Lawn Care

[SKIQUATTRO]

My lawn is like concrete from years of being run on by kids and never being aerated. I am aerating on Monday and leaving the plugs/breaking them up. what is the time line (sequence) for applying Lime, Fertilizer, Seed? and what types/brands are suggested? I am on Long Island. I did a DIY Soil test and it appears to be fairly neuttral....

thanks!

 

[noski]

If your lawn soil tests neutral I don't think you need lime. However, if you have more mossy stuff than real grass, lime can help. Lime is for correcting a problem, not for preventing one. Ideally you would do your heavy duty fertilizing in the fall after you have raked really well. You should only fertilize lightly in spring- don't overdo it. I don't really know too much more than that. You couldn't tell I know anything at all by looking at my lawn!

 

[bigbog]

all I've heard about the bugs/larva is...

Had Cynche(sp?) bug larva that just ate up the roots of very outer corner of front yard last year.. I heard that applying either spray or dusting in Fall(as larva first appear) is the best time of year to attack them....I did...we shall see. On the gut level, I'd like to do some additional saturation with something this Spring...IF that won't hurt.

 

[Paul]

If your pH is neutral, and you've never applied it before, you most likely won't need it. If, however, you want to put it down anyway to maintain pH, now is as good a time as any. Best to do right before a rain (Even the pelletized stuff) Use about 10# per 100sq ft to maintain neutral pH.
A spring fertilizer should be applied when the Forsythea (yeah, I can't spel gud) are in full bloom. Like noski said, don't go overboard with it. Seeding you can do when the ground temp is 60-65 F You should probably wait until early-mid May. If you plan on seeding, don't use a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer. If you had crabgrass issues last year and before, use the killer, but cover areas you intend on seeding with a tarp when you put it down.
I also put Milky Spore down after the ground has completely thawed. 2 apps a year for 2 years then it lasts for 10 years. That helps prevent grubs.

 

[ckofer]

Jeezum, we've still got snow.

I've rented an overseeder a few years and that did wonders. Last year I used a pre-emptive crabgrass preventer which worked well.

 

[twinplanx]

Jeezum, we've still got snow.

Wait ...Whats that? ... Oh hello it's the voice of reason.

 

[drjeff]

My lawn is like concrete from years of being run on by kids and never being aerated. I am aerating on Monday and leaving the plugs/breaking them up. what is the time line (sequence) for applying Lime, Fertilizer, Seed? and what types/brands are suggested? I am on Long Island. I did a DIY Soil test and it appears to be fairly neuttral....

thanks!

The guy that I use for my fertilizing/aerating/etc was at my house last week and recommended holding off on the aerating/overseeding until fall. Reason being is that by the time that the soil temp reaches the mid 60's which is best for seed germination, the typical number of weeks between then and the summer heat isn't long enough to promote really good, deep root formation of the new grass, and even with watering during the summer I'd likely see a much higher "failure" rate of the new seed than if the aerating/overseeding is done early fall.

 

[tree_skier]

Lawn???? I think that is somewhere under the 3 + feet of snow in the open spaces around my house.

 

[Plowboy]

Some nice compost raked in after aerating would help.

I think my lawn is over aerated ( 2 sons that race motocross). Oh yea, I don't have a lawn anymore, 3 big berms, some whoops and 40' table top.

 

[tree_skier]

Some nice compost raked in after aerating would help.

I think my lawn is over aerated ( 2 sons that race motocross). Oh yea, I don't have a lawn anymore, 3 big berms, some whoops and 40' table top.

Nice, my son & daughter would like that also. They just have some trails and i have to take them to a friends track which they don't get on as much as they want.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

the DIY self soil test color was a light green color

 

[Terry]

I have not seen my lawn since nov. It will still be a while because there is still at least 2 feet of snow on it. When it does finally melt, I just rake it and start mowing when it decides to grow. Other than that I do nothing to it. I have enough to do without creating more work with the lawn.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

thought there'd be some landscapers on here..

 

[skijay]

I had mine done by Scott's but decided to try it myself again this season. I limed at the end of March and I bought the Scott's 4 step program this season. I applied Step 1 Thursday night before Friday's rain.

As for liming, I have read my invoices and they applied 10lbs per 1000 square feet. I did the same this year and went heavier under the pine trees and by the edge of the road where the road salt ends up in the yard (I raked some off). I never saw a soil analysis that they do. I also got a bonus last season. I received a free lime treatment on my newly poured driveway. In all of my years of doing lawn treatments I have managed to avoid fertilizing and liming the the driveway.

I will also apply my own grub control. I figured I am going to be saving approximately $200 by doing my lawn treatments myself. It only takes me 15 minutes to apply the stuff on the lawn.

 

[Terry]

I still have not seen my lawn! A little mud in the driveway, but thats it. It's still winter here.