I had the same problem. My back pastures are on a slight hill with a crest in the center. The bottom of the hill to the right and left about 30' to each fence line had awesome growth. The rest of the 3.5 acres jack sh*t, I was pissed. So, I said screw it, I rented a pull behind aerator for the tractor and plugged the whole thing for erosion control. Seeded and it worked great. The holes, seed went in and the plugs acted like thousands of mini dams.
Same here. I’m really happy with the September to October comeback after a rough summer.
You can use Mesotrione, which is a pre-emergent and post-emergent, which will give you 30 days protection but you can still seed. You can then do another Mesotrione app or go with a longer pre-emergent if the grass has established.
Will never live in an HOA controlled property again. Twice, both ended in litigation or arbitration over silliness. We just redid a large area in the yard. The landscaper suggested planting grass seed. We opted for perennials, flowering plants and hollies. Less to mow and nicer looking.
Yeah, how dare those hippies! Your yard is meant to be a toxic mix of synthetic chemicals that leach into local watersheds
There is a balance. Our previous neighbors yard was literally totally wild. They were extremely wealthy, but she was an old style hippie. Their yard was a habitat for rodents, which caused problems for neighbors. Wish we had an HOA to deal with them. 🙃 Like I said, balance is good.
I can understand both sides here. And I probably wouldn't live in one either but if I did, I'd play by the rules...as I would have known going in what those rules are.
We are rule followers- most of the time--when the rules suit us. 😂
Is there a need to rotate to a different product after using Barricade or Dimension year after year like you do when using fungicides?
I know some folks substitute but I don’t. A bottle of Dimension lasts me several years. Barricade generally provides a bit longer coverage. You can seed with a Mesotrione so I use that if I’m reseeding an area, but the preemergent protection against crabgrass and weeds is only about 30 days.
How large is the lawn area you treat, and what is your rough estimate on what you spend per year on treatments? Do you buy locally or online?
My lot is a bit more than an acre but I generally treat about 22,000 sq ft. I apply .37 oz per 1000 sq ft so I use about 8 oz per application. I do two applications a year. I buy a 64 oz bottle of Dimension 2EW from the online site “Domyownpestcontrol.” The bottle is 64 oz so I use about 16 oz per year. The bottle is about $150 and I get about 4 years worth so about $38 per year (if my math is correct….). I use a “My 4 Sons” 4 gallon sprayer, which is great.
Do you apply while walking, or from a ride-on mower?
I usually do two fertilizer applications a year with Oceangro, which is a slow release organic fertilizer. A bag is about $10 and a bag covers about 3,000 sq fr. It’s granular and I use a spreader for fertilizer but a backpack sprayer for preemergence and I occasionally use a liquid fungicide if there is a fungus problem (maybe once every few years). Some grub control products are more environmentally sounder than others. I will sometimes use a grub control if that problem emerges, which is very infrequently (these can be granular or liquid). My total spend per year for everything is $200 to $300. Also, doing it myself, I know what I’m putting down, when, at what rate, etc. Some of the big lawn care companies are costly and don’t always do what they should at the right time with the appropriate product. If you wanted to spend the time, I’m sure you could save some bucks and probably do a better job.
wgme.com
I saw this article about biosolids like Oceangro having a negative impact on soil:
As more Maine farms find PFAS, bill would offer state buyout
Some Maine farmers whose land is contaminated by so-called "forever chemicals" could have their land bought out by the state.
I haven’t used a Scott’s backpack sprayer but I really like the way backpacks work. For $50 I don’t think you could go wrong. One point to note is that this is a pump sprayer so you pump periodically (while it’s on your back) to keep the pressure constant. The My4sons backpack I use is battery powered so it’s heavier but it ensure an even flow rate and not dependent on my pumping. Battery ones cost more though. But like I said, for $50 bucks you can’t go wrong. I use it for liquid pre-emergents on the lawn and brick patio, an occasional fungicide application, and other uses. If you get it, try it out on the driveway so get a feel for the spray pattern and coverage.
A few quick ones:
Prodiamine is a pre-emergent that absorbs into the soil, therefore no surfactant is needed. 2-4D is a post emergent weed killer and a surfactant can improve effectiveness since it works by absorbing it into weed leafs. As always, be sure to read the thoroughly and follow the instructions to the letter. I would do the pre-emergent when the forsythia blooms. You’d use the 2-4D, if needed, after any weeds emerge.
Okay, i was under the impression i could i could mix the 2 but i'll put the Prodiamine down in a couple weeks and the 2-4D end of march or early april.
If you get a frost, it will kill any crabgrass that has germinated. Also, the product you applied will kill crabgrass after it has germinated, up to the first tiller.
Exactly, which is why you can be a little late if need be (due to some post emergent effective’s in the early stages of crab grass). Don know if they changed the label but I’m pretty sure mine (3:years old) indicates effectiveness up to 3-5 tillers. In any case, it’s a very good product in my opinion.
Thanks for your reply ....... i'm still thinking I am going to do this either way as it needs to be done ....maybe it won't be fully established or looking best by May 20th but at least it will be "in progress" .... what do you think is the earliest date when I can put grass seed down and expect it will germinate ? Probably has something to do with soil temperature but can you just throw out a "guess" ?
