darin3 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 The is skilled in the art of lawn care. Even with his samuarai sword, he can mow a hugh lawn with minimal effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I live in VA. I have what I think is Bermuda grass. It thrives in the heat. During the middle of summer my grass is green as green. I never water or do anything except cut it. The down side is that it turns brown in the dead of winter but I do not care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Lots of good advice here. Fertilize, spray weeds early in year, and then spot spray as needed. Mulch the grass instead of bag it. The sprinkler system makes life much easier, but you can chase hose and get it done the old fashioned way. If you have good water pressure, the sprinkler system isn't that hard to do. Not if you live in the northeast and your soil is a heavy mix of red clay. Mulching your grass will only add to the thatch (which inhibits oxygen and nutrients from entering your soil). Bagging grass clippings is essential in the our area, except for the fall months, when you want to protect your roots during the winter months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Cover it with hay. Use starter fertilizer. Water the sh*t out of it. Do this either in the spring or fall. You mean straw. Hay is horse food and has clover and other weeds in it. Other options for a new lawn: . You can spread the seed out and then cover with a thin layer of topsoil - half inch or so does the trick. . You could rent a slit seeder - it makes a small slice in the ground and deposits seed after. It doesn't really matter that much in my experience. I think the straw method is easiest.... Regardless, watering every day is the #1 thing to do for germinating seeds and feeding young sprouts. Other tips: . Best time to fertilize is in the fall. If you will fertilize one time all year, the fall is the time. Fall fertilizing promotes good root growth which helps keep things green all next season. I've seen this work a number of times. You'll have to cut the grass longer into the fall season than your neighbors, but it will be less work next year. Spring and summer fertilizing often just make the grass green, but don't necessarily make for healthy grass. . I've had a good deal of success with Josh Gordon-B-Gone in controlling dandelions, clover, and wild strawberries - my main problem weeds. It doesn't hurt the grass if used in the recommended concentrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 thanks all. All good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 the part about not testing pH is crap. Sheesh, no need to be a peeener. I guess my point was that if he's not willing to water, he shouldn't bother worrying about the PH. I've never checked the PH of my lawn, and have had no problems. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I don't think it needs to be on top of cliaz's to do list currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 (edited) You mean straw. Hay is horse food and has clover and other weeds in it. Wurd, my bad. Hay is for horses. Edited March 22, 2007 by Hugh 0ne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Cover it with hay. Use starter fertilizer. Water the sh*t out of it. Do this either in the spring or fall. Actually depending on climate you dont want to water the sh*t out of it, you want to water it enough that it soaks deep into the soil creating better roots for the grass. If you contstantly keep it wet it will grow shallow roots and die when the hot months come. Carry on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 My dogs have completely destroyed my yard..They dig massive holes..Also right before we moved in we discovered through an inspection an abandoned oil tank under the ground..We made the previous owners remove it professionally and of course they refilled the hole..after the soil settled I now have a hugh dip in one section of the yard ..Plus unearthing this tank also brought out a million rocks ..My lawn looks like afghanistan... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Love Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Sheesh, no need to be a peeener. I guess my point was that if he's not willing to water, he shouldn't bother worrying about the PH. I've never checked the PH of my lawn, and have had no problems. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I don't think it needs to be on top of cliaz's to do list currently. Sorry, but being a peeener is my MO. As I said previously, I completely agree with your assessment that water is the key and that pH adjustment should not be worried about in the absence of water. However, if you're going to attempt to adjust your pH (i.e., add lime), you should get your lawn's pH checked before doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Should you aerate and seed in the spring? Or should I use Josh Gordon and Feed or fertilizer now and then aerate and seed in the fall? http://www.allaboutlawns.com/lawn-maintena...ld-i-aerate.php u shouldn t need to aerate every year.... if there telling u that they are stealing form u... u can seed in spring or fall when ist cool is the best I still dont know if I should spread Josh Gordon and feed this weekend or rent an aerator and spread seed. I live in Nashville. My yard is 1.21 acres. I have a tree line down the side of the backyard, but the yard is pretty open and gets alot of sun. Dont know what kind of dirt we have. I do have some pretty serious weeds mixed in with the grass in the backyard. Should I aerate and seed now, or Josh Gordon and feed now, and wait for the fall to seed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I still dont know if I should spread Josh Gordon and feed this weekend or rent an aerator and spread seed. I live in Nashville. My yard is 1.21 acres. I have a tree line down the side of the backyard, but the yard is pretty open and gets alot of sun. Dont know what kind of dirt we have. I do have some pretty serious weeds mixed in with the grass in the backyard. Should I aerate and seed now, or Josh Gordon and feed now, and wait for the fall to seed? Well, if you aerate and seed, you won't be able to put down the fertilizer with the Josh Gordon killer, so, your new grass will grow, your lawn will breath better, but you'll have a terrible Josh Gordon problem. I think I'd get the weeds under control before I bothered aerating and seeding. So, I'd fertilize now, and aerate and seed in the fall. Unless you want to pick all the weeds out by hand, than aerate and seed now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Early in the Spring last year, I raked the entire front lawn, then threw down all new top soil and put down new seed. I had already put down Josh Gordon killer. I watered it enough and continued to do so even once it came in. It was great, the lawn was green and thick and then as soon as June and July hit it died and the weeds took over. Any ideas what happened or what I did wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I was hoping this woul be a thread about the kind of "lawns" that Chargerz would be an expert in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 When we first moved to Central Oregon which is a desert, our lawn completly died once it got hot. The ancient lava flows have stripped the soil in this area of nutrients. Most lawns in our neighborhood were stressed but at least not as dead as ours. The healthiest lawn I could find was at our golf club. So, I asked the head greenskeeper what I should do to keep my lawn green. We had tried areating, detaching, and a winter fertilizer. What revived our lawn was a product our club greenskeeper recommended call Endo-Root. It is an all natural fertilizer you put down in the fall and spring along with your regular fertilizer. It reintroduces natural microbes to the soil. As you keep doing this season after season and you are adding more and more microbes to the soil that eat the bacteria that causes typical lawn diseases. Right now we are the only lawn in our neighborhood that's turning green. We have had no recent rain or snow for 3 months (been a super dry season) and no one can turn on their sprinklers yet since we could have a big freeze and have pipes freeze. I put a winter fertilizer down (the blend my greenskeeper recommended) along with Endo-Root in late October. I'd look for and try Endo Root. It's not cheap if you have a big lawn. We have about 2500 sq. ft. of lawn and it costs us about $50 in the fall and then we repeat it in the spring around mid April to early May depending on when the lawn starts to really grow. I also put it in down in the perenial garden and around the trees and shrubs, so all in all I guess I was treating more than 2500 sq. ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Early in the Spring last year, I raked the entire front lawn, then threw down all new top soil and put down new seed. I had already put down Josh Gordon killer. I watered it enough and continued to do so even once it came in. It was great, the lawn was green and thick and then as soon as June and July hit it died and the weeds took over. Any ideas what happened or what I did wrong? You can't put down Josh Gordon killer and then seed on top of it, you have to wait at least 4 weeks. It probably died because of that, or maybe not enough water when the temps got higher. That's when you really need to water the lawn, especially new grass, because the roots are not very developed yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 That's when you really need to water the lawn, especially new grass, because the roots are not very developed yet. That is probably the #1 reason. Since everything died, it probably didn't get enough water. Although, you could have overseeded as well. That's the reason for using spreaders and reading directions.... Rule of thumb for watering in dryer summer months for young grass: Get an empty, normal size Tuna fish can, and put it out in your lawn when watering. Once it is full, you've done enough watering for one week in that area. Water early in the morning is best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I still dont know if I should spread Josh Gordon and feed this weekend or rent an aerator and spread seed. I live in Nashville. My yard is 1.21 acres. I have a tree line down the side of the backyard, but the yard is pretty open and gets alot of sun. Dont know what kind of dirt we have. I do have some pretty serious weeds mixed in with the grass in the backyard. Should I aerate and seed now, or Josh Gordon and feed now, and wait for the fall to seed? Weed and feed first. The weeds will compete for nutrients with your young grass, thus decreasing the number of seeds that grow into good grass. You'll be surprised at how much better things look just by knocking the weeds back. You may even decide that overseeding isn't necessary and just spot seed as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I use Scotts as a lawn service and it costs me about $700 a year, that includes aeriating(sp) and overseeding in the fall. They come out once a month starting in Feb/Mar and take care of everything other then cutting/watering. You can tell the difference between my lawn and my neighbors on either side of me big time. I don't water near as often as I should but it still gets and stays greener longer without a doubt. I am a lazy ass when it comes to doing yardwork, so the money I pay Scotts is worth it to me. I use Scotts too. They do a great job. I have a new lawn that I started with seed. When I started the lawn, I did everything by the book. It still ended up patchy. Since using Scotts, it looks much, much better. I also use a jar feeder with dish soap from time to time. Beer in the jar feeder on Memorial Day and Independence Day helps cut down on the thatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 really hate to pay to have someone keep my lawn looking lush and fresh but since i've never had a lush and fresh law (unless you consider wild strawberries, clovers and other weeds lush) I think I might just do that this year. All i want is a thick green lawn. I'm kill for one. I was debating just burning the whole thing off and laying down sod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 (edited) really hate to pay to have someone keep my lawn looking lush and fresh but since i've never had a lush and fresh law (unless you consider wild strawberries, clovers and other weeds lush) I think I might just do that this year. All i want is a thick green lawn. I'm kill for one. I was debating just burning the whole thing off and laying down sod. One of my neighbors did that and their lawn looks awesome!! Well they didn't burn it, they dug it up. Edited March 23, 2007 by irish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 You can't put down Josh Gordon killer and then seed on top of it, you have to wait at least 4 weeks. It probably died because of that, or maybe not enough water when the temps got higher. That's when you really need to water the lawn, especially new grass, because the roots are not very developed yet. That is probably the #1 reason. Since everything died, it probably didn't get enough water. Although, you could have overseeded as well. That's the reason for using spreaders and reading directions.... Rule of thumb for watering in dryer summer months for young grass: Get an empty, normal size Tuna fish can, and put it out in your lawn when watering. Once it is full, you've done enough watering for one week in that area. Water early in the morning is best. Thanks for the advice. I did wait at least a month after putting down the Josh Gordon killer to seed and I used a spreader to do it. Scott's Speedy Green 3000 or something like that and I followed the directions to a T. When the grass came in, it was beautiful but when summer hit it died and the weeds took over. I'm not sure if watering was the problem as I watered alot, or bad soil, or what but I'm really desperate like Cliaz to have a nice lawn. I honestly think I have something wrong with my soil as I have an awful lot of mushrooms and what looks like mold, fungus or algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebellab Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 A few things. There has been good advice here, but one thing that I didn't see was not only will Josh Gordon killer kill your new grass seed, so will fertilizer too soon. Your new seed should be sprouted before fertilizing. I have a guy that comes 3 or 4 times a year to fertilize and PRE-EMERGE. This keeps the dandilions and crab grass at bay. The pre-emergent will also prevent new grass seed from sprouting. However if you keep the weeds out of an average lawn and fertilize and water your average lawn will develop on its own. We have been in a 7 year drought, and I have a dog so our lawn has seen it all. We water at least an inch a week when it is average temps, and ramp it up to 1 1/2 inches per week when the 100's hit. Mowing at the highest level your mower has also helps a ton. And never cut more than 1/3 the blade length off. I mulch, and that seems to help develop thatch that in my opinion helps keep the ground moist. My guy says don't aerate. I also just mow it short to start the season (this is the only time I mow shorter than the highest level). I did this on Monday, and my lawn is already greening up, and I will probably drag my hoses out this weekend to get a good dose of water on to give it yet another jump start. My Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 One of my neighbors did that and their lawn looks awesome!! Well they didn't burn it, they dug it up. Well it's called burning but it's some chemical you put down that kills everything on the lawn. then you rake it up. Or so i've been told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Well it's called burning but it's some chemical you put down that kills everything on the lawn. then you rake it up. Or so i've been told. Roundup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.