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i started using a mulching mower. most of the clippings and any dry leaves stayed in place. free fertilizer.
speaking of leaves, there were many trees on the property. i vacuumed leaves from may until october every year. while most of them went in the compost pile, i spread some of them on the lawn.
some years i used corn gluten meal as a pre-emergent. other years, i'd winter sow seed. i'd decide in the late summer. it depended upon whether i had more weeds or more thin and bald spots.
once or twice a year i sprayed on fish emulsion. it's high in nitrogen and low in phosphorous and potash.
in the fall, i applied lime. you can do it at any time if the year, but that was the only time that i wasn't doing something else to it.
one year, i had it core aerated and lightly top dressed with a screened top soil, compost mix.
i spot sprayed creeping and persistent weeds.
i'd like to say that i turned a pale, thin, weedy lawn into a thing of beauty, but that never happened. there were too many trees, too many weather challenges, and half of it never got enough sun. i did get a deeper green, more full, less weedy lawn, though.
Milorganite is the way to go.
It will feed your lawn, isn't expensive, and it is safe.
Mowing and watering is also the most important part of lawn care.
Weeds have a hard time growing with proper mowing.
The grass will be healthier is it is watered properly, long and deep at least
once a week when no rain has occured, and when the grass is happy, the weeds
also have a problem.
With nature, it's all about competition. Just make sure, the grass wins out.
I use Milorganite, which I buy anywhere, because I have horrible soil, and I need the
iron that is provided in that too.
Mowing, watering and Miliorganite, and you are all set.
Milorganite is the way to go.
It will feed your lawn, isn't expensive, and it is safe.
Mowing and watering is also the most important part of lawn care.
Weeds have a hard time growing with proper mowing.
The grass will be healthier is it is watered properly, long and deep at least
once a week when no rain has occured, and when the grass is happy, the weeds
also have a problem.
With nature, it's all about competition. Just make sure, the grass wins out.
I use Milorganite, which I buy anywhere, because I have horrible soil, and I need the
iron that is provided in that too.
Mowing, watering and Miliorganite, and you are all set.
I cannot believe I've never heard of this product! Just checked HD, and they have it in stock for $13.00 for a little less than 40#'s! The beauty is it can be used with no harm on just about any type of plant.
Totally agree on Milorganite, which feeds the soil.
Combined with the following for tall fescue and you will have the best lawn in the block:
- 1" of rain per week (all the same time instead of spread out over several days)
- Crabgrass preventer in the spring (Lesco Dimension)
- Spot treat weeds as needed
- Cut tall fescue grasses 3-4" in height during the late spring/summer
- Aerate in early fall
- Make the most fertilizer applications in the fall
For the ultimate lawn apply Orgro once a year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Butterfly4u
Milorganite is the way to go.
It will feed your lawn, isn't expensive, and it is safe.
Mowing and watering is also the most important part of lawn care.
Weeds have a hard time growing with proper mowing.
The grass will be healthier is it is watered properly, long and deep at least
once a week when no rain has occured, and when the grass is happy, the weeds
also have a problem.
With nature, it's all about competition. Just make sure, the grass wins out.
I use Milorganite, which I buy anywhere, because I have horrible soil, and I need the
iron that is provided in that too.
Mowing, watering and Miliorganite, and you are all set.
If you choose to use organic horse poop or rabbit poop or another animal's poop, you probably won't want your pets or people walking on that directly after application either.
Be sure to use plenty of dihydrogen monoxide on your lawn. But not too much, because too much is not good either. And if you are in California, you might get in trouble for putting that on your lawn...
This year so far in far northern California, dihydrogen monoxide has been nearly overflowing our river banks. I have rabbits and chickens, I also maintain yards for a living. I compost my rabbit and chicken manure most of the time and rarely use chemical fertilizers and never use chemical pesticides on any of my yards. I spread compost on my lawns or finely sifted rabbit manure. About six years ago, one of my clients came out and gave a wry grin, she had a paper bag in her hands and said she wanted me to plant lawn clover in her lawn, white lawn clover. I have had clover lawns before and they usually do well. Once established as an over seed, it takes little water and no fertilzer other than a top dressing of compost, and once a month or so a mulch mow puts the seed back down so that it can resow itself and where patches are thin, clippings spread over it start more. My clover lawn took the last two years of drought with the sprinklers turned off, only getting water the day I mow. I have other lawns in that neighborhood on the same schedule that are different lawn types, that did well too, but not as well as the clover lawn, all are compost fed lawns and hand weeded.
I live in NC. I never water, fertilize or do anything else to my lawn. I just mow it about once a week (once a month Dec-Feb). Seems like the right kinds of plants sprout at the right time and it always stays green. Just leave it alone and the birds and wind will bring all the seed you need.
Perfect....this is how it should be!!
I read somewhere that a perfect green beautiful looking lawn is a human and fertilizer company's creation
I cannot believe I've never heard of this product! Just checked HD, and they have it in stock for $13.00 for a little less than 40#'s! The beauty is it can be used with no harm on just about any type of plant.
Thanks Butterfly4u!
you can buy dried human poop for $9.98 per 40lbs in Menards, Rural King, Wall Mart etc. Better yet just leave it alone if ordinance allows, proper lawns are ugly and sterile. I have mixed grasses front yard I move every 2 weeks or even 3, it needs nothing from me, and it looks so much greener than an obsessively mowed front yard next door.
It all comes down to what you really want and where you live makes a difference depending on the type of soil you have. I had just a yard several years ago (had all kinds of things sprouting throughout the season that were unwanted including crab grass etc.) when I moved into a new home and doing just a little bit of work I quickly changed it into a nice lawn.
I have had great success and complements with this program and hopefully others will find it as helpful:
- Fertilize with Milorganite (organic approach to feed the soil as synthetic only feeds the plant)
- 1" of rain per week (all the same time instead of spread out over several days)
- Crabgrass preventer in the spring (Lesco Dimension with no fertilizer)
- Spot treat weeds as needed (hand spray)
- Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer Granules in late June/early July
- Cut tall fescue grasses 3-4" in height during the late spring/summer/early fall
- Aerate in early fall
- Make the most fertilizer applications in the fall
Apply Orgro to the lawn once a year for even better results.
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nc99
Perfect....this is how it should be!!
I read somewhere that a perfect green beautiful looking lawn is a human and fertilizer company's creation
It all comes down to what you really want and where you live makes a difference depending on the type of soil you have. I had just a yard several years ago (had all kinds of things sprouting throughout the season that were unwanted including crab grass etc.) when I moved into a new home and doing just a little bit of work I quickly changed it into a nice lawn.
I have had great success and complements with this program and hopefully others will find it as helpful:
- Fertilize with Milorganite (organic approach to feed the soil as synthetic only feeds the plant)
- 1" of rain per week (all the same time instead of spread out over several days)
- Crabgrass preventer in the spring (Lesco Dimension with no fertilizer)
- Spot treat weeds as needed (hand spray)
- Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer Granules in late June/early July
- Cut tall fescue grasses 3-4" in height during the late spring/summer/early fall
- Aerate in early fall
- Make the most fertilizer applications in the fall
Apply Orgro to the lawn once a year for even better results.
.
The intention of this thread is how NOT to treat lawn with chemicals
I cannot believe I've never heard of this product! Just checked HD, and they have it in stock for $13.00 for a little less than 40#'s! The beauty is it can be used with no harm on just about any type of plant.
Thanks Butterfly4u!
I use that in late summer and again mid Fall, and it works well. I do use the crabgrass preventer and weed preventer in Spring. That's the stuff I hate to use, but with a bluegrass lawn, it's the only way to keep it from being overtaken by weeds.
I honestly don't trust that these weed preventers don't cause cancer. The government thought Agent Orange was a good thing, and that killed my dad and caused a severe handicap in my brother.
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Ultimate Lawn Program
I have rabbits and chickens, I also maintain yards for a living. I compost my rabbit and chicken manure most of the time and rarely use chemical fertilizers and never use chemical pesticides on any of my yards. I spread compost on my lawns or finely sifted rabbit manure. About six years ago, one of my clients came out and gave a wry grin, she had a paper bag in her hands and said she wanted me to plant lawn clover in her lawn, white lawn clover. I have had clover lawns before and they usually do well. Once established as an over seed, it takes little water and no fertilzer other than a top dressing of compost, and once a month or so a mulch mow puts the seed back down so that it can resow itself and where patches are thin, clippings spread over it start more. My clover lawn took the last two years of drought with the sprinklers turned off, only getting water the day I mow. I have other lawns in that neighborhood on the same schedule that are different lawn types, that did well too, but not as well as the clover lawn, all are compost fed lawns and hand weeded.
