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number9ine
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:35 pm
Location: Hudson Valley, NY

So many lawn problems...

Hello,

I have a fairly large lawn with some serious issues, all of which have developed as a result of my neglect and ignorance.

It's time I learn how to fix my lawn and maintain it, so I'm turning to the forum for help. Here are the problems I've identified so far:
  • Dead lawn patches - toward the front of my lawn there is almost barren soil, last season we had a drought and the lawn died. It hasn't come back this year, and small weeds are cropping up in its place. I plan on loosening the existing soil with a steel rake, then planting grass seed and covering with some topsoil I bought. I am purchasing a roller to flatten out what I plant.
  • Clumps of different grass - there are clumps of strange grasses growing among the existing grass. It's thick, hardy stuff, growing in 5-8" round patches with flat blades at the edges. I tried digging a few up and they're really entrenched, taking a lot of soil with their roots which go about 3-4" deep.
  • Molehills - all over my lawn. I think it's moles anyway, they're not at the very surface but the bumps are there and when you step in some places on the lawn your foot sinks a few inches.
  • Grubs - lots of them all over the place. Birds are feasting right now. I tried spreading GrubEx the past few seasons and it doesn't seem to keep them from coming back.
  • Clover - plenty of it, dead right now but will come back to life soon. It's in my backyard, which I believe to be 6- or 7-year old sod that isn't in great shape, but is much better than my front lawn.
  • Weeds - they haven't come out yet but they will, everything from dandelions by the hundreds to large fuzzy green things that look like they belong in a cabbage patch.
I've solicited advice from neighbors with nicer lawns, who suggest aeration (I am sure that's beneficial) and regular application of the Scott's turfbuilder stuff (not so sure that's helpful to me right now). My lawn looks like a superfund site and I'm embarrassed to see it in such a state. My plan right now is to thatch, dig up and discard whatever looks offensive, rake the bald spots and seed (I have sun and shade seed), then add topsoil after seeding in the really bare places. I live in the Hudson Valley, NY, and our summers and winters here go to temperature extremes that kill vegetation and encourage nasty weeds.

The tools I have at my disposal: 48" riding mower (no bagger), de-thatcher mower attachment, edging tool, weed trimmer, spreader, and I'm about to buy a hollow roller drum mower attachment. A neighbor has a drum aerator mower attachment I can borrow. Our lawn has a full sprinkler system that I've managed to break by not winterizing and letting well water sand get into the hardware, but with the help of our sprinkler guy I should have it up and running this week.

Pictures follow. Any advice is appreciated, any criticism welcome. I'm fully aware that I got myself into this spot. I'm willing to work hard to get out, but need guidance from people who know what they're doing. My plan is half-baked right now, so I want to come up with a step-by-step to follow over the next few seasons that will get me back to rights.

Here's a link to pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/mbrowne/Ap ... directlink

Thanks everyone!

Mark
dirtyfingers
Cool Member
Posts: 87
Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:59 pm
Location: Left coast

Wow, that's a lot of lawn area!

Personally, if I had a lawn that large, I would try to eliminate a lot of it with shrubbery, trees, etc.

My second house was a total disaster in the front lawn. I made the mistake of hiring someone to sod in dichondra. The bugs had a field day! I dug it all out mulched the dirt with leaves and seeded with fast growing Bermuda grass. Once the grass looked decent, I plugged it with St. Augustine which eventually took over the whole lawn. Of course this lawn was a lot smaller than yours. Good luck!
jamiebell
Full Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:59 am
Location: Detroit, MI

That quite a big lawn you have, I am saving for something like this :)

If I had a lawn this big I will plant in a lot of trees, shrubbery etc to cover 'some' part if and then re-do the rest as per my requirement like aerating the entire lawn using an mechanical aerator ( if you don't have one, rent one form a [url=https://www.compactpowercenter.com]construction equipment rental company[/url]) then I will over-seed and water the lawn two times a day and then after 2-3 weeks move the lawn and then enjoy it :)


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