THE OFFICIAL LAWN THREAD

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  • bwframe

    Loneranger
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    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
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    Btown Rural
    Lawn service included in my lease. Mown by a professional. Most of the time, my yard looks like a golf course.

    I cut, pull and kill some weeds occasionally.

    I don't miss taking care of the lawn one little bit. Mowing is OK, but a huge waste of time vs growing food to eat. Don't get me started on equipment cost, maintenance, breakage fuel, etc.

    Fuel alone has increased by what, 50% since last year? :ugh:
     

    gregkl

    Outlier
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    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
    11,869
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    Bloomington
    New to the thread. After having higher priorities the past six years, I am finally turning my attention to my yard. First order is to work on getting rid of the wild violet and moles. Then figure out how to make it smoother. The yard is literally beating my mower to death! At least one broken wheel per season and always checking for loose fasteners.
    I’ll get there…eventually.
     

    AtTheMurph

    SHOOTER
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    0   0   0
    Jan 18, 2013
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    I think the garden thread has been interesting and useful so I thought I'd start one about lawns. As with gardening, I really don't have any idea what I'm doing but things are improving. Our lawn was a disaster when we moved in 3 years ago and I've been working slowly to bring it around. A new septic system had been installed prior to us purchasing the house so we had a lot of clay on the surface and probably a 50/50 mix of weeds and grass throughout most of the lawn.

    In the fall of 2019 I tilled up and tried to smooth out and re-seeded our side yard which is probably 2-2.5 acres, I put down around $800 worth of tall fescue seed. The entire thing became overrun with weeds very quickly but the following spring once the grass was pretty well established I put some herbicide down and it's been slowly improving since. This year I've had an explosion of white clover that I haven't tried to deal with yet. I figure it's green and grows about as fast as the grass does so I've let it go to focus on other projects. I do plan to spray it again in the fall and try to kill as much off as I can then I plan to frost seed next year. The patches of clover have pretty well defined borders in a lot of spots so I may till those up and reseed this fall depending on how much time I have.

    Shortly after we bought the house I came here for advice on a mower and Bocefus was a huge help (and has continued to be) and recommended a Gravely. I've got about 135 hours on the mower now and it's been great in spite of my best efforts to destroy it by running over things like big ratchet straps, hoses and extension chords. If and when I need another mower I'll be looking for another Gravely but I'm not convinced that'll happen for another 15 - 20 years, the thing is built like a tank. This was taken shortly after I bought it.

    4RbYl4nh.jpg


    Last year I spread a decent layer of horse manure over our hay field and it was extremely beneficial. I may do the same to the rest of the yard this fall/winter.

    Here's a pic of the side yard I took yesterday evening when I was almost finished mowing. It looks 100% better than it did a few years ago but it's still extremely rough. My long term goal is to get the grass established and the weeds eliminated then I want to start scalping the lawn once or twice a year and start applying top dressing to smooth it out. It'll take several years but I'll get done eventually.

    j7Ud7N9h.jpg


    So, whatcha got goin on at your place? At our old house I hated mowing, hated the yard and never made any progress with it mostly because there was zero topsoil. Now I'm on a mission but I am going to have a nice lawn eventually. I've been using GrazonNext herbicide which seems to work pretty well and the tall fescue seems to like the ground around here.
    Raise your mower height and your grass will be much better take less cutting and be more drought resistant and have far fewer weeds.

    Lawn should be like US Open rough, not fairways.
     

    phylodog

    Grandmaster
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    59   0   0
    Mar 7, 2008
    18,754
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    Arcadia
    Raise your mower height and your grass will be much better take less cutting and be more drought resistant and have far fewer weeds.

    Lawn should be like US Open rough, not fairways.
    Thanks and I agree. I cut it 1/2” shorter than I usually do in that photo to buy me some additional time before the next cut. I usually cut it at at 3.75”.
     

    patience0830

    .22 magician
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    28   1   0
    Nov 3, 2008
    17,594
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    Not far from the tree
    I cut mine at about 4.25" turkeys have eaten so many dandelion heads that I hardly have any. Violets run rampant and get mowed like the rest of the lawn. If it's green, it qualifies as lawn. Threw out some crabgrass preventer and some 12-12-12 for the first time in 20 yrs this spring. May be the last time.
     

    AtTheMurph

    SHOOTER
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    0   0   0
    Jan 18, 2013
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    Thanks and I agree. I cut it 1/2” shorter than I usually do in that photo to buy me some additional time before the next cut. I usually cut it at at 3.75”.
    Too short!

    The longer it is the better it looks and the less cutting you have to do. Fewer weeds, Fewer dry outs. Fewer lawn diseases.

    I have a fairly small lawn, cut with a walk behind. It sits at the highest setting until the grass goes dormant in the fall, then I lower it half way and then almost all the way for the last two cuts so that the leaves slide across like I used a Zamboni on it.

    The couple across the street, who should have a better looking lawn, have a patch of dirty, dusty weeds. They cut it two times a week at about 1.5 inches. The lawn service next to them cuts it at maybe 2.25" and i suspect he does it so that he looks like he's worth the price. Looks marginally better but still dry and sparse.

    US Open Rough!
     

    KG1

    Forgotten Man
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    66   0   0
    Jan 20, 2009
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    We have about 3/4 of an acre. Used to do the weed -n-feed thing. It improved some but never did get the kind of results we were looking for so we decided to hire a service a couple years ago to take care of it and cut the grass and it's never looked better. Naturally the cost was more to maintain the yard but the house is paid for so no house payment which made the cost manageable.

    I understand that it probably isn't as cost effective for some that have more acreage but it works for us.
     

    indyjohn

    PATRIOT
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    77   0   0
    Dec 26, 2010
    7,505
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    In the trees
    Too short!

    The longer it is the better it looks and the less cutting you have to do. Fewer weeds, Fewer dry outs. Fewer lawn diseases.

    I have a fairly small lawn, cut with a walk behind. It sits at the highest setting until the grass goes dormant in the fall, then I lower it half way and then almost all the way for the last two cuts so that the leaves slide across like I used a Zamboni on it.

    The couple across the street, who should have a better looking lawn, have a patch of dirty, dusty weeds. They cut it two times a week at about 1.5 inches. The lawn service next to them cuts it at maybe 2.25" and i suspect he does it so that he looks like he's worth the price. Looks marginally better but still dry and sparse.

    US Open Rough!
    Same here - I run a 17 yr old walk behind at the highest setting, but I leave it there the entire season. I don't bag the clippings any more; used to religiously but I've found if I'm keeping up with cutting frequency you can hardly tell the difference. And the time I'm spending on the yard is like half as long as when I was bagging.

    That mower is a MTD w/ a 6.75 Briggs. I've sworn I was going to replace it for the last 4 years, but every year I've had it each spring it starts up by the third pull. Doesn't even smoke and doesn't really burn oil, it doesn't want to die. So this year I put new rear wheels on it for about $36. Sharpened the blade and it is plugging away.
     

    BE Mike

    Grandmaster
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    18   0   0
    Jul 23, 2008
    7,536
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    New Albany
    White clover has popped up here too. I took care of the dandelions with Scott's Weed and Feed. I spend so much money and effort on my half acre that spray lawn services are looking better and better. I have a lot of fencing and other areas that need to been trimmed with a line trimmer, so I doubt that I'd be happy with hiring someone to do the cutting/ edging/ trimming. It takes me 3 hours to do the whole thing each week. My daughter, who lives in the neighborhood, thinks my lawn looks great. Me, not so much.
     

    Thor

    Grandmaster
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    2   0   0
    Jan 18, 2014
    10,704
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    Could be anywhere
    Just curious, what it is y'all do on your lawns. I know my neighbors do nothing but mow it making sure there will not be a moments peace to enjoy a dinner out on the deck.

    My lawn furniture was a waste of money because there is never a time when the military grade hovercraft are not out slaying the feral greenness.

    Other than that there are no outdoor activities that I can see.

    We are letting ours go back to natural and just keeping trails cut where we want them...and a croquet yard in the back.
    Other than that what's the point? Besides which I think creating a Norman style hedge row has it's own defensive puposes.
     

    phylodog

    Grandmaster
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    59   0   0
    Mar 7, 2008
    18,754
    113
    Arcadia
    Mine gets mowed once a week on average depending on the weather. II used to hate mowing at my old house but it was a .25 acre lot with nothing but clay so the grass was always ugly as sin no matter what I tried (including paying for lawn treatment service).

    I’ve got much better soil and much better grass now and I don’t mind mowing. Even if I didn’t enjoy mowing I couldn’t let most of it go back to Mother Nature, I’ve got enough critters willing to travel 100+ yards from the nearest good cover to the house. If I let it grow up I believe I’d have a lot more issues with them.
     

    gregkl

    Outlier
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    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
    11,869
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    Bloomington
    Mine gets mowed once a week on average depending on the weather. II used to hate mowing at my old house but it was a .25 acre lot with nothing but clay so the grass was always ugly as sin no matter what I tried (including paying for lawn treatment service).

    I’ve got much better soil and much better grass now and I don’t mind mowing. Even if I didn’t enjoy mowing I couldn’t let most of it go back to Mother Nature, I’ve got enough critters willing to travel 100+ yards from the nearest good cover to the house. If I let it grow up I believe I’d have a lot more issues with them.
    I'm at every third day if the weather cooperates. It's a half acre lot minus the house, driveways and landscaping so about 40 minutes to cut it with a push mower.

    Part of my motivation for a nice lawn is also the control of other "stuff". The more healthy grass I have, the less vermin, bugs and wildlife that I have close to the house. And we have plenty where I live.

    Just yesterday morning I was backing out and there were three foxes in my front yard playing with a shoe they stole off my next door neighbors porch.

    But I think they are who is keeping my mole population lower this year!
     

    bocefus78

    Master
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    39   0   0
    Apr 9, 2014
    2,023
    63
    Hamilton Co.
    This time of year I mow at 4 inches to shade out weeds and help be drought tolerant. 3.5 in the spring....never lower.

    Here's some key info for you all:

    Dry weed and feed needs to be applied to wet grass for it to kill anything

    Liquid herbicide works better than dry granules. Much better.

    12 12 12 is not meant for turf...it just feeds weeds. Turf needs nitrogen (1st number) and minimal of the other 2 numbers. In fact, it likes about twice as much N as the triple 12 provides

    Dont roll your lawn. Aerate and or topdress then overseed in the fall. Apply a light dose of starter fert at that time of overseeing. It contains more of the 2nd and 3rd numbers of the fert to stimulate root growth.

    Lime does wonders. Get a soil test and lime according to it. If ph is low, all the fert in the world won't help as the turf cannot process said fert

    Don't water at night. Water early am at sunup.

    Weeds grow faster than grass. If you have bare spots, they will be full of weeds if not over seeded

    Best time to spray weeds for a 1 and done app is the fall. Clover is hard to kill in the spring. Other broadleaf weeds will die about anytime they are sprayed.

    The same chems the pros use are available to you for personal use. No license needed. Go to a landscape supply house or even tsc.

    The labels on the above chems are not open for interpretation. It is a violation of law to mix them stronger.

    Dont spray anything when heat index is above 90f.

    Water granules of fert in. If left to sit without water, it can burn turf

    Don't use crabgrass pre emergent if you plan to overseed anytime soon

    Grass seed ideally needs to be below a quarter inch of dirt for the best germination

    Don't bag your clippings. Mulch them.

    Sharpen mower blades regularly. Dull blades tear grass leading to a brown lawn. Maintaining a 30 degree angle is more important than being razor sharp when doing so.

    Remember that landscape supply I mentioned? Buy your fert there for half price of lowes of home cheapo. 50lb bags for $20ish. Plus they can tell you when it's time to use what products



    Follow that advice for 1 full year and see if your lawn doesn't look twice as good for half the price of paying a pro.
     
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