On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 03:28:56 -0800, rw wrote:
Has anyone had any experience with Cockadoodle DOO Organic Weed Control.
Cockadoodle DOO Organic Weed Control
http://www.purebarnyard.com/cockadoodledoo/products.asp
We live in Masachusetts and are considering trying it on our lawns this
April. Clover has been our biggest problem, but we seem to have a touch
of everything. Also, any alternative suggestions would be great.
Good day Ryan, I have not personally used the above product (could they of
gotten a better name..?), but I am familiar with the use of corn gluten
meal as a pre-emergent. The short answer is yes.... it does work. The long
answer is it may not be the cheapest route to go though. As far as I can
tell, these organic weed control companies are marking up a rather cheap
product ( corn gluten meal ) and selling it at a very inflated price. The
meal they sell is 'pearled' unlike what you can get at a food/bakery
supply store, but they are both the same.
Application rates will be much higher than one would expect for
satisfactory results. The Cockadoodle DOO company (O' how it pains me to
type that name!!) recommends 100 pounds per 5000 square feet. That's a lot
of corn meal. Even at .50 cents a pound that's still 50 dollars per
application and your lawn will have a yellow look to it for a few weeks.
Don't get me wrong, I'm really not trying to talk you out of the corn
meal. I've read many positive data sheets on the use of corn meal. You can
rest assured that your not killing the planet and the corn meal does offer
a small fertilization at the same time. My mother-in-law is a baker and
she used plain old corn meal gluten in a few flower beds with good
results.
Clover is a sign post in your lawn. It's telling you that you may have :
compacted soil
low soil fertility (low nitrogen)
too low of a mowing height
Your first step is to remove the clover. You can do this in a variety of
ways. How you do it is really up to you. Chemical or mechanical, the
choice is yours. After the clover is gone, improve the soil with aeration
and fertilization. As far as your mowing height goes, try to keep the lawn
areas mowed at 3" high. This will inhibit weed seed germination and help
keep new weeds from taking root. Good luck and good day.
--
http://resources.ywgc.com