ABC Pest Lawn Dillo Dirt?

T

TheFied

2,500+ Posts
I have heard that these guys will spray on a layer of dillo dirt compost. Anyone use this? How much for ~0.2 acre lot? I can call them, we use them for chem-free spraying but seeing if people liked it.
 
I used them a few years ago. It was ok. Something like $350, which was about the same as the cost of buying the same amount of dirt in bags at HD and spreading it myself.

I didn't do much for the yard, but it was great for the trees.
 
So, I am better off just using some more Ladybug 824? I put some on in mid April and am about to put some more down in early July.
 
Compost has much greater benefits than you willl get from the fertilizer. If you put it down in April, you should not need any more (it won't hurt it, since you are using organic). For that size of lawn, you should be able to get about eight bags of good compost ($40-50) and spread it yourself. I have used dillo dirt and it worked very well; however, I would still recommend Revitalizer.
 
Link to the "revitalizer"?

Do I spread it by hand or can I use a fertilizing broadcaster? Or too clumpy?
 
Sorry, I don't have a link. It is made by Ladybug, just like the 8-2-4 you referenced. I spread it by hand. I typically do two or three applications a year and nothing else. It will fertilze and aerate your lawn.
 
link

I just read this. Cool stuff. I think that I am going to use it in early July. How many bags do I need for say 5000sqft lawn? I don't see it on there. Assuming healthy lawn (which it says to put down 1/2 in).
 
Do a little math area x depth = volume.

5000 sq ft x 1/24 ft = 208 cu ft. which is 139 bags of the stuff.

Hmm. Is my math right?
 
call eco depot or natural gardener and have the number of yards you need delivered and spread it yourself. its only about $25-$30 per yard, you'll save a ton of money that way over bags.

they should each have a calculator on their websites (or a link) that can help you figure out how much you need. i wouldn't use dillo dirt, it has some stuff in it that i wouldn't want spread on my lawn, and certainly not in my garden.

i compost/top dress every year in april and late september, followed by ladybug 8-2-4 two weeks later. i use natural gardener's terratonic once a quarter. this is my third year here with this plan. it was a very distressed yard when i moved in.

now its like ireland over here. i have to cut my st. augustine 5-6 times a month and its only june, and is a spectacular deep green.

keep everything totally organic, always, and it will pay off in the end. i did have abc aereate my yard this year, though, before i composted. it was very affordable. luckily it rained for 2-3 days before they came and rained again right after i top dressed.
 
how much was it for them to aerate your yard? Did they watch out for sprinkler lines/heads.
I've been doing the natural gardener way and its worked well so far, but I wouldn't mind aerating within the next year and wouldn't mind outsourcing if reasonable.
 
Aeration on the typical yard runs about $70, give or take, depending on who you have do it and if you have them do other things at the same time.

I had ABC do aeration a few years ago. They did a good job at avoiding the areas I marked off to avoid, but, even though they claim "core aeration", it looked like spike aeration to me -- lots of holes, but not a core to be found.
 
Gak, so how do you "spread" compost? Do you put it in a big wheel-barrell and use a shovel and then come by with a rake later? Should your grass be dark with mulch to the point you don't see but a little grass?

I have bermuda for the record and it is looking good. I used LadyBug 824 in mid April and just want to make sure it keeps going good. This lawn is only about 8 months old but doing well.
 
TheFied - The place you order it from will come and dump it at your house, then you'll distribute it throughout your yard, basically using the process that you described. I'd spread it to about 1/4"-1/2". You don't want to spread it too thick, or you could smother your grass. It is backbreaking work, so be prepared.
 
#3, no problem, i've gotten two of my neighbors to go organic too and they are also happy they did.

fied, you've got the idea. they show up in a dump truck, back into my driveway, and dump a huge pile onto it. in april i got six yards, and the pile was about as big as a large car.

shovel it into a wheelbarrow, and make piles all throughout the yard. then spread the piles with the back side of a rake so that the compost is evenly spread over the grass, i do it 1/2 thick. your yard will definitely look black if you are looking at it from the street, but definitely don’t completely cover up all the grass -- you should see the blades poking through for the most part, but it wouldn’t be unusual for there to be thick patches of black because it can get clumpy. just water in real good and it will soak in.

its a lot of work but it does make a difference.
 
Is this something that could be done at any time of the year, or should one wait until late fall or early spring?
 
a yard is a cubic yard -- 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft

calculating how much you need:

length (in feet) x width (in ft.) x depth (in inches, e.g. .5") / 324 = # of cubic yards needed

as to timing, early spring and/or in the fall is the optimal time to top dress (and I follow with organic fertilizer 2 weeks after), but i think you'd be just fine doing it now before it gets too hot, plus, june is a good time to fertilize. otherwise, i'd wait til the fall

the delivery charge is about $80, so I try to split a load with a neighbor to save on that charge. i think the bigger trucks can carry 10 yards.
 
You can do this anytime during the year. However, you will see the most visual benefits if you do it in early spring. Putting it down in the summer is great, because your lawn will better hold water. That may not be an issue this summer though.
 
What I'm thinking of doing is buying a few bags of the Revitalizer for my trees and flower garden. And then re-fertilizing with the 824.

I might do the compost in April next year. It sounds like a bit more work than I want to do right now (and I'm working my *** out there every weekend pulling weeds by hand and mowing) and might be better in spring too. It is a bit more expensive than I thought too but I do want to do something like that.
 
"What I'm thinking of doing is buying a few bags of the Revitalizer for my trees and flower garden. And then re-fertilizing with the 824. "

Just out of curiousity, why are you putting down more fertilizer? You really should need any now, if you did your late spring application. Another consideration would be to use compost tea. It is cheap and easy to apply. It gets the organisms into the lawn (does not provide the aeration and texture that compost does).

I
 
Jelly, on the Natural Gardener website they say that for the 824, it is good to put it on in early spring (ie, mid April), in early summer (ie, late June) and at the end of the summer/early fall (ie, around early October).
 
"The Fied had a brand-new lawn. The extra application will help it establish."

Since its a brand new lawn I would recommend a seaweed application rather than pushing the lawn with more fertilizer. This would help establish the roots and brace it for the summer heat. Of course I would still recommend compost over either of these, if possible.
 
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