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local denizen
Citizen
Username: Local_denizen
Post Number: 86
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 1:45 am: | 
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My front lawn is in really bad shape, it's half dirt right now. I think it's time to start all over.
Is there something I can rent that will scrape up what grass is there? The ground is also somewhat uneven. It's a small enough area that I could probably fix it with significant shoveling, but between that and a bobcat is there a machine that could help there too?
After I'm down to bare level soil should i treat it before seeding? Young children play out there so I'd like to be as non-toxic as possible.
I probably added lime two or three years ago but that's it. Is it okay to use it close to seeding?
Any sorts of non-toxic fertilizers and/or weed control I should know about?
Oh, and it's a fairly shady lawn.
Clearly I'm a novice, no wonder my lawn suffers... |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 841
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 3:39 pm: |
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Go to Millstone in Maplewood - Mark will have good advice and plenty of tools.
I'd recommend using lime after taking up the old lawn (sure you want to do that? Is it all weeds? If not, I'd leave it.) Then have someone deliver top soil and rake it all over where you will apply seed. Millstone sells an organic fertilizer, which I understand will not burn the lawn, so I bet it is perfectly fine to use prior to putting down the seed.
Apply the best quality seed that Millstone has for your lawn type (they have shade and part-shade mixtures as I recall). Mark will show you how close the seeds should be. They shouldn't be so close that your grass plants will crowd each other. (The spaces will fill-in after the grass matures.)
Then, if you want to keep the birds to a minimum, you can cover your lawn with bushels of straw (Millstone has the right kind - I think it might be called salt-hay or something like that). Very lightly cover the seed with straw and water it. (It's a pain to rake the straw back up, btw! I might risk the birds if I had to do it again!) Keep the seed moist, but not puddley. You'll see grass in 2-4 weeks.
When you are sure the lawn is mature enough to handle being walked on, gently rake up the straw and dispose of it. After your grass is no longer seedlings, remember to water only when the ground is dry and then water deeply (at least 2 inches worth) so the roots go deep to get their water. Daily watering for shorter periods will cause your grass roots to stay close to the surface and this will stress your lawn, causing it to go dormant, during hot summer months. This stress will encourage insects/disease to attack your lawn, so you want to prevent it.
The key to a good lawn is healthy, living soil. The beneficial natural organisms found in healthy soil are killed or destroyed by over use of harsh chemicals. I recommend the products sold at www.natureslawn.com
I've had great success with their liquid aerator product "Aerify" and also their soil activator and liquid lime product. If your existing soil is very compacted/clay soil, you might want to use the Aerify product first. It will help promote deeper roots for your new grass, which will help it immensely through the hot summer. I used Aerify and soil activator beginning last summer. My soil is no longer hard and compacted, so I believe it works, although at Millstone they were quite skeptical when I told them about "Aerify". (Mechanical aeration hadn't helped when done the previous 2 years.)
I also recommend using beneficial nematodes and milky spore to naturally control grubs and other pests. These products are found on the internet and you don't apply them until it is much warmer. You will not get the most benefit from milky spore until after three seasons of application in Spring and Summer (i.e. 6 times). In the meantime, the nematodes will work well or you could use something like Grub Guard if you aren't worried about organic. (I confess to using a very non-organic crabgrass control in the spring! And I spot kill weeks during the summer with Burn-Out spray.)
One of my most-used lawn products is the OrthoŽ Dial 'N SprayŽ Multi-Use Hose-End Sprayer. You can use it to apply beneficial nematodes, liquid lime, Aerify and Soil Activator together.
I also use a foliar-feeding product called "Spray N Grow"
www.spray-n-growgardening.com I only use it on shrubs, plants and flowers, but it is supposed to be great for the lawn too. For this product, I use a large container sprayer, purchased from their website. (You need warm water to react with this product so it wouldn't work with a hose-end sprayer.)
Too much info, I know. Good luck! |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 842
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 3:41 pm: |
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Oh, and no weed control before your lawn is well-established! They say a healthy lawn is the best defense against weeds - supposedly it will crowd them out. But some weeds (dandelions and crabgrass) defy that statement in my experience.
Weed control too early will kill your new grass. I think you have to have mowed it twice before you can apply a weed killer. |
jersey Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 441
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, April 8, 2006 - 9:18 pm: |
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Pdg,
Great post! I also have a crappy lawn, which I'm trying to nurse into health with water and maybe the stuff you recommended.
Local denizen,
Don't make the mistake I made of watering all the time to cause growth. I read that healthy grass has deep roots that grow down toward the water that remains after a thorough watering. Let the topsoil be dry. Weeds have shallow roots and taller leaves. They thrive in wet topsoil and then their quickly growing leaves shade out the grass. Frequent waterings = weed friendly, every two weeks, but alot = grass friendly.
GOOD LUCK!
J.B. |
local denizen
Citizen
Username: Local_denizen
Post Number: 90
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 12:21 am: |
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good info, folks, and I looove long posts. |
tjohn
Supporter
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 4197
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 7:00 am: |
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What are some good sources for beneficial nematodes, milky spore and ladybugs. I have used a supply house in Oregon for ladybugs but would prefer something a bit closer. |
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