How big of a yard do you have?
Clover seed is typically about 1-2 lbs per 1000 sq ft.
Lawn Care Advice Thread
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How big of a yard do you have?
Clover seed is typically about 1-2 lbs per 1000 sq ft.
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The place I'm looking to seed is about half an acre, basically my entire back yard.. Since its on the backside of the property away from the street (woods behind it as well) so I don't really care all that much about looks, but it got dug up last Fall to fix a septic issue. It was already too cold for anything to grow so I've just waited until now and like I said earlier, was looking into clover mixes because of the bees, it appears to be cheaper, and I don't mind it looks wise. I found a larger bag (40 lbs) of grass/clover mix from Tractor Supply but the reviews look pretty sketchy with people saying its mostly filler. Everything else I can find is like small 5 lb bags.
Gotcha, the smaller bags are probably microclover or similar for lawns while the Tractor Supply is likely for pastures. I'm actually considering something similar in a 1k sqft area in the shade. If I find out anything worth mentioning during my research I'll report back.
I never even thought about planting clover, because it seems to be all over already.
However, one thing I did to help the butterflies was to plant milkweed 2 years ago.
Monarch Butterflies have to have it in order to reproduce.
What I did notice was a lot of bee's coming in and using it too.
The plant releases little fuzzy seeds that get caught in the wind and plant themselves.
And when I mean 'plant themselves', jesus christ, last year they were EVERYWHERE.
I can't even imagine what this year will bring.
So maybe, you plant a few this year, and then in years to come, your backyard will be covered in them.
Just a thought.
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Pennington Slopemaster - Grass Seed | Pennington
Slopemaster establishes quickly and lasts for years with an extensive root system that helps control erosion.
www.pennington.com
This is what I had bookmarked last Fall when I first looked into it. At the time they had 40 lb bags for like 80 bucks but it appears now they only sell 7 lb bags.
I was on a website earlier that said a 3 lb bag of straight durana clover would seed 0.5 acre which seems crazy to me. Maybe Durana clover grows really thick and/or seeds itself? If that's true (I'm skeptical), I could just buy a small bag of straight clover seed and then mix it myself with whatever grass seed I want
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I never even thought about planting clover, because it seems to be all over already.
However, one thing I did to help the butterflies was to plant milkweed 2 years ago.
Monarch Butterflies have to have it in order to reproduce.
What I did notice was a lot of bee's coming in and using it too.
The plant releases little fuzzy seeds that get caught in the wind and plant themselves.
And when I mean 'plant themselves', jesus christ, last year they were EVERYWHERE.
I can't even imagine what this year will bring.
So maybe, you plant a few this year, and then in years to come, your backyard will be covered in them.
Just a thought.
Neat idea. Not sure I like the idea of them coming up everywhere, but I figure I mow enough to where they wouldn't ever get too high except for the places I would want them
Pennington Slopemaster - Grass Seed | Pennington
Slopemaster establishes quickly and lasts for years with an extensive root system that helps control erosion.
This is what I had bookmarked last Fall when I first looked into it. At the time they had 40 lb bags for like 80 bucks but it appears now they only sell 7 lb bags.
I was on a website earlier that said a 3 lb bag of straight durana clover would seed 0.5 acre which seems crazy to me. Maybe Durana clover grows really thick and/or seeds itself? If that's true (I'm skeptical), I could just buy a small bag of straight clover seed and then mix it myself with whatever grass seed I want
Gotcha. You'd definitely want to mix straight seed with another carrier to help with spreading. Since the seed is so small, it would be very difficult to spread evenly without having it all come out in a short run at a low setting.
I'd probably mix it in with a granular fertilizer or lime pellets to help get a good coverage. Just mix it well right before spreading and use in small quantities. You don't want the small seed to drop down through the other pellets and not be spread later on in your run.
That's an issue seed mixes have that include KBG as well. If you don't mix that up really well, the you'll have KGB in the first few areas and not get spread to those later in your run.
As far as the 3 lb bag covering 0.5 acres, I wonder if that's an overseeding rate in an established field with a more dominant grass stand.
An issue I've read regarding clover is that if you're concerned about other weeds, you'll need to hand pull them because any broadleaf weed killer (2,4D etc) will also kill the clover. Not horrible if you're only talking about 1k, but if you're talking 20+k, then that would be a pain.
Had a few low spots from decomposing tree stumps I'm going to work on this year. Threw down some sand in each, brushed/ raked it in, and soaked it pretty well. I put down fertilizer a couple days prior, so I'm going it'll push right through over the next couple weeks before repeating the process.
First picture is after an initial throw down and brushing. I waited for the sand to dry a little more in the sun before raking and then soaking. Can't see the sand unless you're right up in it now and definitely not from any distance as the second picture shows.
Also picked up a 1 lb bag of white clover I threw down on the side area of my house. Didn't do a lot of prep to the soil, as I'm not going to worry too much about it, but will see what comes up.
Next project will be putting down a fresh layer of mulch in a month or two, after the oaks drop all their pollen. Not looking forward to that since it'll likely be 12+ yards.
First picture is after an initial throw down and brushing. I waited for the sand to dry a little more in the sun before raking and then soaking. Can't see the sand unless you're right up in it now and definitely not from any distance as the second picture shows.
Also picked up a 1 lb bag of white clover I threw down on the side area of my house. Didn't do a lot of prep to the soil, as I'm not going to worry too much about it, but will see what comes up.
Next project will be putting down a fresh layer of mulch in a month or two, after the oaks drop all their pollen. Not looking forward to that since it'll likely be 12+ yards.
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I'm spending hundreds of dollars every year to keep that shit out my lawn and you are planting it in the hopes it takes?!?!?!
In the side yard that is shaded and grass won't take there.
I'm spending hundreds of dollars every year to keep that shit out my lawn and you are planting it in the hopes it takes?!?!?!
And hundreds of dollars? 2,4D isn't that expensive
Has anyone noticed that they have taken all of the phosphorus out of your fertilizers ????
I'm sure it's because of the 'environment' and run off, but why did they do it in secret ??
It's the "P" in the NPK
N=for top growth
P=for root growth
K=plant health
So who wants to pay all that money for crap ???
Solution ???
Yep
Look at the 'Starter Fertilizers', it's loaded with it.
Or a simple 10-20-10
Don't get sucked into that stupid shit. You absolutely have to have the "P" for long term health of your lawn.
I'm sure it's because of the 'environment' and run off, but why did they do it in secret ??
It's the "P" in the NPK
N=for top growth
P=for root growth
K=plant health
So who wants to pay all that money for crap ???
Solution ???
Yep
Look at the 'Starter Fertilizers', it's loaded with it.
Or a simple 10-20-10
Don't get sucked into that stupid shit. You absolutely have to have the "P" for long term health of your lawn.
Why Phosphorus Has Been Banned In Turf Fertilizers
In at least 11 states, from Wisconsin and Minnesota to Virginia, phosphorus in turf fertilizers for home lawns has been either limited or banned altogether.
www.experigreen.com
Buy me a couple of beers and I’ll give you some “P” for your lawn.
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Having an acre of fescue seeded around my new pond next week after they harrow.
The 3 acre pond was dug last June/July and we've been in exceptional drought since so it's still bare dirt.
If I'd seeded it back then it wouldn't have taken. Farmers Almanac says we'll have a wet April so it's time to take the gamble.
The 3 acre pond was dug last June/July and we've been in exceptional drought since so it's still bare dirt.
If I'd seeded it back then it wouldn't have taken. Farmers Almanac says we'll have a wet April so it's time to take the gamble.
Grass in the low spots have recovered nicely from the sand addition. Will add some more sand throughout the year during growing season to continue to level the sunken areas. Clover has germinated on the side yard and I'm going to start cutting back the watering schedule to allow for deeper and less frequent waterings to grow deeper roots.
I'm going to take on a "project lawn" to help my brother-in-law who lives a few hours away with his lawn in WV. He's got 2 toddlers, with the oldest having Down's Syndrome (some of you may have seen other posts of mine in different forums here). So he's got very little time, but a lot of weeds. Doesn't expect a bunch, but would want some decent grass for the kiddos to play on.
I'm heading up there for Easter and his birthday this weekend, where I'm bringing an older freshly cleaned Masterbilt electric smoker to cook a couple pork shoulders for the party and my Scott's elite spreader. I'm gifting them both to him, since I upgraded to a Zgrill and an Echo rb60. Along with a fifth of whiskey, some granular insecticide, a 10k sqft bag of bioadvanced 5-in-1, a soil test kit and a ready to use hose end weed killer, I'm hoping to take some "burden" off.
He has approximately 5k sqft lawn and my plan is:
1. Take soil probes for the kit and send off to get an idea for the rest of the year.
2. Spray a little water to wet the yard if it doesn't rain or have dew Saturday morning before putting down the bioadvanced to let the post emergent work. Mainly wanting to put down some fertilizer and the pre-emergent, so if it rains without letting post-emergent work, oh well. He can use the hose end sprayer to tackle them in between fert apps.
3. Likely will add the remainder of the bioadvanced 5-6 weeks later to do a split app of pre and hopefully get other weeds in post. This would also be about the right time for the insecticide app.
4. Adjust remaining fert apps based on soil test results and try to get him to mow more often (at least once per week) and at the highest setting.
5. Depending on the next several months, I'll see if he wants to overseed in the fall or go pre-emergent. If seed, we'll pick out a seed that'll work best for him and I'll bring up my tow-behind aerator, orbit timers, hoses, impact sprinklers, and go to town. I'm thinking rye or fescue because I'd want quick germination and don't want to add too much expense/ effort with continued watering.
6. Based on soil test results, I'll also try to adjust the ph if needed. Likely will need to add lime and may add some this spring, but definitely plan to do this in the fall.
I honestly don't foresee him getting too involved with the lawn due to lack of time and costs but if I could get him started towards a decent lawn with more grass than weeds that could be on a 4-step program, I think he'd be happy. I'll keep you posted with hopefully before pics and the process throughout.
I'm going to take on a "project lawn" to help my brother-in-law who lives a few hours away with his lawn in WV. He's got 2 toddlers, with the oldest having Down's Syndrome (some of you may have seen other posts of mine in different forums here). So he's got very little time, but a lot of weeds. Doesn't expect a bunch, but would want some decent grass for the kiddos to play on.
I'm heading up there for Easter and his birthday this weekend, where I'm bringing an older freshly cleaned Masterbilt electric smoker to cook a couple pork shoulders for the party and my Scott's elite spreader. I'm gifting them both to him, since I upgraded to a Zgrill and an Echo rb60. Along with a fifth of whiskey, some granular insecticide, a 10k sqft bag of bioadvanced 5-in-1, a soil test kit and a ready to use hose end weed killer, I'm hoping to take some "burden" off.
He has approximately 5k sqft lawn and my plan is:
1. Take soil probes for the kit and send off to get an idea for the rest of the year.
2. Spray a little water to wet the yard if it doesn't rain or have dew Saturday morning before putting down the bioadvanced to let the post emergent work. Mainly wanting to put down some fertilizer and the pre-emergent, so if it rains without letting post-emergent work, oh well. He can use the hose end sprayer to tackle them in between fert apps.
3. Likely will add the remainder of the bioadvanced 5-6 weeks later to do a split app of pre and hopefully get other weeds in post. This would also be about the right time for the insecticide app.
4. Adjust remaining fert apps based on soil test results and try to get him to mow more often (at least once per week) and at the highest setting.
5. Depending on the next several months, I'll see if he wants to overseed in the fall or go pre-emergent. If seed, we'll pick out a seed that'll work best for him and I'll bring up my tow-behind aerator, orbit timers, hoses, impact sprinklers, and go to town. I'm thinking rye or fescue because I'd want quick germination and don't want to add too much expense/ effort with continued watering.
6. Based on soil test results, I'll also try to adjust the ph if needed. Likely will need to add lime and may add some this spring, but definitely plan to do this in the fall.
I honestly don't foresee him getting too involved with the lawn due to lack of time and costs but if I could get him started towards a decent lawn with more grass than weeds that could be on a 4-step program, I think he'd be happy. I'll keep you posted with hopefully before pics and the process throughout.
How about moss in the yard? I have it slowly taking over the highly shaded areas in my back yard. Is the pH of the soil out of whack allowing that to grow?
Moss will grow in shade, moist and poorly drained soil, and low ph (<5.5).
Products to kill moss will likely contain iron, which decent fertilizers will also have (2-3%), but at lower concentrations. However, iron treats the symptom, but not the cause.
I'm assuming the shade and drainage will be more difficult to correct, so adding pelletized lime to bring the ph up will probably be your easiest/ cheapest route to treat the cause. A soil test will help determine if the ph is an issue, but a test of your back yard may not be dramatically different from the front. So it's likely ph, shade and possibly drainage are combining to create the issue.
Adding sand and gypsum to the soil can help with drainage over time, while pruning/ elevating the canopies of surrounding trees can help with sunlight.
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Yea, thought pH was issue. Isn't handling lime a bit tricky in regard to exposure? Is there a better time to apply it; spring, fall before a good rain??
Pelletized lime isn't too bad to work with, but there may still be some dust. Spread on a day without a lot of wind and you could always put on a mask if you're worried about inhalation and pants and sleeves if worried about on your skin. However, I've never had an issue and just take a shower after.
I would get a soil test and see how much you need to adjust your ph. You can apply at anytime of the year because it takes a long time to actually break down in the soil. If you need to apply more than 50 lbs/1k sqft, split it into a spring and fall app. Then retest to see where your ph is next year.
A lot of people like to put it down in the fall so that the ground freezing throughout the winter will help work it down into the soil if you're just doing a maintenance lime app. If your ph is really off now, go ahead and put it down.
It'll be a process that can take months and multiple apps to really move the ph. Think 0.5-1 point per app.