Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
Our fescue lawn was always bad. We have invested in Chemlawn several
times but the weeds have always come back. Last summer, after an extended vacation, we came home to find practically no grass left, all weeds. I have resorted to just cutting the crabgrass short because there's virtually no lawn left. The soil is dry, claylike and rocky and I can tell it's never been landscaped. It's springtime and I'm frustrated... is there anything left to do except till the whole thing over in the fall and plant new seed? I've already tried that before, and it failed. The new fescue never took, and bare patches that were left were soon replaced with more crabgrass, clover and other weeds. I was careful to water the seed and I'm not sure why it didn't grow. My biggest suspicion is that it all started with me cutting the lawn too short, which I'm told weakens the grass and makes it vulnerable to weeds. I've noticed that the only lawns in our neighborhood that look nice are the sodded ones. The fescue lawns look similar to ours -- nearly all weeds. We live in Georgia, btw. I'm sure you can tell that I am a novice and know nothing about gardening, so please be kind. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
I've noticed that the only lawns in our neighborhood that look nice
are the sodded ones. The fescue lawns look similar to ours -- nearly all weeds. We live in Georgia, btw. Sounds like you might be out of the range of good fescue lawns. Also sounds like you could do with some serious soil improvement with organic matter. Starter spots: http://www.griffin.peachnet.edu/caes/turf/ http://www.griffin.peachnet.edu/caes...blications.htm And my favorite book to start new gardeners on: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/0875966942 |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
I've noticed that the only lawns in our neighborhood that look nice
are the sodded ones. The fescue lawns look similar to ours -- nearly all weeds. We live in Georgia, btw. Sounds like you might be out of the range of good fescue lawns. Also sounds like you could do with some serious soil improvement with organic matter. Starter spots: http://www.griffin.peachnet.edu/caes/turf/ http://www.griffin.peachnet.edu/caes...blications.htm And my favorite book to start new gardeners on: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/0875966942 |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
"Josiane" wrote in message om... Our fescue lawn was always bad. We have invested in Chemlawn several times but the weeds have always come back. Last summer, after an extended vacation, we came home to find practically no grass left, all weeds. I have resorted to just cutting the crabgrass short because there's virtually no lawn left. The soil is dry, claylike and rocky and I can tell it's never been landscaped. It's springtime and I'm frustrated... is there anything left to do except till the whole thing over in the fall and plant new seed? I've already tried that before, and it failed. The new fescue never took, and bare patches that were left were soon replaced with more crabgrass, clover and other weeds. I was careful to water the seed and I'm not sure why it didn't grow. My biggest suspicion is that it all started with me cutting the lawn too short, which I'm told weakens the grass and makes it vulnerable to weeds. I've noticed that the only lawns in our neighborhood that look nice are the sodded ones. The fescue lawns look similar to ours -- nearly all weeds. We live in Georgia, btw. I'm sure you can tell that I am a novice and know nothing about gardening, so please be kind. You've gotten some pretty good responses - fescue is a cool season grass, most suited to less temperate, cooler summer areas than Georgia experiences. Also preparation of a good fertile soil base for any type of lawn is essential for its long term health. Once you have corrected these issue, I'd urge you to reconsider utilizing a service such as Chemlawn (or TruGreen or any of the other chemically based lawn services). Ecologically conscious and knowledgeable gardeners understand that a lawn that is maintained by these methods becomes dependent on them and is less able to withstand weed invasion, summer drought and fungal diseases once the service is stopped. In addition to applying unnecessarily high quantitiies of both chemical fertilizers and herbicides which contribute heavily to groundwater pollution, these are not pet and child freindly substances. It is far better to encourage the development of a naturally healthy lawn through proper soil preparation and grass selection, correct mowing and watering techniques and moderate use of fertilizers than to rely on chemical intervention. Your local extension office should be able to help you with these pretty simple methods. pam - gardengal |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
"Josiane" wrote in message om... Our fescue lawn was always bad. We have invested in Chemlawn several times but the weeds have always come back. Last summer, after an extended vacation, we came home to find practically no grass left, all weeds. I have resorted to just cutting the crabgrass short because there's virtually no lawn left. The soil is dry, claylike and rocky and I can tell it's never been landscaped. It's springtime and I'm frustrated... is there anything left to do except till the whole thing over in the fall and plant new seed? I've already tried that before, and it failed. The new fescue never took, and bare patches that were left were soon replaced with more crabgrass, clover and other weeds. I was careful to water the seed and I'm not sure why it didn't grow. My biggest suspicion is that it all started with me cutting the lawn too short, which I'm told weakens the grass and makes it vulnerable to weeds. I've noticed that the only lawns in our neighborhood that look nice are the sodded ones. The fescue lawns look similar to ours -- nearly all weeds. We live in Georgia, btw. I'm sure you can tell that I am a novice and know nothing about gardening, so please be kind. You've gotten some pretty good responses - fescue is a cool season grass, most suited to less temperate, cooler summer areas than Georgia experiences. Also preparation of a good fertile soil base for any type of lawn is essential for its long term health. Once you have corrected these issue, I'd urge you to reconsider utilizing a service such as Chemlawn (or TruGreen or any of the other chemically based lawn services). Ecologically conscious and knowledgeable gardeners understand that a lawn that is maintained by these methods becomes dependent on them and is less able to withstand weed invasion, summer drought and fungal diseases once the service is stopped. In addition to applying unnecessarily high quantitiies of both chemical fertilizers and herbicides which contribute heavily to groundwater pollution, these are not pet and child freindly substances. It is far better to encourage the development of a naturally healthy lawn through proper soil preparation and grass selection, correct mowing and watering techniques and moderate use of fertilizers than to rely on chemical intervention. Your local extension office should be able to help you with these pretty simple methods. pam - gardengal |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Lawn taken over
I would think that in Georgia, some sort of improved bermuda grass, zoysia,
centipede, or even St. Augustine if you're in central or south Georgia, would be preferable to fescue. Northern lawn grasses are finer in texture, and more fun to run around barefoot on, but they simply don't do well in the heat and humidity of the south - besides, there are no fire ants in the north. "Pam - gardengal" wrote in message news:ysdcc.186638$1p.2183121@attbi_s54... "Josiane" wrote in message om... Our fescue lawn was always bad. We have invested in Chemlawn several times but the weeds have always come back. Last summer, after an extended vacation, we came home to find practically no grass left, all weeds. I have resorted to just cutting the crabgrass short because there's virtually no lawn left. The soil is dry, claylike and rocky and I can tell it's never been landscaped. It's springtime and I'm frustrated... is there anything left to do except till the whole thing over in the fall and plant new seed? I've already tried that before, and it failed. The new fescue never took, and bare patches that were left were soon replaced with more crabgrass, clover and other weeds. I was careful to water the seed and I'm not sure why it didn't grow. My biggest suspicion is that it all started with me cutting the lawn too short, which I'm told weakens the grass and makes it vulnerable to weeds. I've noticed that the only lawns in our neighborhood that look nice are the sodded ones. The fescue lawns look similar to ours -- nearly all weeds. We live in Georgia, btw. I'm sure you can tell that I am a novice and know nothing about gardening, so please be kind. You've gotten some pretty good responses - fescue is a cool season grass, most suited to less temperate, cooler summer areas than Georgia experiences. Also preparation of a good fertile soil base for any type of lawn is essential for its long term health. Once you have corrected these issue, I'd urge you to reconsider utilizing a service such as Chemlawn (or TruGreen or any of the other chemically based lawn services). Ecologically conscious and knowledgeable gardeners understand that a lawn that is maintained by these methods becomes dependent on them and is less able to withstand weed invasion, summer drought and fungal diseases once the service is stopped. In addition to applying unnecessarily high quantitiies of both chemical fertilizers and herbicides which contribute heavily to groundwater pollution, these are not pet and child freindly substances. It is far better to encourage the development of a naturally healthy lawn through proper soil preparation and grass selection, correct mowing and watering techniques and moderate use of fertilizers than to rely on chemical intervention. Your local extension office should be able to help you with these pretty simple methods. pam - gardengal |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Bamboo has taken over my garden :( | Bamboo | |||
Ivy bed being taken over by weeds | United Kingdom | |||
Ivy bed being taken over by weeds | Gardening | |||
Lawn taken over | Gardening | |||
killing vine that has taken over hedge | Gardening |