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Lawn care Charlotte NC area

8 years ago

I'm new to the forum and also the Charlotte NC area.

Originally from New England I'm not sure what the best way is to maintain a lawn here. I'm open to all suggestions regarding seasonal care as well general maintenance. Currently my lawn is in ok shape. There are several patches of clover as well as some broad leaf weeds. I'm not sure what kind.

The front lawn is what I'm concerned about. It's south south-west facing and gets full sun for almost all day.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Les

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Comments (4)

User
8 years ago
Sunny, south facing exposure is generally a good thing, as long as the proper amount of water is applied. Broadleaf weeds ,( and clover) can be killed with 'Ortho Weed B gone' - as long as you have a week or so with no freezing in the forecast.
User
8 years ago
What kind of grass do you have? If it's tall fescue, be ready to see it go dormant and lose a portion of it every summer, especially if it faces the sun. You will have to overseed every year. There is no amount of water you can apply that will prevent it for going brown in 90+ degree weather. Be especially mindful about weed control, with the grass dormant in the summer and no therefore no competition , crabgrass can completely wipe it out. Apply pre-emergent in the spring and follow up with post-emergent as needed. Check the NCSU website for maintenance calendars and other advice, they are a great resource.
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avamom2012
8 years ago
OP, I'm in Virginia. It's interesting what j4c11 said about tall fescue, as I too have S-W sun all summer days on the front and crab grass was a problem. I did start a new front lawn this year with Rescue Tall Fescue. Perhaps it should be switched to a blend, like rye, fescue, Kentucky bluegrass for intense sun reasons? Wonder if there's a warm/cold grass blend beneficial to this problem.
User
8 years ago
@avamom2012(7a)

You have to put down pre-emergent and break the seed cycle. Also, keep in mind, crabgrass is a biennial. Fork out a bit of cash for a jug of prodiamine, it's about $65 but it should last 10-15 years (depending on the size of your lawn ymmv obviously). Not sure where in VA you are, but here in NC temps hover around 80 at night and sometimes 100+ during the day, no cool season grass is going to take that well. You can switch to a warm season grass and overseed every fall with ryegrass, but then you're still overseeding every year.

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