OT: Eternal Lawn Care Thread
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Last fall I took over my own lawn care after my guy for 8 years was under performing. I just keep him for cutting but that may end too. Anyway, I seeded with Johnathan Green Black Beauty and it has come up great. I'm also using pelletized limestone instead to the white power, and I use a spreader to apply, unlike my guy spreading by hand and missing parts of the lawn. Tomorrow I'll be overseeding with Johnathan Green and using Sta-Green Lawn Fertilizer. I'll be topping it off by spreading Sta-Green Lawn Soil. The rain coming next week should get it growing. Today I'm planting a Japanese Maple tree. Yesterday I dug a hole 20 in wide by 14 in deep for it to sit in. I'm adding potting soil and Sta-Green Tree and Shrub Soil to fill in under and around the tree which stands about 4 ft high at this point.
I like going to Richard's Rentals in Point when we need mini-excavators . It'll cost you $425 for 8 hrs. of run time with delivery and pickup you can get $45 of that back if you fill it with diesel.(about 5 gals.) They're easy as can be, foot pedals do bucket and boom arm, joy sticks like a tank do movement. I suggest you play around with one it'll be cheaper for you.
Bucket takes some getting used to but by the 1st hour you'll have that down. What's the worst that can happen? You knock down a tree in the woods by accident. Believe me if I can learn it you can. I don't use the machines on the job my guys do. I just found I have to be the conductor of the orchestra and I can't do that sitting in a machine so I'm not the best at them. There's always an oops when I get involved.
Anyone know if it is safe to throw down Scotts Weed & Feed in the same week as spraying Ortho Weed-Be-Gon CCO? I have a feeling after this recent cool spell we're going to launch straight into midsummer temps, and I wanted to get down a batch of Weed & Feed. Usually I reach for the Oceangro in the late spring early summer, but I de-thatched in the fall and want to push my new seedlings & existing turf before summer dormancy.
I’d probably lean to the conservative side and not use both in the same week. They both attack many of the same weeds and there typically is a two or three week wait between applications. Maybe you could do lighter applications but if it were me I’d go heavier with Oceangro and then use Ortho CCO for weed control.i guess you could just do the weed and feed but I’d vote for the former. If you already sprayed CCO and want faster release nitrogen than Oceangro I’d look for another fertilizer but without the weed control.
This turned into a disaster for me. The spots I spot sprayed look like hell on earth. I gave up and hired a lawn fertilization company. He told me that POA should be left alone as it will die out when the temps get warm (someone mentioned this above, probably @phs73rc77gsm83 ). After figuring out how much I would spend on fertilzers, the time and the frustration factor, it is worth it to have the lawn fertilization company handle it. I'm better at killing things and tearing them down, so I will go back to the woods to keep wreaking havoc there.
Nothing wrong with hiring a good firm to do this. I would strongly recommend that you ask for a written program of what they’ll do, at what rates, and when. There are some great companies but there are also many horror stories.
The most important part of Poa Annua control are the late summer good pre-emergent applications. This will be a several year battle. Poa trivialis is a much more difficult problem, as mentioned. Good luck!
You, me, and the rest of the world. Poa triv is a curse. There currently is no Selective herbicide for it except one or two for use at sod farms and golf courses. Right now it’s pretty much roundup or dig it out. I’m hoping the manufacturer proceeds with its attempt to get it approved for residential use but that’d be down the road, if at all. By the way, it’s $5000 for 2.5 gallons, though a little goes a long way.A picture of me in my lawn with the POA triv eradication program:
[roll]
I just bought a home in Clayton DE that .75 acre full of weeds! Put down Scott's weed & feed sunday preparing for the remnants of that storm and of course while watching the news later that night the forecast changed. I'm so screwed it's not even funny since i'm up in CT and can't water it. Expecting an epic burn that will probably do more harm to the to the grass than the weeds smh.....
Looks like it's time for my new favorite toy. Sometimes it's best to start from scratch.
Does Richard's Rentals rent a soil conditioner? (Yeah, I know-I can call them).Looks like it's time for my new favorite toy. Sometimes it's best to start from scratch.
Looks like it's time for my new favorite toy. Sometimes it's best to start from scratch.
Anything but this, no other options I seriously won't have the time since i'll be commuting on the weekends to get the home together and won't be living there until late fall. I was thinking about putting manure down starting july/august just to get the soil better than put a winterizer down in early December and hoping for the best when spring breaks....
Not sure but doubt it as it's really a specialty item. Garden St. Bobcat out on Rt. 33 by The Cabin rents it.
By the way I was just kidding. LOL.
For me I have acres to redo as trucks have come in and out, left and right. Basically took out 5- 90yd. tractor trailers of brush, 7-40 yd. trucks of stumps and 3 truck loads of logs. My 2 acre field going to the back 4 acre of fields looks like a rolling ocean from all the ruts. The back 4 acres field looked like a WWI battlefield before we got done. We had a 70,000 lb. excavator taking down the trees.(think Gold Rush). It's not real gentle on the land. So I had no choice but to start over.
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I forget which yard my friend the landscaper used that item on--it may have been the same one you were at (by the way, my wife still talks about the eggs you brought us), and it was mesmerizing. I would love to go through my cleared out woods with that thing and tear up the English ivy covering the ground.
Just remember with manure whatever that horse or animal has eaten will grow. I get it from my neighbors along with mine and make huge mulching top soil piles.(my soil sucks) A horse must have gotten into one of my neighbors gardens. We were growing watermelon and squash in the mulching pile one year. Fish emulsion works great as well. And yes it reeks like dead fish.
Give Richard's and Fox a call, who knows if they have one or not. But Garden St. will rent you the Bobcat and the soil conditioner attachment at a cheaper price if you rent both than just renting the attachment.
Yea the eggs are a big seller. My wife just put out a special, dozen eggs and 4 lbs of sausage(hot, sweet, loose or breakfast) for $20 bucks. It sold like crazy. In one day she had 17 customers. I told her this pandemic is our opportunity, go for it.
Also you know what this sale means. She's emptying the freezers so she can send more to the butcher. But really her ultimate goal is to have more piglets.(she won't tell you that) We're starting to get into the groove with the pork sales. But once again it's trial and error till we get it right.
O I forgot, these are not sales yet you will be making a much appreciated donation to the Highland Acres fund. To keep small farmers in business.
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Congratulations on your new home! I have a very good friend who moved to Delaware about a year ago and they love it. I think you should view your lawn as a multi year project; there are no quick fixes.
I’d rather suggest getting a soil test from Rutgers and proceed accordingly to their analysis. If you don’t want to go down that path, then I’d recommend a plan of pre-emergent applications in the spring and early fall, with some post emergent applications as well. A big question is if you want to nuke the lawn and start over or try to reseed over several years. I’m not a fan of weed and feed combinations . You need to realize that you are going to implement a multi year plan. Good luck!!
AGREED! Which is why I'm so upset since I was starting the process now, can't believe that damn storm switched paths the way it did....
A bit off the beaten path here, but I noticed these black birds with blueish necks in my yard this year. I especially see them in the lawn after it has been cut. I have been looking on the internet it it might possibly be a Grackle???? I am not sure really but I have never really seen these things before this year and do not know what the attraction is......Any thoughts?
Yes, Probably a Grackle. I’m sitting on the patio now and there is one on our feeder. My wife is a big bird person and hates them. We seem to get a few every year.
Could be just me, but it seems the robins are multiplying at a rapid pace. There seem to be a lot more than usual. Winged rodents they are. On a more pleasant bird note, we have seen several cardinals in the yard, and while there chirp is annoying, blue jays, which are nice to look at.
Darn, this pandemic needs to end soon so I can get to things besides watching the grass grow and birds.
They are pests. If they nest in your area, they take the chick droppings out of the nest and drop it in your pool or fountain. They kill all other chicks and leave little presents for you to bury. I have no answer for these birds, but it only lasts a couple of more weeks while they have their chicks.
Interesting stuff! I didn’t know that, maybe that’s why my wife hates them (I think it’s the only bird she dislikes other than cow birds and crows.)
My lawn looks like the trees in the Hitchcock movie with the robins. I swear they are multiplying at a rapid pace.
With so many around, you'd figure that they wouldn't need to fight thier reflection on the side mirrors and crap all over the cars. Nothing works, plastic bags? Nope. It's futile.
My mailbox is the robins' johhny on the spot. I'm more worried about catching the avian flu getting mail from the box than covid.
Did we just hijack a thread I started? This calls for a haiku?
Lawn care threads helpful?
Or are such threads for the birds?
Can't take their darn crap.
So I put down Scott’s Weed and feed in the last week of March.
Is it too soon to put down regular fertilizer this week?
I don’t want to wait too long and then worry about summer heat.
Is it too soon to put down regular fertilizer this week?
I don’t want to wait too long and then worry about summer heat.
I would recommend only fertilizing once in the spring and that would be a light application. I would wait until Sept for your next fertilizer application.
I agree with the Kid that most of your fertilization program should be in the fall. Having said that, I use miloganite or Oceangro lightly in the late spring. It also depends on the rate you use. See the link below.
[URL]http://rutgersnjfertilizerapp.blogspot.com/
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[URL]http://rutgersnjfertilizerapp.blogspot.com/
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Any lawn updates?
@koleszar - I had my tree guy who has a lot of different equipment do some light smoothing out of our back woods with his backhoe bucket. He did much better than I would have with a Bobcat, and cost about the same.
Several passes on the area where we had the downed tree from the April storm and a huge sweet gum tree we took out to get rid of all of the ground stump wood chips. We put down seed yesterday with a shaved aspen fiber excelsior blanket over the top to retain the moisture and prevent erosion. Hoping to see grass sprouting in 7-10 days--yes the worst time of year to plant seed, but got tired of looking at the huge patches of dirt in the front yard.
@koleszar - I had my tree guy who has a lot of different equipment do some light smoothing out of our back woods with his backhoe bucket. He did much better than I would have with a Bobcat, and cost about the same.
Several passes on the area where we had the downed tree from the April storm and a huge sweet gum tree we took out to get rid of all of the ground stump wood chips. We put down seed yesterday with a shaved aspen fiber excelsior blanket over the top to retain the moisture and prevent erosion. Hoping to see grass sprouting in 7-10 days--yes the worst time of year to plant seed, but got tired of looking at the huge patches of dirt in the front yard.
Eh nothing like the fun of using hydraulics and fvcking sh*t up, I do it all the time then have my guys fix it. On my end, found out my fence for 1,350 linear ft. is going to cost me my left kidney. I asked him, is that the platinum plated woven wire? But they'll have it done in a day, where it'll take me probably 2 weeks and look like sh*t. So it's money well spent.
Almost no rainfall in the last two weeks so I’m irrigating. We are heading into fungus season so I’ve done a couple of applications of preventative fungicide, rotating groups as per resistance management protocols. I nuked some poa trivialis and filled some now bare areas in with patches. Also dropped some seed but like you say, it’s a tough time of year. If it doesn’t take, I’ll reseed in mid-August.
I'm trying to grow my own KBG patches in a tray but the &%@#*÷£ squirrels keep digging it up. I'm at the sprout & pout phase so I should have some viable plugs for fall. I have patches of poa triv I will be uking or digging out and will be throwing down pre-emergent this fall to help with the poa annua. Got rid of the chickweed and violets, not seeing any more stiltgrass on my side of the yard, so I'm making progress.
Nutsedge starting to make its appearance now.
Nutsedge starting to make its appearance now.
I put down Scott's weed & feed on a new property in central Delaware that I purchased on May 17 that was built in 2011. The previous owner didn't take care of the grass and oddly enough weeds are already running over the lawn. I know I can't put down another application this soon as it will burn or kill the grass. I just went out this morning inspecting the grass and I saw an unbelievable amount of ant mounds. Going by fertilizer guides I won't be able to put down another application until late July but i'm torn about putting down more weed & feed or Scott's Summerguard? any thoughts would be appreciated.
Take console in you're not the only one. If I was an Ant farmer I'd be a millionaire. Not sure what I'm doing to make such a habitable habitat for them, but I've got it done pat.
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