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Lawn Care Tips (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter andy_b
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shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Interesting. I have read that the newer tall fescues are drought resistant. I know they are highly recommended for the temp extremes of southern Ohio.
As an aside, I had some of my best success with patching bare spots this year with tall fescue. This is what I used (exact mix). This stuff is cheap and awesome. It keeps the soil wet for almost 24 hours.
I seeded 3 weeks ago, here is the result. Like carpet.
ex-ghost
Footballguy
Rookie lawn guy here. By rookie I mean I haven't done #### to my lawn in 12 years.
Just realized what that funny tool was in my garage, a thatching rake! I took it out this afternoon and raked the crap out of my back yard. I pulled up about four wheelbarrows of dead grass. It really left my lawn a mess, lots of big patches of "tough" grass left behind. Looks beat up. Nothing like the nice pictures I see on the web.
What is the next step? Live in the Pacific Northwest.
Just realized what that funny tool was in my garage, a thatching rake! I took it out this afternoon and raked the crap out of my back yard. I pulled up about four wheelbarrows of dead grass. It really left my lawn a mess, lots of big patches of "tough" grass left behind. Looks beat up. Nothing like the nice pictures I see on the web.
What is the next step? Live in the Pacific Northwest.
The Commish
Footballguy
I've always wondered about Pennington...good to know. I don't know what kind of fescue it was that they laid shuke, but it was as green, if not greener than your pic. I really pained me to see it whittle up and die. My problem was two fold. 1. I was right in the middle of the 'water in' period and my irrigation died. 2. This area has ZERO shade...any areas we have down here with that lack of shade struggle no matter if it's drought resistant or not. It basically burns up in the heat.
Rick James
Footballguy
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I seem to get more and more in my mulch each year. Ends up growing in all my landscaping. I get it, but not too badly. I'll usually put on a crappy jacket and gloves and just go pull it up. Usually results in me getting some on my arms/leg, but nothing too horrible. Spraying for it seems to kill everything BUT the ivy. Hate that stuff. I wish they made landscape plants that grew half as well as Poison Ivy.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Ortho used to make a product for killing tough ivy that I am pretty sure was safe for lawns.
The Commish
Footballguy
You need some sort of citris and definitely need salt. Not sure soap and vinegar are going to get it.
BlueDredSo
Footballguy
Bringing this topic back from the dead. I'm sure there might be more recent ones, but this is the first I found and went with it. Anyway, my yard is a mess and while I have a general idea of what needs to be done I'm pretty new to this kind of lawn maintenance. I've pretty much only been cutting it for 4 years now. Maybe some Weed & Feed here and there but that's about it. It's still pretty cold in Buffalo right now but I'd like to get a head start if possible. Lots of weeds, grass growth doesn't seem to be a problem. How should I start and what are the basic steps I should follow? Browsed a little bit and seems like pre-emergent fertilizer would be my first step? I don't need anything super detailed but a basic outline would be very helpful. TIA
The Commish
Footballguy
If the grass is still dormant, there's no point in feeding it so a preemergent by itself would be fine. I'd also take a weed killer to the weeds right now too. Bayer's is the best I've used.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
...maybe not feeding it RIGHT now, but feed it before you start to see it greening back up. The first and last fertilization of the season are the most important if your goal is weed control. The fall fertilization lets your grass go dormant with strong roots. The first one in the spring lets the grass get a jump-start on getting thick and tall quicker than the weeds.
If your goal is weed control, just remember that the best weed control is a thick green lawn that literally strangles out weeds. When we moved into our house, I had 1/3 weeds, 2/3 grass. I tried the DIY fertilization and weed control for a bit, and then started paying someone to do it. Now, my lawn is the first on the block to come in, it comes in thick, and the weeds are barely noticeable. I still struggle with drought as I've got too big of a yard and am on well water so I can't use sprinklers. We had a bad drought that set my lawn back some last year.
If you're not already doing it, the cheapest thing you can do is start cutting your grass longer. A lot of people cut their grass at 2-3" because it looks nice. I cut mine at 4-5". It doesn't look as manicured, but there's a lot less weeds, and it's a lot softer on your feet and more durable through the dry summer months.
BlueDredSo
Footballguy
Thanks guys. I'll try to get that pre-emergent on there some time soon as well as the weed killer. I've heard good things about Bayer's. Are there different versions? I've seen the kind where you hook it up to your garden hose and spray the lawn. If there's a spreader version too which one is better, or does it even make a difference?
One concern I do have - this stuff is pretty toxic, right? I have 16 month old twins and while we're not really taking them for long walks around the neighborhood right now I'm sure we will be once it warms up. I don't want to expose them at all to this stuff. I'm assuming after a couple days it'll be pretty cleared up so you're not inhaling the stuff as you walk outside?
One concern I do have - this stuff is pretty toxic, right? I have 16 month old twins and while we're not really taking them for long walks around the neighborhood right now I'm sure we will be once it warms up. I don't want to expose them at all to this stuff. I'm assuming after a couple days it'll be pretty cleared up so you're not inhaling the stuff as you walk outside?
The Commish
Footballguy
The stuff is dry in an hour and washed away after a couple days. If you have large areas get a bottle that hooks to your hose, then get some concentrate to spot treat going forward...despite what that Mohawk guy says, toxicity isn't a huge issue unless the grass is eaten or rolled around in while it's still wet from spraying.
E-Z Glider
Footballguy
My yard was ravaged by moles last fall. I'm pretty sure Ive eradicated them, but now Im left with the cleanup. My yard has a maze of humped up trails dug through it. Some sections are so bad I cant get my mower through them. Im not really even sure where to start? I think it needs flattened back out and then re-seeded. My question is, can this be accomplished with one of those big roller things you pull behind a tractor? Renting one of those seems much easier than trying to do it by hand with a tamp and rake. Any advise here?
The Commish
Footballguy
MAC_32
Footballguy
Guppy question - what's the right time to lay grass seed? Never done it, but the yard's suffered some the last 18 months for a variety of reasons out of my control. I've held out in case a surprise freeze came, but it's starting to look like we'll be 40+ from here on out. Have some cool and cloudy days this weekend then it warms up early next week + sun. Not forecasting any rain until at least Wednesday.
Main area is very exposed to sun. Second area is mostly shaded and is in a bit of a depression, so it can get swampy too. I'd also like to get some topsoil down on this second area - can I do both at the same time? in what order?
If it matters I've already done crab grass to the whole yard and am planning to do weed and feed sometime in the next week or so too.
Main area is very exposed to sun. Second area is mostly shaded and is in a bit of a depression, so it can get swampy too. I'd also like to get some topsoil down on this second area - can I do both at the same time? in what order?
If it matters I've already done crab grass to the whole yard and am planning to do weed and feed sometime in the next week or so too.
The Commish
Footballguy
can't put seed down while treating for weeds if the weed treatment isn't spot treatment. So if you're laying stuff over the whole yard or spraying the whole yard, don't bother with trying to seed. Those treatments keep seed from germinating. Last fall I dumped a whole bag of seed, then in early spring (beginning of March here in SC) I dumped another bag. It can't hurt to throw seed down at any time, but it's tough to get it to take in hot, sunny weather when the nights stay warm. If the nights are cool and the days are "just right" go for it, but you'll need to water a couple times a day for a couple weeks.
MAC_32
Footballguy
Thanks! I'll prioritize the weed and feed + topsoil then worry about grass seed sometime in May. Our nights are usually cool enough into June, so hopefully that'll give me solid month.
Garrett
Footballguy
Garrett
Footballguy
Yes...
https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/equipment/detail/1163/1501036/lawn-roller-pull-behind/
...it's hard to answer your questions about reseeding timing without knowing your location or zone.
Garrett
Footballguy
If you are in Ohio wait until this Fall. It's the best time and your get more returns for your time/effort doing it then. If your put down a pre-emergent treatment for crabgrass (which is great to do early Spring) seeding now would be a complete waste because that same chemical barrier in your soil would stop any grass seed you throw down from germinating.
The best thing you could do now or over the summer is check out your soil prior to any reseeding efforts to make sure its in good shape. Soil tests are cheap and let you know for sure if your NPK is good. If that all checks out I'd recommend organic fertilizer cycles if you really want to get things heading in the right direction.
Garrett
Footballguy
My lawn was the worst on the street when I bought my last house. I had bare dirt spots that weeds would not grow in; so I read up and realized it's all not that hard once your know the variables in play.
http://imgur.com/a/rFnIL
Everything is really specific to your region of the country, so I can really only speak for the Midwest. For those in my area, I can't recommend Milorganite enough or really any organic fertilizer (Ringer is another good one).
http://imgur.com/a/rFnIL
Everything is really specific to your region of the country, so I can really only speak for the Midwest. For those in my area, I can't recommend Milorganite enough or really any organic fertilizer (Ringer is another good one).
Garrett
Footballguy
In general you are right. You can use something like Tenacity during over seeding or new seeding, but it's not cheap.
Garrett
Footballguy
All you really care about is the listed ingredients and their concentrations; liquid is generally better for weed control as it is going to get more contact with the weeds. There is little difference among the common big box brand name options though. If you want to improve results more you can get a cheap pump sprayer and use a surfactant as well for better adhesion to weeds. Surfactants sound weird at first but just think of it as baby shampoo that is going to help with surface tension and sticking the effective chemicals to the problem plants.
Regarding toxicity, use common sense. When spraying/applying anything wear long pants/long shirts/gloves. Don't let anyone on it for an hour. That's plenty of precaution to feel very safe after those 60 minutes are up.
Garrett
Footballguy
You guys are either not getting enough pre emergent down or you are getting it down too late. It absolutely works. If you live anywhere near the midwest http://www.gddtracker.net/ is a great tool Michigan State runs that monitors soil temps and you can set up alerts based on your zip code to let you know when to get down the spring pre emergent.
If you want a little bit of a fail safe, check out product using Dimension (Dithiopyr) as it provides complete pre emergent as well as post emergent control for early stage crab grass.
Garrett
Footballguy
Garrett
Footballguy
Depending on the terrain and if it's real prep for seed and not just "the yard is clear now"; that's fair.
avoiding injuries
Footballguy
It's a little bit of a bigger project. I have a total of about 1.25 acres and this area is probably 1/3 of an acre. They cleared it down to dirt, but this 1/3 of an acre is on a slope. Over the past 3 months I've been getting fill dirt (relatively clean) to grade the slope. I've had 35 dump truck loads dropped off so far and another 200 loads on the way. The best part...not only is the dirt free because there are companies looking to find places to dump it, but the company who cleared out the brush for me and is basically brokering the fill dirt deal, is also providing a skid loader and employee everyday there is a dirt delivery to spread it out and smooth it down. The company getting rid of the dirt has to be paying my landscapers something significant. 25-35 loads a day is about the max they can handle.
Once the fill dirt project is complete, I'll use this landscaper to put in a few inches of top soil, seed and straw. Likely in late August or early September.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Garrett
Footballguy
The Commish
Footballguy
MAC_32
Footballguy
There must have been an old tree in the middle of our backyard. I started to notice the ground sinking in this area last year. Post winter it's spread to the size of the other tree trunks in our yard.
James Daulton
Footballguy
Just saw a deal on Angie's list for 5 square yards of mulch plus the spreading for $300. Meanwhile I paid $250 for 80 bags from a school fund raiser and I have to spread the #### myself. Ugh.
James Daulton
Footballguy
avoiding injuries
Footballguy
Haven't gotten this far yet. I was thinking something to match the rest of my grass...right? It's full sun. What would you recommend?Garrett said:
gianmarco
Footballguy
Have an irrigation system and trying to figure out best schedule. Have heard and read conflicting schedules. More often with less water vs less often with more water.
Going to try watering twice weekly with a good soak but curious what results you guys have gotten. In the Midwest with warm summers.
Going to try watering twice weekly with a good soak but curious what results you guys have gotten. In the Midwest with warm summers.
The Commish
Footballguy
If it's new grass, I soak the yard every day for a week, then don't water for 3-4 days. I do that for a month. But if your soil is rich and holds water really well, doing that will drown your grass. We have this crappy clay everywhere, so doing what I do makes the grass grow deeper roots.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Grass is two years old now. We have the same clay here. So far we've had enough rain that I haven't even turned it on yet and grass looks great now. Last year, watering 3-4x/week, the grass wasn't optimal by fall.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
you likely know this but be careful what type of weed and feed you use if you have or are going to seed.James Daulton said:
Many types of pre-emergent weed killers also prevent seeds from emerging.
James Daulton
Footballguy
Great point. I try to seed early and weed and feed couple weeks later. My lawn is pretty good with this strategy.
The Commish
Footballguy
Seems similar then....I take the above approach every spring and it seems to work for me. We have tall fescue grass, so if summer is really hot, some is going to die off regardless of what I do.
Garrett
Footballguy
Yeah, I would try to identify what types you have growing now and plan to match those. Based on your location, I assume it's all cool season grasses. For full sun KBG is hard to beat and it has the added advantage of being one of the few (only?) cool season grasses that actually spreads on its own.
Garrett
Footballguy
Commish is right, less often and deeper watering is better than frequent watering because you want the roots to adapt/grow deeper into the soil. If your lawn needs an inch of water a week, it's much better to get that inch of water in a single or worst case two waterings than .25 inch four times that week.
That all goes out the window during seeding/overseeding though since you have to keep the new seeds from drying out.
Garrett
Footballguy
It's already been mentioned multiple times in this thread, but along with the watering suggestions you might review what height you are mowing the grass at; especially if it's going into dormancy or just looking below average when the heat of summer reaches its peak.
There probably isn't a single thing more helpful in making your lawn look good than mowing taller than your neighbors.
