Lawn renovation (again), please help
hawksster .
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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7 years agohawksster .
7 years agoRelated Discussions
lawn drainage soggy lawn problem please help
Comments (21)Sit down because I'm jumping right into some science. This is for your husband to help understand why the bridge idea is not going to help you. Normal soil has an open pore structure that allows air and water to pass through it. Inside this structure lives 10s of thousands of species of beneficial microbes which thrive on the open pore structure. These microbes are Mother Nature's invention. As it turns out the species of microbes living in swampy land are different from those living in dryish land (lawns). When you allow standing water to stand for several days, that cuts off the air flow to the beneficial microbes and their populations begin to decrease. If this happens enough, normal grass will thin out and stop growing. They will be replaced by swamp grasses like nutgrass and some others. So it is important to keep the water from pooling on your lawn. Back to the issue... If your community has an ordinance that says homeowners must drain all water from their own property and not allow it to cross over onto a neighbor's land, then all you should have to do is call your city code compliance officers and make them deal with it. If you live in the savage west, then you might have to do it yourself. Talk to your neighbors and ask them to berm up their land at the fence to keep the water on their side. Since they already dug the ditch, they are unlikely to bend to your wishes. So when that doesn't work, berm up your side of the fence and push their water back onto their property (see how they like having standing pools of water!!). Six inches of berm would normally be plenty. Planting a lawn in the spring is not the best idea, but if you really have to you have to. If you can afford sod, then that should be better, but if you were planning to seed, I would not spend a lot on seed for a spring installation. What will happen is all that new grass will find itself competing with crabgrass which also sprouts in the spring. Your grass seed will be less hardy than the crabgrass and will thin out in the summer heat. It is not uncommon to have a full crabgrass lawn by July. It is much better to seed new grass in the fall because crabgrass seed is not sprouting then. It also gives the new grass all winter and spring to develop heat tolerant roots. Now a word on forum etiquette. This is not your thread. The original poster had a problem with soil structure. Your problem is neighborhood drainage. You should have opened a new topic so people who want to help you don't have to read through someone else's problem from last year - which is really not your problem. I also suspect you will need some advice on planting your lawn (spring? or fall - either one). Now is the time to ask, so post a new topic! When you ask about planting a new lawn, please mention specifically where you live. The zone system is not good for helping with lawns, so give a town or zip code. And if you want more help on the neighborhood drainage issue, I would still post a new topic with your new questions. This forum seems to have a lot of opinions about neighbors '-)...See Morelawn renovation plan - help
Comments (6)Research and find good seed mix for my area and buy it. Any pointers for MA? How much seed for 1500 sq ft? KBG should be seeded at 3lbs./k. Fescue or Rye should be seeded at 6-8 lbs./k 1. Aug 22 - spray lawn with glyphosate (forgot brand name, its made by bonide) 2. water the lawn to let some weed seeds grow 3. Sep. 7 - spray again with glyphosate Other than a possible issue with the timeing--no problem. By all means do a second kill after watering a week after the first kill. 4. Sep 15 - seed the lawn with slit seeder. (Should I remove the dead plant material from the lawn?) It is adviseable to reveal bare soil for best seed to soil contact. A fixed blade slit seeder can be used for this, but raking is also effective. I can confidently recommend slit seeding for improved KBG germination. Spread the KBG seed and run the fixed blade slit seeder set at a depth of 1/4" over the lawn to bury the seed. 2passes at 45 degree angles or more passes if you have the stamina. I do not advise slit seeding for fescue or rye. Although I have always seen improved germination with KBG, I have not seen such results with fescue and rye. Although It may be beneficial to use a slit seeder to break the soil surface for seed to soil contact, a slit seeder should not be run over fescue seed as I believe it actually damages the seed. 5. water the lawn regularly Heep the seed/soil damp, do not drown the seed. If there is puddling you are overwatering. 6. Enjoy my awesome lawn come spring questions: Should I mow the lawn low before I apply glyphosate? No, the greater the leaf surface available for the glyphosate, the better the kill. How about this timetable? You may be a bit late, especially with this mild Summer. You want to work backwards. You want the new grass to need at least 3 mowings so it is established enough for Winter survival. KBG can take 4 weeks to germinate and fescues two weeks. Should I start earlier or later? I'd start ASAP with the kill. soil is tested and extension dept did not recommend amendments. Any advantages to top dressing after overseeding? Many people swear that topdressing with no more than 1/4" of peat moss will improve success. I agree. Anything I am missing? Apply a starter fertilizer at seeding. Scotts staarter with mesotrione may help prevent unwanted weeds. And Winterize--see my post "The Book on KBG." Good luck to you on your project....See MoreI need lawn renovation help in Zone 7/8
Comments (9)That's odd, I have Cincinnati, OH listed as Zone 6a/6b (you're right on the border). Regardless, Ohio is completely compatible with bluegrass if that's what you want. You may or may not. Personally, I consider bluegrass to be the grass against which all others are measured--and found deeply wanting. But that's because I'm willing to put in the time and effort to optimize performance. And money, let's not forget the money. Bluegrass has absolutely terrible drought resistance, but phenomenal drought tolerance. Or, it wilts quickly and has to be watered, but survives drought very well by going dormant and simply waiting it out. It's the most demanding of the northern grasses in terms of feeding, and really objects if you give it less than 4 pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet per year, delivered just the way it likes it (small amounts in late spring, large amounts in fall). In terms of disease and insect resistance, it's about average. However, planted as a single species (a monoculture), any disease it's susceptible to will run rampant. That's why we suggest multiple cultivars with different resistances to counter that. Planting a single cultivar (a monostand) is asking for trouble (but it can be done). Properly managed, it's an intense green with blue overtones (mine throws blue topaz highlights in sun that, regrettably, don't photograph at all well), a strong grower, and capable of filling in any holes without much additional encouragement. It feels like carpet underfoot. Improperly managed, it's a sickly yellow-green, grows weakly, and gets patchy. Just like any other neglected grass. Plantings are slower to develop than other species, and sprout far slower than most others, so you have to keep after the watering on the seed bed for far longer. If that's what you want, and you're willing to put in the effort, I'd suggest Midnight II, Prosperity, and Moonlight SLT cultivars for you if you want the darkest colors and excellent performance. Award and Bedazzled are two other suggestions, but the Bedazzled won't be quite as dark a green. If the idea is kind of daunting, fescue and ryegrasses are easier to manage but do require occasional overseeding in fall....See MoreSoil Test Help & Lawn Renovation
Comments (35)Yes. Becky put me on to that study a couple of weeks ago. It's still a new study and not replicated yet. It also is limited in turf type, so hard to say how many types of grass will react similarly/adversely to the K as does the studied bentgrass and poa a. That's not to say that it wouldn't be wise to consider the late season K application timing for all grasses (with the exception of KBG as the author states it is probably an exception). Although anjones K levels are well below sufficiency levels and needs to be raised, that study is the reason I've advised that K be applied after T-day in his case. As far as N winterizer timing and quantities, they report no harm other than they feel it is left unused and therefor overkill. Some past studies have shown increased root mass proportionate to N applications after September. Right now, I'd say that one is definitely ripe for further study, but no harm (other than environmental?) due to current practices of winterizition....See MoreGreen Machine
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7 years agoFrancisco (Zone 9b) Cordova
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7 years agoFrancisco (Zone 9b) Cordova
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7 years agoFrancisco (Zone 9b) Cordova
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