Taking Back a Yard from Weeds
Hi Folks,
We bought a new (to us) house the beginning of the year. When we were being shown the house, I saw that the yard was cut very short. Now that we're moved in and the yard is growing in earnest, we've discovered that the yard is close to 50% weeded over. I applied an early season fertilizer with crabgrass halts in March. But there are large patches of clover, and dandelions scattered everywhere. We've got a spreading creeper with small white flowers that runs along the edges of anything that has an edge. We have lots of wild strawberries, and a thin, pipestem like weed that's thoroughly intermingled with the fescue over large parts of the yard. There's even horsenettle and poison ivy in the landscaped areas. We get a lot of sun so the stuff grows fast. Mowing once a week is barely enough. I'm trying to let the grass grow to a reasonable height, about 3.5 inches to encourage filling in. But of course the weeds grow faster. Has anyone had to recover a yard this heavily weeded? Did you use a professional service? Tear it out and put in new sod? I've been pulling what I can and spraying roundup, but we have a lot of maintenance to catch up on besides the yard. I'm hoping to determine what kind of long range plan I'll need to get the yard decent looking. Thanks, -dreq |
Taking Back a Yard from Weeds
On Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:17:24 -0400 in Derek Mark Edding wrote:
Hi Folks, We bought a new (to us) house the beginning of the year. When we were being shown the house, I saw that the yard was cut very short. Now that we're moved in and the yard is growing in earnest, we've discovered that the yard is close to 50% weeded over. I applied an early season fertilizer with crabgrass halts in March. But there are large patches of clover, and dandelions scattered everywhere. We've got a spreading creeper with small white flowers that runs along the edges of anything that has an edge. We have lots of wild strawberries, and a thin, pipestem like weed that's thoroughly intermingled with the fescue over large parts of the yard. There's even horsenettle and poison ivy in the landscaped areas. We get a lot of sun so the stuff grows fast. Mowing once a week is barely enough. I'm trying to let the grass grow to a reasonable height, about 3.5 inches to encourage filling in. But of course the weeds grow faster. Has anyone had to recover a yard this heavily weeded? Did you use a professional service? Tear it out and put in new sod? I've been pulling what I can and spraying roundup, but we have a lot of maintenance to catch up on besides the yard. I'm hoping to determine what kind of long range plan I'll need to get the yard decent looking. Murphy's law applies to lawns too :-). If you put down sod, we will have a drought and you will not get approval to irrigate to re-establish sod. Personally I'd leave the clover alone. First and foremost, determine what sort of grass the grass in the weeds is (fescue, bahia, centipede, zoysia, bermuda) and whether or not you intend to keep it. If you have bermuda, you'll be keeping it whether you want to or not. If you're planning to change the type of grass, pick one. Second, get soil testing done. http://www.agr.state.nc.us/agronomi/sthome.htm Assume that any area in the lawn where the vegetation is vastly different is a different soil type. If the soil is really incompatible with the type of grass you want, consider another type of grass :-). (I wanted to redo my lawn in centipede. And the soiltest results indicated my soil was actually perfect for the fescue on it and wasn't acidic enough or poor enough for centipede). While you're at it, note if the soil is actual soil, or if it's carolina red brick... And after that I'd have to ask what your time line is, and whether or not you're one of those nuts that wants the extravagance of a lawn that looks like it belongs on a golf course. In the mean time, I suggest 2,4-D for spot treating the broadleaf weeds as you mow. (Clover only counts as a broadleaf weed if you're trying to grow centipede). If the pipe stem stuff is a sedge, stop digging it out and spray it with roundup mixed with a squirt of hand dish washing detergent. I've also become a fan of going after poison ivy and creepers with a first pass of 2,4-D and then when new foliage starts coming out a second pass with roundup (Again with a squirt of dish washing detergent). If you're thinking fescue and the soil test results indicate fescue, start comparing the price of a lawn service doing weed remediation prior to slit seeding vs the cost of enough seed to cover the lawn and the rental price of a slit seeder. And if the professional says "We can do it now," instead of "We won't do this until this fall," find another professional. -- Chris Dukes |
Taking Back a Yard from Weeds
Derek Mark Edding wrote in
m: I applied an early season fertilizer with crabgrass halts in March. But there are large patches of clover, and dandelions scattered everywhere. I seem to recall that the Halts is only for preventing crabgrass (which sprouts later in the summer) vs stopping other spring weeds from germinating. |
Taking Back a Yard from Weeds
On Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:30:22 +0000 (UTC) in Nosmo King wrote:
Derek Mark Edding wrote in m: I applied an early season fertilizer with crabgrass halts in March. But there are large patches of clover, and dandelions scattered everywhere. I seem to recall that the Halts is only for preventing crabgrass (which sprouts later in the summer) vs stopping other spring weeds from germinating. Halts is pendimethalin. http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles...halin-ext.html Surprisingly it's both a selective broadleaf and annual grass herbicide that is both pre and post emergent. But I wouldn't expect it to do crap on anything normally found in the lawn except crabgrass. -- Chris Dukes |
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