AG-USA



Conquer Nature By Cooperating With It
 

Pet Safe Lawn Fertilizer 

Complete Organic Lawn Fertilization Program

Chemical fertilizers can make your pet very ill

Pets can pick up fertilizer chemicals in their hair and on their feet, and when they clean their coat or feet, they can ingest them.  When pets chew on grass, they may ingest fertilizer.  By rolling in the grass, pets can absorb chemicals right through their skin.  To avoid all of these problems, it is best to use a pet safe lawn fertilizer.  Besides, organic fertilizers improve the natural resistance of the grass towards pests and insects. 

Common items for pet safe lawn fertilizer

The following are harmless for your pet, and help grow grass naturally.  Composted manure (available at Lowe’s or Home Depot), peat compost, fish emulsion, kelp, blood and bone meal and worm castings.   

If you prefer, you can make your own compost.  A container for making compost, along with instructions, may be purchased at a garden supply store, or you may just make a compost pile.  Items that can be composted are garden greens, weeds, left over food, Gypsum or Lime, fruit and vegetable peels, egg shells, straw, dried leaves, and wood chips.  Mix in a little dirt to introduce soil bacteria, and let compost. 

Once your biodegradable material is fully composted, it will look like black dirt.  (Gypson and Lime aid in the composting process by reducing nitrogen losses, which reduces unpleasant odors.  Blend 1 pound with each wheel barrow load.) Where pets are concerned, the following items are toxic for your pet and should not be added to your compost::  Coffee, moldy food, coffee grounds, avocado, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, yeast dough, onions, garlic, and chives. 

The following four items are excellent for
 pet safe lawn fertilizer

·         Grass recycling is a great way to return nutrients to your lawn.  Just mow regularly, preferably with a mulching blade on your mower, and grass clippings will quickly decompose and release nutrients to fertilize the lawn.  Studies done by the University of Florida show that grass clippings contain around 3% nitrogen.  One hundred pounds of dry grass clippings contain about the same amount of nitrogen as a 50-pound bag of 6-6-6 fertilizer.  Grass clippings return nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron and manganese to the soil.  Not only do grass clippings not contribute to thatch buildup, they contain sugars which stimulate microbes to decompose thatch.

·         Calcium is the single most important mineral needed for plant and soil nutrition.  When calcium is flowing in your soil, everything is flowing.  If your soil pH is low (as found in the Southeast USA), then apply Calcium Carbonate.  Good sources are egg shells (dry, then pulverize in a blender), oyster shell powder, or limestone (also known as “lime”). Hard clay soils generally contain too much magnesium.  If your soil is low in pH and is clay, you will want to request "High Cal. Lime", as it is lower in magnesium, and will help to loosen up your soil.

           If your soil pH is high (as found in the Midwest), apply calcium sulfate, also known as Gypsum.  Calcium Carbonate and Calcium Sulfate are both natural products and considered safe for pets.  A typical application of calcium is three to six 50 lb. bags per 2,400 sq. ft. each spring and fall.  You can have your soil tested to find out the actual amount of calcium your soil needs.  Once you spread Calcium on your lawn it is best to water it in (or apply it before a rain).  This will begin to dissolve it and make the nutrients available to your grass.

·         Having said that, the better way to correct soil problems is with GroPal Balance. GPB releases tied up nutrients and makes them available to the plant. It also highly structures the soil.

To apply GroPal Balance, use a conventional sprayer, a hand sprayer, a watering can, a back pack sprayer, a hose end sprayer, or run it through an irrigation or fertigation system.  If you use a hose end sprayer, set the dial to 2 ounces per gallon of water.
 

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