2022 Lawn and Landscape

[Steel Shank 9,421]

Had a branch from an oak break off, and I found this dude. Probably an inch and  a half to two inches long. Anything I should worry about?

Edited October 25, 2022 by Steel Shank

[Spoosner 86]

New homeowner in Northwest Hills area of Austin.

Our St. Augustine has some brown patches as the house was vacant during the summer so we weren't watering much.

The yard guy I have hired suggested spreading perennial ryegrass with fertilizer (Fairway Supreme by Pennington to be exact), saying it will live in the winter and then die when it gets hot. I meant to research it, but didn't have a chance and he came and spread the seed today while I was on a work call.

Was that a good choice? Will it mess with our St. Augustine? Or should I get my tweezers and pick up seed all weekend?

[Spoosner 86]

Google is not making me feel good about it

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

On 10/25/2022 at 3:11 AM, Steel Shank said:

Had a branch from an oak break off, and I found this dude. Probably an inch and  a half to two inches long. Anything I should worry about?

Borers. How is the overall health of the tree? There are insecticide treatments. 

3 hours ago, Spoosner said:

Google is not making me feel good about it

If you get a good germination of the rye you can spray it out next spring. St. A is not the best candidate for overseeding because getting good soil to seed contact can be iffy. I wouldn't worry too much. There are several products to kill off the rye in the spring.

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

I have an area in my back yard that stays wet. Water is seeping from the hill above my yard and the neighbors runoff when it rains.

It's great for free water in the summer, but no so much now.

I have bermuda growing in it

What could I do that area to keep it from being a constant mudhole? I was thinking adding a couple inches of sand in the spring

[freyguy 4,264]

river rocks with a liner.  Sand will just become sandy mud.  

[kmac30 416]

Crazy, I have something similar I was just coming here to post. Just out a pool in and got everything graded out. Not as steep as it used to be, but now I have slow moving water that doesn’t seem to dry out. I have some drains, could I just turn one of the drain pipes into a French drain?

[freyguy 4,264]

Dammit, looks like this hard freeze wiped out our wall of jasmine again...I need to find a more hearty version (if it exists)...

 

 

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Are you sure it's gone? I usually wait until quite a bit after our last average freeze date in the spring before I pull out plants. We have several aloysia (almond verbena) bushes that are cold sensitive. I mulch them heavily each winter and even with the great freeze of two years ago, they survived. They took quite a while to put on leaves and appeared dead, but as the temps got into the regular 80s they came roaring back. Jasmine may do something similar where it dies back to preserve itself and then will resprout new tendrils perhaps?

There is a hardy jasmine that goes to about zone 6 I think. Is this what you have?

If you go to the Logee's website and enter jasmine or hardy jasmine they have several specimens that may suit you.

[freyguy 4,264]

Thanks for the tip. Yes, star jasmine is the one i have.

I have about 20 of them on a 9' trellise that spans the entire back fence of my backyard. Great for privacy. I'll need to see in another week or two what it does, but I can see the leaf color across the board is already a bit off. Nearly all of it did die back after the snowpocalyse, but by spring a few of them started to come back. Keeping my fingers crossed on this.

All of my knockouts and bicolor african irises will certainly be getting cut back this year. But I never lose sleep over those surviving.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Wouldn't be surprised if all of the leaves drop, but vines such as jasmine can still photosynthesize and grow new buds afterwards. Since there is still some cold weather to come, I would be reluctant to do much now, but you could always take a small knife or pruner and go down a branch and trim to see how the wood looks. The aloysia after the great freeze looked like they had died all the way to the ground, but they did not and are around 8 feet tall now. I'm going to leave them until late spring before I touch them with anything sharp and even then very gingerly. They have a scent that is every bit as lovely as the jasmine plants that you have, which are divine.

[troph 24,781]

Hey guys ….

best grass for east facing lawn?  

About to put in a lawn over a septic field. So water will be a non-issue year round…

I think some spots will be shaded by 1pm. But full morning sun for sure. 

What type, seed or sod? 

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

What grass will the rest of the yard be?  St Aug will be fine with the water and shade. I would think bermuda would get enough light to work as well

[troph 24,781]

6 hours ago, TXLNGHRN10 said:

What grass will the rest of the yard be?  St Aug will be fine with the water and shade. I would think bermuda would get enough light to work as well

Front yard is super small so we can water it without it drinking all of Austin’s water. It will get 12-4pm sun only. 

was hoping for zoysia. 

[Clackles 276]

Any recs for core aeration and top dressing service that can come to the Montrose Houston area?  I’m in a new house with 2 year old St Aug sod laid on clay.  Only about 2000sf.

Chinch bugs got a big patch pretty bad last summer so doing bifen granules, but hoping aeration will also help.

I suspect the satisfaction of a job well done will not justify the labor and headache of machine rental and compost transport required for this one.

[fluff 87]

A little off topic, but can anyone tell me what is the best sub base for artificial turf in the central Texas area?  My take from researching is 2" or so of 3/8" or 1/2" drain rock, then 2" or so of either 1/4" minus granite gravel, or 1/2" minus limestone scrapings...

Anybody have thoughts?

[morehornsepower 887]

Is there someplace local (to Round Rock) I can find a simple, 48", corrugated metal fire ring?

Something like this: https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/fire-pits-outdoor-heating/backyard-creations-reg-galvanized-steel-fire-ring/dc15-17580/p-1471355310489.htm

 

[fluff 87]

Not sure, but Texas Corrugators is up near Hutto I think.  Maybe they have some end scraps you can buy.  I would call them....

 

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

On 1/13/2023 at 4:52 PM, troph said:

was hoping for zoysia

Go for it 

[baboso 6,054]

7 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

Go for it 

Dude, we don't rep you enough or give you enough thanks.  Your expertise and experience is much appreciated, thought.  Gracias, amigo.

[baboso 6,054]

*though.  Furk.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

28 minutes ago, baboso said:

Dude, we don't rep you enough or give you enough thanks.  Your expertise and experience is much appreciated, thought.  Gracias, amigo.

I forget about the thread sometimes.  Especially when it gets busy at work. My guys worked through the weekend last week and we're still playing catch up. Between equipment follies and weather it has been a tough spring.

If you are thinking about getting a Scag sprayer just don't. Steel Green only for me now.

I've definitely gotten as much info from y'all around this place as I have given. 

[Godzillatron 292]

Looking for plant help. I’ve got a bed off the back patio (north side) of a 2-story house. Lots of summer sun, full shade all winter. I’d like something native that can handle the summer sun, winter shade, and survive a freeze. Shrub- sized and flowering if possible. Any recommendations appreciated!

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

@Godzillatron How cold does it get where you are? Something like an Indian Hawthorn would be in spec, but it's not going to make a super hard freeze. Salvia greggii will get knocked to the ground but come back. Neat and tidy vs more open and native looking.

[Godzillatron 292]

[mention=950]Godzillatron[/mention] How cold does it get where you are? Something like an Indian Hawthorn would be in spec, but it's not going to make a super hard freeze. Salvia greggii will get knocked to the ground but come back. Neat and tidy vs more open and native looking.

I’m in the hills west of Austin. Used to think anything that would survive a light overnight freeze would be fine, but the last 2 years have cost me a lot of plants on that northern side. Needs to be able to survive a hard freeze, or at least be root hardy.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

9 minutes ago, Godzillatron said:

I’m in the hills west of Austin. Used to think anything that would survive a light overnight freeze would be fine, but the last 2 years have cost me a lot of plants on that northern side. Needs to be able to survive a hard freeze, or at least be root hardy.

I'm sticking with autumn sage/salvia greggii. Maybe mix it up with some other stuff like echinacea and mealy sage. If it gets too rangy, whack it back and let it flush out again. It has weathered the hard freezes the last couple of years. 

[Spoosner 86]

This is my first spring in our house in NW Hills, Austin. I posted in November about my yard guy spreading some perennial ryegrass with fertilizer. It did add some green, and does not look like it's choking the st. augustine or anything.

I'm a total noob at this. What's the most important thing I should be doing right now? Some sort of fertilizer? We've been getting decent rain, but I might start running the sprinklers too. My st. augustine is just not very thick/green so I'd like to improve on that.

[Lazarus Bocanegra 304]

On 3/24/2023 at 4:57 PM, Godzillatron said:

Looking for plant help. I’ve got a bed off the back patio (north side) of a 2-story house. Lots of summer sun, full shade all winter. I’d like something native that can handle the summer sun, winter shade, and survive a freeze. Shrub- sized and flowering if possible. Any recommendations appreciated!

turks cap 

 

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

On 3/27/2023 at 12:35 PM, Spoosner said:

This is my first spring in our house in NW Hills, Austin. I posted in November about my yard guy spreading some perennial ryegrass with fertilizer. It did add some green, and does not look like it's choking the st. augustine or anything.

I'm a total noob at this. What's the most important thing I should be doing right now? Some sort of fertilizer? We've been getting decent rain, but I might start running the sprinklers too. My st. augustine is just not very thick/green so I'd like to improve on that.

I would mow it pretty low and bag it to get rid of the rye and cut out all the dead grass. 
Hit it with some fertilizer specific to St Aug, then water it in well. 
After that, raise your mower back up to where ever you want it. St Aug likes to be tall so that helps.
This is a pretty good guide on schedules of when to do what. Soils & Supplements - Randy Lemmon

[GottaB 594]

Why does it seem impossible to find Bermuda sod in round rock area by the pallet for delivery.

The place on north IH35 is always out.

There is another place on 290 that doesn’t have enough supply to warrant a delivery.

Any tips?

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

10 hours ago, GottaB said:

Why does it seem impossible to find Bermuda sod in round rock area by the pallet for delivery.

The place on north IH35 is always out.

There is another place on 290 that doesn’t have enough supply to warrant a delivery.

Any tips?

King Ranch Turfgrass

(512) 892-3636

https://maps.app.goo.gl/WnohewDVF6LEL4eM7

 

You can buy small amounts direct from them 

 

 

[GottaB 594]

King Ranch Turfgrass
(512) 892-3636
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WnohewDVF6LEL4eM7
 
You can buy small amounts direct from them 
 
 

Thanks. Was going to go out there today but the rain had other ideas. Will try again tomorrow.

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

4 hours ago, GottaB said:

Thanks. Was going to go out there today but the rain had other ideas. Will try again tomorrow.

I've bought from them several times. The quality has been good.

[bluto 4,912]

Fml new house in Fort Worth, formerly a rental property so the lawn was left to die. It’s about a third saint augustine, a third dead st Augustine, and a third yellow thistle. Really want to avoid round up but might not have a choice. What’s a weed control company cost, call it a quarter acre?

Edited April 9, 2023 by bluto

[kmac30 416]

Zoysia went in last year. Half of my backyard is awesome. The other half is loaded with Poa Annua. I used a 2 gallon sprayer with Dimension 2EW and it doesn’t seem to have made a dent. Little crab grass as well. Thinking I missed the correct amount of product. Should I try again and how much should I use?

[Catpfish 618]

Have a well established TexTurf 10 hybrid bermuda and I've decided to go the reel mower route.  I have one on order and should be here in a couple of weeks or so.  Will that be too late to scalp it down?  I would like to keep it in the .75 to 1 inch height to thicken it up.  My yard is the not the most level (bad timing with really heavy downpours right before yard installed), so I'm hoping this will help alleviate the scalping that I would get from a rotary trying to go that low.

[NoName 16,351]

1 hour ago, kmac30 said:

Zoysia went in last year. Half of my backyard is awesome. The other half is loaded with Poa Annua. I used a 2 gallon sprayer with Dimension 2EW and it doesn’t seem to have made a dent. Little crab grass as well. Thinking I missed the correct amount of product. Should I try again and how much should I use?

i believe with Poa you are going to have to rotate between different options to get as much as possible. maybeask/look over at https://www.thelawnforum.com/

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

On 4/14/2023 at 2:23 PM, Catpfish said:

Have a well established TexTurf 10 hybrid bermuda and I've decided to go the reel mower route.  I have one on order and should be here in a couple of weeks or so.  Will that be too late to scalp it down?  I would like to keep it in the .75 to 1 inch height to thicken it up.  My yard is the not the most level (bad timing with really heavy downpours right before yard installed), so I'm hoping this will help alleviate the scalping that I would get from a rotary trying to go that low.

It will not be too late to scalp, but I would scalp and bag it now with your rotary mower. Then if you want to cut lower with the reel, it'll be less work. 

If you your yard is unlevel and scalping spots with the rotary, then the reel will scalp it too.  

[cactusflinthead 27,598]

On 4/8/2023 at 11:48 PM, bluto said:

Fml new house in Fort Worth, formerly a rental property so the lawn was left to die. It’s about a third saint augustine, a third dead st Augustine, and a third yellow thistle. Really want to avoid round up but might not have a choice. What’s a weed control company cost, call it a quarter acre?

Tree fiddy

Call around and see what the wait is like. I wouldn't do any pre on the St A until fall. Plain old 3 way will smoke thistle.

[bluto 4,912]

Buddy had a similar situation and pounded it with 24d so I’m going with the first application after mowing tomorrow. 
 

also discovered sprinkler system has a leak, filled a valve box right to the top. I know zilch about sprinklers so this is gonna be fun. 

[UTexasFight 9,429]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:15 PM, GottaB said:

Why does it seem impossible to find Bermuda sod in round rock area by the pallet for delivery.

The place on north IH35 is always out.

There is another place on 290 that doesn’t have enough supply to warrant a delivery.

Any tips?

I’m not sure about delivery, but I’ve been please with the mcdade location of Thomas Turfgrass.

went and picked it up myself though (and it’s been a few years).

https://thomasturfgrass.com/contact/

[UTexasFight 9,429]

Any place around Austin to get used (but decent) railroad ties?

my yard slopes and the ties used as a short retaining wall on one side of the lot are toast.

[McFly 606]

I know it's still early but any recs for thickening up saint augustine? Anything worth adding to the soil?

[Catpfish 618]

It will not be too late to scalp, but I would scalp and bag it now with your rotary mower. Then if you want to cut lower with the reel, it'll be less work. 
If you your yard is unlevel and scalping spots with the rotary, then the reel will scalp it too.  

I ended up mowing twice with the reel mower. It was a lot of grass, but I gave it to the neighboring cows to recycle. Love the mower even though it's a little more work and I might actually be able to do a little striping. I was thinking of going lower, but I think I'll leave it here for a bit and see.

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

19 hours ago, McFly said:

I know it's still early but any recs for thickening up saint augustine? Anything worth adding to the soil?

dillo dirt before it gets too hot
if not wait til it warms up a little moreSt A loves heat, nitrogen and water

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

18 minutes ago, Catpfish said:

I ended up mowing twice with the reel mower. It was a lot of grass, but I gave it to the neighboring cows to recycle. Love the mower even though it's a little more work and I might actually be able to do a little striping. I was thinking of going lower, but I think I'll leave it here for a bit and see.

looking great. I would maybe take it down as low as you can to get the dead thatchy looking grass out, hit it with some of this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lesco-LESCO-Dimension-Crabgrass-Preventer-30-0-5/5001213043, then let it grow up to where you want it

[BurntOrange&White 39,930]

Best shit to get rid of crab grass and dandelion? 

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

put out premergent in October and end of February
 

but this works pretty decent as a post emergent https://www.spectracide.com/products/weed-and-grass-killers/lawn-weed-killers/spectracide-weed-stop-for-lawns-plus-crabgrass-killer-concentrate-ready-to-spray.aspx
You should be able to get it at Lowes or HD
 

Edited May 1, 2023 by TXLNGHRN10

[kmac30 416]

Put down zeon zoysia last summer after pool install. It’s awesome, except for one issue - dog piss. I have 2 female dogs and they are burning my yard out quick. What can I do? Plugs? Where do I get them? Different grass I can seed? I’m frustrated I didn’t figure this happening earlier (like before I put the grass down).

In Houston area.

[NoName 16,351]

2 hours ago, kmac30 said:

Put down zeon zoysia last summer after pool install. It’s awesome, except for one issue - dog piss. I have 2 female dogs and they are burning my yard out quick. What can I do? Plugs? Where do I get them? Different grass I can seed? I’m frustrated I didn’t figure this happening earlier (like before I put the grass down).

In Houston area.

i've seen folks recommend switching to filtered water for your pups when this happens and taking them out more often than you currently do as a potential solution?

also seen folks rec flushing wherever they just peed with a hose to dilute it