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#1
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
Despite all the hard work I spend on my lawn, this spring it looks
like CRAP! We've had an unusally wet winter, and all my neighbors' lawns look lush and green. But mine looks all yellow and just plain crappy. (See a photo of this disaster at http://www.inhouzemusic.com/q/lawn.html) Where am I going wrong? My back yard, which I redid two seasons ago, is lush and green and beautiful. My front yard, which I hope to redo someday soon, is just plain ugly. Despite fertilizing and regular mowing, it's pretty sad. Even areas where I put in new sod look yellowish and pathetic. Could it be lack of aeration? Bad soil? How can I make it lush and green, short of tearing it out and starting over? HELP! |
#2
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
On Sun, 18 May 2003 05:40:50 -0400, Fleemo wrote:
Despite all the hard work I spend on my lawn, this spring it looks like CRAP! We've had an unusally wet winter, and all my neighbors' lawns look lush and green. But mine looks all yellow and just plain crappy. (See a photo of this disaster at http://www.inhouzemusic.com/q/lawn.html) Where am I going wrong? My back yard, which I redid two seasons ago, is lush and green and beautiful. My front yard, which I hope to redo someday soon, is just plain ugly. Despite fertilizing and regular mowing, it's pretty sad. Even areas where I put in new sod look yellowish and pathetic. Could it be lack of aeration? Bad soil? How can I make it lush and green, short of tearing it out and starting over? HELP! How's the soil PH? I'd check that out. Take some soil from different spots in the yard and mix it together then have a PH test done on it. |
#3
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
"Fleemo" wrote in message om... Despite all the hard work I spend on my lawn, this spring it looks like CRAP! We've had an unusally wet winter, and all my neighbors' lawns look lush and green. But mine looks all yellow and just plain crappy. (See a photo of this disaster at http://www.inhouzemusic.com/q/lawn.html) Where am I going wrong? My back yard, which I redid two seasons ago, is lush and green and beautiful. My front yard, which I hope to redo someday soon, is just plain ugly. Despite fertilizing and regular mowing, it's pretty sad. Even areas where I put in new sod look yellowish and pathetic. Could it be lack of aeration? Bad soil? How can I make it lush and green, short of tearing it out and starting over? HELP! Offhand, I would say the presence of large trees is the problem. Frank |
#4
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
Offhand, I would say the presence of large trees is the problem.
Yes, when grass doesn't get sufficient amount of sunlight (I have the same problem) it doesn't do well. |
#5
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
"Fleemo" wrote in message om... Despite all the hard work I spend on my lawn, this spring it looks like CRAP! We've had an unusally wet winter, and all my neighbors' lawns look lush and green. But mine looks all yellow and just plain crappy. (See a photo of this disaster at http://www.inhouzemusic.com/q/lawn.html) Where am I going wrong? My back yard, which I redid two seasons ago, is lush and green and beautiful. My front yard, which I hope to redo someday soon, is just plain ugly. Despite fertilizing and regular mowing, it's pretty sad. Even areas where I put in new sod look yellowish and pathetic. Could it be lack of aeration? Bad soil? How can I make it lush and green, short of tearing it out and starting over? HELP! And it is not good for those trees to keep mowing their roots. The trees are taking the nutrients and the water and the sun from the grass so why grow grass there? Plant something else between the roots like pachysandra but do not bury the roots or the trees will die. Why do you need to grow grass when other things will do much better? alice |
#6
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
Fleemo wrote:
Despite all the hard work I spend on my lawn, this spring it looks like CRAP! We've had an unusally wet winter, and all my neighbors' lawns look lush and green. But mine looks all yellow and just plain crappy. (See a photo of this disaster at http://www.inhouzemusic.com/q/lawn.html) Where am I going wrong? My back yard, which I redid two seasons ago, is lush and green and beautiful. My front yard, which I hope to redo someday soon, is just plain ugly. Despite fertilizing and regular mowing, it's pretty sad. Even areas where I put in new sod look yellowish and pathetic. Could it be lack of aeration? Bad soil? How can I make it lush and green, short of tearing it out and starting over? HELP! It's hard to tell in the picture, but it looks like the grass is too short. My neighbor cuts his lawn too short, and bags the clippings, and can't figure out why his lawn looks so crappy. As others have mentioned, the trees could be a problem, although their shade effect doesn't become an issue until they leaf-out. When the heat of summer comes, my shady areas usually stay lush while the sunny areas go dormant. But those roots would concern me. Not just how they may be damaged while mowing, but are they sucking all the water for the tree, leaving little for the lawn. Speaking of watering, shallow watering is generally bad, even if Mother Nature is doing it. Long, deep watering is best for a lawn, especially with those trees there. If the roots of the lawn are too shallow, mowing the lawn too short will be even worse. And you mentioned fertilizer. Was it the correct fertilizer, and did you follow directions? In general, the amount specified in the directions is the maximum so they can sell more fertilizer. Half the maximum is usually all you need. (More is not always better!) And if you're leaving the clippings on the lawn, you may not even need that much. If you haven't run a core aerator on the lawn for a couple of seasons, you should put that on your to-do list for fall. Fall is better than spring for this, but you don't want to do it during summer. You'll want to be very careful when you get near those tree roots. (BTW... Stay away from those spikes they sell as aerators. They just compress the soil around the area that they penetrate, and they don't penetrate far enough, either. A core aerator pulls out a plug of soil allowing easy access into the soil that can be filled with organic material, or simply left to allow deeper water penetration. For this summer, I'd say do a lot of watering, and don't mow too short. The life-cycle of a lawn begins in fall, and a good plan for fall that includes core aeration (something I would do annually) is where to start. Don't try to "fix" things during the summer. Just do your best to not slide backwards before fall comes. -- Warren H. ========== Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife. Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants to go outside now. |
#7
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
Fleemo wrote:
Despite all the hard work I spend on my lawn, this spring it looks like CRAP! We've had an unusally wet winter, and all my neighbors' lawns look lush and green. But mine looks all yellow and just plain crappy. (See a photo of this disaster at http://www.inhouzemusic.com/q/lawn.html) It looks like the trees are sucking all the moisture out of the ground! Put your mower on the highest setting, mow often, and preferably use a mulching mower. If it does not rain at least 1" in a week, give your lawn a good watering early in the morning. Fall lawn work is usually the most important. A lawn will greatly benefit from at least one feeding of organic fertilizer per year. I use Milorganite (processed sewage) or pellitized chicken manure. Do a soil test to find out what you need ! |
#8
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
On Sun, 18 May 2003 18:55:35 GMT, Phisherman wrote:
A lawn will greatly benefit from at least one feeding of organic fertilizer per year. I use Milorganite (processed sewage) or pellitized chicken manure. Do a soil test to find out what you need ! neither of which are organic! "Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance. Harmful insects and plant diseases are always present, but do not occur in nature to an extent which requires the use of poisonous chemicals. The sensible approach to disease and insect control is to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment." Masanobu Fukuoka, One Straw Revolution--1978 |
#9
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
It seems to be mown extremely short. How low do you mow it?
You also seem to have a lot of shade in this area. What grass blend is planted there now? Is it compatible with shade? -- -- pelirojaroja "Fleemo" wrote in message om... Despite all the hard work I spend on my lawn, this spring it looks like CRAP! We've had an unusally wet winter, and all my neighbors' lawns look lush and green. But mine looks all yellow and just plain crappy. (See a photo of this disaster at http://www.inhouzemusic.com/q/lawn.html) Where am I going wrong? My back yard, which I redid two seasons ago, is lush and green and beautiful. My front yard, which I hope to redo someday soon, is just plain ugly. Despite fertilizing and regular mowing, it's pretty sad. Even areas where I put in new sod look yellowish and pathetic. Could it be lack of aeration? Bad soil? How can I make it lush and green, short of tearing it out and starting over? HELP! |
#10
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
Thanks for all the input here folks.
Yes, the tree roots are a problem, but the grass has never looked this bad before. And it's rained and rained and rained this season, so I'd think it'd start the season off well. The lawn does manage to get several hours of afternoon sun, so I don't think it's a lack of sunlight. Plus, usually when the grass is water-stressed, it tends to look grayish. The lawn is very yellow. Including areas of tall fescue, the same sod that I grow in my back yard which is very very shady, yet grows well. I have a lawn service mow my lawn, so I guess I need to tell them to start cutting it longer. The PH test, aeration, and the rest of your tips will be taken to heart, especially this fall. Thanks for your advice. -Fleemo |
#11
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
"Mceezee" wrote in message
... Offhand, I would say the presence of large trees is the problem. Yes, when grass doesn't get sufficient amount of sunlight (I have the same problem) it doesn't do well. Couple that with the fact that he's mowed it WAY too low for shade grass. He's removed the extra leaf surface area that grass needs to collect more light in the shade. Wait till the weather heats up. Then he'll REALLY be singing the blues. |
#12
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
"Warren" wrote in message
news:GgQxa.926941$S_4.939715@rwcrnsc53... It's hard to tell in the picture, but it looks like the grass is too short. My neighbor cuts his lawn too short, and bags the clippings, and can't figure out why his lawn looks so crappy. ROFL! I have a neighbor like that. He cuts his lawn putting-green short all season, and shorter in the summer. Then, he calls Chem Lawn to come and "fix" it. They give it a shot of nitrogen to green it up, and 2 weeks later, it looks worse than before. He comes over to my yard constantly to ask "Hey! Whattya put on yours?" I've done nothing but fertilize every 3 years or so, and keep an eye on the pH. He thinks I sneak out at night with some sort of secret spray. :-) This has been going on for 20 years, and the guy just never learns. |
#13
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Why does my lawn look like crap???
"Fleemo" wrote in message
om... I have a lawn service mow my lawn, so I guess I need to tell them to start cutting it longer. Yeah. A LOT longer. As in "not at all", until September. 3" is a good length for shade, assuming this patch of yours survives the summer. |
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