Simplfying lawn care destroyed from plowing.
Erica
2 years ago
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100 foot Slip N Slide - Lawn care?
Comments (16)So I did a test run this weekend with the slide. It has been 3 days and so far the lawn has recovered nicely. The only noticeable damage is in the center part of the slide where all the grass has laid down sideways. I jumped on this right after taking down the slide by gently raking the grass upright and watering well (odd as it sounds). The soil under the slide was still bone dry after we finished up. I figured a good soaking would help the stressed grass recover better. I will add: prior to testing the slide, we hadn't had rain in 11 days. My sandy soil had been dried out for well over a week. Add to it high daily temps in the high 80's, and pushing 90 several days. Needless to say the lawn was already stressed badly before setting up the slide. So my pre-slide lawn prep will be as follows: - Starting 2 weeks before the event I will stop cutting the grass. (I want it to be very tall on the day of) - Starting now I will be adding a round of Milorganite fertilizer. (Been wanting to do this anyways to improve the soil) - Starting 2-3 weeks before the event I will begin watering the grass to ensure it is all healthy and actively growing. (I don't water at all right now) - About 4-5 days before the event I plan to cut the grass adjacent to the slide where people will be walking back up to the top. I am not going to setup the slide early. It only took me about 20 minutes to prep the slide this time around, and during the event I will have plenty of eager helpers. The morning of the event I am going to get out early and water the area under the slide before putting the slide down. This should soften the soil a bit and make the ride a bit smoother (Something I should have done during the test run...ouch) The landing "pool" will be a separate sheet of poly that is black to keep the water warmer. This "pool" will be constructed with pool noodles underneath to form the bowl shape, prevent injury, and make setup and tear down a breeze. I took pictures, but will have to post them separately. I will keep you posted!...See MoreOpinions on Fall Lawn Care Procedure
Comments (3)First off, thank you for your response. I was not aware that Fescue grew the way it does. Regarding your questions, please see below: My basic problem is *extreme* dryness and what looks to be dead grass over a large part of my lawn. When I simply drag my foot across this dry/dead area, it basically disintegrates and falls apart. It does not look dormant to me at all. So basically a good 50% of my lawn is dry, gray, drab, dead, and unsightly. I water on average twice a week for approximately 20-25 minutes per session. I use a water gauge to make sure I'm not going over an inch a week. Admittedly, I haven't been as dedicated to the watering since my lawn has basically turned it's back on me. My own twisted form of revenge, I suppose :) I am very careful about my mowing. I mow high to ensure that I'm not damaging the grass too much. I mow about once a week. But since it's been so dry here, I've only had to mow about twice a month. I fertilize early in the spring with pre-emergent (Scotts Turf Builder, I believe) and again mid-summer with another Scotts product, Turf Plus. My lawn is border-line immaculate during the spring and early summer. But then it just gives up on me. Maybe I'm not doing something right? I've made my lawn pictures "public" via my Picasa program. If you're comfortable clicking on the link below (I promise it's nothing malicious), you'll be able to see what kind of shape my lawn is at this time. Perhaps you or another expert might be able to share some insight based on what you see? http://picasaweb.google.com/thompsonrobertj/LawnPics# Thanks again for the assistance. I desperately want to bring my lawn back to life. It's quite embarrassing! Here is a link that might be useful: Bobby Lawn Pictures...See MoreMy utter failure in organic lawn care
Comments (41)I just had to post this after reading this thread. I hope you like it as much as I did. Peace WORK - AS VIEWED FROM HEAVEN (overheard in a conversation between God and St. Francis): GOD : Francis, you know all about gardens and nature; what in the world is going on down there in the U.S. ? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green. St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD : Grass? But it is so boring, it's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there? St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it....sometimes two times a week. GOD : They cut it? Do they bale it like hay? St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD : They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? St. Francis: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. GOD : Now let me get this straight...they fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? St. Francis: Yes, sir. GOD : These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. St. Francis: You aren't going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD : What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep the moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves become compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life. St. Francis: You'd better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, the Suburbanites rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. GOD : No way! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose? St Francis: After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy something called mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. GOD : And where do they get this mulch? St. Francis: They cut down the trees and grind them up to make mulch. GOD : Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? St. Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber," Lord. It's a really stupid movie about.... GOD: Never mind--I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis! ....See MoreObsession with Lawn Care Forum has turned me into neighborhood freak!
Comments (14)Hi everyone, that you for weighing in on my very long post! j4c11 Not only are there climate differences (NC has coastal, piedmont and mountains) but there are different requirements for warm and cool season turfs. You did a good job of highlighting this point (although I believe you made a typo when you stated, Charlotte is warm season grass territory.) In our area, almost everyone has fescue (cool season). The occasional yard with zoysia (warm season) stays brown for six months. As you know, fescue looks terrible in July and August and then we all have to re-seed in September/October. Going south, it quickly switches over to warm season grasses, just as you stated. Although I am sure you are correct, I am going to gamble and forgo the pre-emergent at this time because I want to do some spot seeding and plugging in February. I did try to round up the common bermuda in the beginning but I did not allow enough time to complete the task before reseeding, so then I just started manually removing it. I realize there are still plenty of rhizomes, stolons and seeds laying in wait for me to go on vacation. dchall Thank you for clarifying several points and for providing me with more accurate search terms. I watch both the NC State and Clemson gardening programs and they are always harping on only following research based practices. I always find your advice to be extremely well-reasoned and you are generous with your time. The university turf sites are not particularly helpful to me because they tend to give a thumbnail description, followed by three pages of chemicals to try. They also do not take risks because they are appealing to the masses. For instance, if they tell Joe Smow to water 1" a week, all at once, Joe will probably blindly leave his sprinkler on, the water will run off the compacted, clay soil and into the storm drain. My next challenge is to get a better understanding of our irrigation system in order to split the watering sessions, so I can jump on the deep and infrequent watering bandwagon. :) I have always composted and have gone to great lengths to improve the soil for all the other areas of my property. I even have a small vermi-composter. For some reason, I never really thought the front yard turf was "compost worthy". I now think of it as a very challenging intensive garden and I believe I will follow your advice and do more feed stock runs and less leaf bag collections/mulching. I am tiring of my property looking like Sanford and Son's because I am madly processing leaves. Due to your sound advice, the change in the health of the soil has been remarkable, in a period of only five months. Mike A spark chart is one of those laminated study guides that outlines the basics of a subject, such as chemistry. Thank you for the link to MSU Turf weeds.net. It appears to be a very well organized site with clear photos. I especially appreciate the "Look Alike" tab feature. If there are any grad students reading this, it would be a very worthwhile project to start cataloging all the new and improved fescue varieties, compare them to look-a-like weeds, and then laminate it. :) It seems fescue is undergoing the same explosion of varieties as coleus or heuchera. Renee You sound very logical and sane :) In closure, I am still wondering when fescue blooms? We have enjoyed a very warm January (despite what the white house says). There are some cherry trees, forsythia, daffodils and Poa Anna/and or fescue in bloom! Thank you very much for your help....See MoreErica
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoErica
2 years ago
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