skip to main content

1st house + 1st Fall season = trouble

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

First-time home owner looking for some advice on a unique situation here in New England-Massachusetts has been hit with a severe drought this year and maintaining my first lawn has been daunting! So far, I've managed to hand remove just about all the dandelion, clover, crabgrass and chickweed by hand from this established lawn, and was deep watering right up until we were hit with a watering ban.

Now that fall has come, my neighbors are teaming up to rent a core aerator this weekend. I've already dethatched in preparation for this, and cut the lawn somewhat short (I've been leaving it long to stem off the drought).

My lawn is pretty thin and has some bare patches at this stage. I realize that after aeration, it's the perfect time for overseeding for the spring - my question is since I'm not allowed to water at all, am I just wasting money by overseeding now? There's not much rain in the forecast either, so there's little chance that Mother Nature is going to help! If seeding isn't a good idea, should I just fert and wait it out till spring? I plan to use milorganite as soon as I'm done with the aeration...

If I'm reading things right, I'm in zone 6a and the plot size is 1200sqft. Any help would be appreciated !

- Phil

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

User
7 years ago
If there's no water it's a waste of time and seed. Wait until the watering ban is lifted. Spring is not a great time to seed either.

What kind of grass do you have?
philvegas1
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
From what I can tell Kentucky bluegrass and fescue, but I'm so new to this that I couldn't be sure.

You can see the dilemma now! Can't water when it's the right time, and waiting till spring is a gamble as well...

Forgot to mention, the lawn has no shade save one ornamental with an 8' radius. Basically it's in the sun almost the entire duration of the day.

What can I do?
Related Discussions
Lessons learned - 1st half of the season.
Q
Comments (27)
Hello drscott, One item that drew my attention is spacing in general and #7 in particular. SFG gardening has very little to do with simply growing things compactly. It must be in very good soil. Good soil is more central to the basic concept than space despite its name SFG. If you plant corn in ordinary top soil 1 foot apart I would not be surprised that corn would not do well especially since it is the prime example of nitrogen eating plants. If you are a bit careless with the soil SFG will disappoint and this has been an issue with me when all I had available was commercial compost since I had recently moved. I did have a box that seemed have some issues on the corners with some plants. If you have space and reasonably decent top soil then why not use the space you have? However don't plant in big rows which I think is universally foolish for home gardening unless one is going for a farm appearance. 4x4 beds or some such is far better for weeds, disease and soil compaction. I had come to this conclusion as a teenager when I did a row garden and 4X4 in ground bed side by side. However having done all the above including SFG, I would have to say SFG is the least amount of work. This includes container gardening which is a bit more work mostly because of watering for the exchange of the ultimate in flexibility.
...See More
1st bloom of the season!!!
Q
Comments (1)
No ideas,but it's beautiful.TFS Kathi
...See More
1st batch of compost + 1st lasagna garden = 1st veggie garden
Q
Comments (7)
Azura, last year was my first real veggie garden, and I learned a lot. There were successes and failures, but I enjoyed it so much. Skybird is right about you wanting to make it bigger next year. I created a separate bed for the herbs this year, just so I could plant more veggies in veggie garden. So far, I planted onion sets and peas (twice). I also have five kinds of lettuce, and broccoli sprouts that were wintersown, that I might plant out as soon as the crazy winds die down. Plus there are tomatoes and peppers in my kitchen windowsill, and tomatoes that were wintersown but haven't germinated yet. I'm also direct sowing carrots maybe this week, but the cucumbers, canteloupes, and beans won't get planted for another month or so. My goal is for as much variety as possible, even if it means just one or two plants of each - 5 kinds of beans, 4 kinds of canteloupe, 5 kinds of carrots, 4 kinds of cukes, 7 kinds of peppers, and as many different tomatoes as I can cram into the space that's left, and the Earthbox I just bought. I'd rather have too many plants and have to give some away, than to realize I have empty space in the garden, and not enough time to start something else before the end of the season. The bed and soil look great, and I wish you a bountiful harvest. Bonnie
...See More
zone 5 eucalyptus 6-8 ft tall from seed 1st season?
Q
Comments (12)
I just saw this old post, wondering if you planted your eucalyptus or not. I'm in Chicago, zone 5, so don't think there is any type of eucalyptus that would survive our cold wet winters. But, after one winter seeing lots of eucalyptus grow in the English Garden of the Chicago Botanical Garden, I thought it was interesting. It was the blue eucalyptus that you see in your dry arrangements. I tried it the same year in the spring from seed. It is the blue leaf eucalyptus that you see in dry arrangements. The seeds are tiny, but most have sprouted in regular potting soil. I planted those when they were 1-inch high into pots, then put them in the ground in the garden. At the end of the year, in the fall, they were maybe 2ft tall, cut them down and I believe I still have some great-smelling twigs in the house. I think in our climate they're grown as annuals... they won't survive the winters here. If someone knows otherwise, I'd love to find out. I hear southern Illinois grows eucalyptus... but that's 2 zones warmer.
...See More
User
7 years ago
From what I can tell Kentucky bluegrass and fescue, but I'm so new to this that I couldn't be sure.

If you post a close up picture of the grass we can help you identify it. Take it as close as possible. Post an overview as well so we can see the extent of the damage.

What can I do?

Hope for rain soon. Not much else you can do.
hawksster .
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
What can I do?
dchall_san_antonio
7 years ago
If you've already mowed it short, the damage is done. About all you can do is pray for lots of rain right away.

Why do you want to core aerate? Just because your neighbors are doing it? And why do they want to core aerate? I'm a firm believer that core aeration is a big waste of time and money. If you have hard soil there's a better way to fix that. Otherwise, it's a rare situation that I could suggest core aeration to fix something.
philvegas1
Original Author
7 years ago
I haven't scalped the lawn, just got it shorter in preparation for the aeration.

The reason why I'm aerating is because it hasn't been done in a while judging by the soil - the thatch alone after a quick rake was enough to build another lawn from the dead material!

The question is more directed towards seeding - Temps have been steadily dropping in the evening and I want to make sure I have the right plan (both financially and logically) before the frost comes. Since seeding after core aeration is a standard practice, I was wondering the best course of action while in a water ban.
User
7 years ago
You might not even be able to aerate, the soil needs to be somewhat moist for the tines to penetrate.
philvegas1
Original Author
7 years ago
We'll be getting a little rain before aeration, so I'm hoping that's less of an issue
reeljake
7 years ago
Seed can't sprout if you don't put it down, that's for sure. Just don't be too heartbroken if you get low germination rates from lack of water. Others have had complete washouts of their seed, it's always a crapshoot with mother nature. How much area/seed/money are we talking about?
philvegas1
Original Author
7 years ago
Approximately 1200sqft, don't know on pricing yet but I intend to use Pennington!

Related Stories

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen of the Week: Double Trouble and a Happy Ending

By Becky Harris

Burst pipes result in back-to-back kitchen renovations. The second time around, this interior designer gets her kitchen just right

FALL AND THANKSGIVING Celebrate the Season With Colorful Visions of Fall

By Annie Thornton

Houzz readers share what autumn looks like in the United States and beyond

LIFE Ready Your Home for Fall to Savor the Season More

By Laura Gaskill

Settle into the pleasures of autumn with a home that's prepped, organized and full of seasonal delights

FALL AND THANKSGIVING Simple Pleasures: Celebrate Fall With These Special Traditions

By Laura Gaskill

Enjoy a meaningful autumn with seasonal ideas for decorating, cooking and entertaining

MOST POPULAR How to Start a Cool-Season Vegetable Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Late summer and late winter are good times to plan and plant cool-season crops like salad greens, spinach, beets, carrots and peas

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Plants for Colorful Fall Foliage in the Water-Wise Western Garden

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Try these colorful, drought-tolerant additions to your garden for a fall season filled with color

HOLIDAYS 10 Things to Do Early for an Easier Holiday Season

By Laura Gaskill

Make a gift list and check supplies twice, then ensure that the house looks nice, and buy travel tickets if you’re leaving town

FALL GARDENING Make This Fall’s Garden the Best Ever

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Learn the most important tip for preventing buyer’s remorse, plus get more valuable buying and planting advice

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Great Design Plant: Quaking Aspen for 3-Season Beauty — on Its Own Turf

It offers bright fall foliage, snowy winter bark and lush green leaves in summer. Just don't try to plant quaking aspen away from its home

TRANSITIONAL HOMES Houzz Tour: Would-Be House Flipper Falls Hard for a Florida Bungalow

By Becky Harris

An investment project winds up becoming home for a St. Petersburg, Florida, design enthusiast

Sponsored

More Discussions

Sowed a month ago, but little to no germination

5

plastic netting implanted in lawn!

2

Every spring and fall with pre-emergent, but still lot weeds???

3

ultrasonic rat devices

0

Help for lawn in Zone 3! This is its second spring.

1