2022 Lawn and Landscape

[kmac30 416]

Going to try the filtered water. We have a dog door so they go out all day. Tried to get them to go in flower beds but that didn’t work. I’ve tried watering immediately after and that might have worked. I just cannot be out with them all day.

Thanks for the ideas

[Viper 12,219]

Got a small leak where the sprinkler pvc meets the brass backflow preventer. Don't see any holes or anything and it's more of a slow drip with the sprinkler running fine. Anything easy I can do to stop it? Just buy some of Billy Mays flex seal and spray it on? 

[troph 25,224]

On 3/20/2023 at 12:55 PM, cactusflinthead said:

Go for it 

We did, got it down this week before the rains. Retaining walls took a while

we are able to water it to get it established but in the end it’s gonna have to live off septic discharge and natural rain. I can probably dedicate a half inch a week July, August and September but that’s it. 

Definitely need to roll it to level it.

pics from the deck and below the deck. Landscape edging and rock wall (a 2 foot rock wall on the property line in lieu of a fence) aren’t done yet. 

plants in the back will have to wait but grasses, ground cover and agaves will go in the river rock border. That border is the limit of the septic field. Trying to limit water usage. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by troph

[chikin23 385]

Any sprinkler system experts in here?I had to shut off the water at the back flow connection to repair a cracked section of PVC pipe. Turned the water back on, tried the system and nothing. I’ve tried every zone and can’t get any of them to turn on. The panel in the garage has power, tried to reset it and still nothing. Any ideas?

[SurlyBDR 23,153]

I got tired of the awkward narrow sides of my back yard that are shaded a lot of the day, and the mud that was created by my dog's running path.

The solution:

[AUinHsv 584]

That look outstanding. Too late now but hopefully you put some black plastic down to cut back on future weeds

[Armybrat 41,400]

When we xeriscaped our front yard with gravel 8 years ago, my son used a weed eater to strip the remaining grass out, sprayed the bare dirt with a vinegar solution, then put down the landscaping cloth to prevent weeds from growing (but allowing rainwater to soak through to keep the soil moist. 
Only two or three weeds started to grow through since then.

 

 

[Gourmand 7,778]

On 5/28/2023 at 12:49 PM, chikin23 said:

Any sprinkler system experts in here?I had to shut off the water at the back flow connection to repair a cracked section of PVC pipe. Turned the water back on, tried the system and nothing. I’ve tried every zone and can’t get any of them to turn on. The panel in the garage has power, tried to reset it and still nothing. Any ideas?

did you get this figured out?

curious what it was...

[chikin23 385]

did you get this figured out?
curious what it was...

The magnet on the solenoid was stuck and not opening by itself. A neighbor came by and popped it open with a flathead screwdriver, said he’d had the same issue with his system.

did you get this figured out?
curious what it was...

The magnet on the solenoid was stuck and not opening by itself. A neighbor came by and popped it open with a flathead screwdriver, said he’d had the same issue with his system.

[troph 25,224]

Nutsedge can DIAGF.  Sedgehammer for the win.

 

 

No one gives clean soil anymore and I actually think this was in the grass cuttings as we had bare soil for months due to septic install and inspections. I wouldn’t say it’s everywhere but it’s sprouting all over. I’ve sprayed twice I’ll spray once a fucking month if I have to - bitch ass nutsedge is not beating me. 

Edited June 17, 2023 by troph

[troph 25,224]

And the septic is doing its job this yard is showing up. First mow was today. It’s bumpy still, so we will add some top soil in the fall or spring whenever it’s the right time. 

Edited June 17, 2023 by troph

[SurlyBDR 23,153]

19 minutes ago, troph said:

And the septic is doing its job this yard is showing up. First mow was today. It’s bumpy still, so we will add some top soil in the fall or spring whenever it’s the right time. 

Now, while it's growing good! 

[troph 25,224]

2 minutes ago, SurlyBDR said:

Now, while it's growing good! 

We are gone in two weeks for a month 😕 I don’t think we have time and I’m worried our house sitter won’t tend to it. 

[troph 25,224]

I’ve been loving the yard thing this spring and was wondering why it seems so new then it occurred to me I haven’t had a proper yard since 2007. Last three years renting and the house before that was on a cliff side so no yard at all.  It’s a lotta fun. 

[Post Oak 20,564]

34 minutes ago, troph said:

And the septic is doing its job this yard is showing up. First mow was today. It’s bumpy still, so we will add some top soil in the fall or spring whenever it’s the right time. 

Is this a greywater system, Troph?

[troph 25,224]

16 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

Is this a greywater system, Troph?

Basically black and grey. All plumbing flows to the tank with the lid on the left then it filters to the center tank then to the tank on the far right and then a pump pumps it out 6 inches below the grass like a drip irrigation system. We are toying with a grey water system using our bath tub and our shower for our front xeriscape but we think we may just skip it. 

[Post Oak 20,564]

10 minutes ago, troph said:

Basically black and grey. All plumbing flows to the tank with the lid on the left then it filters to the center tank then to the tank on the far right and then a pump pumps it out 6 inches below the grass like a drip irrigation system. We are toying with a grey water system using our bath tub and our shower for our front xeriscape but we think we may just skip it. 

Awesome.  Our next place we'll have this.  Texans need to be using their water at least twice.  Thanks for the info

 

[troph 25,224]

1 hour ago, Post Oak said:

Awesome.  Our next place we'll have this.  Texans need to be using their water at least twice.  Thanks for the info

 

100% about using it twice. Septic is awesome for that purpose. We only have grass on top of the septic field. If there’s not septic line subsurface it’s xeriscape - and if we do grey water it will be for those plants. 

Edited June 18, 2023 by troph

[UTexasFight 9,817]

I picked a great time to decide to replace my rotten railroad tie retaining wall with fresh ones.

At least I got to it before my East austin clay soil turns harder than a rock 

 

[Kwix 2,497]

Anyone able to ID this for me? 

[Post Oak 20,564]

Bamboo?

[Kwix 2,497]

Here is a better pic of the "trunk". I don't think it's bamboo but I don't really know anything about plants. 

[troph 25,224]

 Btw grass is dormant as crispy shoestring French fries. Fuuuuck. 

Edited August 31, 2023 by troph

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,779]

For the life of me I can’t find a place to rent a top dresser.

[drt 645]

@cactusflinthead

wait until after 1st rain to add compost? Or try to beat it? In Austin. 

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

54 minutes ago, drt said:

@cactusflinthead

wait until after 1st rain to add compost? Or try to beat it? In Austin. 

It's typically watered in so before. There's a risk of a downpour washout though.

[Armybrat 41,400]

This Crepe Myrtle in our back yard is weird.
It was almost killed by the ice storm in February, but put out a few blooms late June to the end of August before shedding them all. Very mediocre “ season” because of the extreme record heat all summer.

So it looked bare except for the sparse leaf foliage. 
Then we had a freak, but localized, 2.7” of rain downpour in mid-September - and about 10 days after that the spindly shrub/tree started putting out an unprecedented 2nd set of blooms that have way outdone the first one!
We’ve never heard of such a thing, as we thought it had finished its blooming season as usual a few weeks before. And even when the nasty hail storm ten days ago knocked off a lot of the flowers, it is still putting out more. 
Nonetheless, it is going to be pruned back to a more manageable shape this winter.

 

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

Mine have so many blooms that it the limbs are bent over

[Viper 12,219]

What's the recommendation for any dead spots of St Augustine now that summers over? Rake it up, leave it be? 

[BabaBooey 131]

 

Glad we've finally got some good rain here south of Houston past few weeks. Tifway 419 is finally coming back strong. Back yard struggled with the heat wave and had a few hot spots that got crunchy. Threw down some Nitro Phos 19-4-10 and it's exploded. 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2023 by BabaBooey

[Celery Man 21,097]

Ok, I think I’ve convinced myself I need to get an arborist to come look at this but… I need to do that right? 
 

[Cajun 11,776]

On 5/29/2023 at 2:05 PM, SurlyBDR said:

I got tired of the awkward narrow sides of my back yard that are shaded a lot of the day, and the mud that was created by my dog's running path.

The solution:

Man, that looks really good.  I've got a space like that on one side of my house that  is just dirt and, as you describe, a muddy mess when it rains.  Can you give some detail on cost and time it took you from start to finish?  Pitfalls, tips, yada yada?

 

[SurlyBDR 23,153]

5 hours ago, Cajun said:

Man, that looks really good.  I've got a space like that on one side of my house that  is just dirt and, as you describe, a muddy mess when it rains.  Can you give some detail on cost and time it took you from start to finish?  Pitfalls, tips, yada yada?

 

At the risk of being ridiculed here as I posted in a "hobbies" forum but didn't do it myself; after researching a diy approach, my pro tip is hiring someone. Personally, I didn't have the time or resources to complete this type of job myself. I dont have a truck or trailer to make trips to the landfill to get rid of excavated dirt nor make trips to the landscape supply company for subsequent materials to backfill with. To me, it was worth every penny of $2500. He excavated a few inches of the existing land, brought in base material, laid a weed barrier and installed metal borders, laid the steps and then filled in the gravel around them.

[troph 25,224]

On 10/7/2023 at 5:18 PM, Celery Man said:

Ok, I think I’ve convinced myself I need to get an arborist to come look at this but… I need to do that right? 
 

Did you hire one? And btw those trees are amazing.

[Celery Man 21,097]

Haven’t gotten one out yet, but I need to. Pretty sure I’m going to lose a tree and I’d hate it, they are magnificent. Love sitting on the porch when storms come in. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

OMG, that pic is adorable. And yes, your trees are amazing but I'd agree that the one in question is probably not ideal with respect to the trunk and the diverging branches.

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

On 8/30/2023 at 7:56 PM, Kwix said:

Here is a better pic of the "trunk". I don't think it's bamboo but I don't really know anything about plants. 

That's a willow if nobody has told you yet.

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

If you want to plant bare root stuff; roses, fruit trees, slow growing perennials, now is the time. The roses might need a little protection if we get a snowmaggeddon again. Just pile some leaves, hay, pine straw all over them and something to hold it in place. 

Trees probably won't give a damn, but if it's negative numbers again all bets are off.

[ZB'Tejas 597]

2 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

That's a willow if nobody has told you yet.

Desert willow? I have a big one that is starting to die but one that started growing but only a foot and a half from the paved alleyway. Is that going to cause problems down the line that I should remove?

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

23 minutes ago, ZB'Tejas said:

Desert willow? I have a big one that is starting to die but one that started growing but only a foot and a half from the paved alleyway. Is that going to cause problems down the line that I should remove?

Plain old regular Salix. I would dig it up and move it or get rid of it. The seeds are like cottonwood seeds. Floating on the breeze until finding a place to land. They are everywhere and travel freely. 

[troph 25,224]

Are we supposed to water our lawns tomorrow before the freeze? I see lots of yes advice but no answers for a hard multi day freeze. New lawn, etc…

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

@cactusflinthead --our red oak has finally lost the last of its leaves, most of which I raked up and either gave to a neighbor who has a shredder or tossed in my own garden. However, I usually mulch mow in the last of the batch to give the lawn a little tidy clip and deposit some nutrients. The final drop got a little late this year though until that wind hit. Too late? It's supposed to grow warmer mid week and I will put it on my list unless you think it gives the weeds more sun to germinate (because herbicide never gets em all). Thanks and bless.

Edited January 13 by Mrs Whiggins
Forgot: location is Cen-Tex

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

2 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Too late?

Too late to mow? Mulch leaves?

You can do either whenever you want.

[Mother mopar 3,383]

Has anybody had experience with MSM turf on Bahia grass? Besides measuring it out in grams like a drug dealer, reviews seem positive...assuming correct dosing.

[BottleRocket 659]

Is it the right time to fertilize my St Augustine with Scott’s Turf Builder Bosus S Weed and Feed? In Austin.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

3 hours ago, BottleRocket said:

Is it the right time to fertilize my St Augustine with Scott’s Turf Builder Bosus S Weed and Feed? In Austin.

I'd wait until the grass is actively growing which is usually sometime after the last frost date (middle of February on average). Waiting a little ensures that the grass takes up the nutrients more than the weeds do. It wouldn't hurt to wait longer by a few weeks really. However, I usually do the herbicide separate from fert so maybe if @cactusflinthead would be willing to give advice as I know less about weed n feed product efficacy.

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

3 hours ago, BottleRocket said:

Is it the right time to fertilize my St Augustine with Scott’s Turf Builder Bosus S Weed and Feed? In Austin.

I want you to study the label closely. Unless it's a different version of Bonus S it has atrazine as the herbicide. It now includes a warning to not use it under trees, shrubs, bedding, flowers, or garden plants. That's from the label I found under application restrictions. 

That's because atrazine is a little more mobile in the soil than the lawyers will tolerate. It used to not have that language on the label. 

If you have used it before and haven't seen any adverse effects on non-target species, fire away.

If not, well you were warned.

I generally like to see a 30% green up before I apply fertilizer. I would rather do a pre/post herbicide application now and fertilizer later. Late March? Early April? If it's still half asleep it's living on last year's carbos. It's got more outgo than income. It needs 30% of the chloroplasts kicking in and making new carbs before I want to fertilize it. 

[cactusflinthead 27,627]

Good

 

[freyguy 4,368]

Very nice.  Hope they figure the drainage issue out this time.

[markstanco 12,786]

I want you to study the label closely. Unless it's a different version of Bonus S it has atrazine as the herbicide. It now includes a warning to not use it under trees, shrubs, bedding, flowers, or garden plants. That's from the label I found under application restrictions. 
That's because atrazine is a little more mobile in the soil than the lawyers will tolerate. It used to not have that language on the label. 
If you have used it before and haven't seen any adverse effects on non-target species, fire away.
If not, well you were warned.
I generally like to see a 30% green up before I apply fertilizer. I would rather do a pre/post herbicide application now and fertilizer later. Late March? Early April? If it's still half asleep it's living on last year's carbos. It's got more outgo than income. It needs 30% of the chloroplasts kicking in and making new carbs before I want to fertilize it. 

Curious, agronomy classes? Degree? Or self learned? I took some agro classes and you seem well read on it.