What to do with my grass?

[eblend]

Hey guys,

Got a question on what to do with my grass. So my grass has no dandilions, that's great, but it also looks like ass. I fertalize it and all that, but seems like I may need to reseed?

Any suggestions?

http://www.eblend.ca/Other/Pix-Star-Broken/i-dKhCgcz/0/L/grass-L.jpg

[Kloubek]

oops... sorry... I came in here expecting something else. Was willing to take it off your hands...

In all seriousness, I'd reseed. With that said, it's still quite early in the season and some of my bald spots are starting to grow back in.

...if only that could happen on my head.

[heavyfuel]

Just pave the whole yard. Done.

[7thgenvic]

I would put a ton of seed on that right now this week while it's raining... And next week do a turf builder. This is the best season when we are getting rain to re-seed the piss out of it.

[GTS4tw]

Rake the shit out of it with a metal rake before you seed, try to get the dead off so there is lots of dirt exposed.

[roll_over]

Yeah agree on the raking, also like the paving idea too

[BokCh0y]

Mine used to look like that.

You need to seed that mother and water it like crazy. Take a rake and go over it first, de-thatch and then rake it so then there's a little dirt showing so the grass seed can seed. Then water it like a mother. Fertilize like 8 weeks after the new grass has seeded. Worked for me.....

[eblend]

Don't have a metal rake..this is going to be interesting, as I understand just throwing seeds on top won't do anything right? Is there a special machine that does reseeding that I can rent, or fuck, at this point, pay someone to come and do?

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by eblend
Don't have a metal rake..this is going to be interesting, as I understand just throwing seeds on top won't do anything right? Is there a special machine that does reseeding that I can rent, or fuck, at this point, pay someone to come and do?

A rake is like $30 at home depot... Seeding on top of the grass will not work.

[ddduke]

Go maintenance free. Buy some bark mulch in bulk, lay newspaper across the whole lawn and cover it. Worst case it'd cost $300 and looks way better and more modern IMO.

[lilmira]

Get someone with an offroad bike to tear up the lawn before you throw down the seeds. ;)

[HHURICANE1]

A couple of old wrecked cars on it will take care of that. :D

http://cashfor-cars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/21.jpg

[sputnik]

Buy this rake and overseed it.

Trust me. This is the best dethatching rake available.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10029&cat=2,2160,40698

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by sputnik
Buy this rake and overseed it.

Trust me. This is the best dethatching rake available.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10029&cat=2,2160,40698

Nice rake! Wish I had seen that a month ago :cry:

[sputnik]

Originally posted by ddduke
Go maintenance free. Buy some bark mulch in bulk, lay newspaper across the whole lawn and cover it. Worst case it'd cost $300 and looks way better and more modern IMO.

At first. However after 2-3 years the bark decomposes into dirt and weeds start coming up.

Hardly maintenance free.

[ExtraSlow]

I did a huge portion of my last yard in bark much, and it wasn't maintenence free even in the second year. I did a part of my current yard in gravel, and it's a lot better than bark. If weeds grow in it, the weed torch is both effective and relaxing.

[dirtsniffer]

yea thatch seed and water. should look normal in 2 weeks

[BokCh0y]

Originally posted by sputnik
Buy this rake and overseed it.

Trust me. This is the best dethatching rake available.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10029&cat=2,2160,40698

That rake is focking crazy!!! $12.00 to ship to Canada. Ordering one of these now :D

[suntan]

Originally posted by BokCh0y


That rake is focking crazy!!! $12.00 to ship to Canada. Ordering one of these now :D They have a store in town.

[BokCh0y]

Seriously? what store? Thanks person!!!

[eblend]

Originally posted by BokCh0y
Seriously? what store? Thanks person!!!

Lee valley... the website you were trying to order from.going to have to check it out

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by GTS4tw
Rake the shit out of it with a metal rake before you seed, try to get the dead off so there is lots of dirt exposed.

:werd: rake the crap out of it then seed the crap out of it.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by sputnik


At first. However after 2-3 years the bark decomposes into dirt and weeds start coming up.

Hardly maintenance free.

Yeah you need to top up the bark every few years as it blows away, decomposes, etc. I did over 6 pallets of bark (might have had another name though) last summer. Also, the underlay is important, not all of it is the same.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Rake for an hour the entire lawn, seed the hell out of it with a premium priced seed and water the thing big time. In a few weeks you are golden. Rake, grass seed and seeder rental (get it for the half day rate) ..... under $150 all in.

You need to rake, tossing seed on top of dead grass is like expecting your wife to get pregnant in any other way than the only natural way.

Lee Valley passes for porn in some homes.

[codetrap]

Bow Point Nursery. Overseed with Sheeps Fescue. That stuff is amazing, and it's pretty dog pee resistant.

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
Rake for an hour the entire lawn, seed the hell out of it with a premium priced seed and water the thing big time. In a few weeks you are golden. Rake, grass seed and seeder rental (get it for the half day rate) ..... under $150 all in.

You need to rake, tossing seed on top of dead grass is like expecting your wife to get pregnant in any other way than the only natural way.

Lee Valley passes for porn in some homes.

I dont think you need the premium seed. I have tried a few and gotten the best results with buckerfields shade mix.

[project240]

Originally posted by GTS4tw


I dont think you need the premium seed. I have tried a few and gotten the best results with buckerfields shade mix.


Really depends on your yard... Amount of sun, shade, trees, etc. I overseeded our yard a couple weeks ago with a viterra blend of mostly kentucky blue and a smaller % of fescue, but our backyard gets full sun all day long. Also, very important to keep the seeds moist, not wet for at least the first couple weeks... That means watering twice daily for 5-10 minutes and then cut back to one deep watering once a week after they sprout.

[ExtraSlow]

Where's a good place to buy seed? I bought ten pounds of Sheeps Fescue last year, but I could use another blend, as it's not the perfect grass for my yard. I think some ryegrass/fescue blend would be bitchin.

[BokCh0y]

Originally posted by eblend


Lee valley... the website you were trying to order from.going to have to check it out

goddamn...reading > me.

Thanks eblend, found the Calgary location.

[Weapon_R]

I saw a similar thatching rake at Home Depot today for around $32

[cet]

Originally posted by codetrap
Bow Point Nursery. Overseed with Sheeps Fescue. That stuff is amazing, and it's pretty dog pee resistant.

I just top dressed and re-seeded my back lawn with 2 bags of that a couple of weeks ago. Still waiting for it to come in.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
I saw a similar thatching rake at Home Depot today for around $32

I saw it too.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/garant-extra-thatching-rake-19-tines/949945

The Lee Valley one has a fibreglass handle and a composite raking head so you wont have a cracked dry handle and rusty head after a couple of years. It is also probably 80-90% lighter than the one at HD. I have had my Lee Valley rake for 4 years now and it is still in mint condition.

The Lee Valley rake is also much wider (24" compared to 15") which makes raking much faster.

Don't be fooled, the Lee Valley power rake is far superior for the extra $14.

[AndyL]

Aerate first.

then rent a slit seeder from rogers etc.

Theres a fairway mix at ufa thats pretty awesome.

Then watch the water bill hit new extremes...

[bigbadboss101]

I have that Home Depot rake actually. Have to put it in use. Not to go off topic but you guys notice grass is bad around the pine tree? I guess the lot of people just dig the grass out and put mulch around the tree?

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
I have that Home Depot rake actually. Have to put it in use. Not to go off topic but you guys notice grass is bad around the pine tree? I guess the lot of people just dig the grass out and put mulch around the tree?

It will be unless you rake up all the needles every year, if you do that and give it lots of water it should grow under there no problem. Of course it also depends how close the branches are to the ground, and the type of grass you use.

[ExtraSlow]

the pine trees make the ground more acidic, which is hard on the grass. some people spread lime around. Or just put bark mulch.

That Sheeps Fescue from Bow Point is pretty good once it grows in, it's a slow growing grass though, so it's hard to get the lawn started. I need to start spot-killing my crabgrass, and I'm hoping to overseed with another species of grass as well. Maybe I'll check out UFA.

[civic_stylez]

I raked my grass and then reseeded/overseeded and then covered with loam. You can see a bit of loam in the bottom part of the picture still. Ive let it grow pretty thick to let it set in but you can see how much deeper green my lawn is compared to my neighbours on the left. My grass looked like the OP's 3-4 weeks ago. Lots of water and good grass seed.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i19/hautsauz/IMAG05991_zps0f8109a9.jpg

[suntan]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
the pine trees make the ground more acidic, which is hard on the grass. some people spread lime around. Or just put bark mulch. No, pine trees do not do that. It is a myth. Calgary's soil is already alkaline so do not add lime under any circumstances (making our alkaline so even more alkaline binds up nutrients and makes them unavailable to plants).

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by suntan
No, pine trees do not do that. It is a myth. Calgary's soil is already alkaline so do not add lime under any circumstances (making our alkaline so even more alkaline binds up nutrients and makes them unavailable to plants). Well I guess I've learned something today.
http://mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1401_Pinkie_Pie_the_more_you_know.jpg

[speedog]

Pine/spruce/fir trees that shed their dead needles under themselves are also creating an environment where not many plants will grow which means less competition for water and such.

[suntan]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Well I guess I've learned something today.Heh, our alkaline soil is fairly rare in the rest of NA. But even our rain is alkaline!

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Well I guess I've learned something today.
http://mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1401_Pinkie_Pie_the_more_you_know.jpg

The best way to know is to check the PH of the soil somewhat regularly, that will allow you to adjust as needed and at least know where you are starting, The PH can vary quite a bit over relatively small areas so it is hard to use the same information as a general rule.

[suntan]

Originally posted by GTS4tw


The best way to know is to check the PH of the soil somewhat regularly, that will allow you to adjust as needed and at least know where you are starting, The PH can vary quite a bit over relatively small areas so it is hard to use the same information as a general rule. What do you mean by "vary quite a bit"? I actually do have a pH tester and I've never seen any soil on my land ever go below 7.

You realize that it's really, really difficult for that to happen long term, seeing as how almost all of Calgary sits on a giant piece of limestone?

The only places in Calgary that have somewhat acidic soil are near the rivers and mostly on the eastern end of town (starting around Inglewood).

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by suntan
What do you mean by "vary quite a bit"? I actually do have a pH tester and I've never seen any soil on my land ever go below 7.

You realize that it's really, really difficult for that to happen long term, seeing as how almost all of Calgary sits on a giant piece of limestone?

The only places in Calgary that have somewhat acidic soil are near the rivers and mostly on the eastern end of town (starting around Inglewood).

I mean exactly what I said, and what you confirm in your reply. There are different ph levels just in Calgary, which is what I meant by a relatively small area. It means that what one person, or seed company, says to do might not work for you as your soil might be different and the only way to really know is to test and adjust accordingly.

[suntan]

You shouldn't have a variance of more than .5 in pH. Otherwise there's something seriously wrong with mother nature.

[Cos]

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