Lawn care timeline

[temery]

I've paid for treatments and lawn care for the past few years. Got too expensive.

''what's the schedule for fertilizer, pre emergents, weed and feed, etc.? What and when, before or after watering, and before or after mowing?

Zone 6a

 

[HuskyHawk]

Love Milorganite. I spread it 3-4 times a year and have had great looking lawns to the point where my neighbors who use lawn services ask how I get my lawn so green. Great stuff!

GrubX is important as well. Couple of years ago I had a large section of dead grass that turned out to be grubs. They can be devastating if not treated.

Yes. Especially if your wife grows roses like mine. Grub factories.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

LOL. It's green for like 3 months. 9 months of yellow. California grass.

ur not too far off it's 'green' season. where i live in coastal Connecticut, it's usually green from mid may to around end september, so aboot 4 months, but it's green season has been widening for years now. i've been lately half- experimenting with palm trees, the british kind. tomorrow comes, whether anyone likes it, or not.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Incredible. How did you initially seed it? Mine just never gets that thick. I have tall fescue in the back. And should get soiled tested. Too much moss, probably need a ton more lime.

Just used a quality tall fescue seed with 0 weed seeds and I overseed every fall. My main issue now is Bermuda grass speading. I'm going to have to kill off some pretty large areas.

 

[dtrumpet]

I (central ct) have good results seeding in late september, the ground is warm and as the fall warmth seems to last to early november, plenty of growth time . Enough to get in a few mowings of the new stuff. Spring seeding is good but only if you water the new grass through the summer dry spells. It will die off quickly since roots aren't deep. And I'm guessing since last weekends rains never came, there are a lot of us with pre emergent granules still sitting on the ground undissolved.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Zoysia? In the northeast? No thanks. It's hard enough dealing with the crap KY31 Tall Fescue that was in most cheap contractor grass seed mixes. Looks like crap and is late to green up. Modern, thin blade tall fescue can be ok, but I still avoid it.

CT and my locale in southern MA, are prime cool season grass climates. Lots of good blends out there. I'm currently using URI #2 formulated at URI. I buy it at Agway. Kentucky blue, red fescue and perennial rye. Be careful with some patch filler grass seed. Annual rye germinates really quickly, but then dies and doesn't come back.

My challenge is a sloped yard, sitting on ledge in the back. I gradually lose top soil, and growing grass is a bitch. I need to put down compost. Organic fertilizer helps with soil quality over time.

u didn' mention the solar profile for that problematic area.
have u considered some inexpensive stone/wood materials to terrace that area to hold the soil?
please don't broadbrush the climate in ur mass locale to mine in coastal Connecticut. i even have different climates existing in my space.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Has anyone tried Sunday?

 

[HuskyHawk]

u didn' mention the solar profile for that problematic area.
have u considered some inexpensive stone/wood materials to terrace that area to hold the soil?
please don't broadbrush the climate in ur mass locale to mine in coastal Connecticut. i even have different climates existing in my space.

Early morning shade, mid-day sun, afternoon shade. Close to the woods.

I wouldn't try to grow Zoysia north of Virginia. But that's me.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Early morning shade, mid-day sun, afternoon shade. Close to the woods.

I wouldn't try to grow Zoysia north of Virginia. But that's me.

sounds like hostas may be ur friends there. im not 'trying' to grow zoysia - i grow it, or better yet, it's growing and spreading aggressively by itself, with zero help of any kind, including water, from me. and, observationally here in southern Connecticut, it's clearly blowing up. again, mostly by its' own bad self.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Just used a quality tall fescue seed with 0 weed seeds and I overseed every fall. My main issue now is Bermuda grass speading. I'm going to have to kill off some pretty large areas.

Bermuda is impossible to root out. Who put that in there!

 

[HuskyHawk]

Bermuda is impossible to root out. Who put that in there!

Crap grass seed most likely. I have two tiny patches too.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Bermuda is impossible to root out. Who put that in there!

I live in NC, its everywhere.

 

[XLCenterFan]

If you have to seed some bare spots, skip the pre emergent in those spots. Pre emergent should be applied when you see the forsythias bloom, that's a good indicator that soil Temps are ready.

As far a fertilizer, that's up to you. I would do 1 synthetic fertilizer (scotts or like) treatment after the lawn is awake in the spring then stick with organics in the summer. You being more north that me, you can probably get away with a 2nd synthetic fertilizer in early May. If you are having a dry spell and no irrigation, I'd skip it. Thats how I handle my lawn for the past decade.

For weeds, I would go with a spray. Get yourself a backpack sprayer and find a good 3 way herbicide with a surfactant. Wear long pants, mask and boots. Don't be stupid and spray with shorts and flip flops on a windy day. Weed and feed, while convenient, is not as good as a spray.

I always recommend getting a soil test from your state AG depth, this will let you know if you need lime for any other nutrients. They'll give recommendations as well.

Here's a picture of my lawn yesterday. 1 acre of tall fescue in NC. I do all my lawn maintenance.
View attachment 66799 View attachment 66800

What? You can't afford edges for the islands? Looks terrible.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

What? You can't afford edges for the islands? Looks terrible.

What?

 

[HuskyHawk]

What?

I think (hope) he was being sarcastic, because the lawn looks so nice. Internet jokes not always obvious.

 

[Brett95]

I have some brand new areas I just cleared of trees, brush, vines, etc. that are bare. I want these areas to be grass and I want to ensure the weeds don't take over since it is bare right now.

What's the right approach to take for brand new, bare areas, to get grass growing ASAP to keep the weeds away?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

I have some brand new areas I just cleared of trees, brush, vines, etc. that are bare. I want these areas to be grass and I want to ensure the weeds don't take over since it is bare right now.

What's the right approach to take for brand new, bare areas, to get grass growing ASAP to keep the weeds away?

'I have some brand new areas I just cleared of trees, brush, vines, etc. that are bare. I want these areas to be grass and I want to ensure the weeds don't take over since it is bare right now.'

define 'cleared.' if cleared means everything but the tree stumps, and the landscape is mostly (new england? fieldstone moveable, slate/bedrock not so much.) left with at least 1-2 feet of topstuff, just rototill it, rake it, huck some seed, then water it.
that is the dream situation, notwithstanding ur concern aboot 'weeds.' chemicals ain't my thing. if you really want to juice up the getgo, find some woodash or such to spread around.
plans b to z have variations, some of which include chipping up, then spreading that cleared stuff.
don't forget the solar profile.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I've been at my house for almost five years and have finally got into a nice rhythm for lawn prep.

Disclaimer: we live in a historic part of town with lots of old growth trees. Our backyard is also the leaching field for our septic system. Combine those two realities and the standards of what our lawn could look like go way way down, much to the initial disappointment of my wife who grew up on the nicest lawn in her block in Eastern Montana.

Once her standards dropped closer to mine, and once we found the cost of what "great grass" would cost, I've developed a routine that's been working for us. Behind our garage, I keep our compost pile that is mostly leaves and whichever compostable items we can through back there. Every few weeks I till it and it mostly stays the same size year round. In the 40s, our house was owned by a mechanic who repaired engines. Each year, he'd throw his left over nuts/bolts/metal and bury it in the backyard, so 80 years later we have a new zombie layer of meter that seeps up from the backyard. If we have a two-three day warm spell in February, I pick out the metal: this year I got 5.6 pounds worth. My hope is that it'll stop someday as I don't think the previous owner (who rented for years) did not put in the same attention.

Once that's done, I rake up any massive bald spots, spread some pre-weed stuff, plant seed and then cover with the compost in the back and then water whenever rain isn't regular. Spend about $70/year for seed and a few hours of exercise. Overall, not a recommended action for people with bigger properties who want great yards, but it works for us.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I have some brand new areas I just cleared of trees, brush, vines, etc. that are bare. I want these areas to be grass and I want to ensure the weeds don't take over since it is bare right now.

What's the right approach to take for brand new, bare areas, to get grass growing ASAP to keep the weeds away?

Annual rye grass will sprout in like 5 days. Then in the fall put a really good perennial seed down. Scott's sells annual rye grass under quick cover or temp lawns. They work well for a season but die off, hence the term annual. But it is quick.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

sounds like hostas may be ur friends there.

Fair warning @HuskyHawk: If deer or rabbits prawl on your property, they'll likely appreciate munching grandmothery hostas down to the terra firma. Once enticed, the family Cervidae may even expand their consumption taking good bites out of your wife's rose bushes, azaeleas, and other flowering shrubs.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Fair warning @HuskyHawk: If deer or rabbits prawl on your property, they'll likely appreciate munching grandmothery hostas down to the terra firma. Once enticed, the family Cervidae may even expand their consumption taking good bites out of your wife's rose bushes, azaeleas, and other flowering shrubs.

There were a ton of Hostas arounds the house when we moved here. My wife declared them hideous and they were forcefully removed from the property. So we won't be adding any Hostas.


If I felt I could do it myself, I'd consider adding railroad ties and fill behind them. But I'm not sure it's feasible. This is what I'm dealing with. Patio, deck and house are to the left.

 

[coachn]

Hart's Ellete seed for all seeding needs. Wethersfield.
Get pH from Ct station in Windsor.
Lime 80/1000 in spring. VERY IMPORTANT.
Scott's 4 Step

 

[CONN78SEJ]

The company/ friend who has done the pre emergent did some in late April every year. I always thought this was a bit late, but by last year the crabgrass was gone.

Im looking to spread Scotts Turf Builder Halts Crabgrass Preventer tomorrow. After that, what's the organic stuff you mention? I'll spend a little more for organic because it's likely better in the long run, as long as there are no hidden costs.

I do plan to cut back on the irrigation this year. The last three or so years my water bill was close to a $ grand. I'm ok with grass going dormant as long as it's not a serious set back.

Worth noting: my next house will be a cabin in the woods. Grass will be the weed I need to kill. For now, and for the sake of resale value, I need to keep a lawn that cost my neighbors more to keep up.

With crabgrass it all depends on temperature. Crabgrass seeds germinate when the ground temperature reaches 65 degrees. So it depends on if we have a cold or warm spring.

 

[UCSouth]

@temery , don't waste any time and get that cabin in the woods, a few goats and chickens, a little greenhouse with everything running on renewable energy and no grid to be tied into. Make the dream a reality.

 

[temery]

@temery , don't waste any time and get that cabin in the woods, a few goats and chickens, a little greenhouse with everything running on renewable energy and no grid to be tied into. Make the dream a reality.

Need property values to drop first. And I'd prefer to build, but that's difficult with my preferred location being five hours away.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Need property values to drop first. And I'd prefer to build, but that's difficult with my preferred location being five hours away.

Custom Builder Westchester Modular Homes | Custom Modular & Prefab Home Builders
since, say last fall, (hmmm, anything significant happen back then?) lithium has doubled, and lumber this morn is now $1350 on the market. it was $400 back then. that sound you hear all across the land is folks tearing up their cost estimates for any construction projects.