Lawn treatment

[Tim]

Let's talk about lawns. Last year when our house was built the developer threw down some crap hay on top of the clumpy NC clay and then rolled out sod (tall fescue) on top of it. It was only through quarterly lime applications, fall and spring fertilizing and overseeding, and a whole lot of water that we've managed to make it survive. The trees and flowers I planted in October and March look incredible to this day, but the lawn always has a few issues. Dryness here and there, thinning in a few places, etc.

Are any of you nuts about your lawn? What kind of treatment do you use to keep it green and lush?

[Uncle Ted]

No top soil usually means not much in the way of roots getting down. Without pictures I would say you need a good and deep aeration to loosen that clay up.

[wuapinmon]

My lawn is 50+ years old. I don't have to do anything but keep it cut. See if there's a master gardener class anywhere nearby and go get trained. You can also usually send a soil sample to your state's landgrant university for them to tell you what your soil needs to grow stuff. Here it's Clemson, I think NC State is yall's.

[Jeff Lebowski]

For the first time we have hired a professional lawn service company (Stewarts) this year. I just got tired of messing with it. So far, so good.

[jay santos]

I know what doesn't work: that bullshit lawn tonic with the beer everyone was talking about on Cougarboard about 6 years ago.

[dabrockster]

I know what doesn't work: that bullshit lawn tonic with the beer everyone was talking about on Cougarboard about 6 years ago.

Worked for me. Got rid of my grubs.... If you think it is for something else, it is not. It is supposed to get rid of grubs only.. Not some fertilizer for your lawn...

[Uncle Ted]

I know what doesn't work: that bullshit lawn tonic with the beer everyone was talking about on Cougarboard about 6 years ago.

Why in the hell would anyone put beer on their lawn?

[mUUser]

Why in the hell would anyone put beer on their lawn?

Wake up. Do you want a party lawn or not?

[Donuthole]

I know what doesn't work: that bullshit lawn tonic with the beer everyone was talking about on Cougarboard about 6 years ago.

IIRC, it was supposed to green up your lawn. I think most of CB was excited about it for the thrill of purchasing beer. I tried it. It didn't do anything noticeable. However, I won't deny that purchasing a 20 oz Banquet Beer from the gas station near my house was a bit of a rush, particularly since it is the convenience store of choice for about half my ward.

http://www.wisebread.com/secret-lawn...-groundskeeper

Note that the "science" in the article contains no explanation for the beer.

[jay santos]

IIRC, it was supposed to green up your lawn. I think most of CB was excited about it for the thrill of purchasing beer. I tried it. It didn't do anything noticeable. However, I won't deny that purchasing a 20 oz Banquet Beer from the gas station near my house was a bit of a rush, particularly since it is the convenience store of choice for about half my ward.

http://www.wisebread.com/secret-lawn...-groundskeeper

Note that the "science" in the article contains no explanation for the beer.

I had a very similar experience, including the rush of buying the beer.

[jay santos]

IIRC, it was supposed to green up your lawn. I think most of CB was excited about it for the thrill of purchasing beer. I tried it. It didn't do anything noticeable. However, I won't deny that purchasing a 20 oz Banquet Beer from the gas station near my house was a bit of a rush, particularly since it is the convenience store of choice for about half my ward.

http://www.wisebread.com/secret-lawn...-groundskeeper

Note that the "science" in the article contains no explanation for the beer.

Thinking about this a little more analytically...

I'm not a chemist, but I look at the volume of fertilizer I put on my lawn when I do a treatment vs 1/2 cup of ammonia, and I have to think there's 50 times the amount of nitrogen in the fertilizer.

And the mouthwash, what's the active ingredient that would kill grubs? Whatever it is, 1/2 cup of it (already diluted) probably is not going to do anything diluted into 10 gallons.

I have to believe this is a big hoax.

[Tim]

No top soil usually means not much in the way of roots getting down. Without pictures I would say you need a good and deep aeration to loosen that clay up.

We aerated in October and that helped. It's not common to do it here in the spring, so it'll likely be October before I reseed when I do it again.

My lawn is 50+ years old. I don't have to do anything but keep it cut. See if there's a master gardener class anywhere nearby and go get trained. You can also usually send a soil sample to your state's landgrant university for them to tell you what your soil needs to grow stuff. Here it's Clemson, I think NC State is yall's.

It is indeed State. We sent our soil there and got results about the pH content, after which I've done a couple lime treatments. That's a multi-year project, though, as our lawn is very acidic.

Nevertheless, all the other neighbors have the same soil (well, clay) and some of them have greener lawns.

I know what doesn't work: that bullshit lawn tonic with the beer everyone was talking about on Cougarboard about 6 years ago.

I was curious about that...

[jay santos]

Lawns require different care in different weather climates. In Utah, if you follow IFA's four step fertilizer process and aerate in the fall and spring, you're golden.

[Clark Addison]

When I lived in the mid-west with it's beautiful loam, grass would basically grow itself. Since I moved to NC, it has been my experience that lawns here, if not maintained, will quickly turn sparse and weed-filled. That doesn't mean; however, that the maintenance needs to be overly fussy. I ignored my lawn for a few years, and it looked pretty bad. I've been working on it for the last couple of years, and it looks pretty good now. Most important, in my opinion, is what Uncle Ted said. NC soil needs regular aeration, since it is so dense. I aerate every fall, and refresh the lawn at the same time. I basically just cut the lawn really short, aerate the heck out of it, and then throw down a ton of new seed with some starter fertilizer. I do this in the end of August or early September. Keep it wet for a few weeks, and you should have a really nice lawn that has time to get established before winter.

Aside from that, I don't do that much special. I fertilize regularly, with the normal Scotts stuff. NC soil also tends to be acidic, so it is good to get it tested (you can get a cheap test kit at Home Depot or Lowes) and throw down some lime if the pH is too low. In the summer, we don't have a sprinkler system (or irrigation system, as it is called here), so we don't water. We just let it go dormant, and it generally springs right back in the fall after I do my fall refresh.

Oh, also, I keep it cut relatively high. The only time I cut it low is when I am going to aerate and overseed. Or when the bocce club comes over.

ETA: Looks like you are already doing most of this. Just keep it up, with special care for the Autumn aeration/re-seeding, and you will be fine in a year or two. The one suggestion I would make it to do your aeration and re-seeding earlier than October. I know it feels too hot in August and September, but the lawn grows well. In my experience, and October lawn usually doesn't have time to take root and become established before winter, and little of it makes it to spring.

[Tim]

Many thanks!