OT: Lawn Care

[ripvdub]

You can buy a grub killer/preventative. I finally figured out i had grubs this last summer, they dont show up til it starts getting really warm and its next to impossibe to keep that part alive since they are eating the roots. Ive read in my lawncare book that they are there year round but dont do a lot of damage til late summer, then its too late to kill the adults. It seems like you can treat anytime to get rid of the larvae, the sooner the better. If you dont treat it til you notice them destroying the grass its too late, then you can only prevent future outbreaks but cant kill existing Grubs.

I would wait on the crabgrass killer. I would use the basic fertilizer the 1st time out, maybe as soon as we know the snow is gone for good. Then maybe use the crabgrass killer about early -mid May.

If you want to green it up really fast, use Scotts starter fertilizer. It really gives it a kick start, I used it on a couple spots last year where i had trouble the year before, and you woundnt believe how much greener and faster it would grow than the reat of the yard.

Of course they say you need to water your grass for optimal results. Make sure you do a few heavy soakings instead of a bunch light waterings.

Every yard... (for isu) is different, you just need to try stuff to figure it out.

[thunderdave]

Ok, so my lawn question. When do we put the first step on? Before it gets green or once it starts going?

Right now, before midnight.

[Cyclonesrule91]

Right now, before midnight.

And put the spreader on half rate so you have to go over it twice. Put on your miners hat with the spotlight on it and, of course, you have to apply it in the FAMOUS snowpants and tucked in sweatshirt attire....

[thunderdave]

And put the spreader on half rate so you have to go over it twice. Put on your miners hat with the spotlight on it and, of course, you have to apply it in the FAMOUS snowpants and tucked in sweatshirt attire....

And have your wife video tape this so we can critique your from.

[Cyclonesrule91]

And have your wife video tape this so we can critique your from.

Oh buddy, and make sure she uploads it to CF so we can see it before it hits KCCI, FOX, WHOTV and WOI news.

[Jerry1982]

I would definitely overseed you lawn too early on when the soil warms up some. Spraying for weeds, as tyrelrobert said is best done in the fall and using something with Dicamb(Banvel) or 2-4D will do the best job on weeds without affecting your grass. You will get the biggest bang for your buck if you spray your yard, but make sure you use an oil based(ethly) chemical and not a waterbased(amine) because those products by themselves tend to turn into vapor when it warms up and drifts whereever the wind takes it and neighbors flowers, some small trees and shrubs are pretty succeptible to those products. The oil based products will stick to the plant material and are then much less proned to drift. Spray later evening as well and then the product has all night to dry out and get into the weeds system.

Great advice except I'm quite sure you've got your amines and esters mixed up. The esters are volatile. I would not recommend an ester for any homeowner. I believe the over the counter 2,4-d that you'll find at the hardware store are gonna be amines.

[CyCloned]

Great advice except I'm quite sure you've got your amines and esters mixed up. The esters are volatile. I would not recommend an ester for any homeowner. I believe the over the counter 2,4-d that you'll find at the hardware store are gonna be amines.

beat me to it. Yes the esters are the volitale products. They also tned to work better than the amines. Volitalization is not much of a problem unil you get into humid days in the upper 80's. Not likely to happen for quite a while.

Also, don't get too excited about putting down the crabgrass preventer. It has a limited life and there is no sense wasting part of it way before the crabgrass begins to germinate. Call your local ISU extenton office for better information on timng.

[Cyclonesrule91]

Man it must have been late last night when I was typing. Jerry1982 and Cycloned, thanks for catching my mix-match of words. Amine is the stuff to use. Esther is the oil based spray and Amine is the water(&salt( spray). The esther is more volatile because the amine actually dries quicker on the plant where the oil based esther remains liquid for longer and when it warms way up or is quite humid it tends to vaporize and follow the wind to the meanest neighbor out there who has planted the $1,000 tree in his back yard downwind from you. Sorry for the mixup.

Wind drift is when the spray drifts with the wind before it gets down on the plants. This is caused from too high of pressure in the tank you are spraying from. The higher the pressure, the smaller the spray particles are making it more prone to being carried away by the wind. Another great reason to spray in late evening when typically the wind has calmed down.

Jerry1982, I went in to give you rep points for pointing out my mistakes but I must have given you some not long ago. So here's your public rep points....

[RTBIO]

Wow, this thread is a prescription for trouble. As an agronomist with >25 years of personal lawn and garden experience let me throw in my two cents worth here.

* No amount of fertilizer or chemicals are going to cure your bare spots.
* If you have a big dog you are always going to have lawn issues.
* Core aeration is the best thing in the world you can do for your lawn in the Midwest. Spring and fall are the best times to do it. Earthworms do the best job, but some of your chemicals aren't very earthworm-friendly.
* Reseed your lawn in early April and avoid a crabgrass preventer in those areas until after Memorial Day.
* Too much fertilizer is worse long term than none at all. It stresses the lawn more than you realize. I only fertilize in the spring and fall. I'd put my results against anyone's.
* A turf-type tall fescue yard is hands down a far superior turf for the homeowner than any bluegrass.
* Lawn services are a scam that preys on the ignorant and the "programs" are just as phony.
* Mow high and mow often.
* Water as infrequently as possible but heavily when you do. Here is where bluegrass really sucks; when the water come on.
* If you need to kill broadleaves, just spot spray the culprits, not the whole freakin' yard.
* Homeowners shouldn't be allowed to buy or apply chemicals for their lawn without the same type of training required for farmers.

Okay, that was probably more than 2 cents worth. But, believe me, and this may sound strange coming from an agronomist, the closer you can come to organic lawn care, the better. That applies to you, your kids, your neighbors, your dog and your yard.

[Seth]

* Core aeration is the best thing in the world you can do for your lawn in the Midwest. Spring and fall are the best times to do it. Earthworms do the best job, but some of your chemicals aren't very earthworm-friendly.

I've got a pretty small backyard, probably around 2,000 square feet and I've been trying to find a good way to aerate the soil. I live in St. Louis and my lawn has plenty of topsoil, but it tends to get really compacted. Does anyone have a tool/device that they'd recommend for aerating a small(er) yard like I have? I once saw this crazy device that slips over your shoes and you just walk around on it, but I was kinda skeptical and forgot where I saw it. Anyway, any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[chadm]

I've got a pretty small backyard, probably around 2,000 square feet and I've been trying to find a good way to aerate the soil. I live in St. Louis and my lawn has plenty of topsoil, but it tends to get really compacted. Does anyone have a tool/device that they'd recommend for aerating a small(er) yard like I have? I once saw this crazy device that slips over your shoes and you just walk around on it, but I was kinda skeptical and forgot where I saw it. Anyway, any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Are you a member of a golf course? Could possibly borrow there plugging machine.

[RTBIO]

I've got a pretty small backyard, probably around 2,000 square feet and I've been trying to find a good way to aerate the soil. I live in St. Louis and my lawn has plenty of topsoil, but it tends to get really compacted. Does anyone have a tool/device that they'd recommend for aerating a small(er) yard like I have? I once saw this crazy device that slips over your shoes and you just walk around on it, but I was kinda skeptical and forgot where I saw it. Anyway, any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Renting at Ace or a hardware outlet is an option, but for 2000 sq. ft. probably not too economical. Split a rental with a few neighbors if you can.

There are foot-driven aerators that resemble a spade, but you only cover a small area before it would wear you out. If you take the attitude that you've got a window of say, a month to cover your whole yard, that may be the answer for you. I've also heard that wearing baseball or golf spikes every time you mow is better than nothing at all.

[Freebird]

Thank you RTBIO. I was horrified reading through this thread until I came to your post. Chemical fertilizer is a quick fix that will be damaging in the long run to your lawn, your health, and your wallet.
As you stated, aerate. I do mine twice a year. I also use sifted compost once a year but you could use a slow-release fertilizer as well instead of a quick-fix fertilizer. All that chemical fertilizer is poison to kids, pets, and wildlife and will cause your grass to grow quickly and then die back. That will cause lots of thatch that cuts off oxygen to the roots.

The spots from pets that the original poster had asked about are caused by excess nitrogen. A word of advice, none of those pet products work. The best thing you can do is create a "Bathroom" for your pet. Make an area of rock mulch or gravel and train you dog to go only in that area. Another good tip is that the first pee of the day is usually the most damaging. If you can go out with your dog and identify where it went to the bathroom, run the hose in that area for a while to dilute the nitrogen.

Fescue is also great to overseed. Kentucky blue is a water hog and will almost always start to look shaggy in late July/early August.

As for grubs. Nematodes are a natural way to get rid of them. If you use grub killer, you are most likely going to kill all the beneficial insects in your soil as well.

Hope this helps. I'm not a chem-free all natural hippie or anything like that. Synthetic fertilizers have there place in the landscape, but stay away from quick-green lawn fertilizers and you will be happy in the long run.

[SlyCy]

RTBIO, great info. Thanks

Got any solutions for Quack Grass? (I'm gun-shy with RoundUp as I've never had good luck growing anything in the spot applied.)

[ISUATC]

RTBIO, great info. Thanks

Got any solutions for Quack Grass? (I'm gun-shy with RoundUp as I've never had good luck growing anything in the spot applied.)

Apply the roundup using a small paintbrush and brush the blades.