The obsessive compulsive lawn thread

[JONNYROTTEN]

My wife says I can literally watch grass grow...I take that as a complement.
Lets see your obsessive DIY lawns...Paid landscaper lawns don't count

 

[Spokangeles]

That's a good-looking lawn.

 

[passedpawn]

Croquet. That's what I'd be doing there.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Croquet. That's what I'd be doing there.

Cant believe you mentioned that.We actually have a set that comes out at family get togethers...good times

 

[Stillraining]

Very nice indeed. As lush as that looks I bet its a twice a week mowing though..and lots of water!

I do love a good infield cross hatch straight line mow...But lawn to me is just a background canvas for more interesting things.

 

[Brad2287]

Here is mine when I bought the house vs now.

Backyard is coming along but not quite as nice yet. Having two larger active dogs with urine that beats up my grass slows down my progress.

View attachment 1468514355661.jpg

View attachment 1468514369593.jpg

 

[Homercidal]

I will not be playing this game. My lawn is fairly variable. Some of this and some of that, some gets well watered, some doesn't.

I really just need a lawn that I can walk on without shoes comfortably. All that means is I need to pull up the picker bushes when they sprout.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I used to play. To much damn work, and expense for too little ROI.

My lawn is green and varied. That is good enough for me.

OP, you'd better get out there and pick those stray leaves. It's a blemish to your canvas.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Here is my front yard:
You can see some "holes" that would be from the dog. She has some powerful urine.

Cross hatch patern:

Back yard:
I have much more varied grass types back there... The lime green shocked grass is likely nut sedge and some crab grass, however since I took those pictures a few months ago, I've eliminated most of that.

 

[Auger]

My patch of weeds mostly covers up the dirt spots.

 

[SteveHeff]

Here is mine when I bought the house vs now.

Backyard is coming along but not quite as nice yet. Having two larger active dogs with urine that beats up my grass slows down my progress.

Soil composition aside, what they heck did you do to thicken and green it up? I have a patch, 10'x20', where a tree used to be (previous homeowners removed said tree 4 years ago) and it is horribly spotty. I've been trying various brands of weed and feed for the last 12 months as well as water, water, water. I've also hit it with top soil/manure/fertilizer mix to help reconcile any nutrient deficiencies.

So, short story long, how did you work that wonderful magic?

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

You may have a few things that are contributing to your issue with not being able to actually get that area to fill in and green up.

1. The old tree and its root system may still be contributing to your soil issues. Was it by chance a pine, spruce, or cedar tree? Those suckers acidify the soil like nothing else. Makes it very difficult to grow thick grass.

2. You have any moss growing there? That also is a tell-tale sign of a combination of acid and shade.

3. Weed and Feed. Dont use that crap. Here is what I would suggest.

1. In the fall - Aerate all of your lawn as much as you can (go rent one)
2. Throw down a good seed that is applicable for your region and go heavy handed!
3. Starter Fertilizer like Lesco Starter Fert, throw that down in the appropriate amounts listed on the package.
4. Water water water.
5. If trying to thicken up, it may be best to also throw down (dust it) with some peat moss and top soil. That will help keep the birds from eating the seed and will help encapsulate moisture for growing grass.

6. Let the weeds grow for a while in there. Its just going to happen. Wait until your grass is thick and lush before trying any kind of weed control and even then I'd recommend using a selective spray instead of a weed and feed.

7. Use Milorganite. I love this stuff. Its organic and it helps enrich your lawn and get the nitrogen and iron content up.

So if all you took from my suggestion is one thing it would be to NOT USE WEED AND FEED!

If you are really looking to get some help and you like watching fun things on youtube, search "The Lawn Care Nut" Allyn Hayne. He is awesome. Check his older video's. You can't go wrong if you you follow what Allyn says.

 

[Rivenin]

Here is the backyard - i don't have great pictures as ususally i'm running for the kegerator after mowing the lawn and doing yard work LOL

[/url]20160625_174930 by Noah Scott, on Flickr[/IMG]

Front - Mowed a little too low that day and wasn't watering enough at the time... but here you are!

20160625_174848 by Noah Scott, on Flickr

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I will let everyone in a little secret.This is like giving away your best Smoker rub recipe.This product was only available to golf courses awhile back.You can apply it the same day as seeding.Making spring seeding possible while controlling crabgrass.The bottle will last forever.Off hand I think its around 1 TSP per 1000 sq ft. So with my 6000 sq ft lawn will last like 8 years or something ridiculous..Use correctly or youll fry your lawn.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DUTNF0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Brad2287]

Soil composition aside, what they heck did you do to thicken and green it up? I have a patch, 10'x20', where a tree used to be (previous homeowners removed said tree 4 years ago) and it is horribly spotty. I've been trying various brands of weed and feed for the last 12 months as well as water, water, water. I've also hit it with top soil/manure/fertilizer mix to help reconcile any nutrient deficiencies.

So, short story long, how did you work that wonderful magic?

You may have a few things that are contributing to your issue with not being able to actually get that area to fill in and green up.

1. The old tree and its root system may still be contributing to your soil issues. Was it by chance a pine, spruce, or cedar tree? Those suckers acidify the soil like nothing else. Makes it very difficult to grow thick grass.

2. You have any moss growing there? That also is a tell-tale sign of a combination of acid and shade.

3. Weed and Feed. Dont use that crap. Here is what I would suggest.

1. In the fall - Aerate all of your lawn as much as you can (go rent one)
2. Throw down a good seed that is applicable for your region and go heavy handed!
3. Starter Fertilizer like Lesco Starter Fert, throw that down in the appropriate amounts listed on the package.
4. Water water water.
5. If trying to thicken up, it may be best to also throw down (dust it) with some peat moss and top soil. That will help keep the birds from eating the seed and will help encapsulate moisture for growing grass.

6. Let the weeds grow for a while in there. Its just going to happen. Wait until your grass is thick and lush before trying any kind of weed control and even then I'd recommend using a selective spray instead of a weed and feed.

7. Use Milorganite. I love this stuff. Its organic and it helps enrich your lawn and get the nitrogen and iron content up.

So if all you took from my suggestion is one thing it would be to NOT USE WEED AND FEED!

If you are really looking to get some help and you like watching fun things on youtube, search "The Lawn Care Nut" Allyn Hayne. He is awesome. Check his older video's. You can't go wrong if you you follow what Allyn says.

This is very close to what I do. In addition to this I have a couple other recommendations.

The big one is soil adjustments and making sure it is suitable for what you are growing. I highly recommend having a soil analysis done. Often times this is free or a very minimal charge from your local university extension or from the local water District. They will also usually give you the appropriate soil adjustments on a per 1000 sqf basis. If the soil is not right you will always have mediocre results at best.

The other thing is buy very high quility seed that is appropriate for the amount of sun/shade and the climate you are in. You can find sod farm/golf course quality seed online. In my experience it is much higher quality and has better disease resistance than the off the shelf stuff from hardware stores. I always overseed when I aerate.

I never use weed and feed and just use spot treatments for any weeds as necessary. Once the lawn is established this requires very little time.

I also use soil testing to dictate the ferrilizer I use. I have mixed different brands before to get the profile of nutrients I was looking for.

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

^^ Good Point on the Soil Test. I was assuming it was likely an acidic environment.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

To achieve and maintain results like this, I'd have to strip 8 to 10 Inches off the top of my yards and amend the holy hell out of the layer below, and then lay down 8 to 10 inches of real topsoil. Red loamy clay is what I have for "topsoil". It sucks moisture out of plants, shrinks up and crushes roots, and then splits open in huge cracks even with routine watering. Even if I fixed that, I'd still have to go back in with Bermuda. It's about the only thing that can tolerate our heat, lack of shade, and watering restrictions.

Too much work. <sigh> The grass is greener looking out from this side.

 

[passedpawn]

If you're just trying to green up your lawn, without adding fertilizer, Milorganite is pretty week compared to some of the other iron "fertilizers" out there. I use something called Super Iron Plus from Sunniland. HD carries it. 16% iron vs 4% (milorganite)

 

[passedpawn]

Even though our grass down here is very coarse and not soft like northern grass, I still wanna play. My front and back. Just mowed, and took pics. It's about to rain, so sky is overcast.

BTW, it's not trivial getting grass to grow under the oaks in back. In general, Florida landscaping is a continual battle in keeping the jungle from eating your house.

 

[Stillraining]

I have family in Bradenton, Jacksonville and some other town I cant remember...They all say the the thing, with the occasional snake in the jungle/grass tale as well.

 

[Zuljin]

Mow high.

 

[AkTom]

Oops. I didn't mean to wander in here. You'd shoot me if you saw my "lawn". I'm outa here.

 

[Yeastieboy]

http://youtu.be/DOKuSQIJlog

 

[kh54s10]

My god! How do you people ever have time to brew beer???

I have red maple seedlings, yellow and blue flowers, dandelions, clover and a lot of other weeds growing in my yard. And a little grass....

 

[passedpawn]

My god! How do you people ever have time to brew beer???

You'd be surprised how much OCD people can accomplish in a day. That probably sounds like a joke. It's not.

 

[Yeastieboy]

You'd be surprised how much OCD people can accomplish in a day. That probably sounds like a joke. It's not.

I'm diagnosed OCD and you are correct. I can be quite productive some days. Not so much other days. As for the lawn yes, it's pretty nice.

 

[JonM]

Fun fact about Milorganite: It used to be THE fertilizer - it was so good that top golf courses in Scotland insisted on using nothing else. For whatever reason, quality declined in the 70s. Know what the best guess is for the decline? Well, Milorganite is made from Milwaukee's municipal sewage. (A little bit of you and me in every bag! TM) The 70s is when lots of major breweries started leaving Milwaukee, so lots of folks think that there was something magical in the brewery waste that got flushed down the drain, and that's what made Milorganite so special.

 

[jimyson]

Still working on mine. I started late last year after we bought it. I too have a dog and have really green spots to indicate his markings. I purchased a bunch of turf type tall fescue that I will be slice seeding this August. I also go the organic approach as I have kids so it's taking a bit longer as well. I also battle poor drainage and need to install some French drains. With all that said, it's coming along, just a bit slower.

I don't water either and it's getting warm here in Ohio.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1468760811.891168.jpg

 

[SharonaZamboni]

My lawn's not even a lawn this year. Very little rain. Last year, my back yard was super thick and green with grass (and weeds). Pretty sure I've only mowed 2 or three times this year. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1468763376.797803.jpg
The area behind the swing set is a whole different set of problems.

 

[JonM]

I've got it pretty easy. Lawn is big enough to feel like it's a good size, but small enough that mowing takes only 45 minutes or so. I do a pre-emergent weed treatment in the spring (park across the street and a neighbor across the street the other way who doesn't give a F about his lawn, so dandelion seeds carry over to our yard) Milorganite according to the mfgr's schedule, and then spot treatment for the occasional weed and creeping charlie that pops up (and occasionally, for some reason, catnip pops up in roughly the same spot). I cleared out some bentgrass that worked its way over from the neighbor's yard so it's mostly healthy and weed-free, but I still struggle with some stubborn patches of crabgrass. Hate that stuff.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Just bought my house in May, I vowed to fix up the lawn and get some good perennial landscaping done. Well now we're in a severe drought, only a couple inches since April. Lawn is dead, most of the bushes and flowers I planted are barely clinging to life.

Doesn't help that I don't have a good time to water, I'm getting ready for bed as the sun is setting and I don't want to water at 3am(I work in TV). Most of the flower beds are next to the house so it's some topsoil, but it's over a gravel bed for drainage. Hopefully they survive the winter and they can develop enough of a root system where they don't need me. The lawn is a whole other issue

 

[JonM]

I bet your lawn's not dead - just dormant b/c of the lack of water. I bet it'll come back good as new next year.

 

[Stillraining]

Just bought my house in May, I vowed to fix up the lawn and get some good perennial landscaping done. Well now we're in a severe drought, only a couple inches since April. Lawn is dead, most of the bushes and flowers I planted are barely clinging to life.

Doesn't help that I don't have a good time to water, I'm getting ready for bed as the sun is setting and I don't want to water at 3am(I work in TV). Most of the flower beds are next to the house so it's some topsoil, but it's over a gravel bed for drainage. Hopefully they survive the winter and they can develop enough of a root system where they don't need me. The lawn is a whole other issue

Sounds like you and the neighbors kid need to come to a mutual agreement. There still are entrepreneurial kids out there.

 

[jimyson]

Depending on temperature, I think first year shrubs only need a good watering every 7-20 days. What zone are you in?

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Sounds like you and the neighbors kid need to come to a mutual agreement. There still are entrepreneurial kids out there.

Sadly my whole street is either commercial or very old retired folk. We're the only young couple on the street(very happy to be 23 and never rented outside of while I was in college!)

I'm sure the lawn will come back, just will need a ton of weeding next year. The plants I'm worried about more.

Plus we have an old dirt driveway dividing the back yard, going to be fun getting grass to grow there, probably going to need to replace all the soil.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1468771044.100920.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1468771060.917335.jpg
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1468771075.386753.jpg

Only places I know are 100% dead are above the septic/leach(new and they never did a good job regrow growing it) and under where they had a swingset.

Edit: the phone is very flattering, and it's overcast. The lawn is not very green, just burnt.

 

[JonM]

I've gotten really good results with Ortho Weed-B-Gon when it comes to weeds, both for an early whole lawn pre-emergent treatment and for spot treating.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

I've gotten really good results with Ortho Weed-B-Gon when it comes to weeds, both for an early whole lawn pre-emergent treatment and for spot treating.

Yeah that's what I plan on using next year, I didn't want to stress the lawn this year so I didn't weed at all. This year has been about destroying the billions of ants that call my lawn home. They can't be good for the roots. This dry soil is making it nice and easy for them to nest too. I put down the granular stuff at triple the recommended rate, watered it in well. Haven't seen much luck.

 

[GHBWNY]

Shredded wheat.

 

[JonM]

Yeah that's what I plan on using next year, I didn't want to stress the lawn this year so I didn't weed at all. This year has been about destroying the billions of ants that call my lawn home. They can't be good for the roots. This dry soil is making it nice and easy for them to nest too. I put down the granular stuff at triple the recommended rate, watered it in well. Haven't seen much luck.

Ants, eh? Depending on how accommodating SWMBO is, this might be a rare opportunity to do anthill art. You're not in a place prone to wildfires, are ya? :rockin:

ETA: No time to water, you say? Check this out: Roger Cook approved.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20803336,00.html

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Ants, eh? Depending on how accommodating SWMBO is, this might be a rare opportunity to do anthill art. You're not in a place prone to wildfires, are ya? :rockin:

ETA: No time to water, you say? Check this out: Roger Cook approved.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20803336,00.html

Not typically prone to fires, but we're almost double digits below average on rain since May. Not the fun anthills either. We don't get big ants in NE