OT: Eternal Lawn Care Thread

[RU Golfer]

I have used Johnathan Green Black Beauty seeds and have had good success....It is not a 0% weed or Other crop grass seed product but i think it is fine. One of there reasons I did not go for the 0 0 seed is my neighbors around my property do not maintain their lawns like I do and I end up getting weed seed blown my way regardless.

 

[RU4Real]

Good stuff for hydrangeas too.

Maybe that's what it was... We have both, in the same bed. It gets confusing.

 

[koleszar]

IIRC, Ash Heap was banned from these boards. @koleszar , IIRC, said he did things with an ash heap that helped plants grow.

We had tons of it this year. We went through a crap load of wood so the Ash heap really piled up. Used it on everything Fig trees, Green Giant Arborvitaes(fvcking deer), Leyland Cypress, fruit trees and mulching top soil pile. Counter balances the PH from all the pig/chicken/horse poop and leaves nicely. Never discount your Ash heap, it's a wonderful organic PH raiser.

 

[koleszar]

That's disappointing to hear. I've had these about 15 years and they don't get touched and I have a bad deer problem.

Believe me I was shocked. I was so sure of myself, "nah I know what I'm doing they don't eat these I researched it" when I saw the nibbling I was pissed. They're not dead and are coming back but you can see the 4' high defoliated line. Looks like it's deer repellant for a few years and O boy is that stuff putrid smelling.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

See below-what he said, but more.



I used Hogan seed from Tennessee. Their seed is top shelf. I recommend calling them, but for NJ they will likely recommend their Tall Turf Fescue blend (TTFB). I have a POA issue now, but I highly doubt it was due to their seed. This is year 3 of my Hogan seeded lawn, and I think I did a few things to cause POA: (1) mowed to short; (2) aerated for the first time with an aggressive tow behind aerator; (3) was lazy with pre-emergent, and did not put down pre-emergent or any fall fertilizer. One other issue that is out of my control is the areas with the POA are in the shade and damp.

Here is the link for Hogans. They are a great company. I researched this quite a bit, and Hogans was the name that kept coming up. I understand there is a seed supply company in the New Brunswick or Somerset area, but I do not have their name.
http://thehogancompany.us/products.html

Hogan is great, as are Seed Super Store, Preferred Seed, Pawnee Buttes, and some others. All I’ve mentioned are online and sell Gold Tag certified seed used often by sod farms and golf courses.

 

[red sail]

You really want a seed with 0% weed and 0% “other crop.” It’s more expensive than what you get at a box store but to me it’s worth it. What is your lawn now? If you’re going to overseed is a different challenge than if you are going to kill it all with roundup and start from scratch. Do you want a mix or blen or mono-stand? How is your soil and how much sun vs shade.There are a number of high quality online sources that are good. Just running out to go golf but I’ll give you my two cents worth later.

I don't know what kind of seed the sod farm used. 20 years ago I sodded ~2+ acres using Reid Sod farm. I haven't done a soil sample yet but planning to do that. 40% of my property is surrounded by woods and about a dozen large old trees in the yard so I get a good mix of sun and shade. I'm not really sure I want to start from scratch and scorch the whole lawn. With kids playing sports I never really had the time to dedicate to the lawn. I guess I'll look into 0% 0% seed at some of those seed stores/sellers you and Knight Shift mentioned in the posts above.

 

[newell138]

we started using Lawn Dr last year, didn't want to, but my wife did, so you know how that goes. I have to say, my lawn has never looked better. Its damn near perfect after many years of weeds taking over in the late summer and half of it dying in the winter. I think the key has been aerating and over seeding last fall, probably combined with a mild winter..

 

[RU Golfer]

@phs73rc77gsm83 Have you ever heard of Prograss EC? I have been reading about it and it claims to be a pre and post-emergent for Poa A. Apparently it seems to be used in Canada and the PNW. I read somewhere that the Seattle Seahawks use it on their turf fields......It is expensive as shit, also do not know if you can even buy it around here.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

@phs73rc77gsm83 Have you ever heard of Prograss EC? I have been reading about it and it claims to be a pre and post-emergent for Poa A. Apparently it seems to be used in Canada and the PNW. I read somewhere that the Seattle Seahawks use it on their turf fields......It is expensive as shit, also do not know if you can even buy it around here.

I have not used it personally. My understanding is that it is very strong and is harmful to fine fescue (so if you have a northern mix with fine fescue, KBG, and perennial rye you wouldn’t use it unless you are trying to whine out the fine fescue. It even acts differently with different cultivars of the same species. For example, it’s fine with some Kentucky blue grass cultivars but not others.

it’s pricey (about $500 for a 2.5 gallon jug) but you use very little. If you go down this path you have to be very precise about application rate, able to tolerate possible turf damage on your desirable grass, make sure you use proper personal protective equipment/clothing.

I have had some success controlling Poa annua with multiple applications of Mesotrione and a good fall pre-emergent. This is more a several year battle of attrition more than a nuclear blast.

Not that you are asking but I’d probably not recommending using it unless you get comfortable with possible unwanted turf damage and other considerations.

It is available for residential use in most states (including NJ) but I’d read the label carefully before making a decision on whether to purchase it. You won’t find this at a box store but can read the label online.

 

[RUDead]

Believe me I was shocked. I was so sure of myself, "nah I know what I'm doing they don't eat these I researched it" when I saw the nibbling I was pissed. They're not dead and are coming back but you can see the 4' high defoliated line. Looks like it's deer repellant for a few years and O boy is that stuff putrid smelling.

That sucks. That's the reason I replaced the arborvitae. They looked like mushrooms.

I checked all mine again. I have some that are more than 20 feet high, no signs of them being touched. I gave up on deer repellent, too much time and money. I always look for things they don't eat. The lists you see are often completely wrong, what they eat seems to be localized.

 

[RUDutch]

we started using Lawn Dr last year. I think the key has been aerating and over seeding last fall, probably combined with a mild winter..

We had Lawn Dr aerate and over seed many years ago but ended up with lots of grass growing in our gardens (as well as the lawn). Trying to get the grass out of a mounting pink garden is almost impossible. I vowed I would do it myself after that, but of course never did.

 

[Knight Shift]

I have not used it personally. My understanding is that it is very strong and is harmful to fine fescue (so if you have a northern mix with fine fescue, KBG, and perennial rye you wouldn’t use it unless you are trying to whine out the fine fescue. It even acts differently with different cultivars of the same species. For example, it’s fine with some Kentucky blue grass cultivars but not others.

it’s pricey (about $500 for a 2.5 gallon jug) but you use very little. If you go down this path you have to be very precise about application rate, able to tolerate possible turf damage on your desirable grass, make sure you use proper personal protective equipment/clothing.

I have had some success controlling Poa annua with multiple applications of Mesotrione and a good fall pre-emergent. This is more a several year battle of attrition more than a nuclear blast.

Not that you are asking but I’d probably not recommending using it unless you get comfortable with possible unwanted turf damage and other considerations.

It is available for residential use in most states (including NJ) but I’d read the label carefully before making a decision on whether to purchase it. You won’t find this at a box store but can read the label online.

Was thinking about using the bulb planter to control overspray.

Stick bulb planter around POA tuft, insert sprayer, and spray.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

@phs73rc77gsm83 Have you ever heard of Prograss EC? I have been reading about it and it claims to be a pre and post-emergent for Poa A. Apparently it seems to be used in Canada and the PNW. I read somewhere that the Seattle Seahawks use it on their turf fields......It is expensive as shit, also do not know if you can even buy it around here.

I use Prograss but pretty expensive. I purchased 2 gallons five years or so ago and cost well over $400. I put down an application Around Oct 1st and then again Nov 1st. You have to be careful not to overlap as it will damage your grass.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Was thinking about using the bulb planter to control overspray.

Stick bulb planter around POA tuft, insert sprayer, and spray.

What are you going to spray? If it’s Mesotrione you don’t need to control the spray if you stay within the application rate, which you’d want to do anyway. If you’re thinking Prograss and you are limiting the spray with your bulb planter, you could do that more cheaply with roundup.

 

[Knight Shift]

What are you going to spray? If it’s Mesotrione you don’t need to control the spray if you stay within the application rate, which you’d want to do anyway. If you’re thinking Prograss and you are limiting the spray with your bulb planter, you could do that more cheaply with roundup.

I was going to go with the Roundup Weed and Grass Killer (glyphosate) and use the bulb planter to contain overspray. I was going to do a couple of applications, and then in the fall dig out the dead patches, fill with topsoil and overseed?

Am I doing it wrong?

I had considered digging it all out now, leaving a patchwork of hole in my lawn, which would be fine.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

I was going to go with the Roundup Weed and Grass Killer (glyphosate) and use the bulb planter to contain overspray. I was going to do a couple of applications, and then in the fall dig out the dead patches, fill with topsoil and overseed?

Am I doing it wrong?

I had considered digging it all out now, leaving a patchwork of hole in my lawn, which would be fine.

Good plan! You want to kill it when it’s actively growing (now) because if you waited until summer it could be dormant and not get a full kill. I’ve got some triv patches I sprayed that look like hell but I’m deciding between sod now or just wait until mid August to seed. The patches are small enough that I could try to seed now but I’m not sure if I will. Good luck!

 

[Knight Shift]

Good plan! You want to kill it when it’s actively growing (now) because if you waited until summer it could be dormant and not get a full kill. I’ve got some triv patches I sprayed that look like hell but I’m deciding between sod now or just wait until mid August to seed. The patches are small enough that I could try to seed now but I’m not sure if I will. Good luck!

Update, and tagging @RobotHunter .
I skipped the overspray protection with the glyphosate, as the sprayer gave a controlled dose to the POA triv "tufts". The POA triv tufts are tenacious. I noticed that in the larger tufts where I sprayed in the middle, the middle of the tuft died, but the blades surrounding the middle did not die. I went back around and hit these tufts 1-3 more times, and now my lawn has a bunch of dead brown tufts. I also noticed that in the shadier/wetter areas of my yard, a more widespread POA Triv outbreak with micro tufts of a 3-10 blades of POA. I hit these as well. I may have gone overboard, but I have plenty of Hogan seed that I can use to reseed in the fall.

 

[koleszar]

Question for the board. How in the hell do I eliminate buttercups. We will be having horses coming to the farm(I get my wife's horse when it retires) and they're toxic to horses.

 

[RU Golfer]

Question for the board. How in the hell do I eliminate buttercups. We will be having horses coming to the farm(I get my wife's horse when it retires) and they're toxic to horses.

Either till it and seed or use a herbicide. Here is an article from the University of Maryland on the topic.

https://extension.umd.edu/learn/controlling-buttercup-pastures

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs938/

Similar to RU Golfer’s link

 

[red sail]

Has anyone here ever tried leveling their lawn? I've watched several videos on it and want to try to level out some of the ruts, undulations, and dog holes through out my yard. It's caused some scalping of the lawn riding thru the dips when i mow. Thanks to you all (phs, golfer, cincy kid, shift), I'm now obsessed with making my lawn look like a fairway at augusta. This is the first time I've ever put down pre-e. I also sprayed Ortho CCO on much of the lawn that's got the chickweed. I might have been late to the game putting down the pre-e as I only started following this thread in early may.
I had 20 cu yards of topsoil delivered that my son and i shoveled and moved with the tractor and cart to start and try to fill the deeper ruts. I'm thinking about having 20-25 tons of sand delivered next. This is a crazy tiring hobby!

 

[Knight Shift]

Has anyone here ever tried leveling their lawn? I've watched several videos on it and want to try to level out some of the ruts, undulations, and dog holes through out my yard. It's caused some scalping of the lawn riding thru the dips when i mow. Thanks to you all (phs, golfer, cincy kid, shift), I'm now obsessed with making my lawn look like a fairway at augusta. This is the first time I've ever put down pre-e. I also sprayed Ortho CCO on much of the lawn that's got the chickweed. I might have been late to the game putting down the pre-e as I only started following this thread in early may.
I had 20 cu yards of topsoil delivered that my son and i shoveled and moved with the tractor and cart to start and try to fill the deeper ruts. I'm thinking about having 20-25 tons of sand delivered next. This is a crazy tiring hobby!

Couple of useful tools for leveling, if you are doing it the hard way (by hand, which is what I did):

1. A wide landscape rake, and make sure it has an edge opposite the rake teeth:

2. If you have large diameter ruts, use something to drag behind your tractor to smooth out the ruts once you have dropped the topsoil fill in them. We used a 4' X 8' thick plastic board, and we put weight on it, and dragged it across the yard to even out large patches.

3. You can check your ruts for evenness by using a mason's line (or simply a good piece of cord). We also used line levels, as we were trying to pitch one part of the yard for the water to run off in one direction. The line levels are really inexpensive and attach to the cord/mason line.

We had one area that we could not level out. This was after we had hired a contractor with a tractor who did not get one area right. When it rained hard, we had a small pond. We used corrugated pipe and a driveway type drain in the center of the pond and got the water to drain into a landscape bed. Can't see the drain unless you are standing right over it.

The project was a lot of work but very rewarding. Have fun!

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Sorry to be a co-conspirator in your new-found addition, er I mean hobby:)

ive taken a few approaches with ruts. I had to take a maple tree down a few years ago since it was too close to the driveway and started to crack the asphalt. I had good grass growing on top but would scalp the areas as I mowed because it was so uneven. I dug up the area as I would sod and put a couple inches of top soil down the replaced the grass or sod on top. Worked great.

Another time I had a school bus make a big rut at the bottom of my lawn. I used a pitch fork to sort of lift and leaves the soil and I then filled it in and reseeded in early fall. Came out fine.

Another time I just slowly top dressed the depression over a year or top and it gradually leveled.
I’m not sure I’d sees into sand but you can probably mix the sand and top soil and go from there. I don’t know but I don’t think I’d do equal parts and would have much less sand than top soil.

 

[red sail]

Shift, yes that's the kind of rake that I need to buy next. I just have bow rakes I think they are called. I was trying to figure out if I could drag a rail road tie with some rope on my JD tractor to make it easier to smooth out the sand/topsoil. I'll macgyver something. PHS, several of the ruts in my yard are from trees that have gone down from storms in the past. I've cut too many trees down and ground down the stumps. Probably why there are so many ruts in the back yard.

I've been watching video after video of Lawn Ginja and the Lawn Care Nut and some other guys on all the different pre-emergents, different fertilizers, aerating, leveling, over seeding. And reading voraciously on domyown.com All the stuff you crazy bastards have been talking about! Thank you for getting me started! My wife thinks I'm nuts now by the way!
Re: leveling I think my plan is to do 50/50 soil/sand mix for my first attempt. I'm just going to start with the lowest part of my yard first to see how it turns out. some of the experts talk about 70/30 , 60/40 sand / soil mix. I guess it will be trial and error to figure out what is best for compaction and aeration for my yard in the fall.

Is this my right plan of attack for the fall?
Last weekend of Aug/First week of Sept
1) Aerate, 2) rake the plugs, 3) spray tenacity (pre-e),
2nd weekend of Sept
4) over-seed, and then 5) milorganite or Oceangro if i can find it near me
If I have enough energy, maybe I'll try another round of leveling Sand/topsoil.

I just bought a 2 gallon sprayer that i used for round up to kill some ivy along the edges of woods along my grass. I'm planning to use that for the tenacity which I just ordered 2 8oz bottles of. This is an expensive hobby!

PHS did you see the letter JM penned. I think a lot of courses are going to need club house revenue as well as added greens fees revenue. I'm heading to ringoes with my son this afternoon to hit some balls.

 

[RU Golfer]

Shift, yes that's the kind of rake that I need to buy next. I just have bow rakes I think they are called. I was trying to figure out if I could drag a rail road tie with some rope on my JD tractor to make it easier to smooth out the sand/topsoil. I'll macgyver something. PHS, several of the ruts in my yard are from trees that have gone down from storms in the past. I've cut too many trees down and ground down the stumps. Probably why there are so many ruts in the back yard.

I've been watching video after video of Lawn Ginja and the Lawn Care Nut and some other guys on all the different pre-emergents, different fertilizers, aerating, leveling, over seeding. And reading voraciously on domyown.com All the stuff you crazy bastards have been talking about! Thank you for getting me started! My wife thinks I'm nuts now by the way!
Re: leveling I think my plan is to do 50/50 soil/sand mix for my first attempt. I'm just going to start with the lowest part of my yard first to see how it turns out. some of the experts talk about 70/30 , 60/40 sand / soil mix. I guess it will be trial and error to figure out what is best for compaction and aeration for my yard in the fall.

Is this my right plan of attack for the fall?
Last weekend of Aug/First week of Sept
1) Aerate, 2) rake the plugs, 3) spray tenacity (pre-e),
2nd weekend of Sept
4) over-seed, and then 5) milorganite
If I have enough energy, maybe I'll try another round of leveling Sand/topsoil.

I just bought a 2 gallon sprayer that i used for round up to kill some ivy along the edges of woods along my grass. I'm planning to use that for the tenacity which I just ordered 2 8oz bottles of. This is an expensive hobby!

PHS did you see the letter JM penned. I think a lot of courses are going to need club house revenue as well as added greens fees revenue. I'm heading to ringoes with my son this afternoon to hit some balls.

Don't forget starter fertilizer. Milorgonite is a slow release low nitrogen fertilizer which is good for prolonged feeding. Starter is specifically blended for new lawns and has nitrogen to facilitate germination and phosphorous to promote good root development.

 

[red sail]

Don't forget starter fertilizer. Milorgonite is a slow release low nitrogen fertilizer which is good for prolonged feeding. Starter is specifically blended for new lawns and has nitrogen to facilitate germination and phosphorous to promote good root development.

OK gotcha. I didnt realize I need starter fertilizer too. so spread that after I over seed?

I just hit a bunch of patches with seed about 2 weeks ago and grass has started to emerge. Does it make to spread starter fertilizer now on those patches?

 

[rurichdog]

Shift, yes that's the kind of rake that I need to buy next. I just have bow rakes I think they are called. I was trying to figure out if I could drag a rail road tie with some rope on my JD tractor to make it easier to smooth out the sand/topsoil. I'll macgyver something. PHS, several of the ruts in my yard are from trees that have gone down from storms in the past. I've cut too many trees down and ground down the stumps. Probably why there are so many ruts in the back yard.

I've been watching video after video of Lawn Ginja and the Lawn Care Nut and some other guys on all the different pre-emergents, different fertilizers, aerating, leveling, over seeding. And reading voraciously on domyown.com All the stuff you crazy bastards have been talking about! Thank you for getting me started! My wife thinks I'm nuts now by the way!
Re: leveling I think my plan is to do 50/50 soil/sand mix for my first attempt. I'm just going to start with the lowest part of my yard first to see how it turns out. some of the experts talk about 70/30 , 60/40 sand / soil mix. I guess it will be trial and error to figure out what is best for compaction and aeration for my yard in the fall.

Is this my right plan of attack for the fall?
Last weekend of Aug/First week of Sept
1) Aerate, 2) rake the plugs, 3) spray tenacity (pre-e),
2nd weekend of Sept
4) over-seed, and then 5) milorganite or Oceangro if i can find it near me
If I have enough energy, maybe I'll try another round of leveling Sand/topsoil.

I just bought a 2 gallon sprayer that i used for round up to kill some ivy along the edges of woods along my grass. I'm planning to use that for the tenacity which I just ordered 2 8oz bottles of. This is an expensive hobby!

PHS did you see the letter JM penned. I think a lot of courses are going to need club house revenue as well as added greens fees revenue. I'm heading to ringoes with my son this afternoon to hit some balls.

Sounds like you've been green-pilled. Welcome.

 

[koleszar]

Has anyone here ever tried leveling their lawn? I've watched several videos on it and want to try to level out some of the ruts, undulations, and dog holes through out my yard. It's caused some scalping of the lawn riding thru the dips when i mow. Thanks to you all (phs, golfer, cincy kid, shift), I'm now obsessed with making my lawn look like a fairway at augusta. This is the first time I've ever put down pre-e. I also sprayed Ortho CCO on much of the lawn that's got the chickweed. I might have been late to the game putting down the pre-e as I only started following this thread in early may.
I had 20 cu yards of topsoil delivered that my son and i shoveled and moved with the tractor and cart to start and try to fill the deeper ruts. I'm thinking about having 20-25 tons of sand delivered next. This is a crazy tiring hobby!

I would try one of these. I can attest they work great in leveling out the soil and chewing up surface roots. You'll be done with your whole yard in 15 mins.. Just for comparison 3.5 acres took two days with two passes.:WideSmile:

 

[RU Golfer]

OK gotcha. I didnt realize I need starter fertilizer too. so spread that after I over seed?

I just hit a bunch of patches with seed about 2 weeks ago and grass has started to emerge. Does it make to spread starter fertilizer now on those patches?

put it down same time as seeding. it would not hurt to put it in the other patches assuming that you did not put any down.

 

[koleszar]

Either till it and seed or use a herbicide. Here is an article from the University of Maryland on the topic.

https://extension.umd.edu/learn/controlling-buttercup-pastures

https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs938/

Similar to RU Golfer’s link

Thank You,

Looks like we're just going to redo each field with the above soil conditioner(rent) on my skid steer as chemicals are out with my wife. Starting in the back, where I just took down the woods, it leveled it out beautifully and planting new pasture mix. We'll do the same working our way out. We bought pasture mix by the 250 lb. tote. While you guys are trying to kill clover I'm trying to grow it.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Shift, yes that's the kind of rake that I need to buy next. I just have bow rakes I think they are called. I was trying to figure out if I could drag a rail road tie with some rope on my JD tractor to make it easier to smooth out the sand/topsoil. I'll macgyver something. PHS, several of the ruts in my yard are from trees that have gone down from storms in the past. I've cut too many trees down and ground down the stumps. Probably why there are so many ruts in the back yard.

I've been watching video after video of Lawn Ginja and the Lawn Care Nut and some other guys on all the different pre-emergents, different fertilizers, aerating, leveling, over seeding. And reading voraciously on domyown.com All the stuff you crazy bastards have been talking about! Thank you for getting me started! My wife thinks I'm nuts now by the way!
Re: leveling I think my plan is to do 50/50 soil/sand mix for my first attempt. I'm just going to start with the lowest part of my yard first to see how it turns out. some of the experts talk about 70/30 , 60/40 sand / soil mix. I guess it will be trial and error to figure out what is best for compaction and aeration for my yard in the fall.

Is this my right plan of attack for the fall?
Last weekend of Aug/First week of Sept
1) Aerate, 2) rake the plugs, 3) spray tenacity (pre-e),
2nd weekend of Sept
4) over-seed, and then 5) milorganite or Oceangro if i can find it near me
If I have enough energy, maybe I'll try another round of leveling Sand/topsoil.

I just bought a 2 gallon sprayer that i used for round up to kill some ivy along the edges of woods along my grass. I'm planning to use that for the tenacity which I just ordered 2 8oz bottles of. This is an expensive hobby!

PHS did you see the letter JM penned. I think a lot of courses are going to need club house revenue as well as added greens fees revenue. I'm heading to ringoes with my son this afternoon to hit some balls.

if you have irrigation or the time to move hoses around manually I’d consider putting seed down mid to late August. You can go into September but a bit earlier gives it time to harden before first frost, which is usually around the 3rd or 4th week of October in our area.

I’m not a huge fan of aeration for residential properties but many are and it’s maybe more a school of thought than right or wrong.

I think you can get Oceangro at Kate’s Nursery in Princeton or Twin Ponds in Howell. It’s cheaper than Milo around here,, but I’m still working through my Milo inventory.

Yes, I saw the letter, he’s done a nice job on behalf of the NJGCOA for sure. Saw him on 9 today doing something by the brook. I played at 11:12 today so our paths may have crossed. We ‘ll have to touch bases if you don’t mind my errant shots...

 

[koleszar]

I think you can get Oceangro at Kate’s Nursery in Princeton or Twin Ponds in Howell. It’s cheaper than Milo around here,, but I’m still working through my Milo inventory.

Oh Twin Ponds Farms great place. The third brother and father you'll never see at the stores because they work on the farm. I get all the fruits and vegetables from the farm they can't sell at their place or Delicious Orchards for my pigs. In turn I give them sausage and bacon. My wife is deadly afraid of the father he's a little grumpy.

Also I see you recommended when to seed. I missed an awesome opportunity this spring to get my 1st seeding done. My Excavator screwed me for a month and we are just now ready to seed. I was thinking of holding off to 2nd week in September, any growth before then I can rip out with the york rake. Followed by a second seeding in early-mid March. Does that plan sound viable as I will not have the capability to irrigate 3.5 acres?

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Oh Twin Ponds Farms great place. The third brother and father you'll never see at the stores because they work on the farm. I get all the fruits and vegetables from the farm they can't sell at their place or Delicious Orchards for my pigs. In turn I give them sausage and bacon. My wife is deadly afraid of the father he's a little grumpy.

Also I see you recommended when to seed. I missed an awesome opportunity this spring to get my 1st seeding done. My Excavator screwed me for a month and we are just now ready to seed. I was thinking of holding off to 2nd week in September, any growth before then I can rip out with the york rake. Followed by a second seeding in early-mid March. Does that plan sound viable as I will not have the capability to irrigate 3.5 acres?

Are you talking about seeding your lawn or pasture for grazing? I have no experience with pasture grasses (except those that occasionally spring up unwanted in my lawn...) I like mid to late August or early September in our area for seeding (late August if you had irrigation) but spring is the second best option in my view. Good luck!

 

[koleszar]

Are you talking about seeding your lawn or pasture for grazing? I have no experience with pasture grasses (except those that occasionally spring up unwanted in my lawn...) I like mid to late August or early September in our area for seeding (late August if you had irrigation) but spring is the second best option in my view. Good luck!

Pasture with no irrigation. But you answered my question, Thank you. Just confirming my time frames as I will have to do two seedings. One early September than mid March.

Believe me, I'm winging this farmer crap. My wife's the Cook Grad.. Me, I just take advice from as many sources as I can find and go with my gut on what seems most logical. Learning to farm is trial by error some things work, most things don't. It's all finding what works for your land and climate. I also have the extra added burden of my wife not allowing me to use nonorganic chemicals.

 

[red sail]

if you have irrigation or the time to move hoses around manually I’d consider putting seed down mid to late August. You can go into September but a bit earlier gives it time to harden before first frost, which is usually around the 3rd or 4th week of October in our area.

I’m not a huge fan of aeration for residential properties but many are and it’s maybe more a school of thought than right or wrong.

I think you can get Oceangro at Kate’s Nursery in Princeton or Twin Ponds in Howell. It’s cheaper than Milo around here,, but I’m still working through my Milo inventory.

Yes, I saw the letter, he’s done a nice job on behalf of the NJGCOA for sure. Saw him on 9 today doing something by the brook. I played at 11:12 today so our paths may have crossed. We ‘ll have to touch bases if you don’t mind my errant shots...

Gotcha on pushing my schedule up to start in Mid Aug. I saw that Kale's carried Oceangro, thank you I will def pick some up to save some $ vs milo.

My son had virtual school until 2pm so we got a late start. Didnt get to the course until 3:30 and the first time Al tells us we can get out was 6:08pm ! So just hit balls on the range. JM stopped at the range to say hello. Would love to get out sometime.

 

[red sail]

I would try one of these. I can attest they work great in leveling out the soil and chewing up surface roots. You'll be done with your whole yard in 15 mins.. Just for comparison 3.5 acres took two days with two passes.:WideSmile:

Koleszar that thing looks like a beast! Do you own that thing? When we first moved in, I had my lawn guy at the time help me spread out 8 dump trucks of top soil. He had a case new holland back hoe like that picture you put up. I had rented out a little bob cat and it was no match for the amount that CNH was able to move around. That aeration wheel/grinder thing in the front looks like it can level off a lot of land. It's cool playing with these toys, I just have no place to store it!

 

[koleszar]

Koleszar that thing looks like a beast! Do you own that thing? When we first moved in, I had my lawn guy at the time help me spread out 8 dump trucks of top soil. He had a case new holland back hoe like that picture you put up. I had rented out a little bob cat and it was no match for the amount that CNH was able to move around. That aeration wheel/grinder thing in the front looks like it can level off a lot of land. It's cool playing with these toys, I just have no place to store it!

I don't own the attachment but the machine yes. That's just a stock photo, but mine is the same model. It's called a Soil Conditioner, I rent it from Garden St. Bobcat. In my line of work(Masonry) really no need for that thing. Hydraulics are great, that thing can be adjust to 4" in the ground.

It worked good for what we were doing. One pass ground up the surface roots and got grade close, second pass ground them up some more and finished off the grading. I had no idea this thing existed until I did some research, found it and said yup that's what I need. Seems you have a job they have an attachment for it.

 

[miket007]

Good day gents, just closed on a home in Clayton DE(central) yesterday and have a yard full of weeds! I'm confused about having never lived this far south, weather here is different as far as being hotter and not as cold as NJ or CT imo. It's already middle of May so i can't do that Scott's triple action fertilizer I wouldn't think but i'm open to any suggestions. Milorganite is looking interesting.....Thanks in advance!

 

[Knight Shift]

I don't own the attachment but the machine yes. That's just a stock photo, but mine is the same model. It's called a Soil Conditioner, I rent it from Garden St. Bobcat. In my line of work(Masonry) really no need for that thing. Hydraulics are great, that thing can be adjust to 4" in the ground.

It worked good for what we were doing. One pass ground up the surface roots and got grade close, second pass ground them up some more and finished off the grading. I had no idea this thing existed until I did some research, found it and said yup that's what I need. Seems you have a job they have an attachment for it.

You do any work with that thing outside of masonry? I need to move some dirt around in my back woods, which I thinned out. If not, is the Fox Rentals place on 33/34 near Collingswood Auction an OK place to rent from? I am use to hydraulics from operating fire ladder trucks--is there a learning curve on a Bobcat for simply moving dirt around. What could go wrong?

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Good day gents, just closed on a home in Clayton DE(central) yesterday and have a yard full of weeds! I'm confused about having never lived this far south, weather here is different as far as being hotter and not as cold as NJ or CT imo. It's already middle of May so i can't do that Scott's triple action fertilizer I wouldn't think but i'm open to any suggestions. Milorganite is looking interesting.....Thanks in advance![


https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs119/

This article from Rutgers gives a good overview of weed control in home lawns. It was written almost twenty years ago so while the core guidelines are very valid, it omits some key herbicides that have become available for residential use since its publication (e.g., Mesotrione, the active ingredient in Tenacity). There are many good sources that get into detail on specific issues/challenges/weeds. I strongly prefer university turf programs and extension services over YouTube and commercial sources. Not that there isn’t some good information on YouTube, but there is a range of quality and accuracy that isn’t always easy to assess. It’s kind of like the internet in general, there typically isn’t any vetting process to weed out (pun intended) misinformation. Not that everything that is generally published In a traditional sense from “reliable sources“ is accurate, of course, but there is hopefully some measure of peer review or accountability. Hence my preference for university turf programs as a source of information.