Question for all you green types out there - my lawn sucks

[Blaze]

Yes, my lawn sucks. And I suck at knowing how to do anything about it. If I went to Home Depot and asked them they would tell me some bullshit and it wouldn't work. Because I have and my lawn sucks.

I want a half decent yard. Right now my yard is about 7% grass and 80% weed. The remainder is dirt. Straight up dusty dirt from my kids playing baseball in the yard. Literally the only part of my yard that looks good is where the seed from my neighbors nice yard blows into mine.

My goal for this season is to have a decent looking yard. I want some grass that can take a little beating and hopefully even choke out some weeds. I talked to my wife about plugging the yard with some St. Augs or Bermuda, but her dad did that and spent hours upon hours on it. She thinks we can get a decent yard by weed/feed/whatever, aerating, seeding, fertilizer, water. She is probably right, but we have no idea. The kids mostly play in the backyard now so I think we can keep them out of it for now till the grass is established.

Yard has decent soil, not that sandy and not clay, with a lot of shade during the summer/spring when the trees are full. We also have pine trees and sweet gums, which I'm sure means something to someone.

So help me out here, earn me some points with the wifey that I can actually make things grow rather than just being good at destroying things.

 

[jeepinmatt]

Ask your neighbor. He has the same soil and his yard apparently works

 

[BigBody79]

Ask your neighbor. Spend money.

 

[Ron]

This time of year aint much you can really do to change where . The time has passed.

Now if you want a 1 year (cheapish) patch and have the baddest yard in the neighborhood this year and then do it right come fall...plant some rye grass. a bunch.
Wait 2 weeks and hit it with fertilizer. You will have the greenest yard in the neighborhood for 1 year

 

[drkelly]

It is the wrong time of year to start. Wait until late September/early October, and then aerate, over seed HEAVILY with tall fescue, and fertilize. Any seed you plant in the spring will most likely die unless you have a sprinkler system.

The most I would do right now is put down a crabgrass and weed pre-emergent to minimize how thick all that crap gets this spring and summer. If the weeds are already growing, then buy some Weed-B-Gon bottles with crab grass killer that screw on to the end of you garden hose. It may take 2 doses. DO NOT spray that stuff 2-3 days before mowing, or 2-3 days after mowing. Also, do no spray it on HOT days. It will kill any fescue that is alive. One time I stupidly sprayed it on a hot summer day right after mowing, lol.

Ortho Weed B Gon 32 oz. Max Plus Ready-To-Spray Crabgrass Control-999411015 - The Home Depot

I got this from a co-worker:


Tall Fescue Maintenance Schedule for established lawns in the North Carolina Piedmont region. Modified (7-16-14) Cost are based on 15,000 sq ft.



Between September 15th and October 1st:

• Aerate and overseed
• Use a blend of tall fescue cultivars at 4 pounds per thousand square feet. Keep the seedbed moist to ensure good germination. COST $50
• Mow to 2 1/2 to 3 inches in height when needed.

Between October 1st and October 31st:

• Fertilize using a complete nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (N-P-K) turf-grade fertilizer (12-4-8 or 16-4-8)if you’re on a tight budget 10-10-10 is okay 13-13-13 is better. COST $35
• Check for white grubs in October; fall is the ideal time to control white grubs.

Between November 15th and December 15th

Best time to put down Lime, if needed

• Fertilize (12-4-8 or 16-4-8) if you’re on a tight budget 10-10-10 is okay 13-13-13 is better COST $35

Between February 1st and February 15th

• Apply a Crabgrass preventer (pre-emergent) and fertilizer. Or a Crabgrass preventer with fertilizer in it. Sta-green brand at Lowes is okay. COST $45
• Mow before grass gets taller than 5 inches.

Between March 15th and April 15th

(About the time the dogwoods bloom)

• Apply broadleaf herbicides to control dandelions and other weeds if necessary.

(“Spectracide Lawn Weed Killer Plus Crabgrass” works well with a hose end sprayer, or the kind that you attach the hose right to the bottle.) COST $7

• Mow at 3 inches.
• DO NOT fertilize tall fescue after March 15.

Between May 1st and May 15th

(or as late as early June)

• Apply crab grass preventer (pre-emergent) to control crabgrass NO FERTILIZER COST $17

Between May 15th and September 15th

• Raise mower height to 3 ½ to 4 inches.

• DO NOT fertilize tall fescue at this time.
• Avoid the use of herbicides at this time.
• Irrigate when needed

TOTAL COST OVER THE WHOLE YEAR First year $189

Years after $154

This information was modified slightly from the NC state university website:

For more info see:

- TurfFiles

 

[shawn]

There's an entire thread on this:

Lawn and Landscape

Do you want a warm-season yard, or a cool-season yard? That will determine how best to answer your question. Ron's right - if you want a fescue yard. If you have a sunny yard and don't mind it being brown from September until May, then you can seed or plug with a warm-season grass in a couple of months, and it might take over the whole yard before the summer is through.

 

[Blaze]

This time of year aint much you can really do to change where . The time has passed.

Now if you want a 1 year (cheapish) patch and have the baddest yard in the neighborhood this year and then do it right come fall...plant some rye grass. a bunch.
Wait 2 weeks and hit it with fertilizer. You will have the greenest yard in the neighborhood for 1 year

I think this is the option we are going to choose. Just make it look good through the summer and then it'll be set to do it right later this year.

 

[Blaze]

And actually, I just mowed the grass (through the cloud of dirt) and realized I already have a ton of rye grass in the front of the yard where they did a gas line and new fiber and then threw down a bunch of rye to cover their destruction.

 

[ponykilr]

If you put in the work, a Zoysia lawn from seed can be done and the time to plant is before June.

Southern Seeds has the seed and advice to make it work.

 

[jbkelly0211]

Do a soil test before buying a bunch of stuff to throw out that may be doing more harm than good. Soil pH is a huge factor that can be remedied cheaply (lime). Soil tests are cheap (~$10) and will give you a place to start. A pH of 6.5 is good enough. Once you know the soil is right, then you can concentrate on getting seed down. Seeding Bermuda is hard to do. Hulled Bermuda seed is extremely expensive and tough to germinate without irrigation. It needs 10-14 days of constant water. Fescue is easier and cheaper, initially but will need aeration/ reseeding yearly ideally.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shawn]

If you want some Bermuda, come to my house with a shovel and a truck in July. You can have every bit you can dig up.

 

[R Q]

Everything has been covered so far. Sounds like your trees may an issue though. Deep shade grows nothing.

 

[frankenyoter]

If you put in the work, a Zoysia lawn from seed can be done and the time to plant is before June.

Southern Seeds has the seed and advice to make it work.

That's what my front lawn is. It's really nice once it finally wakes up in the spring.

 

[ckruzer]

Every growing thing takes something (nutrients) from the ground and puts something there. God created everything with a purpose. Weeds are your friends. You can analyze with a mass spectrometer a weed - its nutrient profile will match the current deficiencies in the soil in that location. Farmers are seeing 'never before seen' weeds, and this is because the chemical onslaught from the NPKs are bringing forth some dangerous times.


Biology is the workhorse in your soil. It converts macronutrients (commercial fert inputs) to micronutrients. Plants can only uptake micronutrients. The majority of any fertilizer you input, either runs off or burns off. Very inefficient. These chemical fertilizers are harsh in pH, and usually are made from extremely toxic compounds. This kills the bugs in the soil. Reduced soil biology now means even more reduced efficiencies for processing the fertilizers you apply. This is why every year farmers are having to use more and more fertilizer than they did the year before. Bugs are responsible for the breakdown of the leftovers from harvest. Its no longer biodegrading. Each year universities are researching into new tractor implements to pulverize these into the soil. Hello! Fix the biology problem!


Biology (soil ‘bugs’) are directly responsible for the organic matter in your soil. New organic matter is created through the biodegrading of harvest remains and/or dead plants through winter. An acre of soil containing only 2% of organic matter is comprised of: 40k lbs organic mater = 2.1k lbs Nitrogen at 5% release (105lbs). 140lbs Phosphate at 5% release (7lbs). 450lbs of Potassium at 5% release (21lbs). So tell me. If you properly take care of your soil biology: where in that lineup do you need to add more NPK? I have a saying: “the morons like to say ‘more on’”. lol. Take care of your soil, quit the lie of chemical NPK programs, and your soil will explode your harvest (or turf growth).


Other than nutrient deficiencies. What is the biggest thing plaguing plant and human health? Prolonged dehydration. When the organic matter in your soil is crap (chemical onslaught), it can not store water properly. Improper storage of water: dehydration. Prolonged dehydration has these symptoms: fatigue, energy loss, digestive disorders (inability to absorb nutrients), pH imbalance, premature aging, malfunctioning immune system… Does this sound familiar? Picture this: One inch of rain = 27,154 gallons of water per acre. Average soil with only 1% organic matter (remember the 2% stats mentioned above), can hold up to approx. 16,500 gallons of water per acre. (0.6 inch rainfall). Water wasted. Also now google how many gallons one acre of turf consumes in a day! But here is where it goes WOAH! Average soil with only 2.5% organic matter can hold approx. 41,250 gallons of water (1.5 inch rainfall). Would you look at that! IF you take care of your soil, it gets Better! haha


Another big thing. How many elements of the periodic table comprise your soil? Better yet. How many nutrients are in soil and required for plant life? ALOT more than three. NPK is one of the biggest Elitist schemes out there. It is killing everything and quickly bringing on plagues of biblical proportions. Each year a new pest resilient to pesticide comes about. Farmers are now making homemade cocktails of 24d, roundup, etc. Barely working. Did you know a pest doesnt have a pancreas? It can not process sugar. All plants have ‘brixx’. It is the level of natural sugar (this is a plant’s immune system!). The healthier a plant is (the more nutrients) up goes the brixx. A pest will fly over a healthy plant and attack the sick plant. Everything God made has a purpose. The pests are designed to show you what you shouldnt harvest and consume. Take care of the soil, and it will take care of the plants, and then the healthy plants will naturally repel pests. Back to the lie of the NPK…


Why would you only supply three ingredients when there are over 200? Chemical fertilizers, just like pharmaceuticals, coerce a side effect. In the beginning NPK programs gave amazing short term results. The nitrogen *pushed* super green plants. The phosphate *pushed* to seed because more phos meant more manganese can pair with it. Etc. The long term effects are deadly and this generation is well into experiencing them. I know a guy that was in several Florida citrus farms (major brand name ones). The farmer said his Grandad harvested 20 boxes. His dad harvested a dozen boxes per tree. He now farms 1 box per tree with luck on his side. You can stand at the edge of the orchard and here “plop. plop. plop plop plop. plop”. All day. All night. The citrus is dropping. The trees are so undernourished, diseased - they can not keep the fruit on the tree. Farmer said almost all US citrus farms are like this, and the US is importing almost all citrus. You could go long on citrus right now and probably make quite a bit a money. The whole citrus industry is about to collapse.


Chemical corn has only 2ppm of manganese compared to organically grown having 14ppm. Calcium, the most abundant element in your body - chemical corn has an average of 14ppm, while organically grown has avg of 6,130ppm. USDA stats, Since 1975 (Start of the NPK lie): Apples, Vitamin A down 41%. Peppers, Vitamin C down 31%. Watercress, Iron down 88%. Broccoli, Calcium and Vitamin A down 50%. Cauliflower, Down: Vitamin C 45%, Vitamin B1 48%, and Vitamin B2 47%. The list goes on, and on, and on, and on…


SO the weeds. They are your friend. But there is a trick you can do. If you pull as many weeds as you can and create a compost tea brew from these weeds, and then spray this back on your lawn it will turn off the weeds in your soil. Tricking your soil into thinking the nutrients are there.


This is the family company’s product. I highly suggest you try it out! Not everything is on the website. Its a new site after a massive rebranding! You're a good 3 hours away (im in asheville) but if you're ever this way happy to give you some. Or feel free to PM me and I can get you what you need if you cover shipping.


Untreated Lawn Transformed with Blue Gold – Eden Blue Gold

PS: all humbly said. no degrading intended. im told often by the wife im rude haha. mods. dont take the above as a vendor post lol. not "selling", just want to hook nc4x4 friends up with something i know works and isnt bullshit :smile:

 

[Ron]

looks like that front yard was "treated"with sod...what say you @R Q

 

[ckruzer]

California champ winner in the middle of their drought and water restrictions.

 

[R Q]

looks like that front yard was "treated"with sod...what say you @R Q

I will take the man at his word!
California is a whole different world than us. April is not the worst time of year for growing grass there as the dates on the pics indicate.
All of that info that ckruzer copied and pasted on his reply is Organic Product Sales info, some is bona fide science and some is sales. I am ALL FOR organics in the soils and building healthy soil for your lawn and landscape! I start every new landscape job with a sales/teaching pitch on soil improvement before anything else. It is THE building block to a healthy landscape. Regardless of the fertilization method that you choose, a healthy, loose, and organic soil is the best avenue to deliver those nutrients.
I work in an instant gratification business, and I can damn sure make it happen using the products that I have suggested to y'all because they work. I use organics whenever I can because I like what they do long term. Organics are more of a long term investment and you have to have a different mindset to follow it. If you choose to follow that path, cool. I try to have a balance between organic and chemical. I have earthworms in my lawns and even some moles who eat them! That means the soil is friendly enough for beneficial living organisms so I am good with that.
I like what ckruzer posted. When I get more time I'll read it more thoroughly and hopefully learn something!

 

[ckruzer]

All of that info that ckruzer copied and pasted on his reply is Organic Product Sales info,

Wrote all of that myself!

:thumbs up:

 

[R Q]

Wrote all of that myself!

:thumbs up:

 

[trailhugger]

I picked up a couple of yards of compost and 'leaf mulch' to enrich the mulched areas (including around some trees) we've added to our front yard and expand a planted area along the north property line. Raking off last year's mulch, pulling and/or digging up weeds, and mixing it in with the soil to mulch over again soon.

We noticed that the grass adjacent to the planted areas is super green and happy, so I took some of the leftover compost and started broadcasting it in the rest of the grass that isn't doing as well. I tried the broadcast spreader but the compost is too dense and damp, so I'm loading up a bucket and tossing it on thin spots by hand. Hoping that the addition will help get the new grass seedlings established while they drink up all this rain!