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Reston, you made a comment on one of these threads about “feed the soil not the plant”, can’t remeber which one, but it was / is excellent advice indeed!!
With that, thought I’d share the link below for what has been one of my go-to items for the past 3 years to get our landscaping back from the dead from the previous owner who hosed it all down with round up sometime in 2011. As we’ve added probably close to 140 items, ranging from trees to shrubs to flowers, and got the lawn back, I had some issues early on with too much too soon. Our tree guys told me that the soil needs microbes, which basically allows things to get along with each other underground. He said the same thing as you back in early 2016 - “feed the soil, not the item”.
Each spring since, I’ve hosed down my yard and root areas with this:
Happy to report that out of all the things we’ve planted, transferred, and saved from the brink of doom including 18 year old trees that barely survived the round up incident, we have only lost one item. Just one. And totally user error by drowning a 14-footer Green Giant we had installed in 2016.
We’re now in year 4, and I can plant basically anything we want in this yard and it’ll take off pretty quickly. No bare or thin spots i the grass anymore either. That stuff has been a key element to our whole landscaping package.
The guy told me the main microbe needed is something called mycorrhizae. This year I’m going with a soluble powder of it as my soil food, and some basic 10-10-10. Going to skip the alfalfa and soybean meal route as it’s now not really needed and costs have jumped notably ($250 per application for my lawn). Plus it stinks like hell! But anyone who needs to boost the soil and grow some grass, that pairing of the two when putting down the seed in the growing season, will astonish you! It’ll also thicken up the existing blades of grass as well. Match it with the microbes / fungi and you’ll be dealing with some healthy and nutritional soil for pretty much anything you want.
We have a beautiful lace-leaf weeping Japanese Maple in our front yard. We’ve been offered nearly $15,000 for it by a landscaper who has a client who wants it. It’s nearly 20 years old. When we moved in late 2015, it was not doing well but did survive the previous owner. You can’t fertilize those with much without hurting them. They’re slow growers and too much nitrogen will kill them if done incorrectly. The soy/alfalfa got it come back, but the microbes got it to explode in size again. It’s nearly 8 feet tall now when in bloom. Had to trim it back last year and finally shape it. Looks like a gigantic deep purple mushroom as the center piece to our front yard!
Reston, you made a comment on one of these threads about “feed the soil not the plant”, can’t remeber which one, but it was / is excellent advice indeed!!
With that, thought I’d share the link below for what has been one of my go-to items for the past 3 years to get our landscaping back from the dead from the previous owner who hosed it all down with round up sometime in 2011. As we’ve added probably close to 140 items, ranging from trees to shrubs to flowers, and got the lawn back, I had some issues early on with too much too soon. Our tree guys told me that the soil needs microbes, which basically allows things to get along with each other underground. He said the same thing as you back in early 2016 - “feed the soil, not the item”.
Each spring since, I’ve hosed down my yard and root areas with this:
Happy to report that out of all the things we’ve planted, transferred, and saved from the brink of doom including 18 year old trees that barely survived the round up incident, we have only lost one item. Just one. And totally user error by drowning a 14-footer Green Giant we had installed in 2016.
We’re now in year 4, and I can plant basically anything we want in this yard and it’ll take off pretty quickly. No bare or thin spots i the grass anymore either. That stuff has been a key element to our whole landscaping package.
The guy told me the main microbe needed is something called mycorrhizae. This year I’m going with a soluble powder of it as my soil food, and some basic 10-10-10. Going to skip the alfalfa and soybean meal route as it’s now not really needed and costs have jumped notably ($250 per application for my lawn). Plus it stinks like hell! But anyone who needs to boost the soil and grow some grass, that pairing of the two when putting down the seed in the growing season, will astonish you! It’ll also thicken up the existing blades of grass as well. Match it with the microbes / fungi and you’ll be dealing with some healthy and nutritional soil for pretty much anything you want.
We have a beautiful lace-leaf weeping Japanese Maple in our front yard. We’ve been offered nearly $15,000 for it by a landscaper who has a client who wants it. It’s nearly 20 years old. When we moved in late 2015, it was not doing well but did survive the previous owner. You can’t fertilize those with much without hurting them. They’re slow growers and too much nitrogen will kill them if done incorrectly. The soy/alfalfa got it come back, but the microbes got it to explode in size again. It’s nearly 8 feet tall now when in bloom. Had to trim it back last year and finally shape it. Looks like a gigantic deep purple mushroom as the center piece to our front yard!
I've skipped the crabgrass control the last 2 seasons. I've had fewer issues once the organic fertilizer started to build in the soil. I pull weeds with a weed pulling tool since they are manageable now. I'll need to go back to crabgrass control in the new house for a few seasons. Hopefully, I will have the same results by using less or no crabgrass control.
I've skipped the crabgrass control the last 2 seasons. I've had fewer issues once the organic fertilizer started to build in the soil. I pull weeds with a weed pulling tool since they are manageable now. I'll need to go back to crabgrass control in the new house for a few seasons. Hopefully, I will have the same results by using less or no crabgrass control.
Same, I now skip crabgrass pre-emergent as well. And hoping to use no chemicals on the lawn this year. Just some well timed Miloganite applications (or actually Ideal IQ this year - Menards version of Milo that more readily available and cheaper). It took a couple years to get the grass to thicken (and soil health to improve) applying Milo, composting clippings and leaves, but I'm there. And anytime you add chemicals to grass (i.e. soil), you're messing with the soil health. It was a fair trade-off while I got the yard under control, but should no longer be needed or just in limited target areas. I can hand-pull a few weeds here or there that may infiltrate, but so far this spring, it's the best my lawn has looked. I also haven't applied grub treatment the last 3 years - yes I have grubs when I dig up sod but my grass has grown deep strong roots in the soil and they happily co-exist. They along with the earthworms provide free soil aeration. I haven't aerated in 3 years either.
My lawn plan this year on my northern mix (Kentucky Bluegrass, Fescue, and perennial rye):
1) Mow high 3.5-4 inches - helps choke out weeds and keeps soil shaded/moist.
2) Fertilize (Milo or organic equivalent) - Late May, September, and November. If we have a wet summer like last year, I'll add a July application, otherwise I may squeeze another fall application in. Generally target 3-4 applications, but none early Spring - you don't want to feed the weeds. Late fall application provides spring green-up for grass.
3) Mulch grass clippings all season, mulch the leaves right in the yard in the fall (I'll spread them out so it's more even). The goal should be to never let organic yard "waste" leave your property - it's great for your soil health.
Recent years I’ve been going to the organic route as well but could not imagine skipping crabgrass control giving my full sun and optimal germinations conditions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KayAnn246
I've skipped the crabgrass control the last 2 seasons. I've had fewer issues once the organic fertilizer started to build in the soil. I pull weeds with a weed pulling tool since they are manageable now. I'll need to go back to crabgrass control in the new house for a few seasons. Hopefully, I will have the same results by using less or no crabgrass control.
Not sure where you’re located, but applying Milorganite in the month of November here in the mid Atlantic would be of little use giving the cooler soil temps.
I apply Milorganite early April, Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wellmabt
Same, I now skip crabgrass pre-emergent as well. And hoping to use no chemicals on the lawn this year. Just some well timed Miloganite applications (or actually Ideal IQ this year - Menards version of Milo that more readily available and cheaper). It took a couple years to get the grass to thicken (and soil health to improve) applying Milo, composting clippings and leaves, but I'm there. And anytime you add chemicals to grass (i.e. soil), you're messing with the soil health. It was a fair trade-off while I got the yard under control, but should no longer be needed or just in limited target areas. I can hand-pull a few weeds here or there that may infiltrate, but so far this spring, it's the best my lawn has looked. I also haven't applied grub treatment the last 3 years - yes I have grubs when I dig up sod but my grass has grown deep strong roots in the soil and they happily co-exist. They along with the earthworms provide free soil aeration. I haven't aerated in 3 years either.
My lawn plan this year on my northern mix (Kentucky Bluegrass, Fescue, and perennial rye):
1) Mow high 3.5-4 inches - helps choke out weeds and keeps soil shaded/moist.
2) Fertilize (Milo or organic equivalent) - Late May, September, and November. If we have a wet summer like last year, I'll add a July application, otherwise I may squeeze another fall application in. Generally target 3-4 applications, but none early Spring - you don't want to feed the weeds. Late fall application provides spring green-up for grass.
3) Mulch grass clippings all season, mulch the leaves right in the yard in the fall (I'll spread them out so it's more even). The goal should be to never let organic yard "waste" leave your property - it's great for your soil health.
Got nearly all of my junk down now, and man is it growing like crazy out there now! Sprayed tonight for the chickweed we’ve picked up (Drive XLR8 and Tenacity). Spent a small fortune on removing 3 crape myrtles and installing 14 green giant Arborvitae for more privacy. We’ve got boxwoods that we planted 3 years ago that have somehow exploded in the past 3 weeks to nearly 20% their size. Can finally shape them now! Our laurels have produced a white flower all over them for the first time ever, and the first green giants are growing like mad all of the sudden and coming together quickly. We have a dwarf blue spruce tree (looks like a bonsai tree) that is completely covered with new growth now and showing no signs of slowing down! The lawn itself is a dark green color and lush. Have never seen it this dark green before.
I put 10-10-10 down two weeks ago on everything, that’s it. I put down Bayer 3-1 feed and protect on trees in the backyard and shrubs in the front, and a protect drench on the big boys in the front. Going to spray it all with some mycorrhizae in a couple of weeks as well.
Landscaper recommended the 10-10-10 as it’s a general fertilizer and we have a ton of other things that now have roots under the lawn too. I’m thinking he was right, as nothing has popped like it is this year for us. Our crape myrtles are already awake and growing new growth, the first in our area!
All my stuff is down now and did my first cut. Lawn is the thickest it's ever been, and my first year with relatively few dandelion (which i hand pull).
Trying to really cut back on the chemicals. I'll stick with Milorganite, but going to see if i can make my best defense against weeds, crabgrass and dandelions just overseeding and really thickening up the lawn.
I do have a grub issue though. Really chewed up some areas last fall.
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