OT: Eternal Lawn Care Thread

[RUDead]

Your lawn, your $, but I thought I'd let u know that the clover you're trying to kill is fertilizing your lawn for free. Clover is a legume. All legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen directly into the soil. The broad leaves of clover shade the soil surface, reducing soil temperatures, which help the soil retain water.
I've intentionally planted clover seed along with my grass, and I never have to use synthetics, or water as much as my neighbors.
Clover has been vilified by the fertilizer companies. I welcome it with open arms.

I am on the same page as you. Bought my house about 10 years ago. Worst clay soil I had ever seen. Hard like concrete all summer and swampy all winter.

First thing I did was stop using synthetic chemicals. Over the years switched to organic fertilizers, added compost, peat moss, etc. Slowly got better but still wasn't great. Two springs ago I planted white clover in the worst problem areas and it established very well and stayed green all summer. That fall and the next spring I planted more in other areas. It's a game changer.

This spring my lawn came in great without any applications and has continued to get better all year. Water retention is way better and doesn't get swampy. The clover is choking out the weeds and grass is growing again in the area i planted clover first. I haven't watered the grass all year and haven't applied any fertilizer in two years. The soil is getting darker, loamier (is that a word?), and the clay is disappearing. It's amazing. The wildlife on my property dwarfs my neighbors. The animals know the difference.

You have to be patient and live with weeds for a while but I will never buy fertilizer again. Best part is knowing my family is going to be much healthier because of these decisions.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

I am on the same page as you. Bought my house about 10 years ago. Worst clay soil I had ever seen. Hard like concrete all summer and swampy all winter.

First thing I did was stop using synthetic chemicals. Over the years switched to organic fertilizers, added compost, peat moss, etc. Slowly got better but still wasn't great. Two springs ago I planted white clover in the worst problem areas and it established very well and stayed green all summer. That fall and the next spring I planted more in other areas. It's a game changer.

This spring my lawn came in great without any applications and has continued to get better all year. Water retention is way better and doesn't get swampy. The clover is choking out the weeds and grass is growing again in the area i planted clover first. I haven't watered the grass all year and haven't applied any fertilizer in two years. The soil is getting darker, loamier (is that a word?), and the clay is disappearing. It's amazing. The wildlife on my property dwarfs my neighbors. The animals know the difference.

You have to be patient and live with weeds for a while but I will never buy fertilizer again. Best part is knowing my family is going to be much healthier because of these decisions.

Great to hear. You brought up two great points. I also feel like the wildlife uses my property as a safe haven, compared to the chemical factories of my neighbors yards. I know my soil is full of life, and so do the birds, bees, and other predatory insects. Also, it gives me peace of mind that my family is not being exposed to a barrage of synthetic chemicals when we're outside.
My turning point came when I heard Gabe Brown say, "If herbicides worked, why do they have to be reapplied year after year?"
Growing healthy soil takes time, and yes, we have to tolerate some weeds during the journey, but remember, the weeds are helping to fix our soil problems. Good luck.

 

[rurichdog]

Got my soil test results today, and it is mostly what I expected with a couple of surprises. My soil is low across all macronutrients, even phosphorus which is surprising given my 3x yearly apps of Oceangro. Micronutrients mostly low but not terrible. Iron levels decent. Soil is slightly too acidic (5.8) which is also surprising, as the home ph test I did recently showed in the 6.4 range.

At least I know what needs to go down now.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

Got my soil test results today, and it is mostly what I expected with a couple of surprises. My soil is low across all macronutrients, even phosphorus which is surprising given my 3x yearly apps of Oceangro. Micronutrients mostly low but not terrible. Iron levels decent. Soil is slightly too acidic (5.8) which is also surprising, as the home ph test I did recently showed in the 6.4 range.

At least I know what needs to go down now.

Soil testing is great, but a word of caution. Most soil tests don't take into account what nutrients are "plant available", rather the test will give the total amount of the nutrient. In your case, you may have plenty of phosphorus in your soil already, especially with 3x/ year application, but that phosphate (depending on the form it's in) isn't in a form the plants can use.

The beneficial bacteria, fungi, micro and macro arthropods, insects, nematodes, earthworms...etc. are responsible for breaking down these nutrients and converting them to a form the plants can uptake and use. There are very few soils on Earth that lack the nutrients for plants. The real question is are those nutrients plant available? Did your soil test measure total organic carbon? That's the "batteries" of your soil, i.e. how much life is in your soil. Do you use a lot of synthetics? They deplete soil life. A good compost application will help inoculate the soil, and help to make those nutrients more plant available.

I've mentioned Gabe Brown in a few other posts and he has a lot of videos on YouTube. He stopped using all synthetics on his farmland. In the years that followed, his soil tests revealed that his micro & macro nutrients were rising. Why? Because he allowed nature to do its thing. He started to diversify his crops, stopped tilling, plant cover crops, and introduce livestock to his land. Life returned to his soil, and all of those nutrients that were locked away were now available to the plant.

 

[rurichdog]

Soil testing is great, but a word of caution. Most soil tests don't take into account what nutrients are "plant available", rather the test will give the total amount of the nutrient. In your case, you may have plenty of phosphorus in your soil already, especially with 3x/ year application, but that phosphate (depending on the form it's in) isn't in a form the plants can use.

The beneficial bacteria, fungi, micro and macro arthropods, insects, nematodes, earthworms...etc. are responsible for breaking down these nutrients and converting them to a form the plants can uptake and use. There are very few soils on Earth that lack the nutrients for plants. The real question is are those nutrients plant available? Did your soil test measure total organic carbon? That's the "batteries" of your soil, i.e. how much life is in your soil. Do you use a lot of synthetics? They deplete soil life. A good compost application will help inoculate the soil, and help to make those nutrients more plant available.

I've mentioned Gabe Brown in a few other posts and he has a lot of videos on YouTube. He stopped using all synthetics on his farmland. In the years that followed, his soil tests revealed that his micro & macro nutrients were rising. Why? Because he allowed nature to do its thing. He started to diversify his crops, stopped tilling, plant cover crops, and introduce livestock to his land. Life returned to his soil, and all of those nutrients that were locked away were now available to the plant.

The previous owner of my house "let nature do it's thing" and I just wasn't down with having a yard composed almost entirely of crabgrass and yellow foxtail and plaintain and dandelion. I'm not out there spraying Miracle-Gro and Scotts Everything, I do use organics where appropriate and I've made great progress. That being said, the soil just "feels weak" when you run it through your hands and I'm looking to make bigger strides, hence the soil test. Last year I dethatched in the fall, which is apparently the first time it had ever been done according to my neighbor. Ground is very compacted so I'm going to be treating with a surfactant designed to assist in breaking up the compaction.

I tried copying & pasting the soil test results but of course it isn't in a nice html table so the formatting went to hell.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

The previous owner of my house "let nature do it's thing" and I just wasn't down with having a yard composed almost entirely of crabgrass and yellow foxtail and plaintain and dandelion. I'm not out there spraying Miracle-Gro and Scotts Everything, I do use organics where appropriate and I've made great progress. That being said, the soil just "feels weak" when you run it through your hands and I'm looking to make bigger strides, hence the soil test. Last year I dethatched in the fall, which is apparently the first time it had ever been done according to my neighbor. Ground is very compacted so I'm going to be treating with a surfactant designed to assist in breaking up the compaction.

I tried copying & pasting the soil test results but of course it isn't in a nice html table so the formatting went to hell.

Couple things. The fact that you needed to dethatched is indicative of a lack of soil biology. Thatch will never form in a biologically active soil. Any surface organic matter should be quickly decomposed by soil biology and returned to the soil food web for nutrient cycling. I'm always looking to ADD organic matter to the soil. Never remove it.

Your compaction problem is related to this as well. A surface surfactant may help you in the top 1", but it's not going to penetrate deep. All of the soil organisms I talked about before, as well as plant roots are your natural aerators. They'll break up that compaction for you free of charge. I'd recommend reseeding in the fall with a good ryegrass mixture, and then topdress with a good compost. The compost will help kick-start your soil biology, and ryegrass roots can grow up to 15 feet deep in healthy soil. That will break up any compaction you have. Check this out:

 

[JMORC2003]

I am on the same page as you. Bought my house about 10 years ago. Worst clay soil I had ever seen. Hard like concrete all summer and swampy all winter.

First thing I did was stop using synthetic chemicals. Over the years switched to organic fertilizers, added compost, peat moss, etc. Slowly got better but still wasn't great. Two springs ago I planted white clover in the worst problem areas and it established very well and stayed green all summer. That fall and the next spring I planted more in other areas. It's a game changer.

This spring my lawn came in great without any applications and has continued to get better all year. Water retention is way better and doesn't get swampy. The clover is choking out the weeds and grass is growing again in the area i planted clover first. I haven't watered the grass all year and haven't applied any fertilizer in two years. The soil is getting darker, loamier (is that a word?), and the clay is disappearing. It's amazing. The wildlife on my property dwarfs my neighbors. The animals know the difference.

You have to be patient and live with weeds for a while but I will never buy fertilizer again. Best part is knowing my family is going to be much healthier because of these decisions.

Tell me more about this white clover strategy. I want to have a better than average lawn, but don’t want to deal with the expense, hassle and harmfulness of synthetic fertilizer and weed killers. I’m also fighting a losing battle against dandelions, weeds and drought, especially this summer.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

I know you asked @RUDead, but I've done clover also. Research the best grass seeds for your soil type, then add approx 5-10% clover to your seed mix. Try to have a diverse mix of grasses. Soils thrive with diversity. White Dutch clover is the variety you most commonly see. There is also a clover variety called microclover, which is smaller and does not flower (usually). Clover will multiply through root stolons once established, so you don't need much.

 

[RUDead]

Tell me more about this white clover strategy. I want to have a better than average lawn, but don’t want to deal with the expense, hassle and harmfulness of synthetic fertilizer and weed killers. I’m also fighting a losing battle against dandelions, weeds and drought, especially this summer.

It's pretty simple to do, it's no different than planting grass. Plant in the fall or the spring for the best results. It's hardy so once established you won't have to do anything. Plant and cover with straw on any bare patches and then overseed on areas that have grass already established.

The clover adds nutrients to the soil while grass takes them away. That's why they work so well together. In the worst areas of your lawn the clover will dominate for a few years at least. In the better parts of your lawn it will be a mix of grass and clover.

Over time it will spread and mix together with the grass and you won't know the difference. A lot of people won't do it because they are told clover is a weed, but it's soft and green and covers the ground so what's the difference.

 

[HPNJRUfan]

Hey guys, this is the last thing I need... But it seems as if over the course of the last month my front yard has went from (generally) healthy and green to brown and dead - I am 99% sure that grubs are the culprit.

I have not had a soil test performed in the year and a half that we've owned our house (East Brunswick). Last year I used Scotts seasonal fertilizers once every few months, instead using Milorganite early this spring followed by Scotts TurfBuilder late June, with no pesticide application. There was a heavy thatch layer accumulated prior to our purchase of the property - I was able to de-thatch about half of it by hand this spring before it got too hot and was planning on doing the rest this fall. There is an irrigation system but we have not used it since moving in, instead using sprinklers as needed. The previous owners had a landscaper (Brohel's) taking care of everything, but I've founded it to be a pretty low maintenance but good looking lawn for the most part (until now).

I'm aware that its best to attempt to establish a lawn in the fall - but what would be a proper course of action for me to take? Rip it all up and start over? I'm sure it would be best to have a soil test performed first as well, but I fear I'm running out of time if I want to get this done this fall.

What makes this even more frustrating personally is that, as some of you may know, prior to my Fathers unexpected passing last fall he was a longtime supervisor at the Rutgers Golf Course. If he was still around, I surely would not be in this predicament. In addition, due to school and work this fall, I won't have the time to get deep in a project like this, so I will need to hire a landscaper to get it done... Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Sorry about your dad. Don’t beat yourself up, lots of problems can occur in a lawn. My back lawn is very good, the front turned horrible (I have some bent grass that creeped in, triv, a fungus, and heat stress). You’re really past the point, in my opinion, to nuke it and do a complete renovation. You could probably do a overseed this fall with some fertilizer, a pre emergent if Poa annua is a problem. and get a soil test from Rutgers. Then you can do the soil amendments as per soil test and renovate or overseed next year. You’re right, the best time to overseed in this area is late August or early September. Good luck!

 

[rurichdog]

Are you sure it is dead and not dormant? Northern lawns green up in the spring, go dormant & brown in the hazy hot humid summer, then green back up in the fall. If you haven't been watering all summer it may just be in summer dormancy.

 

[HPNJRUfan]

Thanks for the condolences phs.

Are you sure it is dead and not dormant? Northern lawns green up in the spring, go dormant & brown in the hazy hot humid summer, then green back up in the fall. If you haven't been watering all summer it may just be in summer dormancy.

Definitely dead, not dormant. Haven't used the irigation system, but during the dryer period early this summer I'd give it a good watering every two weeks or so - then we started getting thunderstorms, the hurricane, etc. and haven't needed to water.

I haven't had a chance to dig up a section and visually check, but it has all the characteristics of grubs. It started to brown in a few isolated spots, which I thought was odd - but I've had things happen in spots of the yard before and it's recovered. These areas even seemed to begin recovering, but about a week later a quarter of my yard was brown, with small patches still green. A week or two later half my yard was dead, and now about three quarters dead, with a living patch here and there. Grackles and starlings are having a feast every day, which I wouldn't mind as long as they were eating something other than grubs...

I'll try to take a photo tomorrow.

 

[red sail]

I just got done aerating my lawn for the first time. I now have some major respect for you guys if you do this every year and if you use one of those walk from behind hand push core aerators. I rented a Billy Goat aerator you fill the tank with water to get the thing weighted down to 50 lbs. I felt like I went to the gym I was drenched after doing the whole lawn! Next year I'm going to buy one of those pull from behind the tractor aerators.

Anyway you guys have been great with info, I want to reseed/over-seed. Should I being putting down some fertilizer first or can I just start spreading the seed tomorrow? thanks

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

I just got done aerating my lawn for the first time. I now have some major respect for you guys if you do this every year and if you use one of those walk from behind hand push core aerators. I rented a Billy Goat aerator you fill the tank with water to get the thing weighted down to 50 lbs. I felt like I went to the gym I was drenched after doing the whole lawn! Next year I'm going to buy one of those pull from behind the tractor aerators.

Anyway you guys have been great with info, I want to reseed/over-seed. Should I being putting down some fertilizer first or can I just start spreading the seed tomorrow? thanks

I’d put the seed down as soon as you prep the soil. New seed can’t really use fertilizer yet, it storeS some nutrients in the seed itself. You could use Scott’s Starter with Mesotrione if you have a Poa annua issue. That will Give you some fertilizer and allow your grass seed to germinate but block some fall germinating weeds. Don’t use any preemergent other than Mesotrione (it’ll block your grass seed from germinating.). Grass seed can germinate into October but the advantage of putting it down in late August or early September is that this gives it more time to get established before the cold. You could see what Alan thinks too but I believe he’d agree with this approach. Are you using Kentucky Blue grass, fescue, perennial rye, or a mix?

 

[RobertG]

I have lots of crab grass, way to much to pull out by hand. Do I put down any seed now? Wait till the spring? Thoughts?

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I just got done aerating my lawn for the first time. I now have some major respect for you guys if you do this every year and if you use one of those walk from behind hand push core aerators. I rented a Billy Goat aerator you fill the tank with water to get the thing weighted down to 50 lbs. I felt like I went to the gym I was drenched after doing the whole lawn! Next year I'm going to buy one of those pull from behind the tractor aerators.

Anyway you guys have been great with info, I want to reseed/over-seed. Should I being putting down some fertilizer first or can I just start spreading the seed tomorrow? thanks

The tow behind aerators don’t go nearly as deep as the gas powered ones, even if you weight them down. I own one But rent a gas powered one when I want to aerate.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

I have lots of crab grass, way to much to pull out by hand. Do I put down any seed now? Wait till the spring? Thoughts?

The crab grass will die out at the first frost. I would seed now. Scott’s Starter with Mesotrione will bleach some of the crab grass and turn it white. I’d seed with that or without that but in my opinion Fall seeding is way better than Spring. I’d seed now, and put down a good preemergent in the spring around when the forsythia bloom (that’ll prevent the grab grass you’ll otherwise face next year.).

 

[Knight Shift]

I have lots of crab grass, way to much to pull out by hand. Do I put down any seed now? Wait till the spring? Thoughts?

If you want practice pulling out crab grass, I can give a free practice field. 🤣
Also noticed nutsedge is rampant in a lot of places this year.

 

[rurichdog]

If you want practice pulling out crab grass, I can give a free practice field. 🤣
Also noticed nutsedge is rampant in a lot of places this year.

Those can be controlled with selective herbicides, and after a year or two you would be virtually free of both. I've found patches of Quackgrass in my front yard, which has no selective herbicide to control it. Let that be a warning to those who are brave enough to do a bit of dethatching/mechanical aeration...you'll stir up long-buried seeds of yore, so be ready to battle the weeds the following year!

 

[Knight Shift]

Those can be controlled with selective herbicides, and after a year or two you would be virtually free of both. I've found patches of Quackgrass in my front yard, which has no selective herbicide to control it. Let that be a warning to those who are brave enough to do a bit of dethatching/mechanical aeration...you'll stir up long-buried seeds of yore, so be ready to battle the weeds the following year!

Bad year for us. Poa Trivialis, Nutsedge, chickweed, lot of Crabgrass and dallisgrass. I looked up images of quackgrass, and I think we had quackgrass too.

 

[RU Golfer]

Bad year for us. Poa Trivialis, Nutsedge, chickweed, lot of Crabgrass and dallisgrass. I looked up images of quackgrass, and I think we had quackgrass too.

the last two years I have pulled quack by hand. this is the first season I did not have any.

 

[red sail]

I’d put the seed down as soon as you prep the soil. New seed can’t really use fertilizer yet, it storeS some nutrients in the seed itself. You could use Scott’s Starter with Mesotrione if you have a Poa annua issue. That will Give you some fertilizer and allow your grass seed to germinate but block some fall germinating weeds. Don’t use any preemergent other than Mesotrione (it’ll block your grass seed from germinating.). Grass seed can germinate into October but the advantage of putting it down in late August or early September is that this gives it more time to get established before the cold. You could see what Alan thinks too but I believe he’d agree with this approach. Are you using Kentucky Blue grass, fescue, perennial rye, or a mix?

I bought Jonathan Green Kentucky Blue Grass. Was going to get the sun and shade mix but decided to go with KBG.

 

[RU Golfer]

I bought Jonathan Green Kentucky Blue Grass. Was going to get the sun and shade mix but decided to go with KBG.

I use variations of Jonathan Green Black Beauty seed.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

I have found this thread interesting and decided a soil test is in order..

Here are some helpful links...

first a link to find where your county co-op extension is located

then a PDF on ordering a soil test

and last soil sampling instructions PDF.. which is a fairly involved process

Not sure how CoVid affects any of this.. but saw something that said certain Rutgers buildings were closed to the public... thanks, China.

 

[Catwink03]

Going to seed some patches of my lawn, first time attempting to seed in the fall and had a few questions-

1. Is it too late to seed this week?
2. I have some leftover Scotts New Grass Starter Plus Weed Preventer, can I apply this or should I use regular starter, or something different?
3. Should I cover with straw (or similar) or is that not as necessary with the temperatures dropping?
4. What is the best way to take care of leaves falling on the new grass? gentle leaf blowing?

Thank you in advance.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Going to seed some patches of my lawn, first time attempting to seed in the fall and had a few questions-

1. Is it too late to seed this week?
2. I have some leftover Scotts New Grass Starter Plus Weed Preventer, can I apply this or should I use regular starter, or something different?
3. Should I cover with straw (or similar) or is that not as necessary with the temperatures dropping?
4. What is the best way to take care of leaves falling on the new grass? gentle leaf blowing?

Thank you in advance.

Opinions will vary. In my view it is a little late but you can do it. You’ll get germination but the advantage of an earlier seeding date is that the grass will have more time to establish before the cold weather. I would use the Scotts Starter you mention with Mesotrione as the ingredient that will control many weeds. Expect some bleaching of existing turf if you have some grassy weeds. It will look odd for a bit but that’s what helps control the weeds. Follow the label and use as directed. I like a thin layer of peat moss more than straw as the latter may have weed seed in it. I’d use a blower early on and you should be able to mulch mow or light rake in layer October. By the way, different seed germinate at different times. Perennial rye and turf type tall fescue can germinate in a few days (you’ll seed small seedlings) whole KentuckyBlue Grass can take two to three weeks, although you may see some seedlings earlier. Good luck. Keep the new seed moist once you get it down.

 

[rurichdog]

I'm trying homegrown KBG plugs in my bare spots this fall. I can't grow grass from seed for sh*t. I've had a tray going all summer, already used about 1/3 of it earlier. Now that it is naturally filling in, I'll plant the rest in the next week or two since the tray won't overwinter.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

I'm trying homegrown KBG plugs in my bare spots this fall. I can't grow grass from seed for sh*t. I've had a tray going all summer, already used about 1/3 of it earlier. Now that it is naturally filling in, I'll plant the rest in the next week or two since the tray won't overwinter.

I do 10” KBG pots from seed several times a year and use them for bare spots or problem areas. I’ve got a few now that I’ll plant in the. Next month or so. I really need them this year as I was hit with pythium blight that took its toll.

 

[koleszar]

Going to seed some patches of my lawn, first time attempting to seed in the fall and had a few questions-

1. Is it too late to seed this week?
2. I have some leftover Scotts New Grass Starter Plus Weed Preventer, can I apply this or should I use regular starter, or something different?
3. Should I cover with straw (or similar) or is that not as necessary with the temperatures dropping?
4. What is the best way to take care of leaves falling on the new grass? gentle leaf blowing?

Thank you in advance.

We seeded our pastures this past Saturday. Pasture mix is a little different than your lawn grass but we found it the best time to plant. Soil holds water longer as lower temperatures and sun is not as strong. We also do reseeding in mid to late March. Basically the same weather pattern. I've tried other times of the year and through trial and error found for zone 7 areas this works best.

 

[miket007]

Good day gents! Any of you familiar with Tenacity? I have a yard full of crabgrass the previous owner left me as the yard has never been treated since it was built in 2011. I don't want to hire a company. I don't want to till the whole yard either. Someone mentioned Tenacity to me and the idea of using it is growing on me. I know crabgrass dies at frost time, if I sprayed Tenacity down now which should kill it do you think that will eliminate crabgrass from my lawn next year as well? Any help would be appreciated I need to get a handle on this....

 

[koleszar]

We seeded our pastures this past Saturday. Pasture mix is a little different than your lawn grass but we found it the best time to plant. Soil holds water longer as lower temperatures and sun is not as strong. We also do reseeding in mid to late March. Basically the same weather pattern. I've tried other times of the year and through trial and error found for zone 7 areas this works best.

I will now mention, if you seed 3 acres of land with more than $600 worth of seed and you get exactly 1 rain day between Sept. 13th and now, some 27 days later you lose a lot of money. It grows some from the morning dew but not very well. Out of the $600 I maybe got $200 bucks worth of growth.

I've never see it so dry this time of the year. O well, now it's time to plug and reseed in late March. Wonder how much money I'll lose then? Best laid plans rarely work out when you depend on that bitch Mother Nature.

 

[Knight Shift]

I will now mention, if you seed 3 acres of land with more than $600 worth of seed and you get exactly 1 rain day between Sept. 13th and now, some 27 days later you lose a lot of money. It grows some from the morning dew but not very well. Out of the $600 I maybe got $200 bucks worth of growth.

I've never see it so dry this time of the year. O well, now it's time to plug and reseed in late March. Wonder how much money I'll lose then? Best laid plans rarely work out when you depend on that bitch Mother Nature.

Well now you done pissed her off. That seed is going to wash away in the next couple of days.

​

 

[koleszar]

Well now you done pissed her off. That seed is going to wash away in the next couple of days.

​

In jest that's what I told my wife when we seeded, "we'll either get no rain for a month or a deluge". Turns out, just like you thought I am The Amazing Kreskin after all. 🤪

 

[Knight Shift]

In jest that's what I told my wife when we seeded, "we'll either get no rain for a month or a deluge". Turns out, just like you thought I am The Amazing Kreskin after all. 🤪

I planted my seed, and I have a beautiful patch of green. I would tell you what I did, but I found a great patent attorney who got me a patent on my method. Sorry, dude.

 

[rurichdog]

Good day gents! Any of you familiar with Tenacity? I have a yard full of crabgrass the previous owner left me as the yard has never been treated since it was built in 2011. I don't want to hire a company. I don't want to till the whole yard either. Someone mentioned Tenacity to me and the idea of using it is growing on me. I know crabgrass dies at frost time, if I sprayed Tenacity down now which should kill it do you think that will eliminate crabgrass from my lawn next year as well? Any help would be appreciated I need to get a handle on this....

Chances are that crabgrass already went to seed and will return with a vengeance next year, no matter how much Tenacity you dump on it in October. In the spring when you see the forsythia bloom, put down fert with crabgrass preventer (pendimethaline or prodiamine). That will help you keep the next crop of crabgrass from ever germinating. When you first notice crabgrass sprouting next early summer, hit those bastages with Tenacity.

 

[RUDutch]

Anybody else tried Hydro Mousse Liquid Lawn? I bought some in mid September, followed the directions, watered twice a day for 2 weeks and got grass on about 20% of where I used it. I wish I used regular grass seed instead. It did turn my white sneakers green (actually blue) but I don't consider that a plus.

 

[Knight Shift]

Anybody else tried Hydro Mousse Liquid Lawn? I bought some in mid September, followed the directions, watered twice a day for 2 weeks and got grass on about 20% of where I used it. I wish I used regular grass seed instead. It did turn my white sneakers green (actually blue) but I don't consider that a plus.

Never tried it. Did you smoke it, and is that why your sneakers look blue now?

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Chances are that crabgrass already went to seed and will return with a vengeance next year, no matter how much Tenacity you dump on it in October. In the spring when you see the forsythia bloom, put down fert with crabgrass preventer (pendimethaline or prodiamine). That will help you keep the next crop of crabgrass from ever germinating. When you first notice crabgrass sprouting next early summer, hit those bastages with Tenacity.

In my opinion, thereis a big difference between those two product. Prodiamine will last five months or so after applying. Pendimethaline only lasts a few months and should be applied twice, once in early spring, and again in late spring if you are looking to prevent crab grass during the entire season.

 

[wcfan10]

What is the best seed for Bergen county.
I have been using Scott’s sun & shade seed for about 10 years and I’m no happy. It seems the shade area is ok but the lawn that gets sun all day dries out even though plenty of water is used. I do apply fertilizer 3-4 times a year.

Any suggestions?