Lawn Thread - MEGA

[sxtasy]

Anyone have any projects planned for the lawn? It's coming up on the best time of the year to aerate, level, overseed. Anyone else doing a full kill and replant?

I killed off my whole backyard and have been collecting a few different products for a new lawn, going with golf course grade "T2 Premium Turf Blend" mostly Kentucky bluegrass mix: https://www.brettyoung.ca/professional-turf-and-reclamation/seed/turf-seed/stock-blends

Ordered some Tenacity from SeedWorldUSA, one of the few pre-emergent weed control products that can be applied while seeding: https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/tenacity-herbicide?variant=372527705

Any other beyonders with lawn reno's on the mind?

[ThePenIsMightier]

Anyone have any projects planned for the lawn? It's coming up on the best time of the year to aerate, level, overseed...
Why would this be a good time? (Late August, early September?)

[sxtasy]

Less weed competition and better temperatures. https://www.scotts.com/en-ca/library/grass-grass-seed/fall-best-seeding
With the mild forecast for Calgary, next week looks like a perfect window for seeding.

[cet]

I'll me interested in seeing everyone's projects. I'll be doing grass next year and still haven't decided which way to go.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Less weed competition and better temperatures. https://www.scotts.com/en-ca/library/grass-grass-seed/fall-best-seeding
With the mild forecast for Calgary, next week looks like a perfect window for seeding.

Wow. I can't believe I didn't know this. I had always thought Spring was for everything!

[ExtraSlow]

Early fall is good for week killing too.

[roopi]

Any recommendations on weed killer (selective in lawn)? Last year I used weed b gone and didn't see much of a difference. This year I haven't used anything and was just picking them but I left town for two weeks and they took over so I have to spray now.

[ExtraSlow]

Who was selling that Par III earlier? Who bought it? That's good stuff and I need like 1L of it, since it dilutes so much.

[Perfect Dark]

Thanks to some nasty settling near my house and deck I need to tear out a bunch of sod and limestone and backfill with dirt to regrade things. It's disappointing as we just had everything done last year but thanks to the builder pointing a downspout the wrong direction it completely fucked things up.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Early fall is good for week killing too.

You either mean:
1.) Week killing as in lazy days of summer procrastination
2.) Weed killing as would be pertinent to the thread
3.) Killing the weak as in some sort of fascist, Hitler thing.

[sxtasy]

Who was selling that Par III earlier? Who bought it? That's good stuff and I need like 1L of it, since it dilutes so much.
I have heard good things about Par3, will purchase some once my Killex is gone.
roopi I find it’s best to try and identify the weeds are giving you problems then go from there. I had good results with Killex for certain weeds, but I had to import Tenacity from the US for my crabgrass problem. And some weeds I’m just going to have to wait until next spring to tackle with pre-emergents.

[sabad66]

I have heard good things about Par3, will purchase some once my Killex is gone.
roopi I find it’s best to try and identify the weeds are giving you problems then go from there. I had good results with Killex for certain weeds, but I had to import Tenacity from the US for my crabgrass problem. And some weeds I’m just going to have to wait until next spring to tackle with pre-emergents.

Does anything actually work for crab grass / quack grass? i've heard the best way is to put some roundup in a container, put some gloves on, then carefully apply it selectively to the taller crabgrass.

also fyi, its likely quackgrass you have in Calgary not crabgrass:
http://msuextension.org/broadwater/blog-article.html?id=17622

quackgrass is harder to get rid of :(

[muse017]

Who was selling that Par III earlier? Who bought it? That's good stuff and I need like 1L of it, since it dilutes so much.

I have some and going to pick it up from my parents place today. PM me

[G-ZUS]

Laid some manderley sod in the backyard last year, this summer a bunch of weeds popped up unfortunately (due to neglect?). Going to try spraying the lawn with trillion and overseeding/fertilizing. How does Par3 compare to Trillion?


Also have a spot by the garage that I had to dig out and trying to seed this area now

[gwill]

I hired a company to deal with weeds this year and its amazing how effective it was. My back yard was overrun last year and in one application every weed was killed.

They fertilize at the same time as killing the weeds. $60 bucks a visit and my lawn is greener then all the neighbors.

I'll never bother with fertilizing or weeding ever again.

[bjstare]

I hired a company to deal with weeds this year and its amazing how effective it was. My back yard was overrun last year and in one application every weed was killed.

They fertilize at the same time as killing the weeds. $60 bucks a visit and my lawn is greener then all the neighbors.

I'll never bother with fertilizing or weeding ever again.

What did you end up spending for the year? Which company?

[nismodrifter]

Interesting re seeding at this time of year I did not know that.

I've fertilized just twice with Scotts Green Max (aka 89coupe magic powder). Greenest lawn in the area hands down.

Problem I'm having is with clover and crab grass, trying to figure out which product would be best to apply at this time of year. Any suggestions?

[sxtasy]

Does anything actually work for crab grass / quack grass? i've heard the best way is to put some roundup in a container, put some gloves on, then carefully apply it selectively to the taller crabgrass.

also fyi, its likely quackgrass you have in Calgary not crabgrass:
http://msuextension.org/broadwater/blog-article.html?id=17622

quackgrass is harder to get rid of :(


Interesting re seeding at this time of year I did not know that.

I've fertilized just twice with Scotts Green Max (aka 89coupe magic powder). Greenest lawn in the area hands down.

Problem I'm having is with clover and crab grass, trying to figure out which product would be best to apply at this time of year. Any suggestions?
Pretty sure there aren’t any post emergent crab grass killers available in Canada. Your only options are to import something like Tenacity from the US: https://www.domyown.com/tenacity-herbicide-p-1877.html (cost me $100 with shipping)
Or
Put a pre emergent down early spring: https://www.scotts.com/en-ca/products/weed-control/crabgrass-control

For the clover, use Killex: https://www.scotts.com/en-ca/products/lawn-weed-control/ortho-killex-lawn-weed-control-ready-spray

[Tik-Tok]

I've got a 40'x20' patch of very uneven grass, some tree stumps, and an old garden bed that I'm going to be digging and levelling. I think I might try and seed it with sheep fescue, and see if I like it or not for the rest of the lawn. I've tried overseeding with it before, and using it for patches, but my normal grass just crowds it out and kills it.

[FraserB]

Any recommendations for a product that will kill pretty much any vegetation and keep it dead? Need to cleanse the back alley and the sides of the garage. Nothing will ever go there, so not worried about future growth either.

Something that won't kill my dog would be good though.

[Tik-Tok]

Any recommendations for a product that will kill pretty much any vegetation and keep it dead? Need to cleanse the back alley and the sides of the garage. Nothing will ever go there, so not worried about future growth either.

Something that won't kill my dog would be good though.

Salt the earth. Doesn't last forever, but longer than anything else I've tried. Literally a box of table salt in a sprayer mixed with water. I have no idea what to dilute it to though, maybe if it's strong enough, it'll be permenant.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Any recommendations for a product that will kill pretty much any vegetation and keep it dead? Need to cleanse the back alley and the sides of the garage. Nothing will ever go there, so not worried about future growth either.

Something that won't kill my dog would be good though.

Straight White Vinegar mixed with salt and dish soap all in a spray bottle will kill pretty much any vegetation (non-selective) in 1-2 days without harming your dog. It isn't permanent but it'll last a little while. It's also dirt cheap with 4L of vinegar costing less than $2.

You need to use the powerful stuff if you want to also keep that soil from growing anything else - you can buy localized products from RoundUp (and all similar brands) that don't leech into neighboring roots, but I am not sure about pet safety.

If it's not a huge area I would just use the home-made solution I mentioned above and go spray it whenever you notice weeds popping up.

You can buy lots of organic and pet-friendly labeled products too but I don't think they are any better than the home-made solutions - most of the "pet safe" off the shelf variants I've seen are just vinegar with a higher concentration of acetic acid (20%) instead of the usual 5% or so.

[FraserB]

Thanks guys, I'll give the vinegar method a try

[sxtasy]

I use this stuff
https://i.imgur.com/PGpJGPp.jpg
It kills the weed down to its root and it won’t come back. It’s safe for animals/people after it dries.

[gwill]

What did you end up spending for the year? Which company?

$60 bucks a visit. They come 5 times in total for the season. I was told this many visits wasnt needed and seeing my lawn I now understand why. I picked a company from google that answered my call when I reached out... didnt really put much thought into it other then I'm not dealing with weeds this year.

But if you spend $50 on seeds, $50 on fertilizers and however much on items to kill weeds. It's the same price or cheaper(if you value your time) to have a company come and take care of it all.

I used round up on my lawn to kill weeds 2 years ago and it turned my lawn brown for the entire year. Whoops!!

[FraserB]

I use this stuff
https://i.imgur.com/PGpJGPp.jpg
It kills the weed down to its root and it won’t come back. It’s safe for animals/people after it dries.

Where can I find that? I assume it’s not going to be sold in Calgary.

[sxtasy]

You should be able to find it in Calgary at industrial agriculture stores (UFA?). If not you can purchase RoundUp Super Concentrate at most big box stores, it will do the exact same thing. https://www.homedepot.ca/product/roundup-grass-and-weed-control-super-concentrate-1-l/1001190557

[AndyL]

Any recommendations for a product that will kill pretty much any vegetation and keep it dead? Need to cleanse the back alley and the sides of the garage. Nothing will ever go there, so not worried about future growth either.

Something that won't kill my dog would be good though.
Calmix should be available at UFA / farm supply stores.

True group 6 granular soil sterilant. Good stuff, might be harder to get your hands on these days. May need someone with a rural address to buy it for you.

[Tik-Tok]

Calmix should be available at UFA / farm supply stores.

True group 6 granular soil sterilant. Good stuff, might be harder to get your hands on these days. May need someone with a rural address to buy it for you.

Yeah, UFA are sticklers about that these days.

[blitz]

Thanks guys, I'll give the vinegar method a try

Use pickling vinegar, the increased concentration makes it more effective.

[kertejud2]

How does Par3 compare to Trillion?


They're the exact same. Same concentrations of the same active ingredients. Killex is the same ingredients but the concentration depends on what version of the product you're using and how much you need to dilute it (if at all).

[sxtasy]

I let my backyard lawn die off over the summer, only thing I did with it is hit it with Round Up a few times. A week ago I spread some fertilizer and gypsum and have been watering it everyday to encourage weed growth, only to nuke them all again with more Round Up. Did some leveling and rock removal today. Planning to seed in a week or two after some more leveling work. This is our second year at this house and the previous owners were in their 70/80's and both front and backyards looked really rough.




before:


https://i.imgur.com/S41MtYp.jpg




today:



https://i.imgur.com/cELZXcN.jpg

[sxtasy]

Did another treatment of Roundup on Sunday, leveling, and rock removal. On Monday I spread seed and rolled it in:



https://i.imgur.com/e22EpsO.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/mXSZbeq.jpg


After that I added starter fertilizer and sprayed with Tenacity pre-emergent herbicide. Then covered with 6 bags of peat moss. Now we water 3 times a day and pray.



https://i.imgur.com/HIW5ERC.jpg


Now onto the front yard, going to kill some weeds, crab grass, dethatch and overseed.

[sxtasy]

Did an overseed on the front yard today. Lowered the height of cut to 1.5", rented a power rake and went over the whole lawn twice. Picked up all the dead stuff with the lawn mower, spread seed and sprayed Tenacity.


https://i.imgur.com/Y8fhbhF.jpg



https://i.imgur.com/OkzFv6N.jpg

[89coupe]

Just cut my lawn this morning, still looking thick and healthy. Such a mild summer this year, barely had to water.

87422

Front side looks good too.

87424

[89coupe]

Nothing better then a cold beer after some yard work.

87425

[sxtasy]

Lawn looks good coupe, edging on point.
I've got some germination on the backyard, weeds that are sprouting up are turning white, the Tenacity appears to be doing it's job...


https://i.imgur.com/Pjo7ANf.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/TkpYgYq.jpg

[sxtasy]

Get that fertilizer down, food for the winter:

"Fall is the time when cool-season grasses recover from summer stresses such as drought, heat, and disease. If the lawn has been properly fertilized in the late summer and fall, turfgrass can begin to store carbohydrate reserves in the stems, rhizomes, and stolons. These carbohydrate reserves help grass resist winter injury and disease, and serve as a source of energy for root and shoot growth the following spring. Late fall fertilization will also provide better winter color, enhanced spring green-up and increased rooting."

https://www.thespruce.com/late-fall-fertilizing-2152976


"Principles of Late-Season Fertilization
Nitrogen is taken up by the roots even though shoot growth has ceased. This is because roots remain active at cooler temperatures than shoots.
Nitrogen enhances fall colour and hence increases chlorophyll content.
Increased chlorophyll content means increased photosynthesis.
Increased photosynthesis means increased sugars. Since turf is not growing at the time of the fertilizer application, the sugars that are produced are not used for growth but are stored to enhance winter survival and spring recovery.
These sugars make the grass plant less susceptible to freezing. A good analogy is that a bottle of juice in the freezer will take longer to freeze than a bottle of water. The grass plant cells are full of sugars and hence take longer to freeze, and freeze at lower temperatures.
Late-season nitrogen applications promote deep rooting during the fall, so plants go into the spring and summer with deeper, healthier roots.
Spring green-up is early, because the nitrogen that is stored in the roots is ready when shoot growth resumes."


http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/08-027w.htm

[ThePenIsMightier]

Got mine down yesterday and since this is a first, I'm excited to see how it works next year.
Is there a place that sells more premium grass seed that I can overseed with? I want a blend that has way higher% of whatever the fancier species is (can never remember...)

[sxtasy]

I've heard people getting the more premium seeds from Eagle lake landscaping https://eaglelakelandscape.com/turfgrass/grass-seed-blends/

I think you might be pushing it late for a successful overseed. Kentucky Bluegrass is very slow to germinate, 2-5 weeks http://www.bluegrasses.com/seeding/index.html

[Ca_Silvia13]

Looking outside now i am pretty happy i was out fertilizing at 930 last night.

[nismodrifter]

Recommendation re any specific fertilizer I should be putting down now?

The Green Max stuff is nitrogen rich, continuing with that would be ok?

[sxtasy]

I've read that fast acting nitrogen is what you want to use, Green Max should be good.

[sxtasy]

nismodrifter you mentioned you have a crabgrass problem, perhaps consider using a pre-emergent this fall and again early spring. Something like this: https://www.rona.ca/en/green-cross-weed-control-and-fertilizer-9-0-0-1000-sqft-20-lb-23954-1-12675399

I think Scott's makes one as well

[ExtraSlow]

nismodrifter you mentioned you have a crabgrass problem, perhaps consider using a pre-emergent this fall and again early spring. Something like this: https://www.rona.ca/en/green-cross-weed-control-and-fertilizer-9-0-0-1000-sqft-20-lb-23954-1-12675399

I think Scott's makes one as well

I don't think those do anything to crabgrass. Do they?

[sxtasy]

I don't have personal experience with the product, but it says right on the bag it provides crabgrass control. I'm planning on using it next spring. Can't use it right now cause I have new seed on the front and back.

[Crazyjoker77]

Gonna post my little project that started with removing a small apple tree that was going to fall over, that then spiraled way out of control to an all summer project.

I never really gave much crap about my yard for the first 5 years and generally thought of lawns as a waste of water. The lawn got zero maintence or water for the entire time and baiscally turned into a dirt field full of weeds. I wish i had a picture of it before I started.

Heres the first picture i was able to grab off my secutiry cameras. This is probably a month in of trying to "fix" the lawn. I removed the apple tree that was located where I built the firepit. I just added a second row of bricks to the edging around the tree, dug all the roots out, put some weed barrier down and filled it with pea gravel. Removing that apple tree made me realize how much work it is to remove a tree so you can see I called in a proffesional to remove a giant 40' pine tree along the fence.(along with 3 giant pines in the front yard)

https://i.imgur.com/nYbnPMr.png

In this capture the stump has been ground down and I removed the flower bed and edging that was by the shed and planted grass. Was my first time planting grass seed and it turned out well. Grass really greened up since I gave it a good rake to get all the thatch out and started watering every other day.

https://i.imgur.com/0qR0PSm.png

Here I just did some spot overseeding and had to dig all the roots and edging out of the pine tree area. Lots of hard work went on here.

https://i.imgur.com/4XCRLII.png
https://i.imgur.com/TDiv0su.png

Then I decided to pull up some of the brick patio because some of it heeved from a tree root growing under it.

https://i.imgur.com/ntkM2bP.png

Here it is today on the second day of grass growth.
https://i.imgur.com/8mWMi3D.png

Didn't use any chemicals, fertilizers, or even aerate the lawn. Weeds were pulled with a dollar store weed puller.

[BavarianBeast]

87527

2 sections harvested and lawn mowed. Bring on fall!

[sxtasy]

nice progress, looking good crazyjoker. Nice property Bavarian.

- - - Updated - - -

My backyard is starting to come in thicker, two weeks now since seed. Spread an application of starter fertilizer today.

https://i.imgur.com/626y0At.jpg

[BavarianBeast]

Thanks that lawn will be the end of me. Over 60+ hours taking care of the grass and sage brush on it this summer. If any of you folks are into smudging, I got ya covered.. are you in the OK sxtacy?

[sxtasy]

Morning! Yard work day, looking forward to it. The front yard came back pretty nice after the low cut and power rake/seed, there is still some evidence of my herbicide spraying, yellow/white spots but they are growing out.

I get to mow the newly seeded backyard for the first time. I picked up a used manual reel mower for cheap, it's light and easy to maneuver on the new grass. It was recommended to me to keep a low cut on it for a while (1.5").


https://i.imgur.com/DkvF49s.jpg



https://i.imgur.com/dsMlqEz.jpg

[sxtasy]

nismodrifter you mentioned you have a crabgrass problem, perhaps consider using a pre-emergent this fall and again early spring. Something like this: https://www.rona.ca/en/green-cross-weed-control-and-fertilizer-9-0-0-1000-sqft-20-lb-23954-1-12675399

I think Scott's makes one as well

Well, early winter is hitting most of western Canada, so lawn season is coming to a close very soon unfortunately. I did some research on the pre-emergent weed (and crabgrass) controls I recommended that are available here in Canada and the general consensus is they suck and are way too expensive. This product is much cheaper and more effective, one bottle should last most homeowners many years https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/prodiamine-65wdg-herbicide-guardrail-barricade-crabgrass-control-5-lbs

Label and list of weeds it controls: https://www.domyown.com/msds/PRODIAMINE_65WDG_Label.pdf

It is a product that's shipped from the US, so duty may apply. I'm going to order one and try to get it down mid October if the weather cooperates.

[sabad66]

Well, early winter is hitting most of western Canada, so lawn season is coming to a close very soon unfortunately. I did some research on the pre-emergent weed (and crabgrass) controls I recommended that are available here in Canada and the general consensus is they suck and are way too expensive. This product is much cheaper and more effective, one bottle should last most homeowners many years https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/prodiamine-65wdg-herbicide-guardrail-barricade-crabgrass-control-5-lbs

Label and list of weeds it controls: https://www.domyown.com/msds/PRODIAMINE_65WDG_Label.pdf

It is a product that's shipped from the US, so duty may apply. I'm going to order one and try to get it down mid October if the weather cooperates.
does this prevent quackgrass too?

[freshprince1]

There is no crabgrass in Alberta....it's quackgrass, and unfortunately there is no silver bullet fir it because its a grass, and you can't spray for it without killing the turf. The best way to keep it at bay is healthy turf. You can get some round up and a water dropper and put a drop on each blade, but it's time consuming. You can also let it grow out a bit (it grows about 30% faster than regular grass), wrap a dowel in a rag, and then soak the rag in round-up...then swoop the dowel across the taller quackgrass without hitting the turf.

- - - Updated - - -


I'll me interested in seeing everyone's projects. I'll be doing grass next year and still haven't decided which way to go.

Sod is still the best. Seeding from scratch is tricky and very fickle, unless you're on a acreage and have time to wait. Overseeding on a struggling lawn is a good way to go.

[sxtasy]

There is no crabgrass in Alberta....it's quackgrass, and unfortunately there is no silver bullet fir it because its a grass, and you can't spray for it without killing the turf. The best way to keep it at bay is healthy turf. You can get some round up and a water dropper and put a drop on each blade, but it's time consuming. You can also let it grow out a bit (it grows about 30% faster than regular grass), wrap a dowel in a rag, and then soak the rag in round-up...then swoop the dowel across the taller quackgrass without hitting the turf.

- - - Updated - - -



Sod is still the best. Seeding from scratch is tricky and very fickle, unless you're on a acreage and have time to wait. Overseeding on a struggling lawn is a good way to go.

I haven't had to deal with quackgrass yet, but sounds like your advice is spot on. Other strategies are mow it out or pull by hand:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msMhnWMg8Us

[nagooro]

We installed sod in our backyard this summer, Any advice on if and when to use fertilizer? Ie. Scotts turf builder for fall?

[Tik-Tok]

Last week, before it snowed. Do it this weekend though.

[nagooro]

Any recommendations for a handheld spreader?

[nismodrifter]

I purchased the scotts one, with manual rotary mechanism. I saw they have a battery powered one too but felt its probably less reliable than manual one. Very happy with the purchase. Was about to get a rolling spreader but figured it takes up too much space for something I'll need just few times in a year.

[sxtasy]

I didn't have much luck with the Scott's hand held spreader, it broke on me after a few uses, I've gotten good use out of their walk behind spreader though.

Might be one of the last mows of the season for me. I'll post some before and afters of what I started with in the spring. I really like the little Fiskars manual reel mower I've been using in the back yard, clean and low cut.


https://i.imgur.com/5y1n4o4.jpg


Started with this in the spring:

https://i.imgur.com/jIkawNK.jpg



Backyard reel mowed at a little more than an inch:


https://i.imgur.com/bsfFlwF.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/9S2fII8.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/HJ6hWdz.jpg


This was a few months ago:

https://i.imgur.com/KKjM5og.jpg


Think I might go look at this unit in the classifieds and experiment with some really low cutting next year, this unit supposedly will cut as low as 0.5"


https://i.imgur.com/sEpRj7l.jpg

[freshprince1]

You want to get some fertilizer on there before the winter comes for good, a good balance of Nitrogent, Potassium and Phosphorous. This keeps nutrients at the top of the soil until the deep thaw in Spring, and it then gives the grass an early kick. Then a mid spring application with a high Nitrogen count for a strong greeny look. After that, you should fertilize at least one more time mid-summer, balanced mineral load. If you don't mind mowing, you can fertilize as often as every 6 weeks...but I wouldn't go any more frequent than that, otherwise you'll saturate the soil and are at high risk of burning the turf.

Manual reel grass cutters are the best, as it slices the blades of grass. Whereas gas mowers hack the grass, and unless the blade is sharp, it often does a rough cut on the blade and you can see dead turf tips. I run a gas mower now because I have a walkout basement, and the self propelled feature is worth risking the dead tips.

Every handheld fertilizer spreader I've ever used is garbage. I just do it by hand (be careful doing it by hand, it's easy to burn the turf...I've had lots of practice). The best spreaders are the push-behind ones, because you get enough weight into spinning the dispenser out of the hopper.

[Crazyjoker77]

Should I throw down fall fertilizer on the 5 week old grass? Its about a 1.5" tall but hasn't thickened up yet.

[sxtasy]

Throw'er down. Starter fert or fall fert should be fine. Edit: from what I've read, the best fertilizer for young grass is a balanced fert, something like a 10-10-10. I didn't have any, so on my new grass I used starter fertilizer at first and then switched over to fall fertilizer. I turn down the setting on the spreader and go over the whole lawn twice in two different directions to avoid burning the grass.

[nismodrifter]

Well it's that time of year. Did my first cut. It's my first spring as a homeowner in BC. Starting off the season with green grass is weird.

Anyone have a stihl bg 50 leaf blower? I usually mulch rather than bag and it leaves a freaking mess all over the sidewalks. Brooming is a pain as my lot is Aspen sized. Looking to spend around 200ish on a leaf blower. Saw the bg50 and it has good reviews
Any other suggestions?
I have a Husqvarna mower and trimmer so I'll check them out as well but would appreciate any other suggestions about leaf blowers for residential use.

Wish everyone an enjoyable lawn maintenance year!

[killramos]

Well it's that time of year.

All I can say is this post can fuck right off.

lol

[90_Shelby]

I’d go bigger. I have a BG85 and sometimes I wish it had a bit more jam but I didn’t want a backpack blower.

[phubu]

For those of you with dogs; do you let them go piss on the yard and you reseed all the spots? Or do you have a dog run? Or do you just walk your dog every time it needs to potty?

I have 2 dogs and I lay down sod just before winter so I’m curious to see how my yard will look like when spring hits as I let them potty out back.

[The_Penguin]

Dog bathroom area, gravel. They're fairly well-trained to go there, then go play on the grass. Once of them will actually stop playing, go to the gravel to pee, then return to the grass.
Not 100% but pretty good. The other one, not so much. But will go on the gravel before playtime, just won't necessarily go back if the need arises.

[firebane]

For those of you with dogs; do you let them go piss on the yard and you reseed all the spots? Or do you have a dog run? Or do you just walk your dog every time it needs to potty?

I have 2 dogs and I lay down sod just before winter so I’m curious to see how my yard will look like when spring hits as I let them potty out back.

Fertilizer and keep the grass slightly longer.

[FraserB]

For those of you with dogs; do you let them go piss on the yard and you reseed all the spots? Or do you have a dog run? Or do you just walk your dog every time it needs to potty?

I have 2 dogs and I lay down sod just before winter so I’m curious to see how my yard will look like when spring hits as I let them potty out back.

Artificial grass, always green and always clean.

[ExtraSlow]

Fertilizer and keep the grass slightly longer.

People should be keeping thier lawns longer anyway. This obsession with short lawns is madness

[Ca_Silvia13]

People should be keeping thier lawns longer anyway. This obsession with short lawns is madness

Couldn't agree more, i was a convert last year and the lawn is so much healthier/low maintenance when it's longer.

[killramos]

Define “long”

[Ca_Silvia13]

Define “long”

Highest setting on my mower. I'm not one to break out the measuring tape for blades of grass.

[Tik-Tok]

All I can say is this post can fuck right off.

lol

Especially today

[AndyL]

Define “long”

IPM (integrated pest management) says 3-3½" is healthiest. Start it in spring after first fertilizer treatment, it looks golfgreen like in short order. Might take a bit of work depending on the lawn conditions, you might have to do a minimal topdress/overseed if you've lost the thicker grass and are down to just the fescues.

[dj_rice]

Spent most of my morning yesterday mowing, and then power raking with my mower. Then I threw down some Scotts Awesome grass seed and watered. It rained all night and this morning. Whats the next step?

I've lived here for 7 years and have never fertilized

[vengie]

Spent most of my morning yesterday mowing, and then power raking with my mower. Then I threw down some Scotts Awesome grass seed and watered. It rained all night and this morning. Whats the next step?

I've lived here for 7 years and have never fertilized

Get some top soil and spread it over the current grass and recently thrown down seed.
Spread it very thin throughout. This provides further nutrients to your soil.

[sxtasy]

Spent most of my morning yesterday mowing, and then power raking with my mower. Then I threw down some Scotts Awesome grass seed and watered. It rained all night and this morning. Whats the next step?

I've lived here for 7 years and have never fertilized

I found peat moss works well for new seed, it spreads thin and holds moisture. If you overseeded in established lawn, I would hold off on fertilizer until you see germination, as the established lawn will grow quick and out compete/shade new seed. The key to seeding is good seed to soil contact and short but frequent watering.

[sxtasy]

Good video on spring overseeding.

https://youtu.be/3Q527KlFxQA

[ThePenIsMightier]

Good video on spring overseeding.

https://youtu.be/3Q527KlFxQA

Wow, you're right. That peat moss spreader is giving me a chubby.

[bjstare]

That should have been a 60sec video.

Might be a silly question, but is there a reason you can't just mix a bunch of grass seed and peat moss/topsoil, then just dump the mixture into your spreader and go to town? I want nice grass, but I'm not willing to work hard for it.

[vengie]

That should have been a 60sec video.

Might be a silly question, but is there a reason you can't just mix a bunch of grass seed and peat moss/topsoil, then just dump the mixture into your spreader and go to town? I want nice grass, but I'm not willing to work hard for it.

This is what I do, works great.

[killramos]

Anyone on here ever rented a core aerator?

My lawn is pretty lumpy and a good coring seems like a reasonable first step.

Or worth just paying a guy to do it?

[cdnsir]

That should have been a 60sec video.

Might be a silly question, but is there a reason you can't just mix a bunch of grass seed and peat moss/topsoil, then just dump the mixture into your spreader and go to town? I want nice grass, but I'm not willing to work hard for it.

I tried this, and was a no go as those bagged soil was too moist and lumps up in the spreader. Suppose we could dry and loosen it first, then it should work.

[AndyL]

Anyone on here ever rented a core aerator?

My lawn is pretty lumpy and a good coring seems like a reasonable first step.

Or worth just paying a guy to do it?

If you have a trailer (they're a couple hundred pounds), think they're 30$ or so to rent for the day, drive with trailer, pickup, deal with home Depot rentals staff, couple hours of use, return...

Versus 60-100$ to have someone come and do it. And they have insurance if they damage something... Which when you're using it for the first time - is very possible - usually took an hour or two to train newbies on landscaping equipment not to run over stuff...

[lasimmon]

Can I lay seed for my grass in this weather? Or better to wait?

[ExtraSlow]

This is perfect seeing weather.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Anyone on here ever rented a core aerator?

My lawn is pretty lumpy and a good coring seems like a reasonable first step.

Or worth just paying a guy to do it?

Roughly $150 can get a guy to aerate plus power rake plus overseeding. I am one cheap prick but that was still an easy choice to pay.

[vengie]

Anyone on here ever rented a core aerator?

My lawn is pretty lumpy and a good coring seems like a reasonable first step.

Or worth just paying a guy to do it?

I used to do it as a side gig years ago with my own machines. Super easy to do.

It will literally take the guy 30mins to power rake, aerate and clean up. In this market don’t pay more than $80 to have it done.
I just had mine done last week for that price.

[dirtsniffer]

Any affordable source for top dressing? One I saw was $1/sqft which seems bananas to me

[Tik-Tok]

If you have a trailer (they're a couple hundred pounds), think they're 30$ or so to rent for the day, drive with trailer, pickup, deal with home Depot rentals staff, couple hours of use, return...


$70 for 4 hours. I always go in on it with a few neighbors and make it $20 a piece, everyone does their own lawns.

[sxtasy]

I rented a core aerator a couple of weeks ago. Cost me $40, took an hour or so to do. Biggest pain in the ass is getting it in/out of the truck.

[bjstare]

I used to do it as a side gig years ago with my own machines. Super easy to do.

It will literally take the guy 30mins to power rake, aerate and clean up. In this market don’t pay more than $80 to have it done.
I just had mine done last week for that price.

Mind sharing who did yours? I might get someone to do that, then I'll overseed on my own.

[vengie]

Mind sharing who did yours? I might get someone to do that, then I'll overseed on my own.

Just a guy in Auburn Bay going door to door with his truck and trailer.
Had his own little company.
He was offering it for $100, told him I’d give him $80.

If you’re close to this area I’ll dig up his info.

[ThePenIsMightier]

CanadianLawn.Ca is worth every penny of their $79.
By that I mean they're cheap for a reason. I didn't cheap out, this year.

[eblend]

Looking at some flyers that came in the mail recently, things like liquid fertilizer, 7 visits, blah blah for $xxx.....will any of these address my main problem, which is what appears to be some kind of mixed grass, where some grass grows really fast and other at a normal pace, so after a few days of cutting it looks so uneven and ugly. I don't know if the taller grass is some kind of weed that can be fixed with these type of fertilizers. Anyone know?

[Ariakas]

Looking at some flyers that came in the mail recently, things like liquid fertilizer, 7 visits, blah blah for $xxx.....will any of these address my main problem, which is what appears to be some kind of mixed grass, where some grass grows really fast and other at a normal pace, so after a few days of cutting it looks so uneven and ugly. I don't know if the taller grass is some kind of weed that can be fixed with these type of fertilizers. Anyone know?

Is the taller grass brighter green and thicker blade than the other grass? If so, it's quackgrass (very annoying weed) which is pretty much impossible to get rid of unless you kill all of it including your normal grass and redo your lawn. You can overseed which will make grass stronger and overcrowd it possibly. For me, from my research just keep your grass short which makes it harder on the quackgrass as it needs energy from sun to grow fast thus why it's always taller, keep cutting forces it to burn up its' energy store allowing regular grass to take over - I seem to have some success. It's a dilemma though since people say keep grass longer to conserve water.... sigh... the joys of wanting a nice green lawn...

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah, quack grass can make ya crazy. Cutting often is the best solution for the uneven growth. Can cut short to stress it, or long to save water, but often either way.

[bjstare]

I dug up a significant amount of my yard to get rid of the quack grass that got hold during the previous owners tenure. Its ridiculous how deeply rooted that stuff is.