Although not completely healed from the brown spot (or whatever fungus it was)...that brush-fire looking part of my yard has recovered nicely. Green is creeping back in and hopefully it will be back to normal when spring time rolls back around. I did three applications about 2 or 3 weeks apart each time. At first it didn't look like anything was happening, but after the last application, I could really notice a different. I just put down some Scotts Winterguard fertilizer as well.

I was really worried I was going to have to re-seed/re-sod that portion of the lawn. Phew.

10/23/2013 12:51:49 PM

Survived the frost thanks to the plastic. I did go ahead and harvest all the rest of my bell peppers the day before the first frost just to be safe. I was waiting on them to turn colors, but I figured I better go ahead and grab them before I lost them.

10/28/2013 9:18:13 AM

What do you guys recommend for pre-emergent weed control?

Also, know of anything that will kill briars? I've tried weed & grass killer, which only temporary kills the stems. I've found lots of recommendations for crossbow but haven't seen it available locally.

1/12/2014 5:38:11 PM

I use Hi-Yield brand pre-emergent with crabgrass prevention. That's the brand that SuperSod at the farmers market carries, and it's been pretty good so far. Really good reviews online as well. Price is a lot cheaper than what you'll find at Lowe's, HD, etc.

And given our climate here in NC, make sure to start EARLY. I apply mid-Feb and again mid-March. If the weeds germinate at all, pre-emergents are useless.

[Edited on January 13, 2014 at 9:08 AM. Reason : .]

1/13/2014 9:06:11 AM

and remember that the weeds around the edges of concrete will germinate first because the sun warms the concrete.

1/13/2014 9:14:10 AM

^^thanks. do you know if they have a liquid form?

1/13/2014 1:07:28 PM

What's the next step for lawn care at this time of the year? I put down my winter fertilizer a couple months ago. The yard seems to be holding up pretty good over the winter. It is wearing down a bit where the dogs likes to run around, but that's pretty much unavoidable...the Bermuda is doing much better than the Centipede.

Can/should I do a bit of re-seeding in the thin areas? When is the best time to do that (it gets a little warmer earlier down here in Charleston)?

1/13/2014 2:14:19 PM

If it were me, I'd seed bare areas, though bermuda should fill them in over time.

I believe bermuda comes out of dormancy in the mid-50s to 60s (soil temperature). So whenever the day time temperatures are upper 60s and 70s is a good time (and night temperatures aren't terribly cold, e.g. <45-50)

[Edited on January 13, 2014 at 4:35 PM. Reason : .]

1/13/2014 4:35:16 PM

If you have a warm-season grass like bermuda that goes dormant, then there's no reason to fertilize in the winter. For an established lawn, now is the time to zap any weeds with a post-emergent weed killer (round-up, etc.) and then in mid-Feb put down a pre-emergent weed control with crabgrass preventer. In my opinion, pre-emergent is the biggest difference maker when it comes to establishing a great lawn over the course of a few years.

However, if you're going to be seeding anything, don't use a pre-emergent in that area b/c it will prevent the grass from germinating as well.

Also, if you're dealing with Bermuda, you'd probably be better off sodding those bare areas later in the spring instead of trying to seed Bermuda.

1/13/2014 4:52:22 PM

how can i get rid of bahia? my yard is mostly centipede with a large portion of the back yard being bermuda. bahia is a bitch to mow.

also, you're saying it's ok for me to go around the yard with a pump sprayer of glyphosate and hit any live weeds this time of year? it won't result in brown patches? (i don't doubt you, i just want to make sure before i go fuck my shit up )

[Edited on January 13, 2014 at 6:18 PM. Reason : fd]

1/13/2014 6:15:59 PM

^I only do spot treatments of green winter weeds, so if there is damage it's minimal. People have different views on spraying glyphosphate on dormant turfgrass. Some people swear you can spray the whole damn yard and not damage the turf, as long as it it completely dormant. Others say it's still risky so only to spot-treat. I do know that the glyphosphate doesn't stay in the soil, it works through the leaves, so theoretically it should have zero effect on dormant plants.

With our crazy climate in Central NC, I don't trust how dormant my bermuda is or when it's going to start to green up, so I only spot-treat. Any voids left by the dead weeds get filled in by summertime (the pre-emergent keeps new weeds from popping up in their place in the spring before the bermuda greens up.) I'm still fighting an uphill battle against weeds, previous owner let the lawn go to shit and a massive broadleaf weed problem.

I don't have any real experience with Centipede though, sorry.

1/14/2014 9:55:31 AM

I believe I will be a more regular visitor here. I just bought a house with a very empty, sparsely maintained lawn, so that is all coming out for garden beds, a chicken coop and run, and fruit trees and vines. Can't wait.

1/26/2014 1:51:49 PM

Tore up a the overgrown backyard at the house we bought last fall. Seeded rye and fescue in October. It came in a lot better than the last picture shows, but I haven't taken another one.








Apparently I don't know how to add pictures from my gallery...

[Edited on January 30, 2014 at 11:03 AM. Reason : .]

1/30/2014 11:01:42 AM

1/30/2014 12:50:51 PM

So we have a new house and the backyard has some spots, mainly around the bushes/trees that are muddy as hell and of course our dogs love to run around in there and track in a bunch of mud if we don't clean their paws. Anyone have some suggestions for taking care of that problem? I was thinking putting down mulch and some sort of barrier to keep it contained to those areas and not out in my grass. Wasn't sure if there was something that would work better, I have never really had to take care of a lawn before so I am pretty clueless.

2/10/2014 5:57:16 PM

What do you guys use to get rid of moles? I would need something that isn't going to kill my dog if he gets into it by accident

2/19/2014 1:15:47 AM

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200310839_200310839?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Outdoors-_-Pest%20Control-_-168907&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=168907&gclid=CLPSi4v017wCFQHNOgodYSYA9w

these things work

2/19/2014 4:46:08 AM

what soil temp am i looking for to put down pre-emergent?

i got this stuff: http://www.scotts.com/smg/goprod/halts-crabgrass-preventer/prod90026/

2/22/2014 8:27:58 PM

^The pre-emergents all treat the soil and leave a lasting "barrier." For me, it's the sooner the better.

I treat once on Feb. 15th and again on March 15th, but each time at only half the recommended rate. The Hi-Yield brand stuff I use suggests a rate of 4 lb per 1000 sq. ft., so I apply at a rate of 2 lb/1k sq. ft. each time. I do the full 4 lb. per rate in the fall for winter weeds.
Just a suggestion, that way you get it down early but also extend the effective window a bit.

If soil temp isn't specifically mentioned on the bag label/literature, then it's probably not crucial.

2/24/2014 9:18:39 AM

I have an acre minus house and driveway, so I don't really want to do it twice. I'll probably go ahead and put it down this week. Thanks for the advice.

[Edited on February 24, 2014 at 9:25 AM. Reason : where do u buy that brand?]

2/24/2014 9:24:20 AM

^Def. understandable. I get it at SuperSod at the Farmers Market. Their prices are pretty good (fertilizer too) and they supposedly carry only "good stuff." The big benefit to the Hi-Yield product is that it can actually control crabgrass after germination, if you catch it early enough.

http://www.fertilome.com/product.aspx?pid=d2a58834-3257-47b8-8b24-39977c88a21f

Bag/label: http://www.fertilome.com/ProductFiles/33030%20Turf%20Ornamental%20Approved%2001-04-12.pdf

2/24/2014 9:51:09 AM

Just bought 5.5 acres (2.5 of which are open cleared land).

Should I buy a nice riding mower, or fence it all and get a goat ?

2/25/2014 10:42:42 AM

I'd say get the goat. If the goat doesn't do a good enough job, you can always eat it and then get a sweet zero-turn mower.

2/25/2014 11:04:19 AM

word - tether to a post or go for the fence?

[Edited on February 25, 2014 at 11:45 AM. Reason : .]

2/25/2014 11:44:45 AM

You can buy a used tractor and a finishing mower for the price of a nice zero turn

2/25/2014 2:46:21 PM

So here is my house:




The pine straw needed replacement; I think I want to replace it with rock. Which one do I go with?








Those are all from this local rock yard;

http://www.randlproducts.com/landscape-materials/

They have some more stuff on this page.

3/2/2014 1:02:13 PM

I vote for #2

3/2/2014 9:22:19 PM

1 or 3. 2 matches to house too much.

I would prefer rubber mulch over rock. Much easier to work with.

3/3/2014 12:24:22 PM

i hate the look of rock around a home, but it does beat having to spread pinestraw every year.

3/3/2014 1:23:30 PM

As I do not seem to have the time anymore to properly take care of my lawn, I am looking for recommendations on a lawn care provider. I only need the fertilizer, weed, etc... as I will mow and trim my lawn myself. I have used Tru-Green in the past, and they are horrible. Any recommendations would be most appreciated!

Thanks...

3/4/2014 1:04:27 PM

I used EPM when I was in the triangle.

When you say tru-green was horrible, how so? I ask because people commonly assume that the ongoing treatments plus mowing are all you need to have a gorgeous lawn.

My next door neighbor also got EPM, and he was convinced they were screwing him over because his lawn looked like shit compared with mine. I aerated and seeded every fall, he was convinced that seeding fescue in the spring made more sense. But somehow it was EPMs fault.

I kept my grass cut at 4" whereas he scalped his every time (he wanted to wait long periods in between mowing), I had an irrigation system that kept the lawn appropriately watered, and he only watered sporadically with a hose attached to a sprinkler nozzle.


So, keep in mind that whichever company you use, your results are going to be much more determined by your upkeep than the treatments they apply.


All that said, if they were horrible because they sprayed the wrong shit on your lawn, or fucked up your billing or something, that's certainly another story.

[Edited on March 4, 2014 at 2:38 PM. Reason : .]

3/4/2014 2:36:50 PM

I say that Tru-Green was horrible, because they would spray for weeds and the weeds would never die. I would go buy some weed killer (lawn safe) and spray them myself...and they would die. They apparently do not include lime treatment with their service, but did it anyway (without consulting me and charged me a lot $$$). To properly put down lime, I was always told to check the ph first, to get the amount needed. I know they did not check, because I ask them what the ph was before application. I had 10 different "technicians" who never even bothered to learn anything about my lawn, as was apparent anytime I would ask them a question. Hell, they couldn't even tell me why the stuff they were putting on my lawn was needed.

I aerate and seed every fall, as well as keep around a 3.5" lawn height (fescue). I do not have an irrigation system, so I have to water manually, which I do not do very often.

3/4/2014 2:56:12 PM

I used Fairway Green for my front lawn... I'd rather not use such a service, but that's a different story.

They've been ok so far. Their seeding crew isn't very good/detailed. The weed control/fertilizing/liming service seems fine so far - grass has stayed nice and green since it germinated, most of the weeds are dying out (only have been through per-emergent treatments and some weeds never fully died off from last season). They advertise that the do soil testing and apply what's needed at proper rates, so I'm assuming they did.

3/4/2014 4:36:31 PM

^^ yeah that definitely sounds pretty shitty.

With EPM i usually had the same guy come each time, and I'd always bug him with various questions, to which he was very helpful and knowledgeable. This stuff will certainly vary from person to person, but I would have been very unhappy with what you went through, especially getting charged for a service I didn't approve, and people who couldn't explain what the treatment they were applying actually did.

As for testing the ph before dropping lime... if you're in the triangle, it's one of those things that is worth doing because it's not costly or difficult, but I always threw down lime without testing because i'm lazy, and know that the soil in that part of the state is invariably acidic unless major amendment has already been done.

3/5/2014 11:34:23 AM

Quote :

"threw down lime without testing because i'm lazy, and know that the soil in that part of the state is invariably acidic"

Yeah I always take a "no way in hell i can put down too much lime" approach. Actually I missed my normal winter lime application and the some moss is spreading. When's the best time to put down lime this time of year?

I fertilized/pre-emerged about a week ago...should I wait a certain amount of time?

Also, in the interest of doubling up on pre-emergent, I'd like to do another application in a month or something...would that be helpful? If so should I get something without fertilizer or are two fertilizer applications in the spring ok?

3/5/2014 3:53:02 PM

as part of that same "no way in hell i can put down too much lime" approach, I also took the approach of throwing down lime any time of the year.

I always erred on the side of minimal fertilizer (minus when establishing a lawn from scratch)

fertilized once in the spring, and once in the fall.

Usually I'd do the pre-emergent/fertilizer treatment as you did. I always wanted to do a second pre-emergent treatment, but never got around to it. I think i'll definitely do it this year.

[Edited on March 5, 2014 at 5:05 PM. Reason : ah, my lime comment corroborated by: http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/lawn.htm]

3/5/2014 5:03:59 PM

my grass. it is waking up...

on another note, I never got around to doing pre-emergent weed control... think I still have time?

3/11/2014 2:12:41 PM

yeah, weed seeds will continue to germinate for a while, but don't be surprised if you see weeds still popping up, since a lot of the weeds might have already germinated but may not be visible yet.

but if you treat now you can get some of it.

3/11/2014 2:17:28 PM

I was walking to my parents' house today (in Raleigh) and saw something I had never seen before. Thousands and thousands of bees were flying above their neighbor's front yard. I got closer to see what the hell they were (they scared the heck out of me since I didn't see them at first). My best guess is that they are digger bees. They have built well over 1,000 mounds in this neighbor's front yard.





I have 2 hives of bees that I keep, but there is no way I could live with that many bees swarming around my front yard. It looked like the entire yard was moving there was so many bees.

3/12/2014 12:06:59 AM

3/12/2014 9:50:24 AM

FUCK YOU MOTHER NATURE!

3/12/2014 9:50:55 AM

^ damn, that sucks. Any major damage to the house?

3/12/2014 9:52:31 AM

Nah, no damage. The tree split into 3 sections, luckily the smallest section hit the house. I planned to remove that tree this spring anyway, so I guess now I have a head start. I have a friend coming over Friday to get the tree off the house. I attempted to do it myself but I was scared I'd damage the house.

We couldn't even get out of our driveway. It took me all day Saturday to clear a path. Our power went out about 4AM Friday morning and we didn't get it back until Monday night.

[Edited on March 12, 2014 at 9:55 AM. Reason : a]

3/12/2014 9:54:43 AM

Finally did some work to our back yard. We moved in around mid January and the yard was pretty pathetic. Tons of black clay that stuck to our dogs paws like crazy so that was the main thing I wanted to take care of. Turns out Home Depot will deliver up to 3000 lbs of stuff for $20 so I got some edging stones and 50 bags of mulch (still need a few more though). Knocked all this out today after work, could have really used a wheel barrow but at least it was a good workout too

Before:





After:

3/17/2014 8:02:33 PM

looks good

3/17/2014 11:39:21 PM

Thanks, we still have a long way to go but this was a big step. I want to plant some more trees/bushes in the back and get rid of the weeds mad patch the grass which is in desperate need of.

3/18/2014 7:17:04 PM

When's the right time to do the first application of fertilizer for the spring? Am I too late or would sometime soon be ok?

3/19/2014 1:30:26 PM

depends on the grass I suppose. For Bermuda, I never fertilizer any earlier than Easter and even then it kind of depends on how green the lawn is at that point.

3/19/2014 2:26:56 PM

What happens if you fertilize too early? Just not as effective?

I'm also worried my yard isn't going to come in as flush as I would like it. Although my Bermuda has withstood my dog's wear and a tear a lot better than my Centipede did last year...its still looking a bit run down. And this brutal winter just did a number on it. Other than just crossing my fingers and hoping it comes in well...is there anything I can do to make it better other than fertilize? I've spot-seeded before in the past where there were really bad patches....but there aren't specific spots that seems to be bad this year...just a general "thin-ness". Can you throw out a bunch of seed without tilling up the soil and get some decent results??


[Edited on March 19, 2014 at 3:05 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on March 19, 2014 at 3:08 PM. Reason : .]

3/19/2014 3:05:05 PM

Yeah I always assume it has to do with effectiveness. But any site you'll read (NC State, Clemson, Walter Reeves, Tex A&M) all tell you to wait until Bermuda is ~50% green before fertilization is really effective.

I have been doing a small amount of milorganite + some extra preemergent (in addition to what I put down in February) around Easter, and then waiting for my full dosage of fertilizer once the lawn is >50% green.

[Edited on March 19, 2014 at 3:46 PM. Reason : ]

3/19/2014 3:45:11 PM