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I haven't heard of the compost tea before. I'm sure it's environmentally friendly (as is topdressing), but I don't know how easy it would be to sell my customers that service. Side benefit of topdressing is that it helps to even-out bumpy areas of the lawn. Also it's quantitative in the customer's eyes. They can see us putting down the topdressing and then overseeding. Not sure they'd go for the spraying tea as easily. Interesting idea nonetheless.
Myself and virtually all of the other licensed applicators around here no longer blanket spray for weeds. I use backpack sprayers. Pre-M for crabgrass is used, and can be applied in areas susceptible to infestation (eg. sunny areas near driveway/road) and then we'll spread fertilizer without Dimension in areas where crabgrass isn't a problem - like under shade trees.
Last season was pretty rainy most of the summer, so the turf did well here. The density of most lawns crowded out any crabgrass, and insect problems (grubs & chinch bugs) were few and far between. My standard program has always included treatment for crab & insects, but the organic one will not. Instead it'll be an add-on that we can apply if monitoring turf conditions warrants it.
I've been looking at topdressing spreaders trying to find one that would work for us. Our residentials are too small (1/4a or less mostly) to use a tow-behind type. I'd like to get a quality push-type that we can use. Then I'll have to come up with a topdressing mixture to put down. Peat moss/tri-mix/sand type mixture perhaps? Haven't had time yet to look into it in detail...too busy with the snow season.
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