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Been in our house for just over a year and I don't think the lawn was ever touched. Aerated last spring and fall, but did not this spring.
ground has always been like lumpy concrete under the grass. I've finally got the weeds mostly taken care of.
Is repeated aeration going to help? What is the soonest I can do that again that I don't need to worry about crab grass?
Assuming you put down a weed / crabgrass preventer, anytime you aerate you are breaking that barrier and opening your lawn up for weeds and crabgrass to germinate. Ideally, you would aerate and then immediately apply your weed/crabgrass preventer.Quote:
Originally Posted by wartknight
I wouldnt aerate again until fall if you are worried about crabgrass, especially if you have already treated it. I dont know if power raking it would help with the lumpy yard or not but it might help. It does do a number on your lawn for a little bit though. Id just keep aerating spring and fall and youll get there.
Yes I did that earlier in spring and I'm waiting to get some more rain before I do it again. I didn't know if it would be a problem to aerate again and put more Scots down. I assume the ground will soften up with some more aeration?
You dont want to put down preemergence down twice, especially that close together. Definitely dont want to aerate if youve already done it. Pre-em will last 4 months probably so you can aerate in the fall
If you've got a lot of clay you would do good to mix in sand and probably some lime. You would spread it over your yard and let it mix in well with that clay to break it up. This is similar to what you see them do on golf courses.Quote:
Originally Posted by wartknight
Quote:
Originally Posted by wartknight
You can rent a roller. Big drum that you fill with water and pull behind lawn tractor.
Aerating isn't really going to help with the "lumpy concrete" thing. Might make it worse because plugs can turn into lumps.
Roll it.
You probably have lots of nightcrawlers. Lots of nightcrawlers + a dry stretch like we've had can make your ground pretty rough.
This. Roll out!Quote:
Originally Posted by Senolcyc
Wait til fall. Water heavily for 1-2 days until your yard is squishy, but not too much where a yard tractor will leave ruts.
Then aerate.
Repeat in the spring.
As one said, if you have a lot of clay, missing some grass seed and sand after aeration may help you as well.
We need a "tool shed" forum.
While it's possible that you have clay, it's more likely that you don't. Many people mistake ground that has the top soil scraped off (like you see in new construction) for clay. What you actually have is soil that has a high pH and calcium content. If you have high pH, the last thing you want to do is add lime to it. Not trying to start an argument, but just trying to give you the right information.
If you have a lot of weed pressure from surrounding areas, I would keep a pre-emergent barrier down year round until your grass is thick enough to prevent anything else from germinating. If you want to improve your soil, spread Milorganite and soybean meal (which you can buy from any local grain mill) monthly for a couple of years. You could also spread compost after you aerate. Always reapply your pre-emergent barrier immediately after you aerate.
And in the tool shed we can put Dan Beebe, Bruce vandevelde, Wayne Morgan, monte burns, and clones 21....
Boom! But we can also talk about, lawn care, a/c, car repair, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Let's Go State
:wideeyed:Quote:
Originally Posted by blizzisu
Fertilizer added monthly. Not to mention burnt, digested sewage fertilizer.
Are you implying that there is something wrong with that? It's primarily all slow release nitrogen that has to be processed/decomposed by microorganisms in the soil before it is available to the grass plant.Quote:
Originally Posted by ISUAgronomist