenly and takes off just a few branches, huh. >>The grass isn't totally barren, it looks fine from a distance, so I'm not at the point of giving up and mulching it yet. Also try feeding and watering it a bit more than the other areas of the lawn. Sometimes hard-pressed grass just needs a hand up. -I was afraid of that answer about the chipmunks. I do enjoy seeing them out there but they need to leave my plants alone! I'll try the Tabasco sauce, maybe line the base of the plants with chicken wire, stick a hose down their holes and the spread the cat litter. If they still persist, I think I may resort to the rat zapper. Looking it up, at least one site states that there are no repellents registered for chipmunks. However, it also says that any squirrel repellent will work on them. Sonic repellent device(s) might be another idea. -When I said "possibly with a slit seeder" that was my weak way of asking if that's a recommended method. I've never used one and I'm a little worried it's going to do some damage. Will I see much better results with that vs just using a broadcast spreader after aerating? You'll get great results with a slit seeder. I got great results broadcast spreading seed on the soil (no aeration, no raking, no preparation at all). Assuming this is in blank areas, topdressing with 1/8" of peat moss to hold some moisture might be a good idea. For general lawn transmission, that's unnecessary, expensive, and time consuming.

That is so kool Sunset shepherdess, that your aunt and uncle are on Lake Belle Taine too. There is only one Belle Taine in the state and it is in the top 5 for clarity, 12 feet down you can see the bottom of the lake. Belle Taine means "where the water ceases to flow" since it is the last lake in the Mantrap chain. Well enough of that. I put my hummer feeders out at home here (prior Lake, Savage area) about a week and a half ago because I saw the little guys hanging around where I usually hang them, and up at the lake I was walking on the deck about a week ago and I got dive bombed by one and I think he was telling me to get the food out. I always take an old tupperwear giant plastic cup that holds about 8 cups, heat up the water to hot in the microwave, then pour in the sugar, mix, and heat some more, then refrigerate the nectar til its cold. I never use it all at once, and it keeps very well in the fridge to fill them next time. I always run my hummer feeders through the dishwasher about once a week and it keeps them sparkling clean and free of bacteria and stuff. A few days after I filled tham at the lake the other day two males were fighting over one of the feeders and they both hit the window slightly, but both zooooooomed away, I am pretty sure they are both okay because they kept comming back. If you watch them alot you will see that the hummers will go off and sit very still on a branch somewhere near, so the old theory they never sat still isn't true. One of my favorite authors in the world is a Minnesota native. Maud Hart Lovelace. She wrote the wonderful "Betsy-Tacy series which was based on her childhood in Mankato , she was born in 1892 and the books continue til about the age of 25 when she got married, the last of about 13 book is Betsy's Wedding" I always give her the credit for my love of birds and nature. She also wrote a wonderful childs book, "The Tune Is In The Trees" I read that book about a little girl who is accidentally left home alone, is miniturized by the hummingbirds, goes and lives up in the trees with all the different kinds of birds til her parents get home in a few weeks. I learned so much about birds form that book I still remember. Michele >^,,^

Sound advice from mogater 88, especially point # 4. When a store (or chain) begins to flounder, they typically do not pay their supplier bills within terms (usually net 30), and at some point when there are enough unpaid bills they get put on "no-ship" status from the suppliers. They will continue to submit the retail customer orders for production to the maker, but they go into a dead holding file until they pay their bills. And, they continue to take deposits from retail customers knowing full well they will not be put into the production cycle. Fraudulent? No, not really - because they are submitting the orders, the suppliers are just not going to make or ship the goods. As a retail customer with deposit money on the table, you DO have a right to call the supplier and ask if your order is in the production schedule or if the store is on a 'no-ship' status. If their are problems, immediately contact your credit card company and begin chargeback procedures. Do not wait until the store is in bankruptcy. When a store goes bankrupt, then you become an unsecured creditor and are last in line to get any compensation - behind the landlord, the banks, and the suppliers. Your deposit money will be gone forever. This is what happened with the largest chain in the Wash DC area ("Mastercraft Interiors"), where thousands of people lost their deposits while the (owners) were building a brand new estate home in Oregon (one can surmise off customers deposits) knowing their company was doomed.