# "Forget about fertilizing with Carbon"



## Mr McTurf (Jun 21, 2018)

This isn't a new article, but I don't remember having seen it posted.

https://www.asianturfgrass.com/2018-05-31-is-carbon-the-next-frontier-in-fertilization/


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## mesoed (Oct 28, 2019)

This makes no mention of stress management or other factors that humic, fulvic etc. can help with. IMHO, simply comparing it as something to promote growth is a hair short-sided as they do not provide any fertilizer value in and of themselves.


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## daniel3507 (Jul 31, 2018)

Interesting. I agree with @mesoed though. I don't expect carbon, humic, fulvic, etc to increase growth/yield. I do expect and hope that carbon along with other things helps with soil and root and overall turf health.


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## greengrass (Sep 9, 2018)

I would take a blog post that quotes a bunch of stuff with a grain of salt.


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

daniel3507 said:


> Interesting. I agree with @mesoed though. I don't expect carbon, humic, fulvic, etc to increase growth/yield. I do expect and hope that carbon along with other things helps with soil and root and overall turf health.


hope.....doesnt get it done.

I have tried Humic and run without it. i wont spend another dime on it.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

The title says it all...

Carbon is not a "fertilizer", in that it's not a macro (or even a micro nutrient by most definitions). People might believe that it is, from all the publicity it gets lately. Just like there are people who think that applying a compost topdressing once per year in the Spring is an organic alternative to fertilizing for the year. It really is not. These are people who haven't taken the time to understand the science of soil. These are often the same people who claim that fertilizing depletes the soil of nutrients. It seems this article (if you can call it that) is really targeting a (pardon the language) simple-folk subset of this hype-buying group...that is all. It's not targeted at you as someone who might use carbon for other reasons (soil health reasons).


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## Bigdrumnc (Mar 28, 2019)

I have been mixing my own for a while humic, kelp and molasses. I have been trying the n-ext products. I am still not sure what is better, but I firmly believe some form of adding kelp and humic acid to my lawn and gardens does help with drought stress!!!!!!!! I really believe these hybrid fertilizers are the wave of the future. Due to environmental concerns we will see the synthetic four step program go to the way side (environmental regulations).


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Bigdrumnc said:


> Due to environmental concerns we will see the synthetic four step program go to the way side (environmental regulations).


I think they'll stay; they'll be modified over time. The only steps with environmental issues are those that contain a weed and feed or an insect control.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Asianturfgrass is not just a random blogger on the internet. He is Dr. Micah Woods. He is the turf expert behind the MSLN. He also posted this cool video of a manual sod production of Zoysia.

His post is fairly light. He seems to address just feeding a lawn with carbon (carbon fertilizer) with npk as seperate application and not the homogeneous biochar with manure.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

What Micah Woods says is also to be taken into a certain context. You are not going to get dark green and thick grass following his program. His program is all about reducing material inputs while always testing, testing and testing the soil as well as leaf tissues. TLDR, it is about keeping the grass on the verge of starvation with the end point of minimizing generation of clippings. I agree with some of what Micah Woods preaches, where I part company is his discounting of soil pH and micronutrients. Grass CAN grow at extremes of pH and under low micronutrient conditions. What I have seen grass look like when made to grow under those conditions is not commercially acceptable and creates more work. I am also about reducing inputs. If I do something that creates more work in other areas, that is not acceptable.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

g-man said:


> Asianturfgrass is not just a random blogger on the internet. He is Dr. Micah Woods. He is the turf expert behind the MSLN. He also posted this cool video of a manual sod production of Zoysia.
> 
> His post is fairly light. He seems to address just feeding a lawn with carbon (carbon fertilizer) with npk as seperate application and not the homogeneous biochar with manure.


Good to know who the author is.

But I still say he is basically just trying to get uneducated people away from the hype, so they don't believe that things like biostimulants, Carbon, Compost, etc. are a substitute for fertilizers. A lot of uninformed "organic/green" people seem to think this.

Nowhere did the post say Carbon is not valuable for use in soil as an amendment. He's just saying, imho, that it's not a fertilizer and you shouldn't spend money on it as a priority, as it's not really important like fertilizer.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Micah Wood believes in supplying turf with what it needs, down to the milligram per square meter. No more no less. His definition of "need" is precisely what the grass needs to survive. It being green is secondary.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@Greendoc, good info. I may look up some of his other info. Not for my own lawn, but others in my family.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

He is the exact opposite of "throw er down" I agree with him on that. Excessive and unnecessary inputs are wasteful as well creating increased need for labor.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> He is the exact opposite of "throw er down" I agree with him on that. Excessive and unnecessary inputs are wasteful as well creating increased need for labor.


You should start a Ridgerunner-esque thread on your approach to fertility. I've seen you mention doing foliar apps in the area of .25lb N per month, you use FEature for color vs. excess N, etc. Or is there a particular "model" which you subscribe to that we could Google for additional information?


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