Finalizing fall plan, input appreciated and a couple final questions

amanda1266

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

This is my first year putting effort into my lawn and I have came up with a game plan that I would like some input on..

1. My lawn has some rocks, big and small, so I'm clearing out those the best I can.

2. Mow short.

3. Dethatch and rake/bag up everything

4. Core Aerate

5. Apply Lime immediately after aerating (soil test indicated I need this)

6. Bring in top soil to fill in the holes left from removing rocks and to fill in some shallow ruts.

7. A couple weeks after aerating and applying the lime, Put down seed and starter fertilizer (have read lime and fertilizer do not go good together)

8. Possibly roll the seed for good soil contact.

9. Light layer of peat moss as top dressing.

10. Water, Water, Water!

Questions:

-Am I doing the right thing by waiting 2 weeks after applying the lime before I put the seed and starter fertilizer down? I have read you should aerate and then put down seed immediately, but with the lime application, I am not sure.

-Should my step 6 go before aerating? I was thinking that the fresh soil wouldn't really need aerating so I put it after so that I could work on that during the couple weeks that I am waiting to put the seed down.

Thanks for the help!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

beckyinrichmond
6 years ago
What are you doing about weeds? Have you used a selective weed killer? Are you planning to use glyphosate? Are you doing an overseed or a renovation? What is your seed down date?

Move the "mow short and bag everything up" to right before seeding. If this is an overseed, you should gradually reduce your mowing height. You may or may not need to dethatch. The aeration earlier may be enough. You want the aeration holes to fill in before seeding so the seeds don't fall down too deep.

It's best to keep lime and fertilizer apart. Also good to do the lime well in advance of seeding (several months ago would have been ideal), so the sooner you can do that, the better. I have used lime before at seeding and nothing terrible happened. But it's better if the pH has been adjusted and is in a good range before putting seed down. Lime takes time to work. I would do it today. The aeration, when you can get that done, will push the lime further down into the ground, having about the same effect as if you applied the lime after aeration. Just get it down.
amanda1266
Original Author
6 years ago
Hi Becky,

This is an overseed. I did use weed killer about a month ago and it did kill a bunch of them but I still have some. I was planning on figuring that out after I seed since it's getting to be the ideal time to seed.

Thank you for the advice, I will be putting lime down today and hopefully Aerating this weekend.
Related Discussions
DIY Near-Final Deck Design Input Solicited (with images!)
Q
Comments (9)
I gotcha with the balusters those flat ones would install that way. Using them down the stairs could be done without cuting them to match the rake but they would look better with an angled cut. The round alum pipe has to be cut on both ends to match the stair angle same with the conectors.The polly conectors are a little spendy so I make my own from preasure treated stock this brings the price down far enough to equal the work involved in the stairs. Rail post in the bottom tread blocked in installed with counstrustion adhesive 3'' ss screws stands up just fine. I just cant see the need for privacy from the waist down. The way I frame requires more foundation and less wood. Posts installed in the frame like I said with the stairway work fine a lot less movement than bolted in and dont require retighting. Using beam framing a person constanley fights with the common width differance in framing lumber with flush framing all the differances are down below. My posts have direct bearing on the piers and sit under the primary then the joists are installed to the primarys. This is mean and lean framing, very strong,supper fast and the green freaks love it. I agree with the pt thing looking at all the work you are going to have in that thing I would defentley not use preasue treated lumber for anything but the frame. The cap rail will be the first to go it will warp/twist/splinter in a very short time x 10000 if you go ahead and extend it on the stairs. You could use the pt as decking/posts but build the rail system from cedar or Garapa. Garapa is less $ than ipe with the same quality it is a lighter color but the contrast say if you used dark rustic finish on the decking/posts and a cedartone on the rails would look intersting. J.
...See More
Would like your input, before final version of home plan :)
Q
Comments (6)
LL, I'm thinking the hot tub in the corner is the right move. It will give a better sense of enclosure, and use well the space that will otherwise be underutilized. Having the edge of the deck available for a seating arrangement or small table will be nice, because your view will be much greater from that spot. And if you have a lot of rocks on your property, putting rocks beneath the floor can help use that space as a heat sink. I'd recommend you look into setting that up, to give some extra heat to your house in the evening after the sun goes down and it radiates heat absorbed by those rocks during the day. Summer probably has knowledge of how to design the greenhouse to give some payback to you. I think the greenhouse idea will be a great addition. I'm always for a plant space. I'm going to point out something to you about the star jasmine though. It will provide you an evergreen plant inside like that, BUT IT ONLY BLOOMS IN MAY AND JUNE. I would suggest that you get a couple of nice blooming begonias in pots, or geraniums in RED, to brighten up the space. And I also have a potted (not hanging basket) bougainvillea which will end up climbing by its long thorny limbs, and IT WILL BLOOM ALL YEAR ROUND. They come in yellow and hot pink, and mine is a white and pink combo. I cannot wait to get it into my Teahouse. It likes heat, it likes moisture, it likes lots of light. Keep it watered. And if you want a spectacular large tropical plant, look into a MUSA species of banana. They can be hardy at your latitude indoors all year. Incidentally, I just love your house, and the more you tinker with the plan the better it gets. Sarah Susanka says that most people just design the rooms with no selection of furniture spots, but you are doing the whole deal. I think you are about ready to CHOOSE THE SPOT FOR LIGHTS AND SWITCHES AND PLUGS. AND DIMMERS. Dimmers are part of it too. Go for it, lady, you have the right ideas to choose from.
...See More
Kitchen layout almost final input please!
Q
Comments (11)
Just some little things... The narrow pullout bases can be very pricey - check with the cabinet maker. Remember that with framed cabinets, the pullout itself will be at least 3" less wide than the cabinet. With frameless, it will be 1.25 to 1.5" less wide. So if you want to stretch dollar bills, simply do larger cabinets. As an example, the 9" cabinet by the range can be married to the 22" drawer cabinet and produce a 30" cabinet with a 1.5" filler. It sounds ridiculous, but that alone can save a couple of hundred dollars. Having a filler is important when both sides of a cabinet run are up against a wall. Walls are rarely completely level, or square and the filler "takes up" those small differences. You need to allow some air space on both sides and the back of the ref - generally, its an inch or two. Corner pantries right beside a ref are difficult (not impossible) to do correctly. Unless you are getting a fancy ref, the doors of the ref need to be in front of the side wall of the pantry. If they aren't in front, the doors won't open at all. Also, if you need to pull the doors open past 90 degrees to clean, you need to insure the entire door depth can fit in front of the pantry and its door trim. Another small issue with corner pantries and ref huts - The counter should die into the side panel. The counter will be roughly 1.5" deeper than the base cabinets. But the over the ref cabinet needs to be mounted flush with the front of the side panel (or so the cabinet doors are flush to the front of the side panel). I'm not saying "don't do it". I'm saying be very careful and thoughtful about it because its very easy to get wrong - even when done by professionals. As drawn, you wouldn't be able to open the ref door all the way and the ref door and the pantry door have high probabilities of running into each other. There is no possibility of having the side panel turn out in the correct place or be the correct depth for the counter. Personally, I would make the cabinets the same heights - either 42" or 48". The every-other-one pattern looks cluttered. I'm a little bit wondering where you're going to keep the ladder.
...See More
Final Kitchen Plans -- any input appreciated
Q
Comments (6)
Thanks for telling about the friend with the frig. I really don't like french ones.. it seems both doors have to be opened most of the time, which takes 2 hands. We thought about an only frig with a left hing, a pull out pantry to it's left, and freezer drawers right of the clean up sink -- but that solution is 8 K more than this one .... Funky -- there will be a compost trash under the stages 45, then a trash/recycle right of that. There will be a pull out trash under the clean up sink, too. Great idea about MW change. Something to think about. The thought process was - the cadywampus cabinets would be hidden by the range hood. And, the dish drawers and silverware will be that side of the island. But, on the other hand, left of the range is closer to the pantry and frig. Rail trim. I don't want separate trim. Blow up the photos. The rail is 1.5 inches. I hope to put in light tapes, so it won't show. In a prior kitchen I had plug mold up there. This kitchen, will use subway tile with horizontal outlets that I have seen others use here. So, I don't think I need much room up there? Is that a bad idea -- many photos show it that way. As for pots and pans, I think so. I don't have a set up like this, so it is hard to know for sure until D-Day. Then, if I have to thin the herd, I will. All my canning things stay in the basement/garage/laundry room most of the time. Hum..................
...See More
beckyinrichmond
6 years ago
For the few weeds left, you can spot spray them with glyphosate. You can seed soon after using glyphosate. So you could do that now or wait until closer to seed down.
mishmosh
6 years ago
Light peat moss is a waste of time. Do you have a sprinkler system? If so, you do not need topdressing at all...especially not for an overseed.
amanda1266
Original Author
6 years ago
Hi mishmosh, I do have a sprinkler system.. Thanks for that tip!
beckyinrichmond
6 years ago
Scott's has a starter fertiizer with mesotrione. That is the active chemical in Tenacity and it prevents weeds for about a month without harming the grass, giving the grass a head start against weed seeds. Very useful at seeding (either the starter with mesotrione or Tenacity). It needs to be applied evenly and accurately across the lawn. Tenacity (it's a thick liquid) is mixed up with water and sprayed with a pressurized sprayer. If you decide to try it, practice with plain water in your sprayer to see if you can spray evenly over 1000 square feet. I have marked my yard off in 1000 square feet sections so I'll get the correct amount down. Use all the protective gear recommended and read the directions several times. The starter is just spread with a spreader like any other fertilizer.
dchall_san_antonio
6 years ago
Skip the topsoil. Topsoil does not go away like compost or peat moss does. It will change your drainage unpredictably. What you really don't want to happen is to build a dam that captures water up against your house. It happens.
beckyinrichmond
6 years ago
Topsoil is fine to fill holes and ruts, as Amanda intends to do.

Finalizing fall plan, input appreciated and a couple final questions

Comments (8)

beckyinrichmond

amanda1266
Original Author

Related Discussions

beckyinrichmond

mishmosh

amanda1266
Original Author

beckyinrichmond

dchall_san_antonio

beckyinrichmond

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Finalizing fall plan, input appreciated and a couple final questions

Comments (8)

beckyinrichmond

amanda1266Original Author

Related Discussions

beckyinrichmond

mishmosh

amanda1266Original Author

beckyinrichmond

dchall_san_antonio

beckyinrichmond

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

amanda1266
Original Author

amanda1266
Original Author