Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower to shred
peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over your lawn after
putting down grass seed, then you water and it helps keep the
moisture in and start the seed so it doesn't dry out.

What do they call the blower that can do that and what do they
usually cost?



--
- Mama Bear

Mama Bear wrote:
Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower to shred
peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over your lawn after
putting down grass seed, then you water and it helps keep the
moisture in and start the seed so it doesn't dry out.

What do they call the blower that can do that and what do they
usually cost?



Wouldn't you rather know if it works before you start spending money?

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

Power Lawncare Tools for Spring Clean-up:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...
"Warren" wrote :

Mama Bear wrote:
Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower to
shred peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over your
lawn after putting down grass seed, then you water and it
helps keep the moisture in and start the seed so it doesn't
dry out.

What do they call the blower that can do that and what do
they usually cost?

Wouldn't you rather know if it works before you start spending
money?

I've been told it can work. But go ahead. What is it, and can it
work?

peat moss can be expensive, it certainly is for the stuff you buy for
hanging baskets anyway, and may not be environmentally sustainable if large
amounts are harvested.

As an alternative, I used frost cloth. I prepared the soil, rakes it, threw
on the seed, raked it in to the top soil, watered and staked down some frost
cloth across the top. The cloth kept the direct sun off and moisture in and
reduced the amount of watering I needed to do. I checked it a few times a
day and put the sprinkler on when the soil was starting to dry out. After a
few days the grass started to come through and I pulled the cloth back to
let the sun in. If not frost cloth maybe light sail cloth or old hessian
sacking. It should not be too heavy and cumbersome but not too porous
either.

rob

"George.com" wrote in message
...

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...
"Warren" wrote :

Mama Bear wrote:
Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower to
shred peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over your
lawn after putting down grass seed, then you water and it
helps keep the moisture in and start the seed so it doesn't
dry out.

What do they call the blower that can do that and what do
they usually cost?

Wouldn't you rather know if it works before you start spending
money?

I've been told it can work. But go ahead. What is it, and can it
work?

peat moss can be expensive, it certainly is for the stuff you buy for
hanging baskets anyway, and may not be environmentally sustainable if
large
amounts are harvested.

Peat moss also dries out very quickly when exposed to air. Then, two things
happen: First, it acts like a sponge and sucks moisture out of adjacent
materials, like your soil. This assumes it remains in place, which is
probably won't if it's been pulverized and there's any wind. The only
correct way to use peat moss on a lawn is to work it into the soil, not just
put it on top.

Mama Bear wrote:

Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.


Why do you think anyone knows where you can get a blower shredder that
will do that? If none of us thinks it's a good idea, why would we have
ever shopped for one? You're not getting a straight answer because your
original message implied that you weren't interested in whether the idea
worked, but just on how to carry-out the idea even if it is a dumb idea.
You came here with your mind made up.

As Doug noted, the shredded peat moss is going to very quickly dry-out.
It's either going to just blow away, or it's going to wick-away water
that otherwise could be going to good use. Think about it. Just how
would loose peat moss help do anything useful? It's a horrible waste of
a natural resource that's being depleted fast enough. As gardeners, even
armature gardeners, we should be stewards of the Earth. Wasting peat
moss on some scheme that has no benefit is not a good idea. And using a
power tool of some sort -- possibly even a gas-powered tool -- is even
worse.

In an earlier message you said, "I've been told it can work." Well, now
you've been told that it doesn't work more than once. I guess if you're
prone to go off and do things -- along with spending money to buy stuff
to do those things -- without any research just because you've "been
told it can work", this should be more than enough to change your mind.

It's a dumb idea. But if you really still want to go ahead and do it,
then you'll just have to do your own shopping. I know I've got better
things to do than shop for you.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

Power Lawncare Tools for Spring Clean-up:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...
"George.com" wrote :


"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...
"Warren" wrote :

Mama Bear wrote:
Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower
to shred peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over
your lawn after putting down grass seed, then you water
and it helps keep the moisture in and start the seed so it
doesn't dry out.

What do they call the blower that can do that and what do
they usually cost?

Wouldn't you rather know if it works before you start
spending money?

I've been told it can work. But go ahead. What is it, and can
it work?

peat moss can be expensive, it certainly is for the stuff you
buy for hanging baskets anyway, and may not be environmentally
sustainable if large amounts are harvested.

I'm thinking of the big bales of it that they sell for planting.
It's about $4 something for a big square of it.

As an alternative, I used frost cloth. I prepared the soil,
rakes it, threw on the seed, raked it in to the top soil,
watered and staked down some frost cloth across the top. The
cloth kept the direct sun off and moisture in and reduced the
amount of watering I needed to do.

I don't know what frost cloth is, but suspect it would be too
expensive to cover an 8000 sq ft lot with it.

go and check out a waste exchange programme is one exists in your area. Here
is a local example of polypropylene to cover 900 square metres.
http://www.rmf.org.nz/terranova/weedmats/

I checked it a few times a
day and put the sprinkler on when the soil was starting to dry
out. After a few days the grass started to come through and I
pulled the cloth back to let the sun in. If not frost cloth
maybe light sail cloth or old hessian sacking. It should not
be too heavy and cumbersome but not too porous either.

Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.

the answers you have got thus far is that it is a daft idea and will not
work. More than that using enough peat moss to cover an 8000ft lot is a shit
load of peat moss and will cost a shit load of money for the moss itself.
Even more than that, peat moss takes time to develop and using it as a grass
starter is a waste of a resource in my opinion. The only possible way you
could use peat moss I can see is to lay long rolls, like laying carpet, of
it across the earth. It will be a hassle to continually lift to check the
growth of your grass however and roll off when the grass starts to come up.
You will not be able to leave the peat moss down as it will simply starve
your grass of light. Result, dead grass. No, forget the peat moss, its a bad
idea because it most likely won't work as you envisage it, will be a hassle
spread any other effective way, will cost too much money that way and is a
waste of a natural resource. Find a free, or cheap, source of material that
you can stake down over your new seedlings. Leave it down until germination
and then lift up to allow the sun in. Its around if you look for it.

rob

"Warren" wrote in message
...
Mama Bear wrote:

Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.


Why do you think anyone knows where you can get a blower shredder that
will do that? If none of us thinks it's a good idea, why would we have
ever shopped for one? You're not getting a straight answer because your
original message implied that you weren't interested in whether the idea
worked, but just on how to carry-out the idea even if it is a dumb idea.
You came here with your mind made up.

As Doug noted, the shredded peat moss is going to very quickly dry-out.
It's either going to just blow away, or it's going to wick-away water that
otherwise could be going to good use. Think about it. Just how would loose
peat moss help do anything useful?


Not only that, but if the lawn were mowed correctly (leaving clippings in
place, mowing as high as possible except for the last cutting before
winter), there will be plenty of organic matter deposited on the lawn. Peat
moss should be saved for garden areas, and used only if the soil is utterly
hideous.

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.


You obviously didn't have a question. You had a bad idea and you wanted
other people to agree with it. That's not happening, so maybe you're one of
those people who only recognizes certain sources of knowledge. You know - a
badge, a college degree, but certainly not answers from people who may have
30+ years of gardening experience.

So, I have an idea. Go to Google and do a web search. Copy & paste the exact
line you see below:
"cooperative extension" new york

But, substitute your state for "new york". In the search results, you should
see links to sites that probably will end in .edu. Poke around in those
results, find a phone number, and call your CE service for some advice. They
will most certainly tell you to have soil tests done from various locations
in your yard. And, I'll bet you a year's salary that they will NOT go along
with your massive peat moss debacle.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.


You obviously didn't have a question. You had a bad idea and you wanted
other people to agree with it. That's not happening, so maybe you're one
of those people who only recognizes certain sources of knowledge. You
know - a badge, a college degree, but certainly not answers from people
who may have 30+ years of gardening experience.

So, I have an idea. Go to Google and do a web search. Copy & paste the
exact line you see below:
"cooperative extension" new york

But, substitute your state for "new york". In the search results, you
should see links to sites that probably will end in .edu. Poke around in
those results, find a phone number, and call your CE service for some
advice. They will most certainly tell you to have soil tests done from
various locations in your yard. And, I'll bet you a year's salary that
they will NOT go along with your massive peat moss debacle.



When I mow my yard I collect the cutting and put the clippings in my garden,
down the isles and around all plants. My garden looks like it has a green
carpet in it. I do this each time I cut grass. It keeps the ground moist
and warm in the early Spring and through out the season. After everything is
harvested at the end of the season I still put clippings on and in the
Spring I deep till it all in. I have had good luck doing this for years and
the soil is a black humus. However, I DO NOT put the clippings on the
garden if I had recently sprayed for weeds, dandelions, etc. I wait a week
or so and after a rain or heavy watering to continue spreading the
clippings. I think it is a waste to always mulch or bag the clippings for
the waste hauler. For one thing it is doesn't cost anything and why waste
money on peat moss? I would only use it for planting trees and shrubs. I
live in Illinois. My 2 cents worth.

"Dave" wrote in message
news:ZHaZf.669139$084.289026@attbi_s22...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.


You obviously didn't have a question. You had a bad idea and you wanted
other people to agree with it. That's not happening, so maybe you're one
of those people who only recognizes certain sources of knowledge. You
know - a badge, a college degree, but certainly not answers from people
who may have 30+ years of gardening experience.

So, I have an idea. Go to Google and do a web search. Copy & paste the
exact line you see below:
"cooperative extension" new york

But, substitute your state for "new york". In the search results, you
should see links to sites that probably will end in .edu. Poke around in
those results, find a phone number, and call your CE service for some
advice. They will most certainly tell you to have soil tests done from
various locations in your yard. And, I'll bet you a year's salary that
they will NOT go along with your massive peat moss debacle.



When I mow my yard I collect the cutting and put the clippings in my
garden, down the isles and around all plants. My garden looks like it has
a green carpet in it. I do this each time I cut grass. It keeps the ground
moist and warm in the early Spring and through out the season. After
everything is harvested at the end of the season I still put clippings on
and in the Spring I deep till it all in. I have had good luck doing this
for years and the soil is a black humus. However, I DO NOT put the
clippings on the garden if I had recently sprayed for weeds, dandelions,
etc. I wait a week or so and after a rain or heavy watering to continue
spreading the clippings. I think it is a waste to always mulch or bag the
clippings for the waste hauler. For one thing it is doesn't cost anything
and why waste money on peat moss? I would only use it for planting trees
and shrubs. I live in Illinois. My 2 cents worth.


Hopefully, you don't use your clippings around edible crops.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote in message
news:ZHaZf.669139$084.289026@attbi_s22...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.


You obviously didn't have a question. You had a bad idea and you wanted
other people to agree with it. That's not happening, so maybe you're one
of those people who only recognizes certain sources of knowledge. You
know - a badge, a college degree, but certainly not answers from people
who may have 30+ years of gardening experience.

So, I have an idea. Go to Google and do a web search. Copy & paste the
exact line you see below:
"cooperative extension" new york

But, substitute your state for "new york". In the search results, you
should see links to sites that probably will end in .edu. Poke around in
those results, find a phone number, and call your CE service for some
advice. They will most certainly tell you to have soil tests done from
various locations in your yard. And, I'll bet you a year's salary that
they will NOT go along with your massive peat moss debacle.



When I mow my yard I collect the cutting and put the clippings in my
garden, down the isles and around all plants. My garden looks like it has
a green carpet in it. I do this each time I cut grass. It keeps the
ground moist and warm in the early Spring and through out the season.
After everything is harvested at the end of the season I still put
clippings on and in the Spring I deep till it all in. I have had good
luck doing this for years and the soil is a black humus. However, I DO
NOT put the clippings on the garden if I had recently sprayed for weeds,
dandelions, etc. I wait a week or so and after a rain or heavy watering
to continue spreading the clippings. I think it is a waste to always
mulch or bag the clippings for the waste hauler. For one thing it is
doesn't cost anything and why waste money on peat moss? I would only use
it for planting trees and shrubs. I live in Illinois. My 2 cents worth.


Hopefully, you don't use your clippings around edible crops.

Yes I do. I've been doing it for years and I'm still living.

"Dave" wrote in message
news:EBcZf.911123$xm3.772808@attbi_s21...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote in message
news:ZHaZf.669139$084.289026@attbi_s22...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.


You obviously didn't have a question. You had a bad idea and you wanted
other people to agree with it. That's not happening, so maybe you're
one of those people who only recognizes certain sources of knowledge.
You know - a badge, a college degree, but certainly not answers from
people who may have 30+ years of gardening experience.

So, I have an idea. Go to Google and do a web search. Copy & paste the
exact line you see below:
"cooperative extension" new york

But, substitute your state for "new york". In the search results, you
should see links to sites that probably will end in .edu. Poke around
in those results, find a phone number, and call your CE service for
some advice. They will most certainly tell you to have soil tests done
from various locations in your yard. And, I'll bet you a year's salary
that they will NOT go along with your massive peat moss debacle.



When I mow my yard I collect the cutting and put the clippings in my
garden, down the isles and around all plants. My garden looks like it
has a green carpet in it. I do this each time I cut grass. It keeps the
ground moist and warm in the early Spring and through out the season.
After everything is harvested at the end of the season I still put
clippings on and in the Spring I deep till it all in. I have had good
luck doing this for years and the soil is a black humus. However, I DO
NOT put the clippings on the garden if I had recently sprayed for weeds,
dandelions, etc. I wait a week or so and after a rain or heavy watering
to continue spreading the clippings. I think it is a waste to always
mulch or bag the clippings for the waste hauler. For one thing it is
doesn't cost anything and why waste money on peat moss? I would only use
it for planting trees and shrubs. I live in Illinois. My 2 cents
worth.


Hopefully, you don't use your clippings around edible crops.

Yes I do. I've been doing it for years and I'm still living.

Don't do it to your kids.

On Tue, 04 Apr 2006 19:18:12 -0500, Mama Bear wrote:
Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower to shred
peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over your lawn after
putting down grass seed, then you water and it helps keep the
moisture in and start the seed so it doesn't dry out.

Sounds like you're talking about some variant of hydroseeding/hydromulching.
The smallest, lightest duty unit I've ever seen was about $3-4K, if I recall
correctly. Big ones, self-propelled, I believe are in the $100K+ range.
And chopped straw, sometimes with a tackifier, is typically used.
Sphagnum's a pretty primo product for such a use.

If you really want to go this route, I'd look for a big landscaping company
of the type hired to seed golf courses or estates or highway cuts.

Personally, I've started a lot of lawns over the years with nothing more
than scattering seed by hand over worked up soil, raking and treading it
in, and adding a topping of compost or mulch if I've got it handy. Watering
is the big key to the project, which is why I tend to renovate lawn
in the fall, just before the rains start.

Kay

--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

With new construction and no grass at all, some landscapers have a truck
that blows a green slurry over the intended lawn area. I don't know
what all is in the slurry, but I believe it includes a starter
fertilizer, some fast growing ryegrass seed, a slower growing better
grass seed, and plenty of green dye. The idea is you get an instant
lawn, first consisting of the green dye, replaced by the rye grass,
which in turn is replaced by the better grass. The sprayer they use is
quite large, and I have never looked for nor seen one for sale, and I
would think it would be wasteful for a homeowner to purchase such a
large machine for a single use. If you want this done, contact a
landscaper, but I would think a good landscaper would use the more
traditional method of checking, smoothing, and rolling the soil, sowing
the seed, raking it in, putting some kind of protective covering over
it, and watering frequently until the lawn is established.
Incidentally, installing a sprinkler system before doing this is an
excellent idea, as you can set it to keep the soil moist during germination.

The protective covering is to keep the birds from eating your seed.
When I do a small area, I cover it with the plastic equivalent of
cheesecloth; it lets in the light and water and air, but keeps the birds
at bay. For a larger area, I buy some straw and strew it over the area,
it doesn't protect from the birds as well, but gives generally good
results, and you don't even have to pick it up; the grass will grow
through it, and it will eventually decompose. Note that I said straw,
not hay. Hay is full of seeds and you don't want that unless you are
starting a hayfield.

Mama Bear wrote:
Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower to shred
peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over your lawn after
putting down grass seed, then you water and it helps keep the
moisture in and start the seed so it doesn't dry out.

What do they call the blower that can do that and what do they
usually cost?

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Dave" wrote in message
news:EBcZf.911123$xm3.772808@attbi_s21...
Hopefully, you don't use your clippings around edible crops.

Yes I do. I've been doing it for years and I'm still living.

Don't do it to your kids.

Chop them up and spread the clippings around the edible crops?