Lawn Care Tips (1 Viewer)

[shuke]

Too late to treat the lawns to get rid of dandelions and crab grass?

You can still put a pre-emergent granule down and spray what's already there.

 

[Ned]

I've never put down a second weed n feed in the spring. What are y'all using and when? I'm assuming right around now, no?

 

[beer 302]

I've never put down a second weed n feed in the spring. What are y'all using and when? I'm assuming right around now, no?

I need to put something on the mass of clover taking over my yard, gonna give that Bayer stuff a whirl but this clover is superhuman. It laughs at Scotts and asks for seconds.

 

[Ned]

I've never put down a second weed n feed in the spring. What are y'all using and when? I'm assuming right around now, no?

I need to put something on the mass of clover taking over my yard, gonna give that Bayer stuff a whirl but this clover is superhuman. It laughs at Scotts and asks for seconds.

Bayer will give clover the smackdown in 1 application.

 

[beer 302]

I've never put down a second weed n feed in the spring. What are y'all using and when? I'm assuming right around now, no?

I need to put something on the mass of clover taking over my yard, gonna give that Bayer stuff a whirl but this clover is superhuman. It laughs at Scotts and asks for seconds.

Bayer will give clover the smackdown in 1 application.

I will document with time lapse photography

 

[Sheriff66]

 

[Sheriff66]

I have a property I just purchased, and the lawn is just a mess, I'm going to post some pictures and see what you guys think is the best course of action, I'm guessing the whole lawn needs re-done...

 

[Keerock]

I have a lawn with 1) a bunch of bare spots and 2) a bunch of weeds.

It seems I can't address both at the same time because the weed control will stunt/kill any new grass growth.

Any opinions/suggestions?

 

[The Commish]

I have a lawn with 1) a bunch of bare spots and 2) a bunch of weeds.

It seems I can't address both at the same time because the weed control will stunt/kill any new grass growth.

Any opinions/suggestions?

Address the weeds now and worry about the bare spots in the fall.

 

[Bull Dozier]

I have a lawn with 1) a bunch of bare spots and 2) a bunch of weeds.

It seems I can't address both at the same time because the weed control will stunt/kill any new grass growth.

Any opinions/suggestions?

Address the weeds now and worry about the bare spots in the fall.

I'm in the same boat. I'm right between two neighbors who both pay for a service, so with all the rain in the area they both have thick green lawns. Mine is half brown (bare spots) and half yellow (dandelions). White starring for more details.

 

[SteevieG]

I have a lawn with 1) a bunch of bare spots and 2) a bunch of weeds.

It seems I can't address both at the same time because the weed control will stunt/kill any new grass growth.

Any opinions/suggestions?

I think you should try aerating. I had a similar problem up until about 3 weeks ago. Then I had the lawn aerated, and put down some weed and feed and it's been raining like a mother here. The bare spots are filling in nicely and the lawn has really begun to thicken up.

Once the lawn is thick and healthy you should have very few weeds or at least a lot less.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

my yard is being attacked by Chickweed. easytopullout by hand but a big PITA

any tips

 

[rascal]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

 

[Brony]

Dumb question. My FIL gave me a thing of RoundUp that I can use. Can I use Round-up just like any other spot weed killer (eg. for the one-off dandelion) or is it only for mass destruction of a big area of weeds?

 

[NewlyRetired]

Dumb question. My FIL gave me a thing of RoundUp that I can use. Can I use Round-up just like any other spot weed killer (eg. for the one-off dandelion) or is it only for mass destruction of a big area of weeds?

Round Up is mass destruction. It does not differentiate weed from grass from plant. Any wind at all and you will wipe out areas you probably did not want to. Use on walkways, driveways, patios with care around edges. I would not spot treat my lawn with it.

 

[Da Guru]

I have a lawn with 1) a bunch of bare spots and 2) a bunch of weeds.

It seems I can't address both at the same time because the weed control will stunt/kill any new grass growth.

Any opinions/suggestions?

Address the weeds now and worry about the bare spots in the fall.

You can avoid seeded areas with your weed and feed. Just cover the bad spots with an old sheet or towel. Then scratch is some fresh soil and seed. The best time to start seeding is in mid-September though. I had some bad spots last year..cleaned them up good in the fall and applied fresh soil and Scotts seed. Lightly watered every day for a couple of week and in a month it grew full and thick. This spring you never knew I had any bare spots.

 

[Kanil]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I'd like to know the answer to these questions also. Thanks!

 

[The Commish]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I do mine in the fall...end of Sept or beginning of Oct. Then you buy a bag of fescue seed and apply it to the ground like you would fert.

 

[Billy Bats]

I have to remove a small bush where I plan on pouring some concrete. After removing the bush and roots, should I use any type of root/tree killer so I don't have anything growing under the concrete slab after I pour it? If so, what should I use? TIA.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I do mine in the fall...end of Sept or beginning of Oct. Then you buy a bag of fescue seed and apply it to the ground like you would fert.

This is what I am going to do this fall. I will add one more step in that I will also throw down some starter fertilizer. It won't hurt the mature grass but should help a bit the over seeding.

 

[SteevieG]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I'd like to know the answer to these questions also. Thanks!

I agree with the people who have fescue doing aeration and overseeding in the fall. If you overseed fescue now it will probably get too hot before it matures and burn the new grass.

I have bermuda, though, and since that is a full sun, warm weather grass early May was the best time for me, though I don't have to overseed. Bermuda spreads quickly and fills in when the roots have room to spread, which is one of the major aeration benefits.

 

[rascal]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I'd like to know the answer to these questions also. Thanks!

I agree with the people who have fescue doing aeration and overseeding in the fall. If you overseed fescue now it will probably get too hot before it matures and burn the new grass.

I have bermuda, though, and since that is a full sun, warm weather grass early May was the best time for me, though I don't have to overseed. Bermuda spreads quickly and fills in when the roots have room to spread, which is one of the major aeration benefits.

Turns out I was wrong....I have bermuda, but I have lots of trees so I will need to plant fescue around those areas in the fall.

What should I do about the bermuda?

 

[SteevieG]

Bermuda is tough to get out. You may have to kill it and plant fescue (seed or sod). There may be something that will selectively kill bermuda and not fescue, but I'm not aware of it.

 

[rascal]

Bermuda is tough to get out. You may have to kill it and plant fescue (seed or sod). There may be something that will selectively kill bermuda and not fescue, but I'm not aware of it.

I don't want to kill it. I live in Oklahoma and that's what is needed for our hot summers. I just need two types of grass due to the trees in my yard and some of the other shady areas where the bermuda has died off

 

[Al Czervik]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I'd like to know the answer to these questions also. Thanks!

I agree with the people who have fescue doing aeration and overseeding in the fall. If you overseed fescue now it will probably get too hot before it matures and burn the new grass.

I have bermuda, though, and since that is a full sun, warm weather grass early May was the best time for me, though I don't have to overseed. Bermuda spreads quickly and fills in when the roots have room to spread, which is one of the major aeration benefits.

Turns out I was wrong....I have bermuda, but I have lots of trees so I will need to plant fescue around those areas in the fall.

What should I do about the bermuda?

Another factor to consider regarding aerating now or in the fall... if you put down a crabgrass preventer, aerating will 'poke holes' in the protective pre-emergent herbicide barrier.

 

[lod01]

Bermuda is tough to get out. You may have to kill it and plant fescue (seed or sod). There may be something that will selectively kill bermuda and not fescue, but I'm not aware of it.

I don't want to kill it. I live in Oklahoma and that's what is needed for our hot summers. I just need two types of grass due to the trees in my yard and some of the other shady areas where the bermuda has died off

If Bermuda can grown there, I would think that zoysia can grow there. Zoysia can grow bettter in partial shade than Bermuda and holds up as well in heat as long as you get it established.

 

[rascal]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I'd like to know the answer to these questions also. Thanks!

I agree with the people who have fescue doing aeration and overseeding in the fall. If you overseed fescue now it will probably get too hot before it matures and burn the new grass.

I have bermuda, though, and since that is a full sun, warm weather grass early May was the best time for me, though I don't have to overseed. Bermuda spreads quickly and fills in when the roots have room to spread, which is one of the major aeration benefits.

Turns out I was wrong....I have bermuda, but I have lots of trees so I will need to plant fescue around those areas in the fall.

What should I do about the bermuda?

Another factor to consider regarding aerating now or in the fall... if you put down a crabgrass preventer, aerating will 'poke holes' in the protective pre-emergent herbicide barrier.

lol....I have a crabgrass problem as well, but not near on the same scale on the problem of having bare ground exposed. Hell, I'll take the crabgrass for now just to help control some of the erosion problems.

 

[Brony]

Dumb question. My FIL gave me a thing of RoundUp that I can use. Can I use Round-up just like any other spot weed killer (eg. for the one-off dandelion) or is it only for mass destruction of a big area of weeds?

Round Up is mass destruction. It does not differentiate weed from grass from plant. Any wind at all and you will wipe out areas you probably did not want to.Use on walkways, driveways, patios with care around edges. I would not spot treat my lawn with it.

good info. thanks!

 

[rascal]

Bermuda is tough to get out. You may have to kill it and plant fescue (seed or sod). There may be something that will selectively kill bermuda and not fescue, but I'm not aware of it.

I don't want to kill it. I live in Oklahoma and that's what is needed for our hot summers. I just need two types of grass due to the trees in my yard and some of the other shady areas where the bermuda has died off

If Bermuda can grown there, I would think that zoysia can grow there. Zoysia can grow bettter in partial shade than Bermuda and holds up as well in heat as long as you get it established.

It's not partial shade. I have several huge oak trees, a huge blue spruce, and several cedar trees the wife won't let me kill.

 

[Keerock]

How do I tell what kind of grass I currently have so I can match the overseed?

 

[The Commish]

How do I tell what kind of grass I currently have so I can match the overseed?

Take a pic and post....most likely up north, it's fescue or some sort of blue grass.

 

[shuke]

Two questions.... 1) when do you aerate 2) how do you overseed with fescue (when/what/how)

I'd like to know the answer to these questions also. Thanks!

You can pretty much aerate any time. I wouldn't do it after a long stretch with little rain because the ground may be too hard to pull good plugs.

I've overseeded a few times and honestly I think it is a scam. You're just throwing seed on top of a lawn, and a few of them may get in the aerated holes. I don't think it's worth the investment. I think next time I want to do something I'll probably rent a slit seeder that actually puts the seeds in the ground.

 

[Pick]

Appreciate the Bayers spray or whatever it was. Easy application and did the job.

Yard guy is coming next week. Gonna add some concrete to the side of the house for extra parking. Also, will have the storm drains trenched out so they have the rubber tubing that dumps the water away from the house underground. Whoever built the place should've done it but didn't. Oh well.

Anyway, also adding a drip system to the beds. Mostly bushes in there. Wanted to add some ground cover. Does that work with a drip system?

Also, recommends on ground cover?

 

[Keerock]

Also, recommends on ground cover?

Pachysandra and ivy grow like weeds and are very cool looking, IMO.

 

[Pick]

Also, recommends on ground cover?

Pachysandra and ivy grow like weeds and are very cool looking, IMO.

We have bark in there now. Does the bark need to be cleared out?

 

[Keerock]

Also, recommends on ground cover?

Pachysandra and ivy grow like weeds and are very cool looking, IMO.

We have bark in there now. Does the bark need to be cleared out?

Probably... it will give the plants a chance to thrive from the beginning.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Also, recommends on ground cover?

Pachysandra and ivy grow like weeds and are very cool looking, IMO.

We have bark in there now. Does the bark need to be cleared out?

Probably... it will give the plants a chance to thrive from the beginning.

One thing to kerp track of for ground cover is the location of your trees. Trying to rake leaves out of fully grown Pachysandra is extremely frustrating.

 

[Keerock]

Also, recommends on ground cover?

Pachysandra and ivy grow like weeds and are very cool looking, IMO.

We have bark in there now. Does the bark need to be cleared out?

Probably... it will give the plants a chance to thrive from the beginning.

One thing to kerp track of for ground cover is the location of your trees.Trying to rake leaves out of fully grown Pachysandra is extremely frustrating.

GB a strong leaf blower.

 

[Pick]

Trees are only 3-4 years old so now issues there for now.

 

[Pick]

I do think a leaf blower will be my next purchase. Works good for post-mowing and the raking stuff. Anyone tried to use it to sweep the garage?

 

[NewlyRetired]

I do think a leaf blower will be my next purchase. Works good for post-mowing and the raking stuff. Anyone tried to use it to sweep the garage?

I use it to blow out the garage every time I cut. It works great. I have one of the backpack ones and it is my favorite landscaping tool. It is so easy to use for long periods of time and very versatile getting into areas that are normally tough for a rake or a push blower.

 

[Sheriff66]

I do think a leaf blower will be my next purchase. Works good for post-mowing and the raking stuff. Anyone tried to use it to sweep the garage?

Use one everytime I cut, blow out the garage and driveway after I'm done cutting/trimming. You looking at gas or electric?

 

[rascal]

Also, recommends on ground cover?

Pachysandra and ivy grow like weeds and are very cool looking, IMO.

We have bark in there now. Does the bark need to be cleared out?

Probably... it will give the plants a chance to thrive from the beginning.

One thing to kerp track of for ground cover is the location of your trees.Trying to rake leaves out of fully grown Pachysandra is extremely frustrating.

eh....so under junipers probably isn't ideal. My yard is a mess.

Let's start with the front which faces south, which would be ideal, no? Well, I've got a large blackjack oak, a large juniper, and a smaller blackjack oak. The front portion of the house receives little sunlight during the summer, which helps with cooling obviously, but makes it damn near impossible to grow anything. My wife has tried numerous plants only to have them all die. Because of the shade, the grass in the front (near the house) is non-existant and is pretty much bare ground. The previous owner sucked, and as such the ground is hard as a rock. It does get some sun though, but minimal. Call this zone A.

The east side of the house has a line of smaller oaks, and combined with no raking of leaves due to the prior owner has resulted in no ground cover on that portion of the house and it's starting to erode at my foundation. It also receives minimal sunlight. Call this zone B.

The back yard is a half forest/half grass. I have a monster of a blackjack oak (one of the biggest in the area until a storm blew the top off), with a bunch of junipers and two smaller oaks around it. In that area there is literally zero ground cover and every time it rains it's a mud pit. There is little to no sunshine that gets thru during the summer. Call this zone C.

Also in the back yard I've got a blue spruce that looks like an older version of the Griswald family X-mas tree (I put lights on it last year, which my 4 year old loved) with nothing underneath it, predictably, and a cluster of three lodgepole pines with grass underneath those.

The grass in the backyard is doing great in some parts, but really struggling in others. It looks like brown spotting disease, but I have no idea what do for it (bermuda grass). I want to seed those areas, but I'm afraid that whatever killed the grass there will prevent it from growing. Call this zone D.

My plan for zone A and B, is to till this fall putting in a bunch of manure/lime (Oklahoma clay), and put down fescue sod from the local nursery. It's special blend that they have grown and per the manager will be fine only receiving 1-2 hrs of sunlight a day. I have my doubts, but we shall see.

I have no idea what to do with zone C and unsure on zone D. Just to put into perspective, I had 40 bags of mulched leaves in my back yard due to the number of trees and lack of raking by the previous owner. In some areas it was over 6" deep.

Thoughts?

 

[The Commish]

Gonna need to invest in a new leaf blower....I have an electric, but just moved into a house with over half an acre and a TON of oak trees. I'm not dragging a cord all over this yard. I have Stihl edger and trimmer...thinking of getting a blower too. Anyone have suggestions for or experience with anything other than Stihl??

 

[NewlyRetired]

Gonna need to invest in a new leaf blower....I have an electric, but just moved into a house with over half an acre and a TON of oak trees. I'm not dragging a cord all over this yard. I have Stihl edger and trimmer...thinking of getting a blower too. Anyone have suggestions for or experience with anything other than Stihl??

I purchased an Echo a few years ago from Home Depot and it has worked great.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100666172?productId=100666172&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=100666172&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-100666172&ci_gpa=pla#.UbtuNpwQOQY

 

[Pick]

I do think a leaf blower will be my next purchase. Works good for post-mowing and the raking stuff. Anyone tried to use it to sweep the garage?

Use one everytime I cut, blow out the garage and driveway after I'm done cutting/trimming. You looking at gas or electric?

I would think gas is the best option.

 

[The Commish]

Gonna need to invest in a new leaf blower....I have an electric, but just moved into a house with over half an acre and a TON of oak trees. I'm not dragging a cord all over this yard. I have Stihl edger and trimmer...thinking of getting a blower too. Anyone have suggestions for or experience with anything other than Stihl??

I purchased an Echo a few years ago from Home Depot and it has worked great.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100666172?productId=100666172&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=100666172&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-100666172&ci_gpa=pla#.UbtuNpwQOQY

I've thought about one of these also. Just wondering what size I need. I have probably two dozen oak trees that are AT LEAST 100 years old in my yard. I can't imagine what the leaf piles are going to be like, but I'm certain my kids will have a blast in them.

 

[Brony]

With all the rain we've gotten in Chicago, my lawn is the best it's ever looked and that's not saying much. Good watering makes everything look good and is easy.

 

[The Commish]

I do think a leaf blower will be my next purchase. Works good for post-mowing and the raking stuff. Anyone tried to use it to sweep the garage?

Use one everytime I cut, blow out the garage and driveway after I'm done cutting/trimming. You looking at gas or electric?

I would think gas is the best option.

You'd be correct if you have anything over .10 acres I hated dragging mine around...looking forward to cord free.

 

[Sheriff66]

I do think a leaf blower will be my next purchase. Works good for post-mowing and the raking stuff. Anyone tried to use it to sweep the garage?

Use one everytime I cut, blow out the garage and driveway after I'm done cutting/trimming. You looking at gas or electric?

I would think gas is the best option.

All depends, if you have a smaller yard I was going to suggest this...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-230-mph-390-CFM-Electric-Leaf-Blower-Vac-Shredder-51592/100530551

Thing kicks ### really, it moves gravel, sticks, ect. with ease, can't wait to see what it does in my back yard this fall.