cliaz Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 It’s that time of year again to start wasting money on my lawn. Each year the weeds just take over and my yard will look like a sea of yellow when the dandelions come in full bloom. All I want is a lush green yard. The problem I have with the front yard is I have no trees and direct sunlight from 1st thing in the morning until mid afternoon so the grass just gets baked in the summer time. What I’m doing this year is planting two trees in the front yard to help with that. If you have a second what do you do to prepare your yards before summer time? What advice can you give me? Unfortunately in Bowie most yards are like this unless you spend hundreds of clams on a professional lawn service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 If you want a green lawn, the only chance you have is to get sprinkler system. If you don't, all the money you're spending on chemicals is a waste because it will burn out in the summer. If you can adequately water, make sure you get a heavy dose of the first step fertilizer down with the crab grass killer, that'll get you headed in the right direction. And if you had a bad year with crab grass and other weeds last year, don't feel bad, it was the worst Josh Gordon season we've had in over 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Oh, and thatch it and aerate it if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Oh, and thatch it and aerate it if you can. Yeah I'm doing that this weekend. I'm also going to level out the yard and add some top soil to the mix. Is it really worth it to get your yard's PH tested? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Is it really worth it to get your yard's PH tested? Meh, not really. Just lime the sh*t out of it when you put your first step fertilizer down. Put it on real heavy in the shady areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Meh, not really. Just lime the sh*t out of it when you put your first step fertilizer down. Put it on real heavy in the shady areas. thanks dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 You should really be doing a lot of this stuff in the fall. Thatch, aerate, overseed, and apply a winterizer fertilizer to help establish roots. All that will help you survive the summer. But you're behind the ball by waiting til spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 thanks dude You should lime twice a year, once in the spring, and once in the fall. Every year. No questions asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 pre-emergent anything green is good in my lawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahov 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundaynfl Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Between fertilizing's I usually spray some Revive on the lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Sprinkler system and lawn doctor ( costs me about 300 for full year round service ) and well worth it ...lawn comes out looking great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 any tips for seeding a brand new lawn....... 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 any tips for seeding a brand new lawn....... Cover it with hay. Use starter fertilizer. Water the sh*t out of it. Do this either in the spring or fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Scotts website may have this info for you spain and dmarc as well ..I remember way back that it was pretty informative and helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh 0ne 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius 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? 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Sprinkler system and lawn doctor ( costs me about 300 for full year round service ) and well worth it ...lawn comes out looking great That's it, only $300 for the year? what do they do to it for that much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 That's it, only $300 for the year? what do they do to it for that much? Basically everything ,...lay down Josh Gordon killer , fertilizer , lime ...and if any problems like weeds come up , dead spots , you call them and they come and repair / take care of the problem for no extra charge ...I end up doing nothing but watching it grow and mowing it ...I buy nothing and add nothing and my lawn always looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 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. That's the thing though I love working out in the yard. I just have a brown thumb when it comes to my grass. I'm hoping with planting some trees this spring and some of this advice I can get a lawn that wont turn to straw by week three of May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REZ Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Let me ask my gardener and I'll get back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Let me ask my gardener and I'll get back to you. wurd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Love Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Is it really worth it to get your yard's PH tested? Meh, not really. Just lime the sh*t out of it when you put your first step fertilizer down. Put it on real heavy in the shady areas. While H1's first post was good (don't bother doing anything if you're not willing to water), the part about not testing pH is crap. Optimal pH is extremely important to a healthy lawn. Lime is basic, and it will raise the pH of your lawn. While low pH is a common problem (oak leaves, for example, have tannic acid in them), it is very possible for a lawn to have a pH that is too high. Adding lime will only make that problem worse. If your pH is too high, you will need to add sulfur. Again, I want to stress the importance of water. Water is 75-95% of a nice-looking lawn. Fertelizer, grass species, pH, thatch, and all the rest should only be worried about if you're going to ensure that your lawn has sufficient water. If you won't or can't water your lawn, don't waste your time and money doing anything but keeping it cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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