Yard Guys- How do you Prep for Grass?

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66fyssh said:
Your lawn looks great @Ddaddy !! I would take that!!

@SpeedThrills , my wife said mowing ours gives her a workout too!! I get 3-4 miles walking in the mill at work, I'll let her continue to mow ours...but eventually well get a rider.

When I was stationed in Arkansas we had a lawn service that treated it only. We cut it. I didn't see much difference before and after their service. Think we did it for one year, then quit.

I know we just have to make the yard a priority. I'm more interested in getting the backyard in shape since that's where we'll spend our time. The front is for neighbors and will come when it comes!
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I fired every lawn company I ever had when it came to treating the lawns I have owned over the years. I have gotten far greater results just spreading the Scotts products myself.

While I no longer live at that house in Cincinnati, I stay in touch with the neighbors there and that lawn is still the envy of the neighborhood. The new owners still follow the twice per year application of the Scotts lawn food (in the Spring and Fall) just like I did.

The grass has essentially choked out all the weeds without need for weed killer. It’s what grass eventually does, you just have to be patient.
 
Unconventional said:
I used VAPAM a soil sterilizer. It did help to have friends in the AG industry. :D
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I am very familiar with VAPAM. I'm sure your AG friends told you VAPAM is a restricted use material and is highly toxic.
This is not an option legally. Roundup is the only material I would suggest. Safe, legal and will do the job without a reentry period. don't get me wrong, VAPAM is good, but it kills the soil and is very dangerous for the untrained.
 
Nothin'. Darwinian gardener here. Survival of the fittest. I try not to interfere with Mother Nature and the process of natural selection. Except for fire ants, I love killing them.
 
We have a nice lawn just near our house, but it takes so much time to take care of it. In addition, health problems (especially with my back) don't allow me to work as efficiently as 3-4 years ago. That's the reason I even have to hire my neighbor to pull out the weed from my lawn. It's sad because recently, I've purchased a great collection of tools for proper work. For example, I've got a couple of weed pullers recommended at https://www.growgardener.com/best-weed-puller/ for reasonable prices. I can't wait to use them after my full recovery.

P.S. Fire ants are handsome, don't kill them.
 
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My yard issues is needing to mow 3 times a week
 
Spray out old lawn and weeds as suggested Roundup is a very good product for that. Then till 2 or 3 in as suggested, then take a steel rake raking out all unwanted debris as suggested. At that point it is best to cover the whole lawn with two inches of lawn base product it is a combination of sand and bark and compost materials that will aid in the new lawns development greatly and also help retain moisture till the 2 inches of lawn base into existing soil then rake two level grade, roll with water roller to compact soil and perfect grades. Overseed with grass that is grown for your area I like a bluegrass ryegrass fescue mix cover seed with old sawdust approximately 1/8 to 1/4 in to help retain moisture keep seed moist during germination and after yard begins to grow. New seeded area will be susceptible to weed seed blowing and old existing weed seed before it grows in I would spot spray it after about 3 months. This is a recipe for a beautiful lawn. The best time to sock in a lawn is early fall in most areas.
 
I ended up doing a lot of what @K.O. SWINGER suggested above.

First, I pulled and/or cut down all the high weeds. I'm not a weed guy, but a lot had hollow purple stalks. Then used Roundup concentrate. I did 3 applications. After a month I rented a rear tine tiller from Home Depot and tilled it. Rocks galore...from small to 10" type stuff. Glad it was a rented tiller!

Then I used a steel rake to even it out. Didn't want to invest $1000 in top soil so I left the small stones and covered with probably an inch of compost the local nursery calls top soil. Put lots of seed down and used wheat straw to cover it, the watered it regularly.

It's not perfect, but it's much better than 6 foot high weeds. The weeds haven't returned in mass, just here and there. We have 4 dogs and lots of trees so I know a pristine lawn is not going to happen. I'm happy.
The area is a rectangle in the back about where the sun/shade line is running left and right from fence to fence.

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Terry,

Have been working on mine for 10 years. Really only diligently the last 3 in reality!

I have found that Centipede really likes my soil! It has nearly taken over my whole yard, and grows low and thick and absolutely Lucius like carpet! It only takes a mow every week and 1/2 or so. You have to use the correct Feed 15-0-15. This grass always seemed best to Florida but really likes our soil! You can supplement with Ironite as often as you like as it is 1-0-1.

Do not hire a lawn service company though! They do not know how to treat this grass for weeds! Use Trimec Southern at the correct rate with a back pac sprayer!
 
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And if you use Ironite be sure to keep it off the concrete as it will cause rust stains.

I usually blow it all off the concrete drives and such after spreading it!
 
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Dang, sounds like you are gettin' it done!

I go in spurts working on my yard. My next door neighbor is a fireman working 24 hrs. on, 48 off. Every day he's home, he's in the yard. His front yard looks like a golf course, but I'm not sure what type of grass he has. His side yard is Bermuda and in the winter he seeds it with Rye so it's green all year 'roind.

I'll keep plugging away at it, but I'm working a lot of hours and I'm usually out of town some every week. The neighbor behind us is putting in an in-ground pool and cut a bunch of his trees down so our backyard is getting more sun now. That should help grass grow.
 
66fyssh said:
Dang, sounds like you are gettin' it done!

I go in spurts working on my yard. My next door neighbor is a fireman working 24 hrs. on, 48 off. Every day he's home, he's in the yard. His front yard looks like a golf course, but I'm not sure what type of grass he has. His side yard is Bermuda and in the winter he seeds it with Rye so it's green all year 'roind.

I'll keep plugging away at it, but I'm working a lot of hours and I'm usually out of town some every week. The neighbor behind us is putting in an in-ground pool and cut a bunch of his trees down so our backyard is getting more sun now. That should help grass grow.
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That is what it takes sometimes! Weeds can only grow when they have space to! Overseeding with Annual Rye helps in the cool months!
 
I had lots of Burweed and Clover in the yard this past year and the Trimec Southern killed 90% of it. I sprayed in late February or the first week of March.

I Did not Follow up with a second spray as recommended weeks later. The crab grass still grew in spots that were barren after the first treatment.

If you have had the burweed you know how awefull it is! Those little triangular spikes get everywhere! Once you mow they go all over your yard as they stick to your mower tires and worse! They can be like sand spurs if you have experienced that!
 
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Our front yard will need to be overseeded. There are so many weeds I'm afraid to apply weed killer for fear I'd only have dirt left.
 
We moved out here in 2002. Was nothin but bare dire where the woods was cleared for the house. Meh.....bout a half acre "I'd guess". The whole lot is a tic under 7. I went to the locel Ace Hardware and bought a 120 LB bag of bermuda grass seed and Kitty and I hand and bucket broadcast it. Not tilling. No nothin. Just threw it on top of the ground. Three days later it sprouted. It was red. I called the Ace and told them. They actually sent somebody out to look at it and take pictures. Said they had never seen that before. They took a soil sample. High in iron. Bout two weeks it was green. I was kinda hopin to have some red grass. It covered really well considering I did nothing but but throw it on the ground. I want to broadcast another sack, but dammit that stuff is stupid expensive now. It's over 300 for a 120 LB bag.
 
RustyRatRod said:
We moved out here in 2002. Was nothin but bare dire where the woods was cleared for the house. Meh.....bout a half acre "I'd guess". The whole lot is a tic under 7. I went to the locel Ace Hardware and bought a 120 LB bag of bermuda grass seed and Kitty and I hand and bucket broadcast it. Not tilling. No nothin. Just threw it on top of the ground. Three days later it sprouted. It was red. I called the Ace and told them. They actually sent somebody out to look at it and take pictures. Said they had never seen that before. They took a soil sample. High in iron. Bout two weeks it was green. I was kinda hopin to have some red grass. It covered really well considering I did nothing but but throw it on the ground. I want to broadcast another sack, but dammit that stuff is stupid expensive now. It's over 300 for a 120 LB bag.
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Iron in Georgia is good! JMO I supplement with it every Year!
 
66fyssh said:
Our front yard will need to be overseeded. There are so many weeds I'm afraid to apply weed killer for fear I'd only have dirt left.
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After a Trimec Southern spray in the first week of March, Mine was just that! Only the Centipede and Bermuda remained. I should have followed up 4-6 weeks later with another treatment! My bad! As the crabgrass came back in some areas! You have to kill the junk to let the good stuff take over! It all takes time and effort, but the rewards are awesome! The more of the bad you kill the better the good is! My centipede is slowly choking out the Bermuda as well!

I will not make the same mistake next spring!
 
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Not a big fan of Bermuda, But folks that work hard on it, Top dress and over seed it heavily every year, and use a Reel Type mower to cut it have some beautiful stuff! I want less maintenance!
 
You guys want to work too hard and wait too long. Out here Fescue sod is under a $1. a foot Delivered. I day and done. No weeds, birds, dry spots, yada, yada, yada. water and mow in 2 weeks.
Dirt Friday, Looks like Toolmanmike's yard today.
 
MoparLeo said:
You guys want to work too hard and wait too long. Out here Fescue sod is under a $1. a foot Delivered. I day and done. No weeds, birds, dry spots, yada, yada, yada. water and mow in 2 weeks.
Dirt Friday, Looks like Toolmanmike's yard today.
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Fescue never worked for me and is used heavily in N. Ga.
 
We used fescue on the back 40. It took okay. We just need to make an effort and slowly get it better. I like the idea that you have to get rid of the bad to let the good grow.

I'm going to look into sod for the backyard now that the neighbor cut down trees and let more sun in.
 
MoparLeo said:
You guys want to work too hard and wait too long. Out here Fescue sod is under a $1. a foot Delivered. I day and done. No weeds, birds, dry spots, yada, yada, yada. water and mow in 2 weeks.
Dirt Friday, Looks like Toolmanmike's yard today.
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Yeah but fescue caint take Georgia heat as the only grass. It'll see in good with other grasses. I picked bermuda because it's basically a weed and you just caint kill the stuff. ...and I don't see how anybody can say it's high maintenance. I threw the seeds out on bare dirt just left um and I have what I have today. I've never watered it. Never. I'm sure it could have better coverage hera and there but it's good edamnuff for me. lol
 
66fyssh said:
We used fescue on the back 40. It took okay. We just need to make an effort and slowly get it better. I like the idea that you have to get rid of the bad to let the good grow.

I'm going to look into sod for the backyard now that the neighbor cut down trees and let more sun in.
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That's why I chose bermuda. You don't have to get rid of the bad. It chokes most everything else to death.
 
I’d leave your yard as is, just spray weed killer and you’re done. All you guys (with the no doubt beautiful lawns) just are creating more work around the house vs. freeing more time to spend out in the garage tinkering on your Mopar and hanging out! I don’t do yard prep, upgrades, or maintenance other than fix the mowers etc for my wife, she loves to plant and work out there so that’s as far as I go! Ok, I run the chainsaw and power washer in certain cases, but no yard work! And no yard tools whatsoever are stored in my garage, that’s for toys! Yard work? BAH!!!:realcrazy::lol:
 
Brudeborn said:
Fire ants are handsome, don't kill them :(
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Until they get in your breeches, lol. I was cruising the back roads in Florida on my motorcycle back in the 80's, something came loose and I had to stop and fix it. Knelt down on one knee while executing said repair and the next thing I knew I had fire ants in my pants.

Sorta embarrassing dropping the pants on the side of the road to usher away the ants.

I get the whole "ants in your pants" better than most...........:D
 
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