Nuts are reputed to have a number of essential nutrients so the Pecan Meal would be a good soil amendment. However, with out good data it is not easy to come up with a program of how much and how often to apply this meal. Pecan meal could be a good nutrient source and if not very expensive a good soil amendment if the soil has an active Soil Food Web to digest that material.

Thanks for your help, kimmq. I'll go ahead and contact the pecan mill seller and ask my questions. If I buy the pecan mill, I'll experiment and likely will ask for opinions as I go along. I'm sure I need to apply 1/4 - 1/3 inch of compost to my lawn to ensure an active Soil Food Web. Will have to buy it and not sure how to ensure I'm getting compost that is rich in live organisms. Any advice on this?

There is compost and then there is "compost". Look for a source that is a member of the U.S. Composting Council.

kimmq is kimmsr

Your suggestion is very helpful. I was happy to find that the City of Raleigh, NC, where I live, produces compost that has the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance (STA). They list only one compost product for sale on their website (I’ll double-check to be sure the one I buy has the Seal). It sells for $3.00 per 35 gallon bag/can; $30.00 per 2.5 cubic foot load. That seems reasonable to me, especially since I have a small lawn.

I worried that the materials for the City of Raleigh’s compost would be gathered from so many diverse sources it could have heavy metals, pesticides, etc., but I read about the STA and compost with this seal has been tested for these. I assume this means the compost will not exceed some minimum level for undesirable components.

So, just to double-check, will the City of Raleigh’s compost with the US Composting Council’s STA have an active Soil Food Web?

While searching I also found a good video showing how to spread compost by hand (shovel and rake) on existing grass. This video also showed use of a compost roller spreader, which I hadn’t known about. I’m going to see whether one is available for rent in my area. If not, I can handle doing it by hand.

So, with your help, I feel more confident that I’m getting the right supplies and, with the video, that I will do speak the compost correctly.

Have a question about the order of doing things. I need to put down lime (have lots of dolomite lime given to me by a neighbor who moved; I tested the soil and know lime is needed), compost, and the pecan mill or other organic “fertilizer.” The lawn got a very light application of a traditional fertilizer a month ago. Can you tell me which I should do first, second, and third? And could I do them all in one day (ha!) or do I need to leave some time between the applications?

The most bestest time to apply lime was last fall, because it takes time for the lime to react and do what is expected of it. However, the next best time is now although you will not see results for several months. I would wait a couple of weeks after applying the lime before applying anything else although the Pecan Meal and compost may not react with the lime as a fertilizer may. A month after a fertilizer was applied should be enough time that there would be no reaction with the lime.

kimmq is kimmsr

kimmq, thanks so very much for your help.