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The 2020 Lesco & Lawn Thread


Damage In Tolland
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12 hours ago, Baroclinic Zone said:

Get a hole digger and bury that thing.  Far too many diy’ers don’t go more than 12-18” and the posts end up getting pulled out of the ground to to freeze/thaw cycles and the heaving of the ground.  You bury that thing below the frost line and that ain’t going anywhere.  It could not hurt to do the flex seal or some sort of bitithene type membrane around the part of the post that is buried. May be a bit costlier but would extend the life of the post if covered properly.

 

10 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

I installed a post and rail fence at my parents old house. Using only a hand post hole digger and a pry bar. Don’t skimp on depth... it needs to get there one way or another.

We didn’t use concrete, but I did fill the holes with crush gravel/stone dust. Fence never moved.

So basically these posts are all rotted and snapping. I’ll probably replace at least 6 of them. The holes are pretty much there because of the original posts and I have a post digger which works well with one of those pry bars/digging tools.  I just want to know what people do for material to fill and keep the posts in place. I was going to use flex seal to keep a sealant and extend the life. 

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Cut mine for only the 2nd time here.  It’s a mess though.  It’s soaking wet in areas.  I have a huge moss issue and I’ve dropped iron on it and it did nothing.  My step 1 fertilizer did nothing for the weeds either.  I hate doing yard work.  Working 7 days a week gives me no time to do a damn thing myself to improve it and I’m not willing to spend thousands to redo it all from a landscaper.

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Have some spots here that are close to needing their first mow. Areas that had lingering snow and puddles are still lagging behind. Forsythia has bloomed and the crabapple and willow are trying to leaf out. Everything else has been swelling buds for weeks. 

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1 hour ago, Baroclinic Zone said:

Cut mine for only the 2nd time here.  It’s a mess though.  It’s soaking wet in areas.  I have a huge moss issue and I’ve dropped iron on it and it did nothing.  My step 1 fertilizer did nothing for the weeds either.  I hate doing yard work.  Working 7 days a week gives me no time to do a damn thing myself to improve it and I’m not willing to spend thousands to redo it all from a landscaper.

Yea I had a serious moss issue as well. How much shade do you have? Was it Scotts Step 1 w/ Crabgrass Preventer?

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4 hours ago, Baroclinic Zone said:

Cut mine for only the 2nd time here.  It’s a mess though.  It’s soaking wet in areas.  I have a huge moss issue and I’ve dropped iron on it and it did nothing.  My step 1 fertilizer did nothing for the weeds either.  I hate doing yard work.  Working 7 days a week gives me no time to do a damn thing myself to improve it and I’m not willing to spend thousands to redo it all from a landscaper.

You need to rake out moss with thatching rake and reseed. Dropping lime doesn’t kill moss. Not sure what step1 you used, but you need to spot treat weeds with ortho spray 

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28 minutes ago, Damage In Tolland said:

You need to rake out moss with thatching rake and reseed. Dropping lime doesn’t kill moss. Not sure what step1 you used, but you need to spot treat weeds with ortho spray 

It wasn’t lime.  It was iron.

Fertilizer I used.  Contains Dimension

https://www.jonathangreen.com/product/crabgrass-preventer-plus-green-up-lawn-fertilizer.html

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3 hours ago, Baroclinic Zone said:

Yeah, my entire lawn/yard is in need of professional help.  Need ps dethatching, aeration, denser grass, less weeds, beds, edging, mulch.  You name it, it needs it.

As do most folks!

In terms of the moss, it does not care about soil ph too much all about staying wet. Either through areas that do not drain or too much shade. Mowing really low (1.5-2" ) in spring or extended periods of dark/wet weather helps get light and air flowing in to dry the soil out. I have had much fewer moss issues since doing it this way. 

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First mow today. It's green, and good in some spots, but I've got my work cut out for me. 

I've always had a lot of white clover because of the very basic contractor landscaping that took a while to germinate. Seeing a lot more crab grass this year than last, or maybe it's just more obvious now that the good parts of the lawn are trying to fill in. Also as the neighborhood has filled in with houses the drainage has definitely changed in subtle ways, and a very damp side yard has seen a lot of horsetail spouting. I think my main motivation for mowing today was to eliminate these things from going to seed/spore and some spots were unsightly tall.

My young lilacs look to be doing all right though, with at least one showing some signs of flowering this year (I was expecting at least another season without). The hydrangea are really leafing out now, spirea just popped buds this week, peonies really survived the winter well (probably going to triple the number of flowers this season). 

Projects this week will hopefully include an overseed, maybe aerating (I think my soil is too compacted which gave the weeds the best chance), and edging my flower beds with pavers. 

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4 hours ago, OceanStWx said:

First mow today. It's green, and good in some spots, but I've got my work cut out for me. 

I've always had a lot of white clover because of the very basic contractor landscaping that took a while to germinate. Seeing a lot more crab grass this year than last, or maybe it's just more obvious now that the good parts of the lawn are trying to fill in. Also as the neighborhood has filled in with houses the drainage has definitely changed in subtle ways, and a very damp side yard has seen a lot of horsetail spouting. I think my main motivation for mowing today was to eliminate these things from going to seed/spore and some spots were unsightly tall.

My young lilacs look to be doing all right though, with at least one showing some signs of flowering this year (I was expecting at least another season without). The hydrangea are really leafing out now, spirea just popped buds this week, peonies really survived the winter well (probably going to triple the number of flowers this season). 

Projects this week will hopefully include an overseed, maybe aerating (I think my soil is too compacted which gave the weeds the best chance), and edging my flower beds with pavers. 

Don’t you fertilize? Drop Lesco/Dimension now and do another weed killer in a few weeks around the 15th when the warm pattern kicks on for good

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15 minutes ago, Damage In Tolland said:

Don’t you fertilize? Drop Lesco/Dimension now and do another weed killer in a few weeks around the 15th when the warm pattern kicks on for good

We do. Honestly if it weren't for the neighbors who dropped sod across the street, I might have salvaged the best lawn on the street so far. We were all in pretty rough shape year one though.

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The grass loved the temps of the past week. I overseeded with about 6 pounds of Jonathan Green Sun and Shade, covered with peat moss, did a second app of Tenacity last Tuesday/Weds. Have also been have been "spoon feeding" (.25lbs of N and .5 lbs P per 1000 sq. feet) the past few weeks. The lighter colored spots are thinner areas/some Tenacity bleaching. Already have some serious germination happening. Going to wait until most of the lawn is 6" or the seedlings hit 2" (I took it down to 1-1.5" to overseed last week and is still at about 2.5") and hope it overtakes the chickweed and clover. The lawn is ~90% tall fescue so I need to start growing it tall anyway. Plus I'd rather spot seed again than spray Tricyc in a few weeks, especially the edge around the driveway as you can see how thin it is. Also need to edge the Daffodil area to stop that stuff from creeping in. 

95590298_750760688997845_2577557565370007552_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=b96e70&_nc_ohc=AqDVPNkRjtEAX9I2be7&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&_nc_tp=7&oh=038df2a24959a0086fedd0e7c0fae3c4&oe=5ED84F5C

 

I know milo has iron in it but anyone ever use something like liquid iron? I really want the dark green to come out in the future.

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9 hours ago, PowderBeard said:

The grass loved the temps of the past week. I overseeded with about 6 pounds of Jonathan Green Sun and Shade, covered with peat moss, did a second app of Tenacity last Tuesday/Weds. Have also been have been "spoon feeding" (.25lbs of N and .5 lbs P per 1000 sq. feet) the past few weeks. The lighter colored spots are thinner areas/some Tenacity bleaching. Already have some serious germination happening. Going to wait until most of the lawn is 6" or the seedlings hit 2" (I took it down to 1-1.5" to overseed last week and is still at about 2.5") and hope it overtakes the chickweed and clover. The lawn is ~90% tall fescue so I need to start growing it tall anyway. Plus I'd rather spot seed again than spray Tricyc in a few weeks, especially the edge around the driveway as you can see how thin it is. Also need to edge the Daffodil area to stop that stuff from creeping in. 

95590298_750760688997845_2577557565370007552_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=b96e70&_nc_ohc=AqDVPNkRjtEAX9I2be7&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&_nc_tp=7&oh=038df2a24959a0086fedd0e7c0fae3c4&oe=5ED84F5C

 

I know milo has iron in it but anyone ever use something like liquid iron? I really want the dark green to come out in the future.

What did you use to spread the peat moss?

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1 hour ago, SJonesWX said:

What did you use to spread the peat moss?

I only covered with peat moss in the bare/thin spots. For that I would break it down as fine as I could with a shovel/trowel, took about an hour and used 4-5 cubic feet of it. If I was doing the yard over again I'd get one of these which can be rented at most places (just a compost spreader). I used straw in the fall when I started from scratch and never again after using peat moss. No raking out, no worries about bringing weeds into the lawn, and can always tell when I need to water. 

Landzie Compost & Peat Moss Spreader - BACKORDERED! Please Read Description.

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11 hours ago, moneypitmike said:

how much time do you need to wait between fertilizer treatments?  I'd like to get some weed control down, but don't want to harm the lawn in the process.

 

TIA.

Usually around 6 weeks, but you’ll likely be fine after 4

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8 hours ago, RUNNAWAYICEBERG said:

What’s the best mixture for our climate to topdress? Not going to do it now but early fall the plan is to aerate and topdress it. 

Trying to level areas or just topdress? 

23 hours ago, moneypitmike said:

how much time do you need to wait between fertilizer treatments?  I'd like to get some weed control down, but don't want to harm the lawn in the process.

 

TIA.

What and how much did you put down when? What do you want to do for weed control/what issues do you have?

 

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10 hours ago, RUNNAWAYICEBERG said:

What’s the best mixture for our climate to topdress? Not going to do it now but early fall the plan is to aerate and topdress it. 

My plan is to do the same this fall. I think I may have to mix some peat in to get the soil away from alkaline. I'll just some soil tests first, but I'm pretty sure that's a big issue for me.

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1 hour ago, OceanStWx said:

My plan is to do the same this fall. I think I may have to mix some peat in to get the soil away from alkaline. I'll just some soil tests first, but I'm pretty sure that's a big issue for me.

If it is well above 7 then spreading ammonium sulfate or sulfur-urea are decent and also help out nitrogen levels prior to seeding. A lot less work too. I wouldn't seed right after putting down given the fast release N might be too much for seedlings. 

 

https://www.seedworldusa.com/products/ammonium-sulfate-21-0-0-granular-fertilizer-50-lbs?variant=35959584977&currency=USD&utm_campaign=gs-2018-11-14&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy6CX0ZrF6QIVA9vACh0dbADBEAQYBCABEgJ8YPD_BwE

 

 

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