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Burns

Burns

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Palum said:
So I'm now coming to the end of year two of my lawn restoration. It wasn't at disaster level yet but a few problems, bug damage, dead spots, weeds like nutsedge that weren't controlled by the lawn company, shitty cheap contractor grass strains, bad irrigation, compacted soil, etc. When I bought it they had a shitty old sprinkler controller which meant the irrigated area was watered daily. Consequently the roots were very shallow.

Last year I had the lawn chemical people do plug aeration and overseed in the fall. One back area I had regraded and hydroseeded. The overseeding did nothing noteworthy, the hydroseeding had tons of weeds but thinned out a lot the first winter. Thankfully they did get lime every year so pH wasn't terrible.

This year I treated got cinch bugs earlier (late April) and had basically zero bug damage finally. I tried Scott's seed in the spring in to patch a few areas (it was in sale), and it was very spotty. I've also slowly been acquiring equipment to eventually wind down the chemical service that doesn't do a great job for the price.

I decided one last hurrah before I consider more drastic measures. I detached the whole yard, spread some 50/50 in a few areas where the soil was a bit lacking nutrients and then I over/reseeded the lawn with Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra seed. I covered any bare area with straw topcoat.

The new seed is coming in very well, so I think they lawn is going to actually bounce back. My plan is to dethatch, aerate and overseed with BBU every year for a few more years and let the shitty 30 year old shallow root strains get outcompeted. I know my side yard was almost 100% fine fescue, so I'm hoping the KBG will repair minor bare spots on it's own.

Assuming everything comes in strong next spring, I'll add a soil conditioner treatment and do it all again, will be trying moss killer in a few shady areas as well.

Really sucks to have to do all this but I'm hoping if I can get it recovered nicely I can cut back on treatment cycle once the lawn is healthy and just do a basic 4+bug treatment cycle and drop the lawn service to irrigation open and close. Bleh.
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Thanks for the reminder of why I absolutely fucking hate the billion dollar lawn industry that spends millions convincing people they need to do all this shit. A well run homeowners association has is positives, but virtually locking you into spending so much on the lawn treadmill really sucks.

The best thing about living in Arizona was being able to have a sand and cactus front yard.
 
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ToeMissile

ToeMissile

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Burns said:
Thanks for the reminder of why I absolutely fucking hate the billion dollar lawn industry that spends millions convincing people they need to do all this shit. A well run homeowners association has is positives, but virtually locking you into spending so much on the lawn treadmill really sucks.

The best thing about living in Arizona was being able to have a sand and cactus front yard.
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We removed all the grass from the front of the house and just keep up the back for the kids
 
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Palum

Palum

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Burns said:
Thanks for the reminder of why I absolutely fucking hate the billion dollar lawn industry that spends millions convincing people they need to do all this shit. A well run homeowners association has is positives, but virtually locking you into spending so much on the lawn treadmill really sucks.

The best thing about living in Arizona was being able to have a sand and cactus front yard.
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There's something to that but I like a well balanced yard and grass. I'm slowly removing some areas and replacing them with utility while keeping the overall size. Just takes a while.
 
Gator

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My neighbor across the street is obsessed with his grass but he's retired and that's his thing. I have St. Augustine grass which hates shade and having large oaks in my front yard is a losing battle. I've been saying for years that I would rent a trencher and fix my irrigation system but still haven't. Now that everything is so expensive it the least of my worries. At least I do not have to deal with the hassle it seems you guys have in the colder states. When I went to Arizona I thought it was cool that no one really had grass and just rocks and sand.

Falstaff said:
We had termites at my old house. As it was explained to me, termites have to leave your house and return to the colony so they drilled all around my house every 3-6 feet and pump chemicals into the ground. Basically acts as a barrier. Nothing can get past it and nothing inside can get out, so after a year or two they will all die. Worked for us. Cost about $1500 or so if I remember, maybe less. But this was 10 years ago so I’m sure it double that now.
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It depends on what type of termites he has. Some of them fly so a ground barrier would be pointless. Learning what type would help narrow down a treatment. For example, Florida has several types that are subterranean or flying. I've heard horror stories of the flying ones swarming and taking over someones roof only to be treated and return a year later. All the while they skip over the wooden shed in the yard and other houses in the neighborhood.
 
Palum

Palum

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Gator said:
My neighbor across the street is obsessed with his grass but he's retired and that's his thing. I have St. Augustine grass which hates shade and having large oaks in my front yard is a losing battle. I've been saying for years that I would rent a trencher and fix my irrigation system but still haven't. Now that everything is so expensive it the least of my worries. At least I do not have to deal with the hassle it seems you guys have in the colder states. When I went to Arizona I thought it was cool that no one really had grass and just rocks and sand.


It depends on what type of termites he has. Some of them fly so a ground barrier would be pointless. Learning what type would help narrow down a treatment. For example, Florida has several types that are subterranean or flying. I've heard horror stories of the flying ones swarming and taking over someones roof only to be treated and return a year later. All the while they skip over the wooden shed in the yard and other houses in the neighborhood.
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Xeriscaping is interesting. I actually like it as well, but it fits the local flora. Every time I've seen this try and be pulled off elsewhere it just looks tacky and dumb with a few thousand square feet of gravel and a couple shrubs in mulch.
 
BrutulTM

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Lawns are ridiculous to me. I have a pretty big yard but it's just native grass with various forbs and whatever growing in it. I have to mow it a few times in the spring but then I let it turn brown as the summer goes on. Never gets watered aside from the rain. I like walking on a perfect lawn as much as the next guy, but the amount of water and chemicals and shit that it takes to keep up is just crazy. There's nothing natural about a 3" tall grass monoculture that stays green year round. There's no way to have healthy soil in that situation which is why it takes so many chemicals to keep up.

Has anyone tried a polyculture lawn? Seems like that could really cut down on your need for chemicals even though the mowing is still bad for the soil especially if you bag the lawn clippings. Or an artificial turf lawn? I've heard those have gotten pretty good but are very expensive.
 
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C

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I've never put any chemicals in my lawns (MA, GA, CA). Just water and mow. They're not perfect, but they're green and look uniform from more than 10 ft away. Is all the extra work chasing the last 10%?
 
Daidraco

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It all depends on how much actual effort and money you want to spend on your lawn. Havent kept up with the thread much as to where you are living, just noticed the post and wanted to point out to you that sod can be ordered that matches your particular geographic range, heat index and moisture content. Im not some kind of lawn official or anything, but I believe if you prep the ground by tilling in Peat Moss w/additional moisture pellets and then get a Sod with a peat moss mix in its base and a prairie grass like Buffalo Grass - you should have a yard that looks good through the year with "little" maintenance.

This of course hinges on the size of your yard and of course, the fact that you dont also live in the middle of the desert where a yard isnt welcome in the first place.
 
Palum

Palum

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Captain Suave said:
I've never put any chemicals in my lawns (MA, GA, CA). Just water and mow. They're not perfect, but they're green and look uniform from more than 10 ft away. Is all the extra work chasing the last 10%?
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Well basically it's more externalities in my case. Too many critters and very aggressive flora. I can not treat for grubs or cinch bugs, but they cause damage and then skunks and moles move in to eat them. It's cheaper to pay $100/yr than to get pest control and deal with that shit.

I can not treat for weeds, then let the lawn look like ass and loose curb appeal and property value, or I can spend $100/yr.

Basically once you get the lawn well balanced and healthy, it takes maybe $200/10k sq feet a year in treatments and looks great. Or you can let it all go and deal with the woodland critters, voles and moles digging and ruining the soil, etc. Call a guy out to trap a skunk stuck under a porch for $600, etc.

Ornamental turf grass keeps out poison ivy/oak, keeps pollen from going nuts, keeps critters out, trees from germinating and reclaiming the yard, etc.
 
Goatface

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went to a yard sale last week, guy had a huge front yard with the thickest zoysia grass i have ever walked on. it felt like was walking on a foam cushions. the owner said he like it, but was a pita to mow. funny thing, he bought the house in early 2010's, said months after they moved in and everything, the previous owners called wanting to come and get a few sections of the lawn.
 
Dandai

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Goatface said:
went to a yard sale last week, guy had a huge front yard with the thickest zoysia grass i have ever walked on. it felt like was walking on a foam cushions. the owner said he like it, but was a pita to mow. funny thing, he bought the house in early 2010's, said months after they moved in and everything, the previous owners called wanting to come and get a few sections of the lawn.
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My understanding is Zoysia is basically impossible to grow from seed, but you can have a ton of success using plugs/sod.
 
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Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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Burns said:
Thanks for the reminder of why I absolutely fucking hate the billion dollar lawn industry that spends millions convincing people they need to do all this shit. A well run homeowners association has is positives, but virtually locking you into spending so much on the lawn treadmill really sucks.

The best thing about living in Arizona was being able to have a sand and cactus front yard.
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no HOA no subdivision, I am on an acre and a half of decorative stone. Once a year I pay a company to spray weed killer on the entire property with a year bond if anything grows back and it's worth every cent.
 
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lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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Kajiimagi said:
no HOA no subdivision, I am on an acre and a half of decorative stone. Once a year I pay a company to spray weed killer on the entire property with a year bond if anything grows back and it's worth every cent.
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That sounds absolutely horrible. No lawn? No gardens? Flowers? Vegetables? Trees that grow fruit? Compost pile? Chickens? Nothing green? Just stone? I'm guessing you don't spend a lot of time outdoors. I love having multiple seating areas. Do I want to sit in the lawn tonight? Or on the stone terrace? Or on the deck? Or perhaps I want to walk in the woods on the trail I've made.

Covering your property with stone and spraying it so nothing grows sounds just terrible. Why do you like it? Just because of low maintenance, or is there something else?
 
Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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lurkingdirk said:
That sounds absolutely horrible. No lawn? No gardens? Flowers? Vegetables? Trees that grow fruit? Compost pile? Chickens? Nothing green? Just stone? I'm guessing you don't spend a lot of time outdoors. I love having multiple seating areas. Do I want to sit in the lawn tonight? Or on the stone terrace? Or on the deck? Or perhaps I want to walk in the woods on the trail I've made.

Covering your property with stone and spraying it so nothing grows sounds just terrible. Why do you like it? Just because of low maintenance, or is there something else?
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No maintenance and my worsening back. I had 2 lawnmowers and 2 weed wackers when we left the south and moved to NV. I gave them all away to our moving guys as I was done with fucking with a yard. Also here in the middle of the mojave desert, it's harder to GROW that leave native. I only spray to kill as only thing that will take is the weed that eventually becomes tumbleweeds.
 
lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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Kajiimagi said:
No maintenance and my worsening back. I had 2 lawnmowers and 2 weed wackers when we left the south and moved to NV. I gave them all away to our moving guys as I was done with fucking with a yard. Also here in the middle of the mojave desert, it's harder to GROW that leave native. I only spray to kill as only thing that will take is the weed that eventually becomes tumbleweeds.
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Living in the desert that makes total sense. Sorry, I hadn't even considered that as a possibility. I've never really lived in a desert. It is ridiculous that people living in deserts have lush, green lawns.
 
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Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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lurkingdirk said:
Living in the desert that makes total sense. Sorry, I hadn't even considered that as a possibility. I've never really lived in a desert. It is ridiculous that people living in deserts have lush, green lawns.
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no biggie. Whomever I originally replied to said AZ. Ironically the place had lush grass in the back, a whole garden , bushes, multiple bushes, and a lot of trees. Then it sat empty for 2 years and everything died. I spent as much getting that dead shit out and I did putting the stone in.
 
lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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Kajiimagi said:
no biggie. Whomever I originally replied to said AZ. Ironically the place had lush grass in the back, a whole garden , bushes, multiple bushes, and a lot of trees. Then it sat empty for 2 years and everything died. I spent as much getting that dead shit out and I did putting the stone in.
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What are you having to spray for? I mean, what is growing in the desert between your rocks? I would think it would be minimal. Do you have a lot of trees that are dropping seeds/keys/whatever?
 
Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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lurkingdirk said:
What are you having to spray for? I mean, what is growing in the desert between your rocks? I would think it would be minimal. Do you have a lot of trees that are dropping seeds/keys/whatever?
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My next door neighbor just had theirs removed or I would take a pic. I don't know what it's called but it's a bush that gets GIGANTIC and thick with needles like rose bushes, and live 2-3 years then die and become tumbleweeds. Also in the spring we typically get some rain and everything (weedwise) sprouts. Whatever they are , they are hardy enough to grow in the rocks. I also have a patch of 'astroturf' - fake grass in my backyard in the sitting area and the weeks will even grow in it, so it gets sprayed as well.
 
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lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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Kajiimagi said:
My next door neighbor just had theirs removed or I would take a pic. I don't know what it's called but it's a bush that gets GIGANTIC and thick with needles like rose bushes, and live 2-3 years then die and become tumbleweeds. Also in the spring we typically get some rain and everything (weedwise) sprouts. Whatever they are , they are hardy enough to grow in the rocks. I also have a patch of 'astroturf' - fake grass in my backyard in the sitting area and the weeks will even grow in it, so it gets sprayed as well.
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Would be shitty if you had kids, but the no maintenance has to be nice. But wouldn't tumbleweeds be all western and romantic? Couldn't you stand in your cowboy boots with your revolver and turn your wife on with tumbleweeds blowing around behind you?
 
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Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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lurkingdirk said:
Would be shitty if you had kids, but the no maintenance has to be nice. But wouldn't tumbleweeds be all western and romantic? Couldn't you stand in your cowboy boots with your revolver and turn your wife on with tumbleweeds blowing around behind you?
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how to say you don't have experience with tumbleweeds without saying it. Now I'm going to have to find a lot and take pictures.....
 
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