If you are trying to acidify the soil further, you might try using ammonium sulphate for fertilizer. I use that in conjunction with Copperas on the advice of some posts by Jellyman. My shrubs seemed to do much better with those two products along with a thick hay mulch and very regular watering during the dry months. Our area is known for the hard water and that is unfortunately what my shrubs get watered with. Despite this, they still get bigger every year. My problem is that the deer find it necessary to "prune" my shrubs. I get some growth and they snap it off!

That is probably the best plan I've seen posted here. Simple and covers the bases. If you are on an organic plan, you don't need to cover the entire yard with topsoil, in my opinion. I would not wait until fall to fill in the holes. Do that when the grass is growing the fastest in the spring. You can easily put 1/8 inch down every time you mow. Sweep it in with a push broom to bring up the underlying grass. If your mower goes to 4 inches, I would mow it there. Taller grass has deeper roots that capture water better and provide more shade to keep the soil cool in summer. If you decide to use a chemical broadleaf herbicide, I would prefer a spot spray (foliar) on each weed rather than a granular covering the entire yard. That does the least damage to the soil microbes.

I sure do, gray. It's in Millbury called Roger's Farm and Garden. 508-865-1599. 269 W. Main Street. What they don't have in stock, they will order for you. I just recently had them order me some soybean meal and it was ready the next week. The alfalfa pellets (not sure about the meal) and soybean both cost about $11/50 lb. bag, but can go up and down in price to a degree. They are very nice in there and I'm glad I found them. It took me a long time to find a place in my area, and I'm getting ready to get some cornmeal or cracked corn for them this week.

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