Hello Andy,

Thanks for the response,diluted molasses; how diluted do you mix the molasses? Also, to spray, do use just a regular garden type sprayer that is manually pumped?
Do you by chance know the amount to apply per 1000 square foot? Or a good guess?
I do use a lawn tractor,could your mixture be applied without me doing the dragging a spring dethatcher behind?
Where did you get the spring dethatcher?
Thanks Again,
walt1

Walt:

Some of your questions I can answer, and some I'll have to guess at. Luckily, the lawn soil ones are the ones I'm sure about.

You want to use about 3 ounces of molasses per 1000 sq ft. Don't go overboard - more than that is not good - you'll get the microbes into a feeding frenzy, and believe it or not, they'll tie up the nitrogen for awhile. You want to support them, not make them go crazy. Do it about once a month when the soil is above 55 degrees. The amount of dilution does not matter much - mix it with a couple of gallons or 50 gallons. Just remember 3 oz per 1000 sq ft. Some people say sugar works too, but I've never seen a good formula that someone I trust says doesn't overdo it. Google it - maybe you'll find formula for sugar. Do the hose-end sprayer to spread it.

No, you don't need to mechanically dethatch for it to work. It will just take longer.

I don't remember where I got the spring dethatcher. Either Sears or one of the big-boxes, I'm sure. It's just a platform to hold some wires that "spring" occasionally to throw the thatch clear. Nothing fancy, but it works and isn't all that expensive. I thatch in one run, and then mow and pick up the thatch in a second pass (it's the only time I use those buckets to haul away the clippings).

I hope I didn't give you the idea that this is a "one-week wonder" - it's not. But if you do it, you'll be smiling a year from now (or at least not spending your time writing about thatch).

Thanks so much Andy,

I appreciate all your help; I'm going to do the molasses treatment as you suggested.I've done de-thatching in the past manually but am older now and don't have the indurance and strength I had then.

Sounds like the answer I needed--a easier way to accomplish and achieve the same results--actually a better method with providing the needed beneficial organisms.

Walt1

Hello Andy,
ItÂs me againÂjust a couple of things if I might ask?

I applied Molasses on the 14th and 15th after mowing, I set the hose end sprayer on 3 ouncesÂbut it seemed to be unusally slow coming out. What have you noticed in your sprayer? I contacted the manufacturer about the Dial-n-Sprayer (Made by Ortho),the lady there said at 45 psi the sprayer put out 2.1 gals a minute, which is confusing when the dial is set on 3 ounces per gallon? ?I guess?? Any way I know this is not "Rocket Science"!! What is your take on the hose end sprayers?

You mentioned that too much molasses would tie up the nitrogen; what would I observe if this was to happen? I am in the process of fertilizing now, with one application applied and another due at end of October, plus one last application around the first of December.
ItÂs possible with the weather here that I may be able to put down another dose of molasses in the middle of November, if temperatures remain above 55 degrees, as you say.

Thanks again for all your help and patients!
Walt1

It's probably that the molasses is too thick to be drawn up into the actual sprayer. Mix it 50/50 with water and see if it doesn't improve. Let's see, an acre is about 43,000 sq ft. At 3oz/1000, you'll need a gallon of molasses. If it's 50/50 water that's 2 gallons of "diluted concentrate" to cover an acre.

I don't know what it would look like if the Nitrogen got tied up - it hasn't happened to me.

Andy,

Thanks again for all your help!
Walt1