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Spring Earth Compost FAQ
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We at Spring Earth want to help you address your gardening challenges in a way that benefits you, your family, and our environment. Here are some questions and answers frequently asked about Spring Earth Compost:
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How can I reduce or eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers on my lawn and garden?
Why is the use of chemical fertilizers harmful to the environment?
What are the benefits of using Spring Earth Soil Enhancer on lawns and gardens?
How is Spring Earth Compost working to help Virginia's environment?
What is compost?
What are some uses for Spring Earth Compost?
How do I use Spring Earth Compost to improve my flower and vegetable gardens?
How do I apply Spring Earth to improve the appearance and health of my lawn?
How do I use Spring Earth with my potted plants?
How do I use Spring Earth to promote the growth of bulbs?
How do I use Spring Earth to enhance the health and growth of my shrubs and trees?
How do I buy compost to topdress my entire lawn?
How do I order Spring Earth Compost?
How can I reduce or eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers on my lawn and garden?
We asked this question ourselves, and this led to the birth of Spring Earth Compost. Spring Earth's nutrients are easily assimilated into soil, where they become available for absorption by your lawn, garden, and landscape shrubs.
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Why is the use of chemical fertilizers harmful to the environment?
Chemical fertilizers wash off your lawn and garden during rainstorms and find their way into streams, rivers, and estuaries. Once in the waterways, chemical fertilizers promote algae blooms that rob the waters of oxygen, resulting in the demise of fish and other aquatic life. By using Spring Earth and reducing the chemical pollutant load on the environment, you do your part to help our fragile ecosystem continue to provide, nurture, and sustain life.
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What are the benefits of using Spring Earth Soil Enhancer on lawns and gardens?
(1)Part of a natural, organic approach to lawn and garden care
(2) Reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer used
(3) Increases soil aeration; adds nutrients, beneficial micro-organisms, and organic matter to soil
(4) Non-burning - no matter how dry it gets (apply when temperatures are typically below 75 F)
(5) Improves drought resistance
(6) Improved disease resistance of turf. Some types of fungus are prevented by topdressing with organic compost.
(7) Reduce pollution of our rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay. By reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer you use, you will help to improve the condition of our rivers and tributaries flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
(8) A portion of the proceeds of the sale of each bag of Spring Earth Compost Soil Enhancer will be contributed by Spring Earth to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Please visit www.alliancechesbay.org for more information.
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How is Spring Earth Compost working to help Virginia's environment?
In addition to offering an alternative to the use of chemical fertilizers, Spring Earth takes an active interest in furthering the health of Virginia's water resources, especially the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is subjected to all of the pollutants that wash into Virginia's rivers and streams, placing a severe strain on the aquatic life in the Bay. To address this problem, Spring Earth has partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. A portion of the proceeds from every bag of Spring Earth Compost sold will be donated to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, to further their efforts in improving the health and vitality of the Chesapeake Bay. A link to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay may be found by clicking "Helpful Links".
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What is compost?
Compost is plant material that has been naturally decomposed, and may be spread on lawns, gardens, and flower beds to provide a rich source of available nutrients to your plants. Plant materials made into compost often include fruit & vegetable scraps, leaves, or grass clippings, just to name a few. Composting is the practice of "recycling" plant materials through a process of controlled decomposition that converts plant waste into a valuable product that provides gardeners, homeowners, and landscapers with a natural alternative to chemical-based fertilizers.
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What are some uses for Spring Earth Compost?
Spring Earth Compost may be used as a top-dressing for lawns, or a soil enhancer for gardens, flowers, and potted plants. For example, you may spread it on your lawn in place of using fertilizer. As it rains, Spring Earth's nutrients will soak into the soil, instead of "running off" as do chemical fertilizers. Or you may choose to work Spring Earth into your garden soil, improving its structure to enable this season's fruits and vegetables to be their very best. Spring Earth may also be spread around the base of trees and flowers in much the same way as you would spread bark or mulch. This offers a ready source of available nutrients, and slows the soil's loss of moisture during drought conditions.
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How do I use Spring Earth Compost to improve my flower and vegetable gardens?
Before planting, spread 1/2 to 1 inch of Spring Earth Soil Enhancer on garden area. Don't be concerned about using too much; the more you use, the better your flowers and vegetables will grow. Till or spade in 4" to 6" deep. Top-dress existing perennial beds with 1" of Spring Earth. Each bag will cover 15 to 30 square feet (up to an area of 6 ft. by 5 ft.).
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How do I apply Spring Earth to improve the appearance and health of my lawn?
For existing lawns, add a 1/2" thick topdressing of Spring Earth Soil Enhancer on the lawn. Each bag will cover a 30 square-foot area (6ft X 5ft). If you prefer a lighter topdressing of 1/4" thick, then each bag will cover approximately 60 square feet (6ft X 10ft). Apply Spring Earth in small piles and rake into lawn with a stiff lawn rake. Try both sides of the rake to see which side works best on your lawn. For lawn renovations and trouble spots, work in a 1" topdressing of Spring Earth. Work compost into ground with a stiff lawn rake. Seed per the seed manufacturer's instructions. Topdress your lawn in spring, again in late summer (September), and again after leaves are raked up (November/December).
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How do I use Spring Earth with my potted plants?
Use one part Spring Earth with three parts potting soil when repotting. For pots which do not need replanting, add a 1" topdressing of Spring Earth in the spring, summer, or fall.
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How do I use Spring Earth to promote the growth of bulbs?
When doing a new planting, use one part Spring Earth mixed with three parts of soil as a backfill. For plants already in the ground, add a 1" top dressing of Spring Earth.
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How do I use Spring Earth to enhance the health and growth of my shrubs and trees?
When doing a new planting, use one part Spring Earth mixed with three parts of soil as a backfill. For plants already in the ground, add a 1" topdressing each spring and fall under the plant leaves in the area defined as the drip line.
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How do I buy compost to topdress my entire lawn?
If you currently fertilize your yard by yourself, you probably know how may bags you use to cover your lawn. If your lawn is 5,000 square feet, you will need about 2 to 2 1/2 yards of bulk compost to topdress your lawn. Larger lawns will require proportionally more. If you topdress your turf with Spring Earth Compost Soil Enhancer in mid- to late-September, you can skip one to two fall fertilizer applications. Results vary depending upon your soil and weather conditions. When buying bags of Spring Earth Compost Soil Enhancer to topdress your lawn, figure on approximately one bag per 60 square feet.
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How do I order Spring Earth Compost?
For cost estimates, please call Spring Earth at (804)419-1965 (ask for Melissa) or (804)419-1964. On each pallet there are 60 bags of Spring Earth Compost; each bag weighs 40 lbs. Shipping prices depend upon shipping distance from bagging facility.
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