2018 Lawn and Landscape Thread

[cactusflinthead 27601]

24 minutes ago, mdleast said:

Can someone tell me what kind of tree/plant/bush these are? They are in my neighborhood and I’ve always found them very interesting. These have been around for years and I’m looking for a very small one as I’m redoing our landscaping.

An old one of these. Note the branch cuts on this tree form. 

Pfitzer juniper

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Musing 

Junipers are one of those plants you either love or hate. Very little gray area.

I love seeing old ones like that being kept in the landscape rather than ground down to mulch or straight up ripped out. That fucker survived Texas for a few decades, maybe several and you wanna rip it out and start over?

Ok. Here's the bill. 

 

So many dead hawthorns. Is it with an e or no?

You decide! It's your language too. Have seen it both ways. 

I wonder where the deadline sits. If some intrepid hort student worked at it they could see the transition from Dallas to the Valley. A path of plant carnage. North of here they be dead. South is mostly ok. 

I like junipers. Even if they make me sneeze.

 

[mdleast 8295]

Thanks!

[mr. sunshine 2827]

What is this and how do I kill it without killing the Bermuda grass around it?  

[Anastasis 23474]

Looks like poa.  I have patches that pop up this of year.  I've found that it's pretty easy to pull.  Like it just comes out in clumps if you get a good grip of a bunch.  But I too am eager to hear a solution that involves chemistry. 

[mr. sunshine 2827]

It does pull out pretty easy. I’ll man up

[Bogeywon 2519]

My backyard in michigan 

[KYHorn 17076]

@cactusflinthead or anyone: my blue spruces have chronic wasting disease, also known as rhizosphera needlecast. I have copper and quinclorac to treat it, but they are really freaking tall (at least 60 ft). I can reach probably 30-40 ft with my hose and sprayer attached and a ladder, but cannot reach the rest. Do you know of anything that will allow me to reach that extra 20 or so feet that's not gonna cost me hundreds? I'm considering a pressure washer, but don't know how well that'll work. Maybe there's a hose sprayer with a really narrow nozzle and long wand that might work? Thanks in advance.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

1 minute ago, KYHorn said:

@cactusflinthead or anyone: my blue spruces have chronic wasting disease, also known as rhizosphera needlecast. I have copper and quinclorac to treat it, but they are really freaking tall (at least 60 ft). I can reach probably 30-40 ft with my hose and sprayer attached and a ladder, but cannot reach the rest. Do you know of anything that will allow me to reach that extra 20 or so feet that's not gonna cost me hundreds? I'm considering a pressure washer, but don't know how well that'll work. Maybe there's a hose sprayer with a really narrow nozzle and long wand that might work? Thanks in advance.

Quinclorac for fungus? You sure about that Clark?

30-40' is about the max. Cherry picker or a lift for big specimens. It might be worth hiring it out. 

[KYHorn 17076]

30 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

Quinclorac for fungus? You sure about that Clark?

30-40' is about the max. Cherry picker or a lift for big specimens. It might be worth hiring it out. 

Oops, that's for my other lawn and landscape issue. Daconil and copper. 

So pressure washer probably not a good way to go?

Thanks again.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

11 minutes ago, KYHorn said:

Oops, that's for my other lawn and landscape issue. Daconil and copper. 

So pressure washer probably not a good way to go?

Thanks again.

I've pushed the pumps and motors to the scary point and beyond. It was rattling bad when I backed off. Neither the JD-9 or this one would get more than about 40'. I would be leery of getting the dose right with a pressure washer even if I could make it reach. 

If you decide to rent a lift think about making a plywood trail if it requires a long trip across turf. Unless they are designed to be taken off the concrete. 

 

[KYHorn 17076]

3 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

I've pushed the pumps and motors to the scary point and beyond. It was rattling bad when I backed off. Neither the JD-9 or this one would get more than about 40'. I would be leery of getting the dose right with a pressure washer even if I could make it reach. 

If you decide to rent a lift think about making a plywood trail if it requires a long trip across turf. Unless they are designed to be taken off the concrete. 

 

Any recs for a cheap pump that you think would reach 40 feet?

[cactusflinthead 27601]

1 hour ago, KYHorn said:

Any recs for a cheap pump that you think would reach 40 feet?

This is the smallest I have used for trees.

https://www.sprayerdepot.com/products/hypro-pump-d252

It is typically plumbed to a tank 50 gal+ and driven by a standard 4 cycle gas motor. I haven't been able to find a set up for less than 1500 and that was a rebuild.

[VonZipper 50]

Can anyone tell me what this is and how to control/eradicate it from my yard?  I've been digging it out, but that's a real PITA.  TIA

[NTVTXN 1432]

On 5/12/2021 at 1:57 PM, cactusflinthead said:

This is the smallest I have used for trees.

Speaking of “trees”...I had a Red Oak planted in Oct’18.  It’s in the conrrr of our yard and looking pretty healthy. However, it’s only about three feet from the fence.

At what point could I prune the lower branches they are growing into said fence?

(I estimate the tree is actually 4-5yrs old)

Thanks.
 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

1 hour ago, NTVTXN said:

Speaking of “trees”...I had a Red Oak planted in Oct’18.  It’s in the conrrr of our yard and looking pretty healthy. However, it’s only about three feet from the fence.

At what point could I prune the lower branches they are growing into said fence?

(I estimate the tree is actually 4-5yrs old)

Thanks.
 

Go for it. Try to not take more than a third. I'd wait until winter though. If you have to nibble at the ends to keep it off the fence until frost, that's fine.

Edit: elaborate on the rule of a third

You can usually take a third of the overall volume, mass, pick a noun. This applies to turf, shrubs, trees, and woody vines. More than a third at one time tends to stunt the plant. It can be done in some cases. See baling hay and hard cutbacks of sturdy perennials.

Edited May 31, 2021 by cactusflinthead

[NTVTXN 1432]

2 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

Go for it. Try to not take more than a third. I'd wait until winter though. If you have to nibble at the ends to keep it off the fence until frost, that's fine.

Edit: elaborate on the rule of a third

You can usually take a third of the overall volume, mass, pick a noun. This applies to turf, shrubs, trees, and woody vines. More than a third at one time tends to stunt the plant. It can be done in some cases. See baling hay and hard cutbacks of sturdy perennials.

TY, Cactus!

[Horn of Gabriel 1614]

Dropping into this thread for the first time in a long time...I'm still fighting my (lifelong) battle here in Cedar Park with nutsedge.  Fuckin' A I hate this stuff.  I have an ornamental garden and it's a total PITA.  I've tried super-concentrated glyphosphate w/ surfactant and it laughed at me, plus that shit kills the nice plants I want to keep.  On the recommendation of this group I went to sedgehammer and then finally to Certainty (applied w/ surfactant w/ handheld sprayer) and that works...sort of.  Takes awhile to see results and no sooner do I have it knocked down than I have to do it all over again and damn if it doesn't come back on my quick.  If I get lazy or miss it then it's all over the place FAST.  Is there any newer or better recommendations here or is it just a fact of life that this stuff sucks and "deal with it?"

Second question is new, I use Emerald Lawns for helping me manage the routine with the turf grass (St. Aug in the front of the house, zoysia in the rear), and every other year I had been getting core aeration done.  They've shifted to "liquid aeration" which they claim is better, here: https://emeraldlawnsaustin.com/services/lawn-aeration/...is that true or B.S.?  It's certainly less expensive per application than core, but they want to do it more often.  What's the truth?

Oh one other question...I have a really nice thornless "Maverick Mesquite" tree at the edge of the turf and garden.   It hasn't done anything since the freeze...I'm really hoping it's just still dormant and not dead.  I've read that mesqites sometimes take a long time to come back or can even skip...anyone with direct experience here?

Edited June 3, 2021 by Horn of Gabriel

[El Diablo 4232]

Looking for suggestions on a vining climber, preferably something with some blooms. Maybe morning glory? Trumpet vine? Grapes? 

Deal is, I have a section of chain link fence, a fairly large gate actually. I'm thinking it could be used as a trellis but only if whatever I plant can pretty much obscure the gate.

Thoughts? Two places I could set the gate, one with full sun and one mostly shade. 

EDIT: Found a really good article on this subject - https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1306

Any suggestions specific to Central Texas would be appreciated.

Edited June 8, 2021 by El Diablo

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

1 hour ago, El Diablo said:

Looking for suggestions on a vining climber, preferably something with some blooms. Maybe morning glory? Trumpet vine? Grapes? 

Deal is, I have a section of chain link fence, a fairly large gate actually. I'm thinking it could be used as a trellis but only if whatever I plant can pretty much obscure the gate.

Thoughts? Two places I could set the gate, one with full sun and one mostly shade. 

EDIT: Found a really good article on this subject - https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1306

Any suggestions specific to Central Texas would be appreciated.

In my opinion:

Trumpet vine: They are pretty and thick with green leaves and blooms, but downside is that the vine can take over quite quick and begin to make the fence lean. But if it's full sun, trumpet vines will give outstanding coverage.

Morning glory: I love these. So many varieties. Downside is that it is an annual so will die in the fall, leaving your fence covered with dry dead vine. If you don't care about that, then go for it because the little buggers will reseed errywhere. Also: the do best in morning sun, afternoon shade. I've got them in spots all over the garden, but it's easy to spot the ones that are stressed.

If your soil is moist, night blooming jasmine may work. Smells great. Downside--takes water to keep happy and only blooms once in the spring.

If you like blooms and want a perennial in full sun I would suggest a climbing rose. They are pretty easy with a few basic maintenance skills and can provide green and color. We have a Don Juan climber (I think I put a pic in last years garden thread) and it has big bold red blooms. There are yellow bloom varieties of roses, etc. If you go to the Antique Rose Emporium website they have a filter where you can select based on your requirements. Quite handy. At this time of year they will have less inventory--we usually buy in the fall and plant in the fall. It helps them acclimate before the heat. All of our roses made it through the Great Freeze. I mulched them heavily and then pruned them back in the spring. They are all blooming except the Lady Banks because it will take another year due to the stress.

Link: https://antiqueroseemporium.com/

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Mrs Whiggins

[El Diablo 4232]

Thanks for the feedback @Mrs Whiggins . The article I linked makes me think I should probably do a little of both an annual and a perennial. I'm leaning more to the shadier spot just because it would look better there if done successfully. I may try some morning glory there still this summer and see what that does and then be thinking about adding something perennial that likes shade. Will need to do some research on that. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

1 minute ago, El Diablo said:

Thanks for the feedback @Mrs Whiggins . The article I linked makes me think I should probably do a little of both an annual and a perennial. I'm leaning more to the shadier spot just because it would look better there if done successfully. I may try some morning glory there still this summer and see what that does and then be thinking about adding something perennial that likes shade. Will need to do some research on that. 

A lot will depend upon how much and how dark the shade is. Roses are going to need quite a bit of sun. The minimum for most sun lovers is 6 hours, but with the morning glories, I've had some luck with bright indirect light with sun nearby and since they're a vine, they stretch to reach it. Some other vines that may work are cross vine (also likes sun) and confederate jasmine. Cypress vine is one that I grow but didn't this year--it is sometimes marketed as a type of morning glory as it is also an annual; it's red and the hummingbirds really like it when I grow it. If you end up  mixing an annual such as mg and a perennial, one thing that I have to do is make sure the annual doesn't take over and restrict the perennial because that is the investment plant for the landscape. I had a morning glory wrap itself around one of the roses and the leaves of the mg were large and throwing to much shade. But with a morning glory, I just reached down and yanked it out. Morning glory seeds are less than two dollars but the rose was a twenty dollar purchase so I'm more protective of it.

Good luck.

[El Diablo 4232]

2 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

A lot will depend upon how much and how dark the shade is. Roses are going to need quite a bit of sun. The minimum for most sun lovers is 6 hours, but with the morning glories, I've had some luck with bright indirect light with sun nearby and since they're a vine, they stretch to reach it. Some other vines that may work are cross vine (also likes sun) and confederate jasmine. Cypress vine is one that I grow but didn't this year--it is sometimes marketed as a type of morning glory as it is also an annual; it's red and the hummingbirds really like it when I grow it. If you end up  mixing an annual such as mg and a perennial, one thing that I have to do is make sure the annual doesn't take over and restrict the perennial because that is the investment plant for the landscape. I had a morning glory wrap itself around one of the roses and the leaves of the mg were large and throwing to much shade. But with a morning glory, I just reached down and yanked it out. Morning glory seeds are less than two dollars but the rose was a twenty dollar purchase so I'm more protective of it.

Good luck.

It's a new home with mature trees. I'll be watching the sun's progression the rest of the summer and fall to see just what I have to work with. Thanks again. 

[Ravishing Rick 1129]

My front yard's grass looks like shit.  It's St Augustine, and the dead spots are where winter grass is (dies in the hot summer).  I've got a quote for $7,000 to rip it all up (1,000 sq ft total) and put in zoysia.  Don't really feel like paying all that money.  It's fairly shaded, but does get some sun.  Any suggestions?  Perhaps scrape out the winter grass/dead spots and put in St Augustine sod? Or plugs?  Please help!

 

[Gourmand 7774]

Can anyone tell me what this is and how to control/eradicate it from my yard?  I've been digging it out, but that's a real PITA.  TIA

Looks like it may be dog fennel?? I think I've seen some of this in my yard but the heat seems to have killed most of it. 

Edit: I think that is marsh parsley aka celery

[El Tri 412]

On 6/20/2021 at 8:53 PM, Ravishing Rick said:

My front yard's grass looks like shit.  It's St Augustine, and the dead spots are where winter grass is (dies in the hot summer).  I've got a quote for $7,000 to rip it all up (1,000 sq ft total) and put in zoysia.  Don't really feel like paying all that money.  It's fairly shaded, but does get some sun.  Any suggestions?  Perhaps scrape out the winter grass/dead spots and put in St Augustine sod? Or plugs?  Please help!

 

that quote is fucking ridiculous. 1000 sq ft is nothing - wife and i did 7 pallets of zoysia on my yard (3500 sq ft).

what i did:

lay down pre-emergent and water it in.

put lawn mower on lowest setting and mowed it all after the pre-emergent set in (gave it a few days)

go back with the weed eater and took it all down to the bare dirt. Fill in with top soil as needed to make it even

order pallets of zoysia from grass outlet (they'll deliver it). I think it's about $230 or so per pallet of zoysia. one pallet covers 450 sq ft or so, so you'll need at least 2.

lay it down, add fertilizer, and water the hell out of it for 2 weeks.

just saved you $6500.

P.S. Nice truck - have that same exact one.

[Ravishing Rick 1129]

28 minutes ago, El Tri said:

that quote is fucking ridiculous. 1000 sq ft is nothing - wife and i did 7 pallets of zoysia on my yard (3500 sq ft).

what i did:

lay down pre-emergent and water it in.

put lawn mower on lowest setting and mowed it all after the pre-emergent set in (gave it a few days)

go back with the weed eater and took it all down to the bare dirt. Fill in with top soil as needed to make it even

order pallets of zoysia from grass outlet (they'll deliver it). I think it's about $230 or so per pallet of zoysia. one pallet covers 450 sq ft or so, so you'll need at least 2.

lay it down, add fertilizer, and water the hell out of it for 2 weeks.

just saved you $6500.

P.S. Nice truck - have that same exact one.

Many thanks.  Sounds easy enough, I'm sure I'll find a way to fuck it up, but even if I do so 3-4 times, I'll still save a lot of money.

[Gourmand 7774]

2 hours ago, El Tri said:

that quote is fucking ridiculous.

That's what I thought as well. 7k to lay  some sod??? Holy shit. I'd like to know what else was included in the quote.....

@Ravishing Rick what is your typical lawn protocol? do you know your soil pH, do you fertilize and use pre-emergent, water regularly etc? 

[Horn of Gabriel 1614]

On 6/3/2021 at 2:02 PM, Horn of Gabriel said:

Dropping into this thread for the first time in a long time...I'm still fighting my (lifelong) battle here in Cedar Park with nutsedge.  Fuckin' A I hate this stuff.  I have an ornamental garden and it's a total PITA.  I've tried super-concentrated glyphosphate w/ surfactant and it laughed at me, plus that shit kills the nice plants I want to keep.  On the recommendation of this group I went to sedgehammer and then finally to Certainty (applied w/ surfactant w/ handheld sprayer) and that works...sort of.  Takes awhile to see results and no sooner do I have it knocked down than I have to do it all over again and damn if it doesn't come back on my quick.  If I get lazy or miss it then it's all over the place FAST.  Is there any newer or better recommendations here or is it just a fact of life that this stuff sucks and "deal with it?"

Second question is new, I use Emerald Lawns for helping me manage the routine with the turf grass (St. Aug in the front of the house, zoysia in the rear), and every other year I had been getting core aeration done.  They've shifted to "liquid aeration" which they claim is better, here: https://emeraldlawnsaustin.com/services/lawn-aeration/...is that true or B.S.?  It's certainly less expensive per application than core, but they want to do it more often.  What's the truth?

Oh one other question...I have a really nice thornless "Maverick Mesquite" tree at the edge of the turf and garden.   It hasn't done anything since the freeze...I'm really hoping it's just still dormant and not dead.  I've read that mesqites sometimes take a long time to come back or can even skip...anyone with direct experience here?

Self-quote alert! @cactusflinthead any ideas?

[Gourmand 7774]

Nutsedge is a pain in the ass but I just keep hitting it with sedgehammer. Also have you considered doing that liquid aeration yourself? I have a product at home that I've used this summer and it definitely loosens up hard, compacted soil.

https://www.amazon.com/Conditioner-Mechanical-Simple-Lawn-Solutions/dp/B071VWCRBD/ref=asc_df_B071VWCRBD/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198106292047&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12833131083719825422&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061293&hvtargid=pla-350834785335&psc=1

[cactusflinthead 27601]

1 hour ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

A)Takes awhile to see results

B)and no sooner do I have it knocked down than I have to do it all over again and damn if it doesn't come back on my quick.

 If I get lazy...

 part A, yes. Absolutely. It's a solid 30 days under the best conditions.

B) it's the nature of nutgrass/sedges. There are some locations that I have sprayed over several years. There are still persistent areas. It's much better than before, but it continues to require treatment. 

60-90 day cycle or until you get sick of seeing new stuff after 30. 

On 6/20/2021 at 8:53 PM, Ravishing Rick said:

My front yard's grass looks like shit.  It's St Augustine, and the dead spots are where winter grass is (dies in the hot summer).  I've got a quote for $7,000 to rip it all up (1,000 sq ft total) and put in zoysia.  Don't really feel like paying all that money.  It's fairly shaded, but does get some sun.  Any suggestions?  Perhaps scrape out the winter grass/dead spots and put in St Augustine sod? Or plugs?  Please help!

 

That's fungal/ got the funk. T-methyl to start. Plug in some St.A and this fall hit it with another round of fungicide. Eventually you can switch off to peat moss top dressing to keep it suppressed.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

On 6/22/2021 at 10:55 AM, Ravishing Rick said:

Many thanks.  Sounds easy enough, I'm sure I'll find a way to fuck it up, but even if I do so 3-4 times, I'll still save a lot of money.

That's the spirit!

If you want to have fun in the yard and have 7k for a budget I can find better ways to spend it.

That dead spot isn't a lot of turf. A standard pallet of sod is 400-450 sq. ft. They will happily deliver it for an additional fee. Before you go spending money on new sod though, of any kind, I want to know why it died. 

I sound like a broken record, but disease is the number one issue I see with St. Augustine. It's particularly susceptible to Take All Root Rot. Brown patch is not hard to clear up, gray leaf spot isn't too bad either, but TARR is a pain in the ass.

There is no consensus on treatment for it.

There are indications that a top dressing of peat moss can suppress TARR for up to 2 years. 

There are lists of fungicides of various kinds available from ag schools across the nation. None have proven infallible. It's start chucking bullets and hope one or more of them sticks. I tend to prefer thiophanate methyl as a starter. Myclobutanil, propiconazole, and azoxystrobin are sometimes rec'd and sometimes not. Combining chlorothalonil and t-methyl has been done too, both as roll your own and premixed.

Here's the thing though. Ripping it all out and planting zoysia might get you right back where you are right now in a year or so. They can do some remedial prep for the sod but without an ongoing maintenance program there's a good chance those pathogens swim right back in the root wound once their numbers rebound.

Could say fuck it, throw down some rocks and plant some ferns.

[Ravishing Rick 1129]

7 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

That's the spirit!

If you want to have fun in the yard and have 7k for a budget I can find better ways to spend it.

That dead spot isn't a lot of turf. A standard pallet of sod is 400-450 sq. ft. They will happily deliver it for an additional fee. Before you go spending money on new sod though, of any kind, I want to know why it died. 

I sound like a broken record, but disease is the number one issue I see with St. Augustine. It's particularly susceptible to Take All Root Rot. Brown patch is not hard to clear up, gray leaf spot isn't too bad either, but TARR is a pain in the ass.

There is no consensus on treatment for it.

There are indications that a top dressing of peat moss can suppress TARR for up to 2 years. 

There are lists of fungicides of various kinds available from ag schools across the nation. None have proven infallible. It's start chucking bullets and hope one or more of them sticks. I tend to prefer thiophanate methyl as a starter. Myclobutanil, propiconazole, and azoxystrobin are sometimes rec'd and sometimes not. Combining chlorothalonil and t-methyl has been done too, both as roll your own and premixed.

Here's the thing though. Ripping it all out and planting zoysia might get you right back where you are right now in a year or so. They can do some remedial prep for the sod but without an ongoing maintenance program there's a good chance those pathogens swim right back in the root wound once their numbers rebound.

Could say fuck it, throw down some rocks and plant some ferns.

Very helpful and valuable advice. Thanks, men!  Tomorrow I start ripping it up!  Will plan on using the T Methyl on the new sod to start. Decided to plant St Aug again, rather than zoysia. 

[Post Oak 20232]

I've been applying alfalfa pellets to my yard.  So far on Easter and Memorial Day and I'll put more out next week.

Lawn looks great.  Nice and thick plus I haven't had to water it at all yet.  

Really happy so far.  Plus I throw the pellets around my shrubs and trees.  I've been making alfalfa tea that my plants seem to love.

I'm a convert. Plus it's cheap.

I've had a few bad spots of dallisgrass.  I sprayed it with soapy water then dusted it with baking soda.  I did it yesterday about lunch and now all the weeds and the seed heads are dead and dying.

Really happy right now. 

I'm sure I've just jinxed myself. 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

10 hours ago, Post Oak said:

I've been applying alfalfa pellets to my yard.  So far on Easter and Memorial Day and I'll put more out next week.

Lawn looks great.  Nice and thick plus I haven't had to water it at all yet.  

Really happy so far.  Plus I throw the pellets around my shrubs and trees.  I've been making alfalfa tea that my plants seem to love.

I'm a convert. Plus it's cheap.

I've had a few bad spots of dallisgrass.  I sprayed it with soapy water then dusted it with baking soda.  I did it yesterday about lunch and now all the weeds and the seed heads are dead and dying.

Really happy right now. 

I'm sure I've just jinxed myself. 

I'd love to see some pix of the dallisgrass progression.

[Post Oak 20232]

8 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

I'd love to see some pix of the dallisgrass progression.

Just shy of 48hours.  Doesn't seem to be impacting the St. A at all.  

I'm not sure what the last weed pic was but it had just popped up and I thought why the hell not and the b.s, soap mix just murdered it.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Damned impressive.

[Post Oak 20232]

Yeah I'm really happy about it.  Glad I found a solution.

[Gourmand 7774]

Curious if any of y'all have ever gone all-in on the laborious task of leveling your lawn.....i have about 2000 sf in my back yard that is bumpy as hell now after years of weather and especially the last year of snow/rain and lawn leveling is on my diy bucket list. I know it's a big pain in the ass but it doesn't look that complicated so that's not something I'm inclined to shell out four figures for a lawn company to do when I could do it myself with the right equipment. Does anyone have any ballpark figure on the price of bulk masonry sand delivered?

[Gourmand 7774]

On 6/23/2021 at 8:35 PM, Post Oak said:

I've been applying alfalfa pellets to my yard.  So far on Easter and Memorial Day and I'll put more out next week.

Lawn looks great.  Nice and thick plus I haven't had to water it at all yet.  

Really happy so far.  Plus I throw the pellets around my shrubs and trees.  I've been making alfalfa tea that my plants seem to love.

I'm a convert. Plus it's cheap.

I've been using milorganite regularly but have thought about trying alfalfa. How much are you putting down and for what size area?

[Post Oak 20232]

My lot is .39acres. I buy 5 50lb bags and put down 2 in the front, 2 in the back and use 1 on my garden and to make alfalfa tea.

 

Make sure you get the smallest pellets you can find otherwise they'll get stuck in the hopper.  I think you can put down as much as you want.  Really every month if you want.  One thing to be aware of is that it mats up once it gets wet.  I've notice it's NBD on my yard but a slight issue on my garden beds.

I'm gonna keep using it but Neil Sperry said to hold off on Nitrogen in the hot summer months.  I'm not sure if that would apply to alfalfa since its NPK is 3-1-2.

Also you don't have to water it in.  I just let it sit.

I'm gonna spray Humic Acid next month and see what happens.

I read this article and it convinced me to give it a shot.

https://www.epicgardening.com/alfalfa-meal/

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by Post Oak

[chikin23 384]

Curious if any of y'all have ever gone all-in on the laborious task of leveling your lawn.....i have about 2000 sf in my back yard that is bumpy as hell now after years of weather and especially the last year of snow/rain and lawn leveling is on my diy bucket list. I know it's a big pain in the ass but it doesn't look that complicated so that's not something I'm inclined to shell out four figures for a lawn company to do when I could do it myself with the right equipment. Does anyone have any ballpark figure on the price of bulk masonry sand delivered?

I did it last year. It sucked but it was worth it.

I filled up a wheelbarrow, made piles all over the yard, and spread it with a rake and a broom. Watered it everyday and after two weeks almost all of the sand was gone. The ground is not perfectly level but it’s much better than it was before. I’ll probably do it again next year to complete the process.

[Gourmand 7774]

17 minutes ago, chikin23 said:

I did it last year. It sucked but it was worth it.

I filled up a wheelbarrow, made piles all over the yard, and spread it with a rake and a broom. Watered it everyday and after two weeks almost all of the sand was gone. The ground is not perfectly level but it’s much better than it was before. I’ll probably do it again next year to complete the process.

Thanks, what did you use? White masonry sand? How much did you need and was it a bulk purchase with delivery or did you load up your vehicle with bags? Cost?

Edited June 27, 2021 by Gourmand

[Post Oak 20232]

Doing a bulk load delivery is the way to go.  I put out 40 yards of fill dirt and compost last year to fill in a pool and other things last summer. 

It's hot and miserable. Let someone else bring it to you and dump it in your driveway.  Check the forecast.

Wait till the fall when it's cooler or take a couple of days off work.  

Depending on how much you get your body is beat.

[AUinHsv 579]

On 6/22/2021 at 10:26 AM, El Tri said:

that quote is fucking ridiculous. 1000 sq ft is nothing - wife and i did 7 pallets of zoysia on my yard (3500 sq ft).

what i did:

lay down pre-emergent and water it in.

put lawn mower on lowest setting and mowed it all after the pre-emergent set in (gave it a few days)

go back with the weed eater and took it all down to the bare dirt. Fill in with top soil as needed to make it even

order pallets of zoysia from grass outlet (they'll deliver it). I think it's about $230 or so per pallet of zoysia. one pallet covers 450 sq ft or so, so you'll need at least 2.

lay it down, add fertilizer, and water the hell out of it for 2 weeks.

just saved you $6500.

P.S. Nice truck - have that same exact one.

Going to say - get another quote. Had my back yard scrapped and 2/3 zoysia and 1/3 xeriscape in 2013 for more than half that.

[chikin23 384]

Thanks, what did you use? White masonry sand? How much did you need and was it a bulk purchase with delivery or did you load up your vehicle with bags? Cost?

I had 2 tons delivered and dropped on my driveway. It wasn’t much at all, I live in West Texas and found a company. The sand was $80 and delivery was $60. I just told them I needed masonry sand that had been screened and they delivered it. There were some particles but nothing that would mess up a mower.

[Gourmand 7774]

Doing a bulk load delivery is the way to go.  I put out 40 yards of fill dirt and compost last year to fill in a pool and other things last summer. 
It's hot and miserable. Let someone else bring it to you and dump it in your driveway.  Check the forecast.
Wait till the fall when it's cooler or take a couple of days off work.  
Depending on how much you get your body is beat.

40 yds!?!

Damn, kudos to you and your manliness.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[Gourmand 7774]

I had 2 tons delivered and dropped on my driveway. It wasn’t much at all, I live in West Texas and found a company. The sand was $80 and delivery was $60. I just told them I needed masonry sand that had been screened and they delivered it. There were some particles but nothing that would mess up a mower.

Bermuda lawn?

I've read contradictory information about what's best wrt sand vs soil. I have heavy clay beneath my grass...is sand compatible with clay or will it further compact that layer beneath the grass?

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[McFly 606]

13 hours ago, Gourmand said:

 

 

40 yds!?!

Damn, kudos to you and your manliness.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
 

 

I hope he meant 4. 40 yards of dirt would be back breaking. How many dump trucks would that take?!

[Post Oak 20232]

1 hour ago, McFly said:

I hope he meant 4. 40 yards of dirt would be back breaking. How many dump trucks would that take?!

I don't. I mean 40.  3 truck loads of fill dirt just to level out the pool hole.  Then another load of compost for raised beds, flower beds and spots on the lawn.

It would take me about 3 days to do one load.  Just working in the AM before it got too hot.  Then it would take me about 2 weeks to summon up the courage to call them again and tell them to bring me some more.

I thought it was only going to take 2 loads.  I knew it would settle so I tried to water it in and thought ok.  Good.  Then one day we got 3 inches of rain in an afternoon and I walked out there and saw how much it settled and nearly cried because I knew I was gonna need more.

My yard was a mess when we bought. It's still has some slope and unevenness.  But it's a lot better.  

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by Post Oak