2018 Lawn and Landscape Thread

[Longhorn94 2456]

need to mow...

[markstanco 12585]

need to mow...

Then you have weeds and not a lawn more than likely.

[Eddyline 116]

7 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

There isn't a whole helluva lot that I have found so far. The only thing that has struck the brain pan is to slow down the common is a growth regulator. I found this from 1990

Good idea on the growth regulator.  Maybe I should get a little more aggressive  with Primo application this season.

I damned sure can't afford to re-sod every six years...

[JSB 677]

May not be the thread, but does anyone have any inside info on upcoming mulch sales?  I need about 250 cu. ft. so I want to shop a bit

[SquishMitten 10419]

That's a shit load of mulch. I'd be shocked if you can get a deal on anything though. This is prime time for them, and every place I've talked to is booked for deliveries at least a week in advance.

[JSB 677]

Yeah, I've got about 2,000 square feet of beds that need somewhere between an inch and 1.5" to top it off.  Down the road, I may rethink the size of these beds, and let the grass grow in, in sections.

[TexasEd 8067]

Mexican Buckeye and Yellow Dog

 

Found this guy drying out wings after the rain

Hope this crop makes it.  I've lost every peach the last couple years.  No damage found on the fruit yet.  I've been more aggressive with the orchard sprays this year.

 

[Longhornlax 58]

What’s the best way to fertilize trees? I have two fairly small oaks in our front yard and they just haven’t grown much since we have been here the last two years.

[swraith 347]

Are you thinning your peach trees? I have spent the last week stripping like 75% of the fruit buds based on my internet research. Internet says peaches need to be like minimum of 6-8 inches apart to promote larger fruit growth.

[kmac30 416]

WTF is this. It’s all over my back yard. Started out popping up in the flower beds, now it’s popping up in the grass. It grows fast. I can pull it up and it seems to disconnect from its root base. I’m sure there’s a tube somewhere. It smells weird when I pull it off. If I let it grow it will get a big bloom in the middle. It’s not something we want to keep.

[Hook'Em0608 96]

5 hours ago, kmac30 said:

WTF is this. It’s all over my back yard. Started out popping up in the flower beds, now it’s popping up in the grass. It grows fast. I can pull it up and it seems to disconnect from its root base. I’m sure there’s a tube somewhere. It smells weird when I pull it off. If I let it grow it will get a big bloom in the middle. It’s not something we want to keep.

Shit almost looks like poison ivy to me. I'm no expert though. 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Not poison ivy. I think it is in the grape fam, but I have to dig some. 2,4-D or triclopyr. Tending towards triclopyr as it matures. Paint the cut off stem with it straight from the bottle. 2,4-D will probably take care of the seedlings.

Brush and stump killer
Confront
Remedy

All the same stuff but labeled homeowner, pro applicator, and agriculture.

[kmac30 416]

Would this work? It’s already in my garage.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Yes. That's fine.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

21 hours ago, Longhornlax said:

What’s the best way to fertilize trees? I have two fairly small oaks in our front yard and they just haven’t grown much since we have been here the last two years.

It's not unusual to see them go slow the first couple of years. They are trying to get the root system established before investing in the new leaves.  A five gallon bucket with a weep hole is a cheap option. Plain old miracle-gro, root stimulator, Garrett juice, or any number of options will work. 

[kmac30 416]

Yes. That's fine.

Thanks! This stuff is all over my yard. Want it gone this year

[cactusflinthead 27601]

28 minutes ago, kmac30 said:

Thanks! This stuff is all over my yard. Want it gone this year

It will probably take several whacks to get it completely gone. It's a perennial vine, they typically have an extensive network. The seeds germinating are going to be an issue too. 

 

It might take a bit to ID this thing. I have seen it for a few years. It makes a smaller grape-like berry. No, I have not tried one. The overall structure of the plant makes me think it is in the grape family. Boston Ivy and Virginia creeper are in Vitaceae

Edited March 31, 2018 by cactusflinthead

[TexasEd 8067]

On 3/29/2018 at 8:30 PM, swraith said:

Are you thinning your peach trees? I have spent the last week stripping like 75% of the fruit buds based on my internet research. Internet says peaches need to be like minimum of 6-8 inches apart to promote larger fruit growth.

Not yet but considering it.  I'm pretty sure I have too many.  I pruned it when the flowers were in bloom to remove some already but the set fruit is very dense and would probably break branches.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Pretty good pdf on thinning fruit. 

 

http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/8047.pdf

If you are going to do it, now is the time. There are other things that get thinned too or the other verb, disbudded. If you look at a florist quality mum you will see some cut spots around the flowers. That's where there used to be other flowers. You concentrate all the 'good stuff' and 'energy' (hormones and carbos and all the other stuff that makes shit grow) into that one flower or fruit and it will get bigger and Lord willing, tastier. There are also other benefits outlined in the info sheet. 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

How much do I need to move from the old place? I am going to ask this same question on a couple of threads that I regularly participate in, but I would like some sort of idea how much stuff I need to go grab before the bottom falls out over there. 

It's a fucking ghost town and it looks weird now. The interface is all borked and shitty. He ain't gonna make a damn dime off that place now.

[HiggyBaby 2541]

Not poison ivy. I think it is in the grape fam, but I have to dig some. 2,4-D or triclopyr. Tending towards triclopyr as it matures. Paint the cut off stem with it straight from the bottle. 2,4-D will probably take care of the seedlings.

Brush and stump killer
Confront
Remedy

All the same stuff but labeled homeowner, pro applicator, and agriculture.

Fuck that. Pour some diesel on it.

[TexasEd 8067]

I'm not worried about saving anything else there.  We can answer questions as they come.

 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Sounds like a plan. I'm going to have enough on my plate rescuing the mental health thread.

[SquishMitten 10419]

Don’t think anything needs to be copied over. Nobody reads through prior content anyway. There’s some of us who follow regularly, but most folks just show up and ask questions that have been answered a dozen times already and we have to answer them again anyway

[SquishMitten 10419]

This is the only thing that should be posted so we can easily direct people to it, but it would work better stickied to the top.

 

[chikin23 384]

This is the only thing that should be posted so we can easily direct people to it, but it would work better stickied to the top.
 

That solves 90% of the questions.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Don’t think anything needs to be copied over. Nobody reads through prior content anyway. There’s some of us who follow regularly, but most folks just show up and ask questions that have been answered a dozen times already and we have to answer them again anyway

Troof

[cactusflinthead 27601]

I don't hate this hose end mix of either.

[Dark Horse 2284]

I’m confused on when I can apply 2,4-D to St Augustine.

I used it last year and I think it was too close to 85F; it turned a lot of my yard yellow, and it killed some grass where I’m sure I over applied.

The over applied area now has quite a few weeds. Can I use the 2,4-D in the area and hope the St Augustine comes back? Should I just start over and re-sod the area?

[Horn of Gabriel 1643]

Got the bagger attachment for my ZTM so I could bag the first cut. Holy shit, between the leaves and cutting it lower I made about 40 of those Lowe’s bags.

Is it common for oaks to shed their leaves in the Spring? Mine hung on all winter ...

[GottaB 594]

I don't hate this hose end mix of either.

I used that hose end Scott’s at the top and I couldn’t tell if it was dispensing. The volume never dropped so I couldn’t tell if my rate was right.

I emailed Scott’s and they said it was normal. I told them it was a design flaw.

[Chilly Water 416]

14 hours ago, SquishMitten said:

This is the only thing that should be posted so we can easily direct people to it, but it would work better stickied to the top.

 

Would sticky it but can’t edit posts. If we can’t edit posts, the Kevin Morgans win.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

17 hours ago, Dark Horse said:

I’m confused on when I can apply 2,4-D to St Augustine.

I used it last year and I think it was too close to 85F; it turned a lot of my yard yellow, and it killed some grass where I’m sure I over applied.

The over applied area now has quite a few weeds. Can I use the 2,4-D in the area and hope the St Augustine comes back? Should I just start over and re-sod the area?


 

St. A is so damn fickle. Try a test spot at the lowest recommended rate. Resodding is not going to make the seed bank go away or keep new ones from drifting in on the wind. 

9 hours ago, GottaB said:

 

 

I used that hose end Scott’s at the top and I couldn’t tell if it was dispensing. The volume never dropped so I couldn’t tell if my rate was right.

I emailed Scott’s and they said it was normal. I told them it was a design flaw.

 

 

Good point. I like the mix they have in there, but if it is a shitty applicator it isn't worth the 10-15 bucks they are charging for them. 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

 

When leaves don't leave

Quote

 

Deciduous trees typically lose all of their leaves by late autumn. But a stroll through the Arboretum reveals a scattering of deciduous trees and shrubs that still have leaves (albeit dry and brown) clinging tightly to branches. These plants are exhibiting marcescence, the trait of retaining plant parts after they are dead and dry. Marcescence most often refers to persistent leaves but can also refer to other parts such as flower corollas.

Leaf marcescence is most often seen on juvenile plants and may disappear as the tree matures. It also may not affect the entire tree; sometimes leaves persist only on scattered branches. Unlike a typical deciduous leaf, a marcescent leaf doesn’t develop an abscission zone, an area at the base of the petiole containing a separation layer (thin-walled cells that break readily, allowing leaf drop) and, on the twig side, a protective layer of corky cells. The evolutionary reasons for marcescence are not clear, though theories include defense against herbivory (e.g., browsing by deer), protection of leaf buds from winter desiccation, and as a delayed source of nutrients or moisture-conserving mulch when the leaves finally fall and decompose in the spring.

Some woody plant species are more likely to exhibit marcescense than others. One of the most striking marcescent tree species is American beech (Fagus grandifolia), whose papery, pale tan winter leaves provide an easy identification feature as well as adding a ghostly shimmer in snow-filled woodlands. Many oak (Quercus) species are notably marcescent, and some hornbeams (Carpinus) and hophornbeams [pdf] (Ostrya) also tend to hold their leaves. Some witch-hazels [pdf](Hamamelis) may retain foliage, which unfortunately can detract from the floral display of these winter-blooming shrubs. And if you visit the Arboretum this winter, note the handsomely marcescent specimens of narrow-leaved spicebush (Lindera angustifolia 740-75) along Bussey Road across from the lilac collection

 

[Godzillatron 292]

Decided this is the year to tackle the weeds in my mixed grass yard - mainly Bermuda but some St. Augustine in the side yard in the shade. Lots of mixed weeds, especially over septic where they are just about crowding out the Bermuda.  Kicker is I just broke my foot, so I can't do anything myself, foot can't touch the ground for 8 weeks.  Anybody have experience using Chem Free in the Austin area?

[Red Sundance 6]

14 hours ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

Got the bagger attachment for my ZTM so I could bag the first cut. Holy shit, between the leaves and cutting it lower I made about 40 of those Lowe’s bags.

Is it common for oaks to shed their leaves in the Spring? Mine hung on all winter ...

Live oak, yes. Will shed between February and May.  Mine always seems to drop right after I put down mulch. 

On 3/30/2018 at 8:54 AM, kmac30 said:

WTF is this. It’s all over my back yard. Started out popping up in the flower beds, now it’s popping up in the grass. It grows fast. I can pull it up and it seems to disconnect from its root base. I’m sure there’s a tube somewhere. It smells weird when I pull it off. If I let it grow it will get a big bloom in the middle. It’s not something we want to keep.

Pretty sure this is a type of hackberry. 

[TexasEd 8067]

16 hours ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

Got the bagger attachment for my ZTM so I could bag the first cut. Holy shit, between the leaves and cutting it lower I made about 40 of those Lowe’s bags.

Is it common for oaks to shed their leaves in the Spring? Mine hung on all winter ...

Yes, Live oaks don't drop leaves until the spring and new ones are ready to pop out,  that is why they are called live oaks, they are semi-evergreen.  Monterrey Oaks also do this.

[BearSchlong 8100]

We can tag people.  [mention=541]cactusflinthead[/mention]
 
I need to pick up a 3-way herbicide post-emergent to spray.  What should I get?  Eradicating poa, broadleaf weeds, clovers, etc.  I have bermuda and st aug

Celsius. Made by Bayer. About $150 on Amazon. Put about a tablespoon in a 4 gallon pump up sprayer with a surfactant and some blue dye and just spray the yard. In 2 weeks everything will be dead except the Bermuda and st Augustine.

It's the only thing I've found that will kill Virginia buttonweed.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[SquishMitten 10419]

Pretty sure this is a type of hackberry. 

That’s why I was going to suggest based solely off the leaves, but Cactus seemed confident about grapes so I kept it to myself.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Are the leaves rough and sandpapery? I'm not opposed to hackberry as an option. 

[Red Sundance 6]

I have some wild grape in my backyard and some at my last place. The leaves look similar so I couldn’t rule it out but the stems made me go hackberry. 

[TexasEd 8067]

This is hackberry.  I don't think that other was Hackberry.

 

[JSB 677]

That's a shit load of mulch. I'd be shocked if you can get a deal on anything though. This is prime time for them, and every place I've talked to is booked for deliveries at least a week in advance.

Friday found a pallet of 75 bags of the no-float stuff for $2.32 a bag. I’ve spread about half the load so far, but the drive home was comical but short enough

[Eddyline 116]

22 hours ago, BearSchlong said:

Celsius. Made by Bayer. About $150 on Amazon. Put about a tablespoon in a 4 gallon pump up sprayer with a surfactant and some blue dye and just spray the yard. In 2 weeks everything will be dead except the Bermuda and st Augustine.

It's the only thing I've found that will kill Virginia buttonweed.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

Big fan of Celsius here, well worth the money.  Especially nice to use in hot weather, in that it doesn't burn the grass like other herbicides can do in the heat.  Add in some Certainty if you have a sedge problem, and this may be all you'll ever need.  And, whatever you do, don't skip out on the surfactant.

[chikin23 384]

Going to try this. Seems like it'll last a few years.

 

Any specific surfactant?

[Spur08 382]

Why the blue dye?

[workswithseed 2112]

I miss yard work and my plants at home in Texas

[chikin23 384]

Damn, Amazon says it can't ship Celsius to my address.

[Eddyline 116]

31 minutes ago, chikin23 said:

Going to try this. Seems like it'll last a few years.

 

Any specific surfactant?

Any nonionic surfactant will do; available at any garden store.  Unless you're spraying a cotton field, get the smallest container you can find.   

[Eddyline 116]

35 minutes ago, Spur08 said:

Why the blue dye?

Blue dye, also known as turf marker, is so  you can see where you have sprayed; this stuff (Celsius) is high-dollar, so you definitely do not want to double-spray.  I guess burnt orange turf marker would be preferable, if you can find it....

Edited April 2, 2018 by Eddyline