Newbie help: organic lawn program

13 years ago

Hi everyone, newbie here. I came across this site in the process of looking up information on organic lawn care. Its a pretty informative site, so decided to join up. Here's my story...

I recently bought a home in Gilbert, AZ (Phoenix area for those that don't know Gilbert). I don't have much grass to maintain, about 1200sq ft of Bermuda grass. I want to transition to an organic program and would like to do so as soon as possible. Now I do have some problems:

1. I believe some of the "grass" is nutsedge. I do have pictures of both lawns if I can email them to someone to help identify it.

2. The ground looks very compact. I tried digging in it with my fingers to see if it was moist and I could not get down at all.

3. Some areas in the backyard do not grow any grass due to dense shade from two mature trees. I would like to fix this problem if possible.

All right, those are the problems I have come up with. I figure some aeration, compost, and some deep waterings would be a good start going into the winter time here. Believe it or not, the grass is still green and we're still hitting 90s here.

Let me know what you think and thank you in advance.

Vicente

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Billl
13 years ago
Congrats on the new home.

1) Nutsedge is challenging whether you are trying to stay organic or not. Most chemicals don't work very well on it although there are a few products that specifically target this weed (sledgehammer etc.) The problem is the "nut" part. This weed forms little nut shaped bulbs in its roots a energy reserves. If you kill of the top, it just regrows from the "nut". The quickest way to get rid of them is just to dig them up - dig, not pull. If you pull, you will likely just get the topgrowth and miss the nut.

2) Getting on a consistent watering schedule and using organic fertilizers will slowly improve the soil. For a much quicker fix: Water for 15 minutes. Let it soak in. Water for 15 minutes. Let it soak in. Do this a bunch of times in a row until you can actually get a shovel into the ground. Then, wait a day and rent a plug aerator. Make a couple of passes over the whole area. Then, sprinkle a layer of compost over everything and then rake/broom the area to knock some of the compost into the holes.

3. Bermuda won't grow in shade. You can plant St Augustine grass there if you really want grass. I don't think it looks very good next to bermuda though. Personally, I would make beds, patios, sitting spots etc out of the shady spots. Grass likes to grow in the sun. If you walk in the forest, you aren't going to see a ton of grass growing there. It is a lot easier to follow nature than to fight against it.
vince92183
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Bill. It looks like I have my work cut out for me for sure.

I probably won't start on it till spring time and just let it all go dormant for right now. I do wish the previous owner would have taken a little more care of his lawns. ;)
Related Discussions
How to Switch Over to Organic Lawn Care Program
Q
Comments (25)
I'm back, not that you've gotten bad service from morph. You could not be in better hands. I'm just more hands... Yes, the standard, $25 test is what you want at Logan Labs. When nothing seems to work, then the soil test usually provides the answer. And morph is the guy to read your soil test for you. I've been organic since 2002. My back yard is in half day sun and is too dense to mow. My front is in 90% filtered shade and mows easily, but would not be considered thin - at least not mostly. This is a lot of shade in the front. I realize you are committed to organics but maybe a couple pictures will help you stay on track. I collect these things for people like you. Here's the first one. That was taken by GW member mrmumbles back in 2011 to show the effect of using alfalfa pellets on his zoysia lawn. He applied the stuff in mid May and took the picture in mid June. You can easily see the effect. Density, color, and growth are all improved dramatically. Here is another picture taken by morph of his own lawn. I don't know why he doesn't use this picture more often. Maybe because he knows I use the heck out of it. That picture was taken in 2010. He will attribute the green of his yard to soil testing and improved chemistry, but you have to give credit to his organic program, too. He also has a different variety of grass and he waters differently. But the point is...WOW AREYOUFREAKINKIDDINME! Yes, you can have the yard of the month, month after month, on an organic program. What morph does to get that effect is to do things right. The cost of his lawn is not that much different from the cost of the neighbors' dead looking lawns. It's much more a matter of doing things right than spending more money.
...See More
Organic Lawn Newbie
Q
Comments (3)
I don't think Bermuda has thick leaves, so it's probably not Bermuda. You'll be growing a warm season grass (or a mixture of them) in Austin. I don't know much about any of the grasses in that mix you linked, but that seems to be pretty expensive. I don't think you'd want to have to buy enough of that seed for a lawn. I would look at Round Butte Seeds, Buffalo Brand (formerly Sharp Brothers), Southwest Seed and see if they have better prices. I don't know that much about warm season natives, so I can't help as much with specifics. But you should be able to find some help at the places I linked.
...See More
Organic Monthly Schedule for Organic Newbie
Q
Comments (22)
WindMountain, you can use basically the same schedule for Zone 5 KBG. The CGM application would occur in early April (52F-58F average soil temp). Also, the last soybean meal application would be moved to mid October. Many people can reduce the amount of grains used after the first year of an organic program. It depends on the amount of organic material in your soil, the depth of your topsoil, and your microbe activity level. You can try reducing the amount of SBM by a few pounds per 1,000 sq ft each year of your organic program but don't apply less than 10 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. If your lawn begins to loose its color between applications, you'll know that you need more grain than you applied. Simply adjust your next application. Regarding IBDU, other forum members had great success with urea 46-0-0 so I experimented with it instead of IBDU. I applied the urea in early November (after top growth stopped but before dormancy) and my lawn stayed dark green all winter. At this point, I'm planning to continue the late application of urea for at least two more years. Good Luck! -Deerslayer
...See More
help with switching to organic lawn care needed!
Q
Comments (5)
Yea same thing happened to me. I was out walking the lawn and a Scotts sales rep. pulled up and asked me "Can Scotts assist you today". I told him nope and politely kept working. He then pointed to my "weed" problem and lack of nutrients. I get clover and other weeds every year in the spring but they quickly vanish once the night time temperatures heat up and the bermuda takes over. So 2 months later the guy pulled up again and gets out of his car and asked me if I used Scotts because now the lawn was green and thick. I told him no, I'm on a complete organic schedule. That's when the guy got back into his car and left. He circled back a few more times with a dumbfounded stare before stopping again to ask what organics were. Here it is we have a Scotts rep who works for a company that offers "organics" and doesn't even know what an organic program is.
...See More
texas_weed
13 years ago
Gilbert AZ huh? Can you afford the water? Afraid Saint Augustine wouldn't work there too well as it is just too hot and dry. SA is a tropical to sub tropical variety.
vince92183
Original Author
13 years ago
Sure hope I can afford it! ;) I'll steer clear of SA then.
neilaz
13 years ago
I didn't think bermuda responded very well to an organic way of life. Hard to get a high enough N value fast enough......
Billl
13 years ago
High matters. Fast does not. Bermuda needs a consistent supply of nutrients to thrive. For a small area, you can certainly "go organic."

If the OP had acres??? That would present some challenges. You can still do it, but the weight and cost of the materials could be problematic.
texas_weed
13 years ago
Vince before you go spend all this time and money, you need to make sure you can answer this question:

Can I afford to water 3 times a week during the warm season and 1 to 2 times per week in cool season? Phoenix has some real challenges, but they can be over come with money, or I mean water.
vince92183
Original Author
13 years ago
That is for sure an issue texas-weed. I do believe my girl and I can afford the lawns, as they are pretty small lawns. Also, the backyard area will probably be redone to utilize natural shade and cut the lawn area in half. To save even more money, I'll be mowing with a reel mower.

I also know an organic farmer who basically turned his area of the desert into an oasis. His process is compost, compost tea, and fish emulsion. My work has done work with him so he will be giving me a break on cost.

All in all, it is pretty exciting but I do know the cost will be up there, especially for the summer months.

Newbie help: organic lawn program

Comments (8)

Billl

vince92183
Original Author

Related Discussions

texas_weed

vince92183
Original Author

neilaz

Billl

texas_weed

vince92183
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Newbie help: organic lawn program

Comments (8)

Billl

vince92183Original Author

Related Discussions

texas_weed

vince92183Original Author

neilaz

Billl

texas_weed

vince92183Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

vince92183
Original Author

vince92183
Original Author

vince92183
Original Author