Taking over my pool chemistry has inspired me to take over my lawn chemistry. For decades I have bounced back and forth between doing my own lawn fertilizer and having a service. Every time I switched services , I felt like they raped me making many visits and low results. The last service I used in the old house helped me recover my lawn from 2 years of neglect but it cost me about $1500 the last year for a 1/2 acre lot. Well, decided last year not to do that with the new place which is 4 acres. I have a front yard , a fenced in back yard and a field down the hill. The front and fenced back yard is about 1acre of grass. The front and back are the worse with spots where no grass is growing. Same with back yard. I suspected the pH was off last year but never tested it. The movers were paid to place lime down but the time they said they limed I never saw any white powder on the lawn or driveway so I was suspicious to say the least. I had way too much going on with the move but I planted seed in the fall . This spring just before the last snow fall, I put more seed in the bare spots. This spring almost no new grass was growing in the bare spots so I got a simple test kit. My pH is good at 6.5-7.0 but the Nitrogen is totally depleted. P is surplus and K is sufficient. So this week I’m laying some high N fertilizer down. I will likely thatch some dead grass and put some more seed and straw down in some of the dead spots and see how it goes. The dandelions are plentiful this year but mostly in the field and edges of my yard. I’m not so worried about that right now. I just want to get my dirt chemistry productive and get grass growing in the bare spots.
Troublefree Grass?
- Thread starter Melnic
- Start date
I will get some more pics but here is a pic of my son looking at 2 foxes in the neighbors field across the way. You can see the dead spots on the side of the pool pavilion
I like the Jonathon Green seasonal lawn program where you also feed the soil. I have also added extra humic acid pellets to my lawn in the past (Down To Earth Granular Humic Acid - 25 lb, $31 on amazon). Just almost as good as topping your grass with mushroom compost. Might want to try some of that on top of your grass seed.
WJR I will look at that
I’m expecting this may take a year before I’m happy with it. I should have started adjusting the soil last fall
Pics of some more spots I am going to tackle. I am on well water and I am fully planning to get a new variable speed well pump (constant pressure) once I’m done with the lawn as I know I will be pumping lots of water in the coming months
I’m expecting this may take a year before I’m happy with it. I should have started adjusting the soil last fall
Pics of some more spots I am going to tackle. I am on well water and I am fully planning to get a new variable speed well pump (constant pressure) once I’m done with the lawn as I know I will be pumping lots of water in the coming months
- Apr 23, 2017
- 2,400
- Pool Size
- 22000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Good stuff here...I just finished with a soil sample and working to improve my soil as well. My pH and Nitrogen are fine but P is lacking. I use Lesco pro fertilizer from a landscape supply company so not the same stuff you get from HD or Lowes. They give me an awesome discount for being a veteran which is a big plus. I apply sulfur in the spring and fall and just laid out 18-34-10. I will apply 34-0-0 around late June and then go back to 18-34-10 early September. I plan to continue soil analysis every January. I also aerate spring and fall.
Turns out I was doing my soil samples wrong. I need to take either multiple samples and average together, or take small amounts from different areas then combine, mix and such. Turns out I had a small area with high phosphorus. When averaging it out over the entire lawn, My phosphorus is sufficient and where it should be.
Mower coming today, so yesterday I dethatched the front yard. My entire body is sore!. Ordered an electric dethatcher from Amazon and I will use that on the side of the house and back yard.
I used the rotary spreader to spread the Nitrogen only Fertilizer over the entire yard.
today when I get home, I'm going to lay down seed then peat moss. I like peat moss over straw. I thought I came up with the idea for this 15 years ago but I read last night, that it is a common alternative to straw. its just more expensive. Well, knowing it was not just my own hair brained idea, I"m going to continue with it over straw and do the front yard tonight. Expecting rain most of the week next week so I"m going to take advantage of it.
Dethatching was such a chore that I ordered one of these for delivery on Sat:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BYY5LSB/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The back yard has about 5x more dead grass than the front. I"m thinking that the previous owner burned the grass with weed killer or something. Last year, there was some sort of clover looking stuff growing in those spots. It sprouted late so I'm hoping the new grass can choke it out.
Mower coming today, so yesterday I dethatched the front yard. My entire body is sore!. Ordered an electric dethatcher from Amazon and I will use that on the side of the house and back yard.
I used the rotary spreader to spread the Nitrogen only Fertilizer over the entire yard.
today when I get home, I'm going to lay down seed then peat moss. I like peat moss over straw. I thought I came up with the idea for this 15 years ago but I read last night, that it is a common alternative to straw. its just more expensive. Well, knowing it was not just my own hair brained idea, I"m going to continue with it over straw and do the front yard tonight. Expecting rain most of the week next week so I"m going to take advantage of it.
Dethatching was such a chore that I ordered one of these for delivery on Sat:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BYY5LSB/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The back yard has about 5x more dead grass than the front. I"m thinking that the previous owner burned the grass with weed killer or something. Last year, there was some sort of clover looking stuff growing in those spots. It sprouted late so I'm hoping the new grass can choke it out.
So a little over a week just in front of the front door and new grass is coming up.
The rest of the front and most of the back I purchased an electric dethattcher and pulled up the dead grass and tossed into the woods. It also turns up the soil some. I did not get all the back yard this weekend but I wanted to put down seed , fertilizer and peat moss before the rains came this week. Being on well water, running a sprinkler can be an all day affair to cover all my grass I need to grow so luckily we have had 4 days of straight daily rain and it is going to continue for the next 5 days. I prefer peat moss over straw cause it adds more good stuff to the soil and no straw to clean up. Down side is it’s more expensive and takes more time to put it down . I may do straw on the back hill below the pool if I have to. The peat moss may wash off easier back there. Too thick peat moss and the grass will starve of sun as it germinates. Too little and it washes away or dries out. I’m rather case if you have to re apply seed, you still get a healthier soil in my opinion.
Here is a shot of the peat moss right now . Grass should not be coming up here for another few days
Dethatcher (also will aerate)
The rest of the front and most of the back I purchased an electric dethattcher and pulled up the dead grass and tossed into the woods. It also turns up the soil some. I did not get all the back yard this weekend but I wanted to put down seed , fertilizer and peat moss before the rains came this week. Being on well water, running a sprinkler can be an all day affair to cover all my grass I need to grow so luckily we have had 4 days of straight daily rain and it is going to continue for the next 5 days. I prefer peat moss over straw cause it adds more good stuff to the soil and no straw to clean up. Down side is it’s more expensive and takes more time to put it down . I may do straw on the back hill below the pool if I have to. The peat moss may wash off easier back there. Too thick peat moss and the grass will starve of sun as it germinates. Too little and it washes away or dries out. I’m rather case if you have to re apply seed, you still get a healthier soil in my opinion.
Here is a shot of the peat moss right now . Grass should not be coming up here for another few days
Dethatcher (also will aerate)
- Apr 23, 2017
- 2,400
- Pool Size
- 22000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
So, I found some pictures from last April before we moved in. These bare spots were not there and there was grass there. Yes, some clover but the few pics I have show definite grass.
My first thought is while researching what kills grass is GRUBS!
Hmm, I"m going to have to look into this further. I was planning to plant grass, let it grow then worry about ants and weeds later. Well, I may have to hit the lawn with grubx soon.
My first thought is while researching what kills grass is GRUBS!
Hmm, I"m going to have to look into this further. I was planning to plant grass, let it grow then worry about ants and weeds later. Well, I may have to hit the lawn with grubx soon.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,546
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Living in Nevada I took a double take at the title of this thread. But soon realized it was about a LAWN --- phew -- thought we had a new product down at the dispensary ----------
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,113
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
I ran the numbers on doing myself vs a service and came to the conclusion that I don't know how they do it so cheap! My service (No longer doing it but will start again next year) was around $200/application for 7 applications over the summer. I can't even put 1 layer of fertilizer on my 1.5 acres for under $300 myself! They put several things at once. My lawn look spectacular with the service. It is starting to show weeds and clover again as I have been stopped for 2 years now. For your lawn, I suggest sod as it is toast! We sodded around the pool and are super happy with it. Instant lawn.
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
Love good looking lawn.
1/2 acre lot here, pretty big for my neighborhood and
on a corner lot so the whole corner is grass.
Previous owner didn't take good care of it and it looked terrible.
Lots of dead areas where grass couldn't grow through the thatch.
On my second year at the place I hired a company to de-thatch, aerate and reseed.
It was especially "chewy" on the side of the lot and killed the motor on the gas thatcher countless times.
One thing I noticed when the grass came back up after about a week, the lawn on the side of the lot
was coming up too but half the height of the front.
I did the soil test as well and whoa, no sign of any nitrogen. So I give the side a double dose now.
I did a post on the forum about the vital need for proper test kits lol:
https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/142872-Without-a-good-test-kit-we-truly-are-blind-to-the-correct-solution
When spring came the following months, 2 elderly people were walking by and said they'd lived
in the neighborhood since it was built and that lawn had never looked so good.
If only I could get rid of the darned clover. There's just a little bit in the front and that
does not bother me so much but I'd say 1/4 of the side of the lot is huge clover near the curb.
That same company sprayed to kill the clover, which of course caused a ton of dead patch areas.
The following year all of that clover came right back.
1/2 acre lot here, pretty big for my neighborhood and
on a corner lot so the whole corner is grass.
Previous owner didn't take good care of it and it looked terrible.
Lots of dead areas where grass couldn't grow through the thatch.
On my second year at the place I hired a company to de-thatch, aerate and reseed.
It was especially "chewy" on the side of the lot and killed the motor on the gas thatcher countless times.
One thing I noticed when the grass came back up after about a week, the lawn on the side of the lot
was coming up too but half the height of the front.
I did the soil test as well and whoa, no sign of any nitrogen. So I give the side a double dose now.
I did a post on the forum about the vital need for proper test kits lol:
https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/142872-Without-a-good-test-kit-we-truly-are-blind-to-the-correct-solution
When spring came the following months, 2 elderly people were walking by and said they'd lived
in the neighborhood since it was built and that lawn had never looked so good.
If only I could get rid of the darned clover. There's just a little bit in the front and that
does not bother me so much but I'd say 1/4 of the side of the lot is huge clover near the curb.
That same company sprayed to kill the clover, which of course caused a ton of dead patch areas.
The following year all of that clover came right back.
Nearly 10 days of rain and this is 12 days after seed, fertilizer and peat moss. The back yard has the weakest growth as I did that last and did not dethatch all of it and seeded on a Sunday and Monday instead of Friday. I have some wild grass. Weeds and clover in the yard but I did not want to put anything down that kills until the patches are growing in strong. Clover I find can be tricky and there are some dry treatments you can do where you wet it first. Healthy grass I find and choking them out by letting the grass grow tall can work. Clover sometimes is a sign of bad soil.
In hind sight with so much rain I had I could have put a denser blanket of seed down.
Next week I am going to put more seed down and some straw down the hill
I had a lawn service quote treatments and my head spun. I found that they will put lighter treatments down and they pay much less for stronger stuff. But still you often get less of what you need so they can come back every 2 weeks and bill you. If you get $200 a treatment for 1.5 acres that is not bad so long as you are happy. If I did not have time during the evenings after work I’d have to do that myself
In hind sight with so much rain I had I could have put a denser blanket of seed down.
Next week I am going to put more seed down and some straw down the hill
I had a lawn service quote treatments and my head spun. I found that they will put lighter treatments down and they pay much less for stronger stuff. But still you often get less of what you need so they can come back every 2 weeks and bill you. If you get $200 a treatment for 1.5 acres that is not bad so long as you are happy. If I did not have time during the evenings after work I’d have to do that myself
- Apr 23, 2017
- 2,400
- Pool Size
- 22000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
These guys are the masters when it comes to lawn care.
Garden Sense -  Garden SenseWith heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Johannes Roozen, the host of Garden Sense. He passed away peacefully on February 8, 2018. Jos Roozen 3/21/1947 - 2/8/2018Service information is available here.
I listen to thier pod cast every week. The lawn calendar is what I follow and my lawn has never looked better. Turf Trust and Kick Start are the way to go.
www.roozensonline.com
Garden Sense -  Garden SenseWith heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Johannes Roozen, the host of Garden Sense. He passed away peacefully on February 8, 2018. Jos Roozen 3/21/1947 - 2/8/2018Service information is available here.
I listen to thier pod cast every week. The lawn calendar is what I follow and my lawn has never looked better. Turf Trust and Kick Start are the way to go.
www.roozensonline.com
Well, in April a friend said not to put out a pre emergent down if I was going to try to plant grass in May. Well, the grass came in, was going strong then all the rain washed the nitrogen away. Then up came the darn weeds. I think I have a weed museum here. Just about every variety. That's one guy I"m not going to listen to anymore. I started putting down some broadleaf killer (2,4-D) and Widdling away at them. I may have to put seed down again.
cfherrman
TFP Guide
My form of trouble free grass involves spraying kill all when Bermuda is dormant, and transplanting Bermuda to the front yard when I dig around the pool area
melnic - Earlier on you mentioned that you are considering a VSP for your well. Do it! When we lived in IN we had a new well put in and for a few hundred extra they placed a VSP. Boy was that the neatest thing. As long as you have the refill rate in the well, you can run pretty much anything you want. We were able to turn on every tap, hose bib, shower, tub and flush toilets. It was weird hearing the variable speed controller change pitch as you added and subtracted things.
Hope your lawn troubles are becoming more trouble free!!
Hope your lawn troubles are becoming more trouble free!!