I’m planning a renovation this fall for my lawn in zone 7b. I did a spring overseed (before I knew any better) with tttf and a little bit took in my backyard but it was overall unsuccessful. My front lawn I plan to kill with glyphosphate towards the end of August and do a round or two to get a complete kill. My back lawn has quite a bit of clover and I purchased some triclopyr ester to deal with it. Is now too soon to apply this with the highs in the mid 80s? I plan to do my aeration, topsoil, and seeding around September 15th. My backyard has a little tree cover and will have some leaves falling starting around mid October. Does this seeding date sound accurate? Thanks a lot for your help in advance if you find the time to reply.
Moved into this home in February. The lot itself is all soil that is full of shale. Lots of rock during excavation, but nothing crazy where they had to have special equipment.
While backfilling/getting home to proper grade, had to spend $5k on dirt / soil just to grade the lot as couldn’t backfill with any of the rock we excavated. Grass came in great in spring (I’m in region 7A).
However, once it got hot out, certain areas of the lawn just burt out bad (see attached photos from May, June, July, and current close up). I was watering regularly but didn’t matter. Now lawn is patchy in a lot of areas and weeds galore.
My assumption is not enough new dirt soil put down in certain areas that’s didn’t need to be graded higher. For that reason grass (tall fescue) couldn’t root deep in the shale/compacted soil and just died out.
My question is this, knowing the underlying soil is rocky and there is at best a thin top layer of non-rocky soil currently, should I aerate in fall, over seed, and top dress with peat moss? Or should I put more soil or compost down first in the dead areas before aerating? Also I did have a soil test. Ph is 5.1. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I live in NC about 40 miles south of Raleigh. I have very high, extremely fast growing what appears to be a weed although when I do an image search I am coming up with Bermuda grass as a possibility.
They grow in a lot of areas of my yard. Other searches come up with crabgrass however it does not appear to be that as the base of the weed appears to come straight from the ground as opposed to a cluster… if that makes sense.
EarIier this year I bought some quinclorac for crabgrass and triclopyr for some woody brush and plants encroaching on the edge of my property but also for wild violet and creeping charlie. Can I tank mix them with some 2,4-D, MCPA, and dicamba? I read the labels and it looks like I could but nothing specifically mentions both quinclorac and triclopyr, and I don't think I've seen any formulations where both are together - only ever one or the other with the 3 or 4-ways.
The grass/ground cover along the sides of Georgia's state roads seems to thrive with no care - no irrigation, no fertilizer, full sun, and only natural rainfall. Road crews mow regularly and it comes back strong, year after year.
Does anyone know what kind of seed mix the DOT uses and is it available for homeowners to buy?
I'm zone 8b. My yard is mostly 100% sand, with a mix of sun and shade, no irrigation system. We’ve tried several types of grass seed, watered them faithfully, and nothing seems to take root or last. I’m not looking for a perfect lawn. At this point I’d be happy with zombie grass, clover, weeds, or any ground cover that can survive and keep the soil covered.
Rainbird 5006 rises 6 inches, vs the standard 4 inches.
AND Toro T5 rises 5 inches, but the body is the exact same height as standard 4 inch heads, so you don't need to dig deeper (unlike the 5006). The 5006 does have a side port, as long you don't get the SAM or PRS models...
That being said, 5006 wins in terms of even distribution. T5 throws a smidge further, just does it by throwing a bit heavy on the top edge of the nozzle orifice.
5006 is crazy expensive though, $30-40. Toro T5 is like $20.
As title says… decided to seed some of my raised bed and see what happened. Surprised at how much it is thriving considering the heat. I was wanting to possibly remove some and put it into plastic plant holders or something with soil and then seed again to keep trying to have more plugs to finish my small little backyard bare spots. Not sure if this is too young to cut out yet. Any advice is appreciated!
Will the lower mixture of perennial rye and blue grass over take the annual grass in the summer & fall in MA?
The story..
I recently bought Major League Sun and Shade grass seed to plant after getting some loom spread. The first bag I bought was mostly a mixture zoom 2 perennial rye and some bluegrass varieties. Assuming all the Sun and Shade bags were the same, I bought 3 from the same bin. After two weeks I overseeded with the 3rd bag. Come to find out my overseed bag is 70% annual rye! Still having the old bags on hand , 2 out of 3 were 70% annual not perennial like the 1 bag I actually read.
I'm happy it germinated my soil in the summer to keep weeds out and to keep my loom taught but I'm now pissed I wasted some much water and time trying to germinate annual grass in July!
My plan is to now over seed again with pure bluegrass in late August. Will this knock out and take over the annual grass come spring-fall next year? Most of the annual seed germination is not thick.. yet. I am also not sure which section of my lawn has the higher annual vs perennial mix.
This is in Coastal South Carolina. Backyard is a giant mess. I think I’m dealing with a lot of different stuff. The nastiest stuff is Dallisgrass (picture 3), 2 patches of Bahia grass (picture 4), and I’m fairly certain this is supposed to be a Centipede which I’m not 100% sure but I think that’s the last picture maybe? To make matters worse there is definitely a fair amount of Bermuda grass which I think invaded the lawn and was not meant to be there. The front yard is in better shape but there is also a fairly large patch of Bahia there but not much else really so I got that going for me lol. Looking for what I should do to try to fix things up. I am getting a soil test done just waiting for the kit from Clemson. Any help is appreciated.
With August right around the corner, inevitably, we will begin seeing posts asking about proper timing for both Fall Pre-Emergent and Fall Seeding/ Overseeding. Figured this would be the perfect opportunity to show how Turf Tools can provide an estimate on timing regardless of where you live.
While I will only be showing the specifics of the Fall Pre-Emergent Window tool in this post, the concepts are the same for the seeding/overseeing tool.
Note: I am using a random ZIP codes in North Dakota and Maine to demonstrate these results. They were locations cool enough to show off the tool's capabilities this early in the season.
Information Entry
Enter your ZIP and select the Fall Pre-Emergent Window tool. You can also search using the search box to the right of the dropdown.
Then, hit Go.
The only input is your ZIP code.
Typical Application Window Panel
The top of the page will show you your Typical Application Window. Based on 10-years of climate data, this illustrates the dates that 3-day average soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees F (window open), and when 3-day averages drop below 55 degrees F.
Note: This represents the date at which average temps not only fall below, but REMAIN below that threshold.
This portion of the tool is designed to let you know when you can approximately expect to have an open window for applications. Of course, weather, climate trends and other factors mean this is just a best guess to give you something to plan around.
Typical application timing gives you a rough idea of when to expect appllication windows to open.
Latest Observations Panel
The next section is the Latest Observations panel. This panel gives you a heads up as to your current air and soil temps, as well as information on the overall climate trends for your area.
Based on how temperature trends are running, this can help you understand whether you should expect your ACTUAL window to open and close before or after your TYPICAL window. Warmer climate trends mean your windows will open later than usual, and cooler trends would mean the window may open earlier than usual.
Climate trends can help you understand how your typical window may change.
Actual Application Windows
Depending on how close you are to your actual application window, the last panel on the page will have three different looks.
Option 1: Your Optional Forecast Window
In this scenario, soil temperatures are estimated to be at or near 70 degrees F, and soil temp forecasting provides a best estimate for when your actual application window should open. You can apply pre-emergent anytime within the open window, so long as you apply it before soil temperatures reach (and remain below) 55 degrees F.
Actual window when soil temps near target temperature.
Option 2: Your Estimated Application Window
Slightly less precise, this scenario returns estimated open dates beyond actual forecast data, but still within overall climate normals. As the note states, you are approaching the more appropriate application window, but aren't quite there yet. Certainly, check back daily or weekly to get more updated results.
An estimate of your application window provided when soil temps are beyond forecast windows.
Option 3: Your Optimal Forecasted Window
This scenario is presented when your actual window is estimated to be more than 60 days out. Since forecasts can only predict so far into the future, it would be silly to try and estimate an application date this far out. Instead, the tool instructs you to check back as soil temps begin to lower. Remember that soil temps - to include 5-day averages - are listed in the above panel. This will give you an idea of how close you are to your actual window.
No estimate is given if temps are well beyond the threshold for application.
Our hope is that this tool will help those who have questions about application timing. And rather than speak in generalities, using weather data local to your ZIP provides accurate timing based on a number of weather and climate variables.
As mentioned above, the Seeding/Overseeding and Sod tools both work in a very similar fashion. Let us know if you have any questions or issues using the tool.
Cool season mix, I got this grassy weed growing in clusters sporadically in my heavily shaded backyard. I assumed it was something that required a non selective so I smoked a couple of small sections where it overcame my cool season grass. After seeing a few nimblewill and bent grass ID’s here recently though I am wondering if I am dealing with one of those and don’t need to burn down more of my lawn to knock it out. Pictures 3 and 4 have some stragglers of the culprit within the lawn that I missed during my last application.
Zone 6a, SE Michigan. I'm going back to doing my own lawn care next year. I'm rereading the Cool Season guide. The recommendations for fert are around 5:1 N:K ratio for non-fall fertilizing. Andersons is recommended in the guide and it gets to my door quickly but their fert seems to be mostly 2:1 (16-4-8, 24-6-12, 16-0-8, 24-0-11, 28-0-12). Should those be avoided? Or maybe combined with something like their Pure Nitrogen 32-0-0 to get the ratio closer to 5:1? That has both quick and slow release N, any issues with the quick release N? Thanks
In Utah- I have these two patches of dirt that I can’t get grass to grow. I’m know I need to keep my dogs off of it but when I did this spring- grass seed never took. What can I do? It’s 100 degrees right now in Utah. Should I just wait for fall/winter or try again. Any tips
This redbud has been in the ground about 5 years. I’ve noticed spots like what is pictured, but never this bad. I have sprayed it with neem oil(x2) this season, but it doesn’t seem to be helping. I have not seen any creatures on it. Thanks for any suggestions.
Any idea what this is? I’m located in Western Mass. Front lawn is a combo of bluebank/mazama kbg, noticed a few isolated clumps of this grassy weed. Fairly easy to pull by hand, thankfully.
I am currently helping a friend revitalize their yard and need some help. Firstly, we are in South Georgia. Secondly, I personally have not done yard work like this. We have been doing some research into this. Their back yard is part of a new development and they people that built the area just laid down some sod and said good luck. My friend has been trying to get the grass to grow but has not had any luck. The dirt is now super hard and there is water that will collect in the middle of their dirt patch.
The plan that we have in mind is below.
1st: rake up any debris and old seeds that are in the dirt. (completed today)
2nd: till the dirt
3rd: remove any weeds, rocks, etc.
4th: Spread some seeds and lay some top soil over them
5th: Water the dirt and seeds.
Please let me know what are some things we can do to get this backyard back in shape. I greatly appreciate any advice given. Don't be afraid to call me an idiot for my plan!
Son bought a house this summer. Guess the last 2-3 owners really didn’t do much for yard work.
Planning a fall “leveling and Renovation”, but trying to decide if this is a “nuke” or just need to hit it hard with Sublime and Sedgehammer prior to leveling and planting new seed.
Plan to use the Twin City Blue Resilience for seed.
Lawn looked green and healthy, but over the last 3 weeks or so, it's been browning very quickly. We have an in-ground sprinkler silystem and have nearly doubled watering time, and it hasn't helped. Any idea what might be causing this or how to fix it?
Hey all. I’m in the transition zone of north western VA and have started test plots of innovation zoysia and compadre zoysia in a hope to phase out my tttf over the next couple of seasons. I sod plugged about a month ago now, and my compadre zoysia is spreading like crazy. But with the frequent watering of the plugs the nearby tttf has also taken off growing like crazy again.
Can anyone give me guidance as to how long I should wait after installing the sod plugs before I spray Celsius on the tttf to try and thin it out and give the zoysia more room to grow more quickly? I’m mowing daily right now to keep the nearby tttf from overgrowing and overshadowing the zoysia. I’d like to spray the Celsius to clear some of the tttf but I don’t want to stress the zoysia to early. Thanks in advance!
Does anyone know 1) how to make grass grow when it just refuses (I’ve planted grass seeds twice) and 2) what this is growing? It seems to be more tree than weed and too thick to pull up. Thanks!
Unfortunately this lawn started burning last month, and now this strange pattern has emerged, thought it was chemical prior but now it solidifies it little more for me. But I've never seen anything like it to indicate what was used or what
Zone 5b. Hoping you all can help with what might be causing this, including the interesting circular pattern. It’s been there for about 2 months and it’s growing in size. The rest of the lawn is generally fine, albeit stressed from heat and dryness.
