Lawn care for a first timer

[Exterous]

3. Till up the whole yard, mix in some dirt/compost, and re-seed the entire thing.

I am certainly no expert but this sounds like the best option if its pretty rocky. You might be able to break it up over time with aeration and composting but thats a lengthy process.

Seriously, just get some Scott's fertilizer and use it a couple times a year.

Not everyone likes to over pay for the Bose\Monster Cable of the fertilizer industry

 

[alkemyst]

I just buy fucking sod. Nice pretty St. Augustine grass.

Cut 4" high. Children that try to ride into my yard tip over for that wall.

I just punt them back to the block they came from.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I spray down weeds in the sidewalk or rocks, but I'm worried I'll kill the good stuff in the landscaped areas. I bought 2 spray bottles with concentrate last year (one just weed killer, the other was weed kill for lawns) but didn't use it much. People say when they used the lawn specific stuff it still killed their lawn anyway, and other stuff is really good at killing pretty much everything... so much so that I'm worried about hurting the plants around it. If it's just direct contact kill and doesn't get into the soil then maybe I should stop worrying about it so much.

If you're worried about using Roundup on weeds which are close to "good" plants in landscaped areas, you can paint the Roundup directly on the weed rather than spraying. I'll typically get the nozzle of the sprayer wet with Roundup and just brush the weed with it. Problem solved.

 

[highland145]

Mentioned before but don't spend a dime until you get the soil tested.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

music for your plants. The neighbors will love it.

 

[Mixolydian]

Mowed mine and fertilized for the first time this season today. It was fun.

 

[Red Squirrel]

music for your plants. The neighbors will love it.

That only works if you use Bose speakers hooked up with Monster or Audioquest cables. :biggrin:

Grass likes lower frequencies, an array of subs playing a 30hz tone should do the trick.

 

[JMapleton]

Don't poison your yard with chemicals and other nonsense. We have enough of that garbage flooding our waste systems, which drain into the ocean and cause irreversible damage.

All that just so you don't have a few weeds. Incredible.

 

[rh71]

Crabgrass preventer is the most important now till late April here for my Kentucky bluegrass. The first year after sod there was no crabgrass so I didn't put it down the second year. Infested with crabgrass and lost some of the lawn. Last year I put in the preventer and got no crabgrass at all.

There's a whole regimen throughout the year which isn't hard to do yourself but I agree with the previous poster who mentioned for your first year or so with new sod you may want the pros to establish it first.

This is what I was told by a landscaper buddy of mine. Fungicide optional. May only apply for the NY region.

Crabgrass control with Feed late Apr
Weed as needed
Fungicide june
Insect Control with Feed late June/July
Turf Builder early sept
Winterizer Oct-Nov

 

[lxskllr]

Plant corn. You only have to mow it once, and it gives you food. If you want something a little lower, try soybeans.

 

[alkemyst]

Don't poison your yard with chemicals and other nonsense. We have enough of that garbage flooding our waste systems, which drain into the ocean and cause irreversible damage.

All that just so you don't have a few weeds. Incredible.

Says the guy with a 7FAM avatar.

I don't think you understand what you preach.

 

[LegendKiller]

Says the guy with a 7FAM avatar.

I don't think you understand what you preach.

Perhaps you should do the same chuckles. Do you want to get another vacation?

 

[alkemyst]

Perhaps you should do the same chuckles. Do you want to get another vacation?

shut up tard. I like 7FAM, I am not going to go there with that as my avatar and then cry about saving the planet.

 

[LegendKiller]

shut up tard. I like 7FAM, I am not going to go there with that as my avatar and then cry about saving the planet.

You calling somebody a "tard" is humorous. The only bigger failure at life is maybe Dave. Look in that cheap k-mart mirror when you say stupid stuff like that.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Lawncare. Ha! I'm looking forward to the day I can see my entire lawn.

 

[HOSED]

Check out this site: http://whyy.org/cms/youbetyourgarden/ Mike also has a call in radio show. He advises to avoid most commercial pesticides, and will give tailored information about your soil, grass, and climate.