"Snooze" wrote in message
. com...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Dave" wrote in message
news:EBcZf.911123$xm3.772808@attbi_s21...
Hopefully, you don't use your clippings around edible crops.

Yes I do. I've been doing it for years and I'm still living.

Don't do it to your kids.

Chop them up and spread the clippings around the edible crops?


The clippings are good, except that he said he uses a few lawn chemicals on
his grass, and at some point afterward, the clippings end up spread around
his vegetables. Since none of the chemicals sold for lawn care have been, or
ever will be proven safe, this is risky.

Mama Bear wrote:
Mama Bear wrote:
Can someone please answer my original question, without going
off on tangents like this? Thanks.

Why do you think anyone knows where you can get a blower
shredder that will do that? If none of us thinks it's a good
idea, why would we have ever shopped for one? You're not
getting a straight answer because your original message
implied that you weren't interested in whether the idea
worked, but just on how to carry-out the idea even if it is a
dumb idea. You came here with your mind made up.

As Doug noted, the shredded peat moss is going to very quickly
dry-out. It's either going to just blow away, or it's going to
wick-away water that otherwise could be going to good use.
Think about it. Just how would loose peat moss help do
anything useful? It's a horrible waste of a natural resource
that's being depleted fast enough. As gardeners, even armature
gardeners, we should be stewards of the Earth. Wasting peat
moss on some scheme that has no benefit is not a good idea.
And using a power tool of some sort -- possibly even a
gas-powered tool -- is even worse.

Aw jeez, I had to get into a nest of environazis too!

Not supposed to use water to grow my grass or power tools? I
suppose I should abandon all modern things and move back to the
caves.

In an earlier message you said, "I've been told it can work."
Well, now you've been told that it doesn't work more than
once. I guess if you're prone to go off and do things -- along
with spending money to buy stuff to do those things -- without
any research just because you've "been told it can work", this
should be more than enough to change your mind.

It's a dumb idea. But if you really still want to go ahead and
do it, then you'll just have to do your own shopping. I know
I've got better things to do than shop for you.

You apparently don't even believe in modern technology or having
a lawn. Jeez.


And what you've gotten out of this is that we're saying it's not
environmentally sound? You have a big comprehension problem, don't you.

The point is that there is no benefit to shredding and blowing peat moss
on the lawn, but plenty of costs. It's a cost/benefit thing. Economics.

Once again, the peat moss will dry-out when shredded. Some of it will
blow away. What's left will wick water away from the soil and seed,
resulting in the opposite effect of what you apparently think it will
have.

But you apparently still want to go ahead with this foolish, pointless
plan. That's fine with me if it were just you wasting your time and
money. But you're harming my environment to no benefit of your own. So
not only is your plan pointless and costly, it harms the environment. So
you're not just wasting your own time and money, you're impacting the
rest of us, too. The economics of this are just totally upside-down.

Once more in case you missed it: Your plan is dumb. It wastes money. It
wastes resources. And, if anything, it's affect will be the opposite of
what you want.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

Power Lawncare Tools for Spring Clean-up:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Can someone please answer my original question, without going off
on tangents like this? Thanks.

Your original question was:
"Someone was telling me that they can use a shredder-blower to shred
peat moss and spray a think layer of it all over your lawn after
putting down grass seed, then you water and it helps keep the
moisture in and start the seed so it doesn't dry out."

"What do they call the blower that can do that and what do they
usually cost?"

No one seem sable to tell you what the blower is called, nor what they cost,
as no one has actually heard of this process being used to mulch grass seed.
Moreover, no one actually seems to think it will work and/or is worth
trying, myself included. Why do you not go back to the person who told you
this information and quiz them further?

rob


--

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Aw jeez, I had to get into a nest of environazis too!

Environazis? Is that defined as someone who's aware of something you
weren't?

As far as your plan, if it were a good idea, I would've heard of it sometime
since 1970, when I began gardening. And, I would've seen it being done by
landscapers. Sharper minds than yours would've arrived at the same idea
years ago. It has not happened.

If you need to know more about how to use peat moss go to the store and
actually read the information on one of the big bales. If it's accurately
written, it will tell you that peat moss needs to be worked into the soil to
at least 6-8 inches. If you're ready to do that on an 8000 sq ft lawn, knock
yourself out.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Snooze" wrote in message
. com...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Dave" wrote in message
news:EBcZf.911123$xm3.772808@attbi_s21...
Hopefully, you don't use your clippings around edible crops.
Yes I do. I've been doing it for years and I'm still living.
Don't do it to your kids.
Chop them up and spread the clippings around the edible crops?

The clippings are good, except that he said he uses a few lawn chemicals
on his grass, and at some point afterward, the clippings end up spread
around his vegetables. Since none of the chemicals sold for lawn care have
been, or ever will be proven safe, this is risky.

It was a bad attempt at a joke...chop up the kids, use them as
mulch...nevermind.
The joke failed so badly, cpr won't save it. Might as well print it out,
chop it and spread it among the plants.

"Snooze" wrote in message
news
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Snooze" wrote in message
. com...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Dave" wrote in message
news:EBcZf.911123$xm3.772808@attbi_s21...
Hopefully, you don't use your clippings around edible crops.
Yes I do. I've been doing it for years and I'm still living.
Don't do it to your kids.
Chop them up and spread the clippings around the edible crops?

The clippings are good, except that he said he uses a few lawn chemicals
on his grass, and at some point afterward, the clippings end up spread
around his vegetables. Since none of the chemicals sold for lawn care
have been, or ever will be proven safe, this is risky.

It was a bad attempt at a joke...chop up the kids, use them as
mulch...nevermind.
The joke failed so badly, cpr won't save it. Might as well print it out,
chop it and spread it among the plants.


Got it now.

I replied earlier, but I inadvertently sent it to only one person. Here it
is for the group.

The peat moss sounds like a fine idea to me, despite what some others have
speculated. I would go with a report from someone who has tried it long
before I'd go with the nay-sayers on this newsgroup who have not. Your
climate matters a lot of course. As to cost, that varies too; around here
peat moss is extremely cheap; it comes on a truck by the yard if you want
it.

I sympathize with the original poster, who asked a simple question and got
sermons in response, but never an answer. (No, I don't know either where
to buy such a blower.)

As added material, I will point out that using peat moss to start a lawn
implies that it will be kept moist. Moist peat moss won't blow anywhere,
and neither will it wick water from the ground. As for wicking significant
water out of the ground, I know that peat pots do that if they are only
partly buried, but I think this is sufficiently different.

Added even later (From http://www.greengate.ca/lawns_sod/): "After seeding
apply a thin layer of peat moss over the entire area. This helps retain
moisture and holds the seed to ensure a quality product." So the idea is
not unknown.

The sarcastic tone of some posters here, who wrote from ignorance as if they
actually knew something about the topic, is not justified.


"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...
"Warren" wrote :

Mama Bear wrote:

Can someone please answer my original question, without going
off on tangents like this? Thanks.


Why do you think anyone knows where you can get a blower
shredder that will do that? If none of us thinks it's a good
idea, why would we have ever shopped for one? You're not
getting a straight answer because your original message
implied that you weren't interested in whether the idea
worked, but just on how to carry-out the idea even if it is a
dumb idea. You came here with your mind made up.

As Doug noted, the shredded peat moss is going to very quickly
dry-out. It's either going to just blow away, or it's going to
wick-away water that otherwise could be going to good use.
Think about it. Just how would loose peat moss help do
anything useful? It's a horrible waste of a natural resource
that's being depleted fast enough. As gardeners, even armature
gardeners, we should be stewards of the Earth. Wasting peat
moss on some scheme that has no benefit is not a good idea.
And using a power tool of some sort -- possibly even a
gas-powered tool -- is even worse.

Aw jeez, I had to get into a nest of environazis too!

Not supposed to use water to grow my grass or power tools? I
suppose I should abandon all modern things and move back to the
caves.

In an earlier message you said, "I've been told it can work."
Well, now you've been told that it doesn't work more than
once. I guess if you're prone to go off and do things -- along
with spending money to buy stuff to do those things -- without
any research just because you've "been told it can work", this
should be more than enough to change your mind.

It's a dumb idea. But if you really still want to go ahead and
do it, then you'll just have to do your own shopping. I know
I've got better things to do than shop for you.

You apparently don't even believe in modern technology or having
a lawn. Jeez.



--
- Mama Bear

"Andrew Ostrander" wrote in message
...
I replied earlier, but I inadvertently sent it to only one person. Here it
is for the group.

The peat moss sounds like a fine idea to me, despite what some others have
speculated. I would go with a report from someone who has tried it long
before I'd go with the nay-sayers on this newsgroup who have not. Your
climate matters a lot of course. As to cost, that varies too; around here
peat moss is extremely cheap; it comes on a truck by the yard if you want
it.

I sympathize with the original poster, who asked a simple question and
got
sermons in response, but never an answer. (No, I don't know either where
to buy such a blower.)

Nobody else knows where to buy one, either. Imagine trying to blow feathers
onto your lawn, or flour. That's what it would be like to try and blow peat
moss onto the lawn.



As added material, I will point out that using peat moss to start a lawn
implies that it will be kept moist. Moist peat moss won't blow anywhere,
and neither will it wick water from the ground. As for wicking
significant
water out of the ground, I know that peat pots do that if they are only
partly buried, but I think this is sufficiently different.

Added even later (From http://www.greengate.ca/lawns_sod/): "After
seeding
apply a thin layer of peat moss over the entire area. This helps retain
moisture and holds the seed to ensure a quality product." So the idea is
not unknown.

The sarcastic tone of some posters here, who wrote from ignorance as if
they
actually knew something about the topic, is not justified.

The responses became sarcastic when the OP decided she didn't like the
answers, and only wanted to hear "yes", when in fact, the answer is "no". If
you don't have an open mind when you ask questions, then don't ask.

Andrew Ostrander wrote:
The peat moss sounds like a fine idea to me, despite what some others
have
speculated. I would go with a report from someone who has tried it
long
before I'd go with the nay-sayers on this newsgroup who have not.
Your
climate matters a lot of course. As to cost, that varies too; around
here
peat moss is extremely cheap; it comes on a truck by the yard if you
want
it.

I sympathize with the original poster, who asked a simple question
and got
sermons in response, but never an answer. (No, I don't know either
where
to buy such a blower.)

As added material, I will point out that using peat moss to start a
lawn
implies that it will be kept moist. Moist peat moss won't blow
anywhere,
and neither will it wick water from the ground. As for wicking
significant
water out of the ground, I know that peat pots do that if they are
only
partly buried, but I think this is sufficiently different.

I take it that you haven't tried this, either, so your word carries no
more weight than anyone else here. (Actually less, since you haven't
built any credibility yet.)

So why do you think that peat pots partially burried wick water out of
the ground?

It's because the peat is exposed to the air. Then the peat touching the
ground wicks water away to replace what is being dried out by the air.
Spreading peat on top of the ground will have the same effect. Peat, in
order to retain moisture, cannot be exposed to the air. Peat exposed to
air will dry out, and will then grab any moisuture it can. The peat pot
partially exposed is very much the same as shredded peat laying on the
surface in this regard.

Also, if you shred peat, and let it dry out, it will be very light. So
yes, some of it will blow away.


Added even later (From http://www.greengate.ca/lawns_sod/): "After
seeding
apply a thin layer of peat moss over the entire area. This helps
retain
moisture and holds the seed to ensure a quality product." So the idea
is
not unknown.

There are plenty of old wives tales out there. This one makes sense only
if the depth of your thinking goes one level. (Peat wants to hold water,
so it must hold water close to the seeds if I spread it on top of them.)
If one isn't capable of thinking one step further, then it makes sense
to them, and they'll be puzzeled at why they have to water so much more
than the guy who though ahead and didn't spread peat on top of soil.


The sarcastic tone of some posters here, who wrote from ignorance as
if they
actually knew something about the topic, is not justified.

Not only don't you know anything about peat, you don't know what sarcasm
is, either.

What do you think our motivation is? Our motivation is to stop someone
from doing something stupid and wasteful based on half-baked ideas.

Peat laying on top of soil will dry out. The only way it will not dry
out is if you water *more* than you would if it wasn't there.

If you really want to use peat to retain moisture, you need to work it
into the soil so it's not exposed to the air. You can't just shred it,
and blow it. Give it some real thought, and you'll see that this is not
a position of ignorance. Thinking the peat laying on top of the soil
does any good is a position of ignorance.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

Power Lawncare Tools for Spring Clean-up:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...932762-4657705

This entire time I thought you were going to use something like a
chipper/shredder to launch the peat moss everywhere. I had no idea you were
going to try and use a leaf blower to spread the stuff around.

Please, please, please, get someone to make a video of you using the leaf
blower.

For what it's worth, in the spring time, I just buy a few bags of composted
steer manure and spread that around with a rake.

Mama Bear wrote in
:

"Andrew Ostrander" wrote :
(No, I don't know
either where to buy such a blower.)

I've since found out that Toro makes shredder blowers for
around $80.

it's for shredding leaves for compost, not blowing peat moss
on the lawn. it would not do what you wanted. it would make
holes where the discharge chute is. we have a chipper/shredder
& use a tarp under the discharge chute.

As added material, I will point out that using peat moss
to start a lawn implies that it will be kept moist.

Exactly. We have a sprinkler system. Now maybe we don't
even need the peat moss, and we could just turn the
sprinklers on a few times a day to keep the soil moist. The
problem last year was that we didnt get the new sprinkler
system installed until the weather was already warm and the
weeds took over this new lot. we had to battle them. Now we
have about 50% grass after the battle of last year and want
to get 100% grass by this year.

you really should have done your seeding in the fall. grass
grows better when fall seeded. as you found last year, when
you spring seed you get a lot of weeds.
i would seed now with a blend of something fast growing (like
annual rye) & then reseed again in the fall with more
perennial turfgrasses for your area. just don't expect your
lawn to look great for another couple years.
8000 sq.ft. of lawn just sounds like way too much bother, but
that's me... and i have cute llama lawnmowers.
lee
--
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
1984-George Orwell

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote :

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Aw jeez, I had to get into a nest of environazis too!

Environazis? Is that defined as someone who's aware of
something you weren't?

No, someone who makes fluffy sounding statements like:

to good use. Think about it. Just how would loose peat moss
help do anything useful? ***It's a horrible waste of a
natural
resource*** that's being depleted fast enough. As gardeners,
even armature gardeners, ***we should be stewards of the
Earth.***
Wasting peat moss on some scheme that has no benefit is not
a good idea. ***And using a power tool of some sort --
possibly
even a gas-powered tool*** -- is even worse.

- Mama Bear


Well....sounds like he's read a few things that you haven't. Based on your
logic, nobody is allowed to have knowledge that you don't. That's weird! How
do you choose a doctor? Look for a little kid with a toy stethoscope?

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...


Anyway, screw the idea, the guy who originally suggested it may
have been off his rocker.

Why do you say that? Further conversations with this individual?

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...

http://www.greengate.ca/lawns_sod/
* After seeding apply a thin layer of peat moss over the
entire area. This helps retain moisture and holds the seed to
ensure a quality product.


That advice is incorrect.



I'd like to know how I can do something, not how I can't.
Crapping all over anything anyone wants to do, is not helpful. It
looks like usenet is a useless wasteland of frustrated hourly
workers who take out their frustrations by flaming anything that
anyone posts.

Thanks a hell of a lot.


If you want to know how to plant a new lawn, then that's the question you
should ask. You would've gotten plenty of positive and useful feedback. But,
you DID NOT ask that question. This is what I saw in your first post, with
regard to "blowing peat moss on lawn":

"I've been told it can work. But go ahead. What is it, and can it work?"

Are those your words?

"Mama Bear" wrote in message
...

Moist peat
moss won't blow anywhere, and neither will it wick water from
the ground.

That's what I was thinking.

As peat moss dries, it sometimes forms a crust which can be difficult for
seed to penetrate. This is why it's supposed to be mixed into the soil. I
have a question. Have you ever actually handled peat moss that's been broken
down from chunks into a powdery state? I mean....have you touched it with
your hands, especially when it's dry?



As for wicking significant water out of the
ground, I know that peat pots do that if they are only partly
buried, but I think this is sufficiently different.

Added even later (From http://www.greengate.ca/lawns_sod/):
"After seeding apply a thin layer of peat moss over the entire
area. This helps retain moisture and holds the seed to ensure
a quality product." So the idea is not unknown.

The sarcastic tone of some posters here, who wrote from
ignorance as if they actually knew something about the topic,
is not justified.

Ask a simple question on usenet and everyone is an expert, even
when they don't know what they're talking about.


I have another question. Two, actually. No...wait. Three.

1) Tell me how long I've been gardening and how many dozens of books I've
read on the subject.

2) How long have you been gardening and how many books you've read on the
subject.

3) You said "everyone is an expert". When you asked your original question,
did you want advice from someone who was NOT an expert? If so, why didn't
you ask anyone who knew what they were talking about to please refrain from
answering?