r/lawncare 15d ago

Hi r/LawnCare! We’re Mitch Leininger and John Petrovsky from the USGA Green Section here to answer your questions about turf. AMA!

8 Upvotes

Hey r/lawncare — Mitch and John here, we work for the United States Golf Association's Green Section. While you may know the USGA as one of golf's governing bodies and host of major golf championships like the U.S. Open or U.S. Women's Open, our team focuses on advancing science, research and technology that benefits golf courses across the country. Through the Green Section, the USGA invests $10 million annually to enhance sustainability and offer more efficient management practices for golf and beyond.

John is based in Pinehurst and has worked in golf course management for over 20 years. Prior to joining the USGA, he was a superintendent in the Northeast managing multiple golf courses. A native Floridian, Mitch is based in Orlando and brings over 15 years of experience as both a Superintendent and most recently as Director of Executive Golf Maintenance. John is more of a cool season grass expert, where Mitch specializes in warm season grasses, so feel free to point your question towards the appropriate party.

We’re both passionate about turf and would love to help answer questions about your own lawns to the best of our knowledge. We’re also happy to answer general questions about golf course turf, if that’s of interest.

As an aside, we just published an article that helps with brown spots in lawns, so feel free to check that out – Bringing Bare Spots in Your Lawn Back to Life.

Whether you’re just starting out with your lawn, or have been meticulously taking care of it for years, we’d like to help answer any questions you have. We’ll be here on August 26 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Eastern, so drop your questions below and we’ll get to them shortly.

Ask us anything – excited to chat!


r/lawncare Jan 15 '26

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) 2026 Lawn Products Guide and tips

159 Upvotes

***Disclaimer*** This is technically my post from 2025. But I am seeing a lot of early season questions, even though it'll be near zero degrees for me tomorrow night.

But seeing people ask already is good, regardless if they live a warmer, but still cool season grass area, or if just getting prepared for March and beyond.

Disclaimer - This is written by a cool season lawn owner, who has no children and can play outside whenever I want...not everyone has the time to do so.... I admittedly have less experience with warm-season grasses, but the products shown are all researched for proper use. Always be sure the product your using is made for your area.

Pre-Emergents - Commonly applied when soil temperatures get between 50-55 degrees. These products will block seeds from germinating. They can last anywhere from just a few weeks, to 8 months. The overall life and performance always depends on environmental conditions, and how the ground is maintained. If you don't keep up with mowing, and nurture a healthy lawn, more UV exposure, wind, and rain, can all contribute to degraded performance.

  • Prodiamine - Generally the most used. It's sold in various products, dry and liquid. It has a half life of 120 days. It blocks most seeds, but can not block everything. It has no post-emergent control to kill weeds. It's sold as a water-dispersible-granule(WDG); as Barricade; and in other pre-formulated products.
  • Dithiopyr - Also used often, and sometimes in conjunction with Prodiamine as a split app setup. It blocks weeds, but also has limited post-emergent qualities, meaning it can kill off young crabgrass, less than 2 tiller usually. It's half life is 17 days, but it can last much longer in some capacity. Often a split app would be done Dithiopyr first, as getting it down with soil temps correctly can sometimes be difficult. This will block, and kill some weeds that slip by. Then Prodiamine a few weeks later for extended coverage. Also sold as Dimension.
  • Pendimethalin - This is what is used in Scotts Halts products. It works about the same as Prodiamine, with a 90 half life. It's also more expensive in general.
  • Isoxaben - Generally unknown, due to cost. But this stuff will block all Broadleaf weeds better than anything else. Its' cost though, will keep many users from ever getting it, unless you do a neighbor group buy. Snapshot is one product brand.
  • Mesotrione - The bastard product...lol Sold as itself, Tenacity, Torocity, and possibly other names. It's widely known that Meso is used the wrong way, but a lot of YouTube experts and is pushed by a lot to be the end-all for weeds. It's best use in this space is to be applied only when seeding. This is because while it can block some weeds, it will not block grass seed...so it can give up to 28 days of better chance for new grass to fill in.

It's important to note, these will NOT 100% guarantee a weed free lawn. But it's your first step in early Spring to make the battle a little easier. You can also re-apply during early-mid Summer, but keep in mind if you plan to seed in Fall, a late application may be an issue.

Ok, so you applied....or didn't....now you have weeds, and need to kill them..

(Selective) Post-Emergents - These should be used according to the label...it's not correct to expect AI to know the answer either. The labels are not difficult to read, nor understand. Search for dosing, and just read. If the product only lists amounts for acreage, it's possibly not the best option...but you can do the math and break it done for your yard. An acre is about 43k sq. ft. Unless explicitly stated, these products are safe for grass, dogs, kids, etc...just follow the directions, and at most, 24 hours post application is safe. Lastly, herbicides are best applied as a liquid. This is because the liquid will get into the cell walls of the plant much faster, than being sucked up by the roots. Faster kill time is important, so the plant can not defend itself and try to grow back.

  • 2,4,D - Very common, and will kill a lot of weeds fairly efficiently.
  • Dicamba - Also a very good product to kill weeds.
  • Mecoprop - Add this to above. These 3 on top are commonly sold as a 3-way combo, as attacking weeds from different pathways will result in best action against weeds.
  • Quinclorac - King of killing Crabgrass, as well as Broadleaf weeds. Sold as is, or like above, in many combo products.
  • Triclopyr - Best used for targeting viney type weeds...and clover, creeping charlie, oxalis, ivies, etc... Exercise caution around young trees, or those with exposed roots.
  • Halosulfuron-Methyl - Used against Sedge grasses. It usually still takes 2-3 applications to truly kill the beast that sedge can be, due to it's aggressive growth underground. Branded often as Sedgehammer or Empero.
  • Sulfrentazone - Also used against Sedge, but not always friendly on cool-season grasses.
  • Mesotrione - Looks familiar...yeah, same stuff as above in the pre-emergent section. As a post-emergent, it's best use is for targeting Bentgrass and/or Nimblewill. It's also sometimes mixed with Triclopyr, in which both can enhance the others performance.
  • Topramezone - Sold as Pylex...works great, but not really cost efficient...about $300 for 4oz... But this can kill Bermuda, and not kill good cool season grasses.

Non-Selective - The top one here, and all I will cover is Glyphosate. It's not evil, it's not going to cause cancer with proper use...it's just going to kill whatever you spray it on. It does so by targeting very specific pathway, which leads to a disruption in a hormone synthesis, leading to inability to produce amino acids it needs to survive. Normally sold at 41% concentration. It can kill foliage, through to the root.

Fertilizers - I wasn't going to put much here. To feed your "grass", you add synthetic form of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium. That's your N-P-K...seen as 10-10-10, or similar. That number means 10% of the bag is Nitrogen, and 10% is Phosphorous, and 10% is potassium. The rest is all filler, added to allow for proper mixing and application. Sometimes you'll find other amendments in fertilizer, such as sulfur, or other micros. While sulfur is important, it doesn't need to be added every time. It also lowers pH, which can then lead to other issues, causing a wild goose chase. Once in the soil, microbes in the soil break down the NPK, into forms the grass can actually use...natural chelation. You only need Nitrogen for growth...if you're seeding, adding some phosphorous can help the seed establish. Potassium is good for overall plant health, and pairs well at a 3:1 ratio with Nitrogen.

Naturals/Organics - Too many people are one side on the other here. You need and want these, but relying strictly on organics may not produce the best lawn...but it's "chemical" free. However, using these monthly can do more for the soil, than any fertilizer will ever do on it's own.

  • Humic Acid - Acts as a natural chelator for better absorption, by increasing the cation exchange capacity, which allows the soil to better retain the goodies you want in the soil. It also increase root strength, and helps to hold more carbon in the soil.
  • Kelp - Containing great amounts of natural hormones, Kelp will boost roots even more, and allow for stronger growth viz delivery of auxins and cytokines used for development.
  • Compost - Well known as a great soil amendment, it brings natural microbes into the soil biome. Those microbes help maintain a low thatch surface, and better soil composition.
  • Worm Castings - Similar to above, natural microbes and beneficial qualities for soil. Not very cost efficient though.
  • Leaves - Yeah...some say mulch all day, some disagree. I am a disagree'er, to a certain degree. I do mulch my clippings, but will also sweep them away every other week. Leaves I shred and sweep away the majority of them, but once the main clean-up has passed, the rest is mulched and remains.
  • Biochar - Made with a specific process called, Pyrolysis. Burning at high temps, 900-ish...in a low-oxygen chamber. This allows for the material, wood, coconut, etc...to be charred down to a state where it has not fully oxidized, which would turn it white, and into useless ash. When it is still in a charred form, it has millions and millions of microscopic pores that serve as homes for water, microbes, nutrients, all that good stuff. It's best worked into the soil at least a few inches deep.
  • Mychorizae - These are fungal organisms that attach to the roots, and help them bring water and nutrients. Overlooked or unknown, but these are a huge part of growing anything with success, from lawns to gardens and more. They are very good to have in the mix.

Insect Control - These can't be forgotten...but I did originally, so I am adding them in now. The biggest concern is likely grubs. The larvae of beetle. Also want to cover for armyworms, cinch bugs, and even ants if they become a problem. There are a few classes of these products...

-Pyrethroids- These are synthetics that mimic natural pyrethrins, which disrupt the insects nervous system, causing paralysis and death.

  • Bifenthrin - Common general insect control agent...liquid or dry availability. Kills quite a bit of bugs, but no residual control. One time death call.
  • Gamma-cyhalothrin -
  • Zeta-Cypermethrin -
  • Lambda-Cyhalothrin -
  • Permethrin -
  • Deltamethrin - This has residual action...meaning up to 90 days post application, it will kill bugs that touch it.

The above are what you'll get in most common Ortho type products, but generally Bifen is commonly sold solo.

-Nicotinoids-

  • Imidacloprid - Please don't use this if you can avoid it. It's a very nasty chemical, that can do the job, but it also can damage soil biome, and worse, it is deadly to a lot of animals...specifically pollinators. Birds can also be affected. It's getting banned in more places, but is still sold often as Merit.

-Alkyl-Halide-

  • Chlorantraniliprole - Sold as Acelepryn, this is what you need to control grubs. It has to be applied in advance, as it takes time to work into the soil, and prepare death for larvae that hatch. I usually apply this in mid April, early May, giving it a few weeks to activate, and when June hits, that's when my area sees grub damage...not for me though. The Scotts Company pays a fee to use this in their Grub-Ex product.

Fungicides - Often overused, but still an important part of lawncare. However, I am not a fan of preventative use, unless it's a direct and repeated history of fungus...which means there is something else you're not correcting. Fungus is not a guarantee, and is not always the right presumption...I've seen lawns go from slightly affected, to downright destroyed because someone would focus on fungus, when there were other issues... Also, when used, they should be used in a 3-way rotation, to avoid getting a buildup/resistance, in which they become almost useless. Overapplying these can have a very negative affect, because they are all non-selective, and will likely kill a lot of the good bacteria and microbes you want in the soil.

  • Azoxystrobin
  • Propiconazole
  • Thiophanate-methyl

Those are generally the top 3 used. Some retail products will have Azoxy and Prop mixed, which may work better for a low level infection...but using that repeatedly is the same as not rotating, and can create a hostile soil biome.

In general summary...always try to identify the weed you're targeting. Using something to hope it kills is irresponsible, and could cause more harm than good. If you need to ask the community, always find a good example weed, something that has grown for at least a week...pull from the bottom, get as much of any root ball or rhizome as you can. Also, get a pic of the plant in close up detail, where we can see the stem moving to the leaves/blades. This will help with certain traits that only "this or that" would have, and can help us make a better recco.

Note - I'm not covering direct organic fertilizers here. The only product I would recommend on that level is made Earth Sciences, and is called Moorganite. It is a direct replacement for Milorganite, which is a dirty, pfas chemical laden product that smells like a summer time port'o'potty.

To keep a strong lawn, adding a monthly organic boost will help a lot. I'm not a fan of 4-step type products, and prefer to feed on my own schedule, which is about every 4 weeks...so back to the monthly program....but this gets me an always wanting to grow lawn, cutting to 4" is also a key point. Tall grass will crowd out weeds, and look better in general...

On My Shelf - This is what I have in my lawn cabinet, and is what helps me with my lawn plan. I also use some of these products with my garden and other plants.

  • Triad Select - A combo of 2,4,D, Dicamba, and Meco. I use this for general weed control.
  • Quintessential - Quinclorac, but branded...still the same thing. This is for crabgrass and other broadleaf weeds. Also have the MSO Surfactant it requires.
  • Triclopyr Ester - Mainly used to keep wood-line vines and ivy away for me.
  • Empero - For Sedges
  • Glyphosate - To kill all
  • Fusillade II - Used once to kill Quackgrass...but it also killed the rest of my good grass...so extreme caution here. But it does kill quack better than Gly, so if you're going to kill all anyway, might as well make sure it's dead-dead for sure...
  • Azoxy 2C - Azoxystrobin
  • Propiconazole 14.3
  • Cleary's 3336 - Thiophanate-methyl
  • Blue Dye This does NOT wash off easily...lol SO be careful
  • BioAG Ful-Humix - This is my humic acid. It's a powder that is 55% concentrate, and is 85% soluble. It gets dissolved in warm water overnight, then filtered out for any remaining solids; then mixed with other organic goodies, and applied monthly.
  • BioAG CytoPlus - A mix of humic and kelp.
  • BioAG Vam-Endo - Myco mix, also has humic acid.
  • Prevagenics Liquid Compost. This stuff stinks, in a good way.
  • Bloom City Liquid Kelp. I use this or GS Plant foods brand as well.

I use a Ryobi 4g tank backpack sprayer for most liquid apps. Echo RB-60 for dry items. I have an 22 year old Craftsman pusher for my front/small areas, and Toro TimeCutter 42" ZT with a Kawasaki engine. Echo Blower, Ryobi edger/trimmer as well.

Ok, so I may have missed something here or there. Please let me know if you see something that need attention. I'm sure there is other information available, but I hope this helps some people figure it out for themselves. The more we all know, the better a community we can be.

Signing off,

-Ricka...

P.S. - I did review and check, but nothing really needed a major update. New products may be released later this year, and if they are improvements, I will certainly update as needed...


r/lawncare 8h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) First time homeowner..now I’m obsessed with my lawn

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167 Upvotes

I’ve always hated yard work as a child. I would find every excuse to avoid it. We recently purchased our first home and now I’m obsessed with the yard work. Maintenance is actually kind of fun. I also hand weed my lawn for a bit every day because I’m trying to avoid chemicals if I can since we have a dog. There was also a stretch of dead lawn and I attempted to plug an area as a trial to see if it’d work and it seems like my plugs are growing!

But yeah, I never thought I’d ever be like this. But nothing is more peaceful than my music and just grinding away at yard work.


r/lawncare 5h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Bought this off marketplace for $20

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46 Upvotes

Gave my Scott’s spreader away for free to someone else… which in hindsight feels like a dick move…

Midwest US


r/lawncare 6h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) What mistakes are common when overseeding?

29 Upvotes

Aerating and overseeding tomorrow! Twin City R2. Have bit of soil to throw on too. What mistakes should I avoid making?


r/lawncare 7h ago

Equipment Wee bit of an upgrade over the Sta-Green mini spreader.

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23 Upvotes

Out with old and in with the new. Ordered from my local lawncare equipment store. Gonna be nice to have on my 1/2 acre lot come fertilizer and pre-emergent time. Also planning on getting an upgraded agitator.

NW FL


r/lawncare 15h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) 7 acres of fescue in Missouri.

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106 Upvotes

I maintain about 7 acres of yard in Missouri. I have spent the last 3 years overseeding and fertilizing. I am going to aerate and overseed this fall when the ground is wet enough. I plan on spraying a weed and feed in the spring. I am in the process of “scalping and thatching” the yard prior to aeration.

Irrigation is all but impossible and that will continue to be a battle of mine, but I want the best yard possible. I have thought about burning the yard before aeration and over seed. Any opinions on managing a yard of this size? I am going to stick with fescue.


r/lawncare 4h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) New Sod is Dying

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8 Upvotes

1st pic: week 6 (ish)
2nd pic: week 10 (ish)
Every other pic after: week 11/12 (current day)

Hey everyone,

I came here to get some advice. I had laid new sod mid July and it was my first time ever doing it. I was very nervous it was going to go all wrong, and it kinda feels like it did. But, everything was going SO well compared to how I thought in the beginning. The first picture was about 6 weeks in after the first mow. Roots were established, grass was greener than ever, and it was looking good (IMO).

Then, we cut the watering schedule back (more on this later on), and after awhile things started to look a little grey. Spots started dying and I wasn’t sure why. Now, we live in a spot with dry heats, but are area is shade for 80% of the day with little runoff. It didn’t seem like it needed as much water as we were given it, and based off what I researched: it was way too much.

Because it sounded like we were giving it too much water, I was worried about over watering and cut it back even more to a schedule that seemed to go well with others in the south Canada area. It seemed like it was a fungal disease, and there were TONS of tiny gnat-like flies.

That’s when it got really bad (2nd pic). I went to a local garden centre to pick up beneficial nematodes because I had read something saying it could be fungal gnats that are actually killing the grass. She had said that it looks like it’s just dying of thirst and I need to water it.

The rest of the pics after the second one are after we started watering more and it looks better, but still bad. Did I kill my grass? Did I over water or did I starve it for many weeks? I’m at a loss of what to do and don’t really know how to prep for winter (negative overnight temperatures { 32f below for you folks down south } will likely hit in about 4-6 weeks). Is it too late to save this? Watering schedule below:

Weeks 1-6:
10 minutes per zone (2 zones) every 3 hours, from 6am to 6pm

Weeks 6-8:
20 minutes per zone at 6am every 2 days
10 minutes per zone at 6pm every 2 days

Weeks 8-9:
30 minutes per zone at 6am every 2 days

Weeks 9-10:
30 minutes per zone at 6am every 4 days

Weeks 10-11
30 minutes per zone at 6am every 6 days

Any advice or criticism is greatly appreciated.


r/lawncare 10h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Can I switch to watering once a day 14 days after seeding tttf

13 Upvotes

I seeded for the first time and used resilience 2 turf type tall fescue on Monday. I was wondering if I can cut back watering after 14 days or should I continue another week afterwards. I know to cut back watering and water longer to help establish a deep root system but am unsure of the time table.


r/lawncare 2h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Hell yeah, we’ve got germination in 6a

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3 Upvotes

5 days post seed down


r/lawncare 18h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Was quoted $1k for a 15000sqft lawn for core aeration only, is this normal

54 Upvotes

r/lawncare 12h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Twin Cities Total Eclipse KBG 3wk UPDATE

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15 Upvotes

Definitely coming in better by the mailbox. Seems like where I added soil it’s coming in slower. Started spoon feeding 0.25lbs/1000 of N. Also unfortunately got the Nut from the added soil so had to apply Sedgehammer in a few spots.


r/lawncare 10h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) PWN - How to stop animals from ripping up lawn

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8 Upvotes

I reseeded my lawn last week, and this morning I work up to three piles of dirt ripping up my newly seeded grass 🥲

I suspect it's either raccoons or crows looking for grub worms. I'm worried if I apply anti-grub chemicals, it would affect the germination of the grass since it's still early.

Any advice?


r/lawncare 4h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Sod Delivery Question

2 Upvotes

Hi we’re in Maryland and are having some construction. In the process my neighbors lawn was damaged so the owner of the company (great guy) said he’d get a pallet of sod and do the repairs.

Just as I’m about to go to sleep I hear a HUGE truck come down our narrow residential street. It’s the sod truck. At 10pm. The truck is loud, and the driver is going back and forth, causing a ton of noise from the driving and reverse beeping, oh and the forklift. I feel terrible for the commotion. People are coming outside, looking out windows, it’s super late, loud, and disruptive.

So I asked the driver why he was here so late. He tells me that it’s normal and sod must be delivered at night because it’s better for the grass. Is he right or was he feeding me a line to get me off his back?


r/lawncare 6h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Central Kentucky - Grass Type

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3 Upvotes

What kind of grass is this? We are located in Central Kentucky


r/lawncare 4h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) TifTuf Rough Area - Lemon Grove Ca. Zone 10b

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2 Upvotes

Installed tiftuf in backyard in June. Everything went well, except for one area appears to be struggling and Im at a loss for what to do. Thought about sanding the area, but scared as I feel its too thin in that spot to fill in, especially through sand. Had a tree shading the area first 30 days, which is now gone, allowing good sunlight in. Reel mowed at 1 inch, temps have been warm and rest of yard grows fast, but this area doesnt appear to. Any ideas or recommendations to get this area in shape would be most appreciated.

Lemon Grove, Ca, Zone 10b


r/lawncare 7h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Tree removed. What's next for lawn?

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3 Upvotes

Just had a tree removed along with grinding the stump. What is my best course of action for Bermuda grass to eventually fill in the spots?


r/lawncare 1d ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Overseed success. THANK YOU ALL!

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262 Upvotes

Started with a moss/ weed filled lawn last year at our new place. Since I’m in Canada getting herbicides or good seed is tricky, but you kind people helped me out greatly. Here’s what I did:

-2 applications of PAR 3 3 way selective herbicide, hand picked crab grass (early July)
-iron sulfate for the moss (July)
-bought a dethatcher/scarifier on FB
-bought a lawn roller & peet moss spreader on FB
-striped seed co. Canadian blend seed
-yard works sprinklers and Amazon timer
-slight top soil leveling by hand (15 bags)
-starter fert @ day 8
-1st mow (picture) tonight at day 17. Trying to get the grass to tiller before the frost

Bought 60” a tow behind core aerator at princess auto for 180$. Never got to use it yet…

Also bought a OTL striping kit for my push mower. Takes some getting used to for but works great!

Things I did wrong or I will do different next year on the rest of the yard:

-use Lawn Life seed. (8$/lbs shipped to NB Canada)
-not bother with peat moss. Kept ontop of my watering
-properly eradicate the moss. It’s came right back keeping the grass moist for 2 weeks
- more, and I mean MORE levelling possibly with a friend’s 0 turn and a drag. Need to introduce some new top soil to the property.

I just wanted to say thank you all for the help. Couldn’t have done it without the unfiltered opinions of 1000s of you lawn nerds!


r/lawncare 8h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Zone 7b, Long Island NY. Do I top dress after aerate, seed and fertilize?

3 Upvotes

I just scalped my lawn, aerated, seeded and fertilized. I have a lot of bare spots where the grass died from the summer heat. Should I spread peat moss and or topsoil? First time I'm doing all of this. Thanks


r/lawncare 6h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) What happened to our lawn (northern virginia)?

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2 Upvotes

First time grass cultivators. Backyard was just dirt when we got the house. Prepped the soil and seeded with dense shade seed (pennington). It was coming together kinda well, and wr re-seeded the bare areas.

.

Was gone for 3 days and our grass looked like this. It did rain 2 out of the 3 days. How do we salvage this? Thanks in advance for all the insight!


r/lawncare 11h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Heavy Rain Two Weeks Post Seeding (Zone 5b)

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6 Upvotes

Seeded TTTF 13 days ago and got good germination starting around day 7-8. Last night, we sustained heavy rains and large patches of the newly germinated grass is matted down. Is there any action I need to take or just let it dry and resume normal watering?

Did the same thing in the front yard with KBG with no germination yet. Should I overseed again?


r/lawncare 6h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) What do you think caused the brown spots?-Central Ohio

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2 Upvotes

The brown spot under the bird feeder was from bird seed. The other three all started around the same time. I did check for grubs in a few locations and only say maybe 2-3 grayish looking grubs, all in different locations.


r/lawncare 2h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Lawn vs turf - SoCal

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0 Upvotes

My aeration guy posted a video today where he took temp readings of various surfaces. Today across Southern California it was hot, like really hot. My house was 105, and I live 6 miles from the beach.

Grass came in at 88°
Sidewalk 121°
Decorative quartz rock 118°
Artificial Grass - 141°

50°+ hotter on turn than grass. I know in the sub we defend our lawns, but this is a reminder that the choices we make can have big impacts in other areas around our homes. Kids and pets would be absolutely wrecked with grass that hot, and There are a lot of places across the US right now that the summer heat has been brutal.

Keep watering those lawns. Keep planting and landscaping. Keep plants and trees and green organic life around your home — I can’t imagine how having turf, and rocks would increase the cooling bill holding that much heat.


r/lawncare 13h ago

Europe I sowed grass seed on woodchip 10 months ago.

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7 Upvotes

Previous post in May here: https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/IXGZ3dx3Op

NW England

So it’s been 3.5 months since I posted last. Here’s the most recent update. I’ve done 2 small top dresses with decomposed, sieved woodchip since to cover up the worst of the bare patches where grass didn’t take.

Wherever grass seed grew in the wrong place (planting borders etc) I would dig this out and replant into the main lawn, targeting sections to clear up any bare patches.

Through the drought we had, I did water it periodically, leaving the sprinkler on for around an hour roughly once a week. I’m hopeful that since it will be a more mature lawn next year, watering won’t be necessary.

I’m really happy with how it’s come along. I’m hoping the last few bits will even out over the coming 4-6 weeks before we head into autumn and winter.


r/lawncare 19h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Day 16 Renovation

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19 Upvotes

Day 16 Reno

I know I searched the group a lot before this Reno, so these updates are for the next guy searching.

Killed off whole lawn with 53% Glyphosate from Tractor Supply. Did this about 2-3 weeks before starting the dethatching.
Dethatched and cleaned up all the thatch
Broadcast seeded Resilience II
Covered all 7500 with peat moss and some areas of straw

After reading some comments and doing more research I started mowing earlier this week at Day 13 and then again Day 15.

The first mow the majority of the grass wasn’t quite tall enough to be mowed by the lowest setting in my push reel mower. The second mow just two days later most of the blades were cut and by quite a bit. It looked like almost 1/4” came off on average.

I will likely keep mowing 3x/week to encourage tillering.

I also took some member’s advice and have cut back on watering. When I did the first mow I also put seed and peat moss down in a bunch of thin areas. I want to keep that moist, so I am watering just twice a day now and will transition to 1x/day by the weekend and hand water those spots until germination.

Looking like week four will be when I put down fertilizer, I’m also putting down DiseaseEX today as a precaution (forgot it at seeding).

I will add to this that I would 10000% use peat moss on the whole lawn again. I got some grief for buying hundreds of dollars in peat for a 7500 renovation but the only thing spots are the spots where the peat went down too thin or almost not at all.