[b][/b]I am searching for an amendment to my yard which I hope to turn from dirt to green grass. Right now the seed is taking very slowly and the grass is very patchy. Sand, clay, and rocks seem to be the only thing sprouting in the bare places. I'm looking for a good starter organic chemical to establish my new lawn. My son loves to eat dirt still so I need something safe.

welcome to our board. it's sounds like you're new to the OG (organic gardening) way. we don't have any "organic chemicals". we use mother natures way & guidence to learn how best to ensure the health of our plants. it's always best if you can work the soil B4 you plant. the soil has living organisms that take the nutrients from the soil & "hand them" to you plants in a form the plants can use.

if your soil has been killed by chems (the micro-organisms that is) then you will have porblems. you'll have to replace the (micro-orgnsm) herd to have a healthy soil that can keep your grass healthy. that means putting decomposed organic matter rich in microbes. i'm sure that capt'n compost w/ be along anytime now to give you the best way of doing that. he does compost teas 'n stuff. it sounds kinda strange when you 1st hear about it. but.... listen closly to him. your exact needs are what he does very well. he's the microbe king & his teas are like the nutrient augar that is used in labs to grow these guys.
good luck w/ your grass. i hope that you can stay w/ us & use the info available here. your children w/be much safer playing in a chem free zone/yard. remember... the rate of cancer has risen in direct proportion to the rise in the use of ag-chems in our society. your children are more sensitive than you are, and childhood cancers are now out-of-hand.

A company called Gardens Alive has many organic, natural products that help with lawns. They have a web site and a paper catalog.

Think how much better you'll feel when your child is no longer exposed to poisons and chemicals! Especially if he's still putting things in his mouth. Congratulations on exploring the organic way of gardening! I've been doing it for 36 years and have bumper crops of fruits and vegetables and a showcase flower garden. We don't need any of those pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.

Yes, I have been thinking about using the tea method. I've been organic gardening and product using for awhile but just don't quite have the lingo down yet. Thank you for the reply and hopefully I'll find something that'll work. Been looking through Gardens Alive and haven't found anything for newly planted grass, yet. The peat moss I added didn't help so well. Have been getting lots of rain that's washed away the evenly dispersed peat moss that's been sitting for a week. Now, it's down on the slope. Hopefully the captain will respond soon.

Thank you for your reply. I'm waiting until fall to seed again. I think it's just been too hot and I can't keep the seed moist to germinate.

If you will look up the topic "Hey, Captain Compost" in Over the Fence, you will find out much information about the compost tea method. Very helpful!