Lawn renovation

[hayden]

Anyone done a lawn renovation before?

Our's is overrun with weeds, and has very poor soil in many (perhaps most) areas. One guy quoted a very big $$ to remove all the existing sod, add new loam, and reseed.

What other alternatives are there? For me, well cut green weeds are a fine lawn, but this one means a lot to my wife who's the gardener in the house. Either way we'll sprinkle the lawn as part of this exercise so we can keep it properly watered in the future.

 

[ddl]

Now is the prefect time to look at your yard, do you need more dirt, does your yard slope correctly. If I was redoing your yard, I would need these answers from you. If I was going to reseed, I would have you mow the yard as short as possible, then I would till the yard real well. You probaly need the grass and such mixed in your soil to hel make it more suitable. Do the leveling and smoothing of the yard, I would use my Furest Drag to smooth surface. Then reseed with fritilizer and redrag to cover the seed. Then it is up to you to water. You hear some people talk about packing your yard, but the ground is always to hard and it will pack as you mow the yard.

Dan l

 

[hayden]

How can I determine if my soil is sufficient or if I need to add compost, manure, etc. Parts of it seem like a dust bowl and I suspect there is not enough organic matter to support grass.

 

[ddl]

Contact your County Extension Office and ask them if they provide soil sampling kits or know where you can get them. Get one and follow the directions and send to the correct location and wait for the answer. usually what happens in a yard is that it gets packed down and acts like hardpan. That is why I would till the hell out of it to mix in all the sod and top plants to make more mulch. County extension offices can really help those in need. I believe most states have them or some office like that. The more expensive way to go is to go to a landscaping store and ask about soil testing.

Dan L

 

[PBMAX]

hayden,we just moved in to our place this past feb and the 1sit thing we did even before we bought was a soil sample.The land used to be used for maters and was coverd by 95% weeds ans sericia...It was well worth the wait to get the results back.We found out the ph was 5.4...nitrogen was talorable.The physical aspects are almost perfect(types of material in the soil,loam,sand,clay etc.)When filling out the form it should ask what you plan to do with it...The tech also made good suggestions as to types of grass that do best in our region etc..1st we divided the yard (2acres)some what.We dicided towork the 1acre in front of the house 1st do to costs.We opted to put down sod(1500 - 2000SQ ft) closest to front of the house..Just so it would look nice asap.The rest of the 1acre we seeded.of course as mentioned we started by grading and leveling.Putting in top soil were needed.We as some else said cut the WEEDS as low as we could.Seeing as how a don't have a tiller I used the scarafiers(set deep for a good 3-4") to break up the soil with passes in different directions.Now as for the sod.We 1st called around for prices it was steap.up to $100 for a pallet.Decided to call the sod farms and paid $55 a pallet,each pallet,160 pieces,covers 500sq ft.Just keep in mind it wieghs 2500lb per pallet.One thing I've learned is not to cutt th grass to short.The sod is Tiffiny burmuda and it likes to be left to at least 3" high,especially in the summer heat of Alabama.This has seemded to keep the weeds down as many apparently need the sun to germinate.Go figure...We have used no weed killer as of yet to keep from harming the new grass.But the weeds are still manigeable by hand so far.The soded area of course has virtually no weeds. We will probable spread some weed and feed this fall though...Good luck,Since as I mentioned we are on a budget like most folks.It is still a work in progress...

Here is the web site for AL cop extinsion.Maybe it'll give you some ideas or a link to one in your area.
www.aces.edu

Lil' Paul
Proud owner of TC21D
Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[kerr]

Well cut green weeds are a fine lawn fer sure at my house.HA!The grass seed should be about 2 ft deep in my pond.! Water is an awsume force , i got alot ta learn.I am proud of my well cut weeds fer sure.!I think a big-ol fat billfold is the key in most cases,leaves me out.Good luck,pass on any info fer sure.

 

[PBMAX]

Went to the aces for the 1st time my self and did a serch for lawn care.Found this.
http://www.aces.edu/department/extcomm/publications/anr/anr-239/anr-239.htm
most of the info I've found is stuff I think most of us know but some may still find it usefull and I do believe I saw a link to other state and us info pages.

Lil' Paul
Proud owner of TC21D
Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[PBMAX]

hayden, I would start with the worst areas.it may be worth it to have some top soil delevered if the areas are that bad.(around here you can even find so called "cleaned topsoil"/weed free, on occassoin if you are willing to pay for it.),I would use compost over manure,sense I would think,manure will contain many more seeds from those weeds/hay seed your trying to get rid of..If you have a lot of leveling out to do mabye you can drag up enough top soil from around the yard to fix the problem areas without reducing the amount to much in the best parts.How much top soil depends on who ya ask.but I always spread at least 2"...before seed/sod.the soil test has a place for comment/qeustions.They may be able to tell you what to need to add as far as soil coposition as well as nursery may also be able to help or a local coop...

Lil' Paul
Proud owner of TC21D
Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[AndyR]

Pete: Definitely do the soil test work - just go down to Milford and talk to the Extension folks. Make sure you take a number of samples from around your lawn so you get an averaged result. As for more loam - I've been using Soiland in Milford for a number of years and have never had any problems. He usually has sifted topsoil with some compost mixed in but may be out by this point (may have just topsoil). Product tends to have a bit of clay in it so it holds the water a bit better then the sandy soils.

I'm of the mowed weed lawn variety myself - but I can understand your gardener's wishes. Preperation is everything (and straw over the seeding - make sure you don't use hay - too many seeds).

Good Luck!

Andy in NH

 

[gordon]

What is a good system to use when starting a lawn form scrach? How much seed is proper. How deep should the seed be? How much hay is proper?

Thanks
Gordon

 

[LazyK]

PB...I hope that last referrence is not a "Lazy K" joke?!

signed....the Father

Lazy K - Chip

 

[ddl]

The seed needs to be set into the ground, by that it means to place the seed in the ground and if possible cover with a thin layer of soil. I drag the perpared area with my drag leaving grooves in the soil. Then I seed at the rate indicated on the bag of seed times 1.5. After seeding, I turn the drag around and drag the area again, covering the seed. You said something about hay. my tractor uses diesel not hay but maybe yours is different. If you cover the seed you do not need to use hay or straw. Just water the area keeping the top surface wet no deep watering needed. Wait until it cools off before starting the whole process.

Dan l

 

[hoghead]

hayden
I reseeded about three acres 4 years ago..First thing is you will have to kill all those weeds..Then prepare your yard by leveling trying to only have about an inch of loose dirt on top..Then I recommend renting a pto overseeder and putting in the seed..Since you have a tractor, what a better way of "playing" than hooking up a three point implement and making your better half a good looking lawn ? That way you will never have to disturb the ground again..I uses knives to cut slits in the ground and then drop seed into them..Then a roller covers the slits with seed in them up..You will also have to use a starter fertlizer.Add water and timely rains and..Waaala..You have grass..Most grasses are "cool weather grasses".That means the grass really thrives in cool damp weather..I would wait untill fall as the weed cycle will have come and gone..Then you will not have to fight the weeds.

Hoghead

 

[Molerj]

I seeded several acres a few years back at our then new house. I would definitely wait
till fall. Get the ground as smooth as possible. Remember you probably won't do this again
so you want to do it right the first time. Those little bumps or uneven places will still be
there under the grass. Plant a pretty good seed. Not necessarily the most expensive. The
best seed takes the best care. It is generally more prone to diseases & droughts. I would
definitely cover with straw. A good hard downpour will wash the seed around. I still have
one area that is real thick from the rainstorm. Also the straw will keep it moist & the seed
will germinate alot faster.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Having re-done a couple of lawns myself in the past, here's my advice:

1) Kill the entire lawn - hit it with Round-Up.

2) Run an Aerator or Sod Cutter over the lawn. This helps open-up and loosen that poor original soil.

3) Top dress with some good clean top soil (at least 1 inch). You gotta use that Tractor somehow on this project!

4) Seed & Fertilize (low nitrogen)

5) Rake in the seed. Don't bury it, just get it under the soil a little bit.... Since you've got a lot or raking to do, use a bit leaf rake to cover lots of area quickly...

6) Cover with Straw.

7) Keep the lawn wet for two weeks. This is critical to good germination. If the seedlings dry out, they'll die! If you've got a big lawn, you'll have to get creative with the sprinkler. Making walk-ways with 1x6 boards works great!

Good luck!
Henry

 

[BruceW]

hayden,

I did a large section of lawn last year and it came in beautiful.

1) I tilled in the fall

2) I tilled again after spring green up

3) I fertilized

4) I raked and smoothed (with then rented tractor)

5) I then seeded setting the spreader to 25% of recommended setting, I did vertical and horozontal passes and finished with diagonals, I achieved a very even spread with no hint of rowing etc.

6) I drove drove 5' of 3/4" ;pvc in the ground approximately 90' in between I was able to cover with 3 pipes, I then pushed the cheapo plastic oscillating stake sprinklers into each pipe and connected with garden hose, I ran every day for first 2 weeks, 3 times a week for the next 2 weeks, and weekly for the rest of the summer, water is the secret to great lawn, I watered even when there were light rains only deferring to steady rain over hours.

ps. the standard submersible 4" 10 gpm pump can only handle 2 to 4 sprinklers at a time.
I now have walking tractor style sprinkler which appears to work well in my limited experience with it, but I am worried as to what my happen when it drags the hose across new seedlings.

I beleive Tilling in fall and spring could be replaced with roundup in fall and spring. In my area snow covered the dirt yard for most of this time.

good luck and remember sand/clay will grow reasonable grass with enough water and fertilizer.

bruce