Lawn and Landscape

Where I was at two months ago vs today. Just off to the right has started filling in with crabgrass and whatever other native plants/grasses that have no problem growing without my help. Ive still got areas I need to seed, but I didn’t want to get stretched too thin on having to try and maintain watering a whole yard at once.
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Where I was at two months ago vs today. Just off to the right has started filling in with crabgrass and whatever other natural plants/grasses that have no problem growing without my help. Ive still got areas I need to seed, but I didn’t want to get stretched too thin on having to try and maintain watering a whole yard at once.
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That looks good.
 
Where I was at two months ago vs today. Just off to the right has started filling in with crabgrass and whatever other natural plants/grasses that have no problem growing without my help. Ive still got areas I need to seed, but I didn’t want to get stretched too thin on having to try and maintain watering a whole yard at once.
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Looks great!
 
Threw another couple Hundred $$$ at my grass again once again. Struggle is real. I'm about two weeks late and didn't aerate, but scalped the grass put seed down and started watering. Always comes in pretty good before winter sets in, but come early summer it dies off. I refuse to pay the watering bill plus draging a hose all over the yard for 3 months. Just seems like it did better 20 plus years ago when we moved in.
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3/4 of my green Bermuda just vanished. Pretty sure I fell victim to army worms but didn't notice in time. My front and side yards look like it's February they're so brown.
 
We had some patches just die this year too. Not sure what happened. Of course I'm not all about that green grass just no wisteria and privit.
 
what are the standard fall things to do with bermuda grass?

I see a lot on the web for the spring and not much for the fall
 
what are the standard fall things to do with bermuda grass?

I see a lot on the web for the spring and not much for the fall
Pre emergent and maybe a spray with 24d is all I know of. I like the Clemson turf grass page. It's pretty informative and easy to understand.

 
I'm seriously considering seeding some of my bald patched with clover. It seems to grow very easily in my yard and its green. Better that orange dirt.
I put in zero effort this year, and the clover did a great job of keeping it green until the summer weeds came in, which did a great job until the bermuda came in, which did a great job until now when the fescue is starting to come in.
 
I put in zero effort this year, and the clover did a great job of keeping it green until the summer weeds came in, which did a great job until the bermuda came in, which did a great job until now when the fescue is starting to come in.
My yard is a heavy mix of a variety of different weeds that stay relatively green from spring to fall. I allocate my effort to making sure my mower blades stay sharp to keep the weeds as close to the same height as possible. Recently picked up a cheap (free) sprayer that mounts to my fo-willa and has an 8' boom. Considering filling it with some diluted green paint mix after my last cut of the year.
 
My yard is a heavy mix of a variety of different weeds that stay relatively green from spring to fall. I allocate my effort to making sure my mower blades stay sharp to keep the weeds as close to the same height as possible. Recently picked up a cheap (free) sprayer that mounts to my fo-willa and has an 8' boom. Considering filling it with some diluted green paint mix after my last cut of the year.
Yep...replying to my own post.

But furreal tho, I'd put some actual effort into my yard if somebody told me exactly what I needed to buy and do. I have no desire to research this topic ad nauseam, and I have zero capacity to stuff new information into my brain and retain it. Every spring when I pull my mower out for the first time I tell myself this is going to be the year that I'm gonna kill my yard and start over in the fall. And every fall I look at my garbage yard and tell myself it aint worth it. Aaaannnnd now I'm considering painting it :laughing:
 
Yep...replying to my own post.

But furreal tho, I'd put some actual effort into my yard if somebody told me exactly what I needed to buy and do. I have no desire to research this topic ad nauseam, and I have zero capacity to stuff new information into my brain and retain it. Every spring when I pull my mower out for the first time I tell myself this is going to be the year that I'm gonna kill my yard and start over in the fall. And every fall I look at my garbage yard and tell myself it aint worth it. Aaaannnnd now I'm considering painting it :laughing:
Dude I just bit the bullet and had Chamberlain Landscaping give me a price to put me on the maintenance program (the spray side of any big landscape group but it's not a chain and local owned)

I went ahead and sprayed my WHOLE yard with crabgrass and weed killer 3 weeks ago in anticipation of seeding anyway, and then spot sprayed round up on the Virginia Button weed (because FAWK fighting that) My yard looks like I burned it :dumbass:

Generally I spend about $500-$800 on seed/fertilizer plugger rental in the fall and a few $100 in the spring for pre-emergent. Then maybe another $100 in the early summer for fungus and insects. But this year ALL I did was seed and fertilize last fall and I'm paying for it.

Dude came out this morning to look it over and emailed me a quote a little bit ago. His price to seed, fertilize AND plug my yard was less than I can buy JUST the seed for with my buddy Scott's discount at Site ONE o_O And then, to keep me on a "program" of different sprays thruout the year was about what I spend in just the fall anyways. I'm about to pull the trigger on this and not think any more about it
 
Dude I just bit the bullet and had Chamberlain Landscaping give me a price to put me on the maintenance program (the spray side of any big landscape group but it's not a chain and local owned)

I went ahead and sprayed my WHOLE yard with crabgrass and weed killer 3 weeks ago in anticipation of seeding anyway, and then spot sprayed round up on the Virginia Button weed (because FAWK fighting that) My yard looks like I burned it :dumbass:

Generally I spend about $500-$800 on seed/fertilizer plugger rental in the fall and a few $100 in the spring for pre-emergent. Then maybe another $100 in the early summer for fungus and insects. But this year ALL I did was seed and fertilize last fall and I'm paying for it.

Dude came out this morning to look it over and emailed me a quote a little bit ago. His price to seed, fertilize AND plug my yard was less than I can buy JUST the seed for with my buddy Scott's discount at Site ONE o_O And then, to keep me on a "program" of different sprays thruout the year was about what I spend in just the fall anyways. I'm about to pull the trigger on this and not think any more about it
Send me that contact info. I just started with growing green, but I'm still seeding and not doing the back yard.
 
Send me that contact info. I just started with growing green, but I'm still seeding and not doing the back yard.
Man I was torn. Growing green is a great company and I have a good friend who's a big part of that company, but these guys came with a great recommendation and small family company that really seems to care

 
Yep...replying to my own post.

But furreal tho, I'd put some actual effort into my yard if somebody told me exactly what I needed to buy and do. I have no desire to research this topic ad nauseam, and I have zero capacity to stuff new information into my brain and retain it. Every spring when I pull my mower out for the first time I tell myself this is going to be the year that I'm gonna kill my yard and start over in the fall. And every fall I look at my garbage yard and tell myself it aint worth it. Aaaannnnd now I'm considering painting it :laughing:
From Page 1 of this thread in 2015. I also put a spring plan in at some point but it probably needs to be updated by now,.
Here is some info I pass along to people so I don't have to stand there and tell them and waste my time. I started at #3 because the first two steps time has passed. You can all Google John Deere Landscapes and find a store that sells seed and fert and buy all of your supplies there. These are high quality products. They also carry all of the ferts with pre-emergents for the spring and summer.
If you've never done a soil test, you need to. John Deere can do them or they are free most of the year with the NC Dept of Ag.

3. Between September 15th and October 15th is the optimum time to reseed. If it is still

very hot and dry, wait, but get it done before Oct. 15th.

4. Before aerating, mow lawn down very low, not to the dirt, but

close.

5. When seeding time comes you should prepare your yard by wetting it thoroughly

before aerating it. This will ensure that the aerator will penetrate the soil effectively.

Any totally bare spots should be tilled or dug up by hand to create a seed bed.

6. Aerate your lawn aggressively and make double and triple passes.

7. Seed immediately after aerating with turf-type fescue (we use John Deere/Lesco Blue Tag Certified or

Transition Blend seed), at a rate of 5 lbs per 1000 square feet of lawn area. (measure

length times width of lawn areas, do not include beds, buildings or sidewalks)

8. Fertilize with starter fertilizer, 18-24-12 (or equivalent), at the rate on the bag.

9. Lightly straw any bare areas with wheat straw. (be sure to add a little extra seed to

these areas) You can also use PennMulch or peat moss rather than straw. (less weeds)

10. Water the first time for a long time to be sure the seed gets enough moisture to

germinate. After that, water 10 to 15 minutes per area daily until grass is at least 3

inches tall. After that, keep watering two to three times per week to keep it looking

good.

11. Thirty days after you seed, apply slow release winter fertilizer. We use John Deere/Lesco 28-0-5 (or equivalent, the mixtures vary each year)

at rate on bag.

12. Keep leaves off of lawn by blowing, not raking them. (you damage

seedlings by raking)

13. Mow lawn when grass is 4" to 6" tall. Remove any clumps of grass by hand that are

caked on the ground. Use only SHARP mower blades. Mow at 3.5-4" inch height

14. If any areas don't come up, scratch with a rake and reseed and straw.
I don't mind helping when I can, it's my business so I don't have to go looking for the info.
 
What you guys say? I know what many say, along with This Old House/Ask This Old House. But danged if I don't see so many "I did it My way". Mulch around trees: What's right, What's wrong? Here's two different examples, but I took two pics of the High mounds & one pic of a flat [near flat] cover. If I'd had time, it would have been better for me to climb down out of the ol dump truck. I toured some of a neighborhood today, & it looked like every homeowner did their own Personal thing!
 

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Finally did a Soil test and I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect what seems to be "normal" best I can tell.
No lime needed, ....... so I guess shade and no sprinkler system is what I'm fighting......?
Gurus what do you think?

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Finally did a Soil test and I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect what seems to be "normal" best I can tell.
No lime needed, ....... so I guess shade and no sprinkler system is what I'm fighting......?
Gurus what do you think?

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You are def fighting shade and tree root competition. If you are using starter fert with high P and K then cut those out. And I'm not sure why your calcium would be so high unless you have dumped a lot of fast lime on it recently, It's calcitic so won't need that any time soon.
 
I didn't put lime down this year and probably only put it down maybe twice in the last 15 years. I tried to get a guy in who gave me a quote to limb up all my trees but he ghosted me, and I couldn't wait for him so I ended up putting seed down 1 week before Helene. What a dilemma, we wanted trees for shade due to the heat now that we have them I want grass LOL Plus the two trees we chose, suck up a ton of water River Birch and the Willow Oak but we like both of them.

I'll have to check the starter Fert I put down, after the test sample. But I'll stick with 34-0-0 in the spring and summer?
 
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