Lawn care

[brenndatomu]

Here's my theory on lawns. If its green, mow it and call it "the lawn". Not green? Well then you probably don't even need to mow it.

 

[jatoxico]

Around here, an unkept lawn becomes onion grass in spring and nutsedge in summer,

What have you found to be most effective against nutsedge, treatment or just crowd it out? My neighbor, who does almost nothing, actually does worse than nothing, he periodically scalps the yard creating a weed factory including a healthy dose of sedge.

In all my years of cutting grass I don't ever recall seeing sedge until fairly recently but it wants to take over.

 

[Ashful]

What have you found to be most effective against nutsedge, treatment or just crowd it out? My neighbor, who does almost nothing, actually does worse than nothing, he periodically scalps the yard creating a weed factory including a healthy dose of sedge.

In all my years of cutting grass I don't ever recall seeing sedge until fairly recently but it wants to take over.

Nutsedge is one of the toughest weeds, you pretty much have to go with one of the sedge-specific herbicides to kill it. Also, understand it's life-cycle. It puts out new tubers each season, and each tuber has a 3-year life, which makes it a tough one to kill.

The only thing I've found effective against it is Dismiss, and the price for that wee-lit'l 6 oz. bottle will make your head spin, until you realize that little bottle will treat a full acre of the stuff. Don't even bother with 4D stuff, or even Surge / Escalade2 level stuff, go right to Dismiss or Sedgehammer.

 

[jatoxico]

Nutsedge is one of the toughest weeds

It's a toughy alright. Even after it's under control there's no real viable way to manage it at all by manual weeding.

Treated once with a sedge specific treatment designed to affect the foliage. I've read Dismiss works the same way. Seeing fast results but read that because this type only starves the tubers it can take a couple treatments. Sedgehammer may be the better choice since it treats the tubers.

 

[JoshuaJordan]

Hi there, implementing good techniques and timing for your lawn care can lead to less effort for maintaining it.

 

[Ashful]

It's a toughy alright. Even after it's under control there's no real viable way to manage it at all by manual weeding.

Treated once with a sedge specific treatment designed to affect the foliage. I've read Dismiss works the same way. Seeing fast results but read that because this type only starves the tubers it can take a couple treatments. Sedgehammer may be the better choice since it treats the tubers.

I can't say anything negative about Dismiss, since it's the best thing I've tried so far. But maybe I'll have to give Sedgehammer a better look, next year. I just sprayed my nutsedge on Jul.4, so I'm done for this year.

 

[jharkin]

I really wanted to just say screw it and do nothing with the lawn... problem is that alternating years of monsoon and drought have now killed large sections and around here we get creeping charlie (lawn ivy) that takes over and that's probably as hard to kill - and uglier - than Ashful's nutsege problem.

I still wouldn't care except that we plan to sell and move in the next 2-4 years and a lawn that looks like an abandoned lot doesn't fly with prospective buyers....

I dont and never will install sprinklers though.

 

[jatoxico]

Ive found creeping charlie is fairly easy to control and doesn't seem to spread too quickly. One application of weed b gon took care of the majority of my problem. Sedge is is a different kettle pf fish.

 

[Ashful]

I really wanted to just say screw it and do nothing with the lawn... problem is that alternating years of monsoon and drought have now killed large sections and around here we get creeping charlie (lawn ivy) that takes over and that's probably as hard to kill - and uglier - than Ashful's nutsege problem.

I still wouldn't care except that we plan to sell and move in the next 2-4 years and a lawn that looks like an abandoned lot doesn't fly with prospective buyers....

I dont and never will install sprinklers though.

Creeping Charlie is fairly easy to control, even using over-the-counter remedies. Nutsedge is six levels removed from it, in terms of difficulty and cost!

Ground ivy thrives in shady areas on thin turf, so if you have thin areas left by prior years' droughts, this year's cloudy and wet weather probably has that stuff growing nicely. Triclopyr, Dicamba, or 2,4-D all control ground ivy, to some degree. Since we're only a few weeks out from annual weed-kill for overseeding purposes (and you'll hit it sooner than me), I'd be ready to hit that lawn with Surge as soon as the chance of heatwave has passed. I usually do this mid-late August, in preparation for overseeding in mid-September. You need 3 weeks post-Surge, before you can over-seed, and you want your new seed down at least 4 weeks (preferably 6 weeks) before soil dips below 55F. This creates a very narrow window to hit, if you don't like wasting money on seed.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/msds/Surge-Label.pdf

 

[jharkin]

Creeping Charlie is fairly easy to control, even using over-the-counter remedies. Nutsedge is six levels removed from it, in terms of difficulty and cost!

Ground ivy thrives in shady areas on thin turf, so if you have thin areas left by prior years' droughts, this year's cloudy and wet weather probably has that stuff growing nicely. Triclopyr, Dicamba, or 2,4-D all control ground ivy, to some degree. Since we're only a few weeks out from annual weed-kill for overseeding purposes (and you'll hit it sooner than me), I'd be ready to hit that lawn with Surge as soon as the chance of heatwave has passed. I usually do this mid-late August, in preparation for overseeding in mid-September. You need 3 weeks post-Surge, before you can over-seed, and you want your new seed down at least 4 weeks (preferably 6 weeks) before soil dips below 55F. This creates a very narrow window to hit, if you don't like wasting money on seed.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/msds/Surge-Label.pdf

For many years I had been trying to avoid herbicides altogether (dont want the kids being exposed to it, or myself for thatmatter) but now Ive had to give in. Last year I hit all the trouble spots with Weed-b-Gone Max which slowed it down but didn't kill it. Like you suspect its come back worse then ever in this monsoon so yesterday I bombed the entire lawn with a Bayer ground ivy control product that's Triclophyr based. We have had good rain lately and temps are predicted to be in the 70s for hte next couple weeks so its seems like a good window to do it without stressing the lawn.

I'll let you know if it worked and check into that product you linked if it didnt.

 

[sportbikerider78]

For the first time, I treated my lawn with a weed and feed product from Home Depot. It browned the lawn for a few weeks, but I think it really worked! Next year I'll apply at the right time of year and hopefully see better results.

 

[maple1]

I'm still in the mow-it-every-two-weeks treatment plan...

 

[Ashful]

For the first time, I treated my lawn with a weed and feed product from Home Depot. It browned the lawn for a few weeks, but I think it really worked! Next year I'll apply at the right time of year and hopefully see better results.

If you want a fantastic lawn next summer, get your post-emergent herbicide spray down in the next week or two. Then you can aerate and over-seed three weeks following. It will have time to germinate (even Tall Fescue) before soil temps drop below 55 F near the end of October.

In March, put down a combo pre-emergent herbicide with fertilizer product, and you'll have a good head start for next summer. Preventing weed germination is most of the battle.

 

[Dobish]

my back yard consists of thistle, vigrinia creeper, elm suckers, and rocks.... and some prarie grass.

 

[venator260]

I just Googled nutsedge. Seems my yard has a good bit of nutsedge. But I have an array of different plants in my yard that yard freaks hate. Dandilions, clover, nutsedge, crabgrass, and these little purple flowers that I have no idea what they are, but look really cool for a couple weeks in the spring. There's more of a mix in the older yard that was seeded in the 50's. Half of my yard was a garden from the 50's to the 70's, and then the garden gradually got smaller, so there's a mix of different seedings.

But it seems to be a self-sustaining system. The only part that I've felt the urge to mess with is our new sand mound. The excavation churned the topsoil down under, and the exposed layer hasn't had 60 years of organic matter mulched into it. I wouldn't care much, but I need to foster grass growth on the exposed clay mount so my $11k hill of dirt doesn't wash away. I'm hoping top dressing with compost and some additional seedings will thicken the grass.

 

[maple1]

I just Googled nutsedge. Seems my yard has a good bit of nutsedge. But I have an array of different plants in my yard that yard freaks hate. Dandilions, clover, nutsedge, crabgrass, and these little purple flowers that I have no idea what they are, but look really cool for a couple weeks in the spring. There's more of a mix in the older yard that was seeded in the 50's. Half of my yard was a garden from the 50's to the 70's, and then the garden gradually got smaller, so there's a mix of different seedings.

But it seems to be a self-sustaining system. The only part that I've felt the urge to mess with is our new sand mound. The excavation churned the topsoil down under, and the exposed layer hasn't had 60 years of organic matter mulched into it. I wouldn't care much, but I need to foster grass growth on the exposed clay mount so my $11k hill of dirt doesn't wash away. I'm hoping top dressing with compost and some additional seedings will thicken the grass.

They didn't seed or sod it? That's a requirement here - last step in the process. Completion inspection will fail if not done.

 

[venator260]

They didn't seed or sod it? That's a requirement here - last step in the process. Completion inspection will fail if not done.

I seeded it after the guy moved his equipment out. Now that I read up though, I should have amended the soil a bit before I did. But I had other projects going and wanted that one to be done. He had more materials into in than he figured, and his work would add to my bill for something I could do myself.

It could very well be a requirement for the final inspection here too. The last time that the inspector came out was when the pipes were stoned in and the pump was installed. Myself and the excavator did everything correctly to that point and worked well with the inspector. My guess is she didn't want to make a special trip just for my system (over an hour). So she said she may be out to keep me on my toes and signed off on it about two weeks later.

 

[Ashful]

I suspect it was seeded, but since little care is usually put into segregating top soil from fill (clay), it rarely takes very well. They also usually use a contractor mix, which might be 60% annual rye, with the balance perennial rye and bluegrass. That annual rye pops up fast, and gives you a lush lawn for a few weeks, before it dies. Even the perennial rye will die during the first hard hot summer in PA. Aerate and overseed with Tall Fescue in early September, and you'll be set for life. Better yet, since it's such a small area, just rent a slit seeder for the day, and sow in Tall Fescue. Seed is expensive, so you want to maximize germination rate.

edit: we responded to maple at the same time. What seed did you use? Fertilizer? You've obviously already done your homework on soil amendments, not my area of expertise.

 

[venator260]

I suspect it was seeded, but since little care is usually put into segregating top soil from fill (clay), it rarely takes very well. They also usually use a contractor mix, which might be 60% annual rye, with the balance perennial rye and bluegrass. That annual rye pops up fast, and gives you a lush lawn for a few weeks, before it dies. Even the perennial rye will die during the first hard hot summer in PA. Aerate and overseed with Tall Fescue in early September, and you'll be set for life. Better yet, since it's such a small area, just rent a slit seeder for the day, and sow in Tall Fescue. Seed is expensive, so you want to maximize germination rate.

edit: we responded to maple at the same time. What seed did you use? Fertilizer? You've obviously already done your homework on soil amendments, not my area of expertise.

I'm sure that it wasn't seeded, I was off work during the last few days of his work and was here the whole time.

I used Groundwork's Fast Lawn from tractor supply, mainly because it was given to me. I did the typical; spread the seed and then cover over with a layer of straw/hay. As I look though, I see that it's 80% annual ryegrass, so I'll need to reseed with something else. It looked decent when it was about a foot tall. Mowed (with the deck as high as it goes), it's pretty sparse. The excavator did truck in topsoil, but it's pretty rocky. The backside of the mound is all clay that was trucked in, and it's pretty steep. The ditch through the yard is clay that was dug out of the ditch before the pipes were put in.

I read up on using compost in yards, and they recommend putting on about 1/4 inch twice a year, so my plan is to do that with some mushroom soil when I have time here next week. My thoughts there were that I'll have to get some organic matter into the soil since it's currently all clay. I did not fertilize it. I was going to toss around some 10-10-10 before the next time the forecast calls for rain.

My goal isn't to make it look nice, especially the mound, as it's in the woods behind the house. What I'm after is a good blanket of grass for erosion control.

 

[maple1]

Similar but maybe slightly differing requirements I guess. Here, the top cover (seeding or sodding) is part of the install job, and is all on the installer. He would be on the hook either for possible penalty if not done, or a system repair if erosion does happen. That happened down the road from me, neighbour had serious wash happen and they had to come back & fix it up. So cost them (installer) a few $$$. Not sure if the seed didn't take, or the site grading was off a bit, or they missed doing a drainage ditch or swale or what - but a good part of their system/bed fill washed down over the bank, the stone was exposed in a spot or two. I think it may have been a pretty significant out of the ordinary rain event though.

 

[Ashful]

I'm sure that it wasn't seeded, I was off work during the last few days of his work and was here the whole time.

I used Groundwork's Fast Lawn from tractor supply, mainly because it was given to me. I did the typical; spread the seed and then cover over with a layer of straw/hay. As I look though, I see that it's 80% annual ryegrass, so I'll need to reseed with something else. It looked decent when it was about a foot tall. Mowed (with the deck as high as it goes), it's pretty sparse. The excavator did truck in topsoil, but it's pretty rocky. The backside of the mound is all clay that was trucked in, and it's pretty steep. The ditch through the yard is clay that was dug out of the ditch before the pipes were put in.

I read up on using compost in yards, and they recommend putting on about 1/4 inch twice a year, so my plan is to do that with some mushroom soil when I have time here next week. My thoughts there were that I'll have to get some organic matter into the soil since it's currently all clay. I did not fertilize it. I was going to toss around some 10-10-10 before the next time the forecast calls for rain.

My goal isn't to make it look nice, especially the mound, as it's in the woods behind the house. What I'm after is a good blanket of grass for erosion control.

Yes, your requirements are a little different than mine. In your case, I'd just buy some sod for that steep clay back side. It's going to be easier than trying to get seed to grow, there. For the rest, you could use "pasture mix", sold by Agway, and many turf shops. It's usually a blend of local wild grasses, and will grow like nothing you've seen. As much weed as grass, but it will hold the soil, which is what you're after.

For any seed, use a Starter fertlizer, much higher than 10-10-10. Think closer to 18-24-12. If you're investing the time to go buy it, and then apply it, you might as well use the right product. Fertilizer is cheap, time is money.

 

[venator260]

Yes, your requirements are a little different than mine. In your case, I'd just buy some sod for that steep clay back side. It's going to be easier than trying to get seed to grow, there. For the rest, you could use "pasture mix", sold by Agway, and many turf shops. It's usually a blend of local wild grasses, and will grow like nothing you've seen. As much weed as grass, but it will hold the soil, which is what you're after.

For any seed, use a Starter fertlizer, much higher than 10-10-10. Think closer to 18-24-12. If you're investing the time to go buy it, and then apply it, you might as well use the right product. Fertilizer is cheap, time is money.

Thanks for the advise. I'll have to give this a try.

 

[Dobish]

in the side yard (that I was trying to repair after the tenants dog decided to tear it all up) i had about a truck full of ground ivy, lambs quarters, and some other type of stringy thing (Convolvulus maybe?).

I had grass there a few years ago, and now it is all back to being dirt. I think I am going to have to tear it all up, till it, and start over.... honestly thinking about astroturf.....

This was right after I leveled it, amended it and had it all nice.

I got my grass to grow:

Then this is after I tore up a lot of the weeds....