Lawn
 

Hi,

I just moved from MA to NC so obviously the plants and caring for them are
going to be different. I wanted to find a site that could relate to my
specific questions and I think I found it!

We weren't able to start right away taking care of the lawn but I'm
wondering what I could do to get it ready for the fall seeding.

I was thinking about liming. Is this a good idea now or is there something
better to do for it?

Also, I was reading a post about seeing yellow in the grass. Mine is in a
long line and the rest all around is healthy and green. It's only one line
now. I thought maybe this is the start of grubs but I do have 3 dogs (2
females). How can I tell what is causing the problem?

Thanks much,
Christine

Lawn
 

In article , CAK wrote:
Hi,

I just moved from MA to NC so obviously the plants and caring for them are
going to be different. I wanted to find a site that could relate to my
specific questions and I think I found it!

We weren't able to start right away taking care of the lawn but I'm
wondering what I could do to get it ready for the fall seeding.

I was thinking about liming. Is this a good idea now or is there something
better to do for it?


Lime is slow acting so it can't hurt. I would suggest a soil test if
your are really serious about a lawn. I have never had one in 24 years
here though. With all that clay, I always figured they would come back
with an evaluation from the soil test that I needed soil. grin
Just resist the temptation to seed now. Spring seeding seldom works
well.

Also, I was reading a post about seeing yellow in the grass. Mine is in a
long line and the rest all around is healthy and green. It's only one line
now. I thought maybe this is the start of grubs but I do have 3 dogs (2
females). How can I tell what is causing the problem?

One long narrow yellow line might mean the drop spreader did not overlap
on one pass and that area never got fertilizer. Just a guess.

Thanks much,
Christine




--
Wes Dukes (wdukesNOatSPAMpoboxdotcom)

Lawn
 

Christine,

One thing to keep in mind is that there are many more options for Southern
lawns than we had up North, so the first thing you need to determine is what
kind of grass you have now.

Lawns mainly break down into two types of grass: warm-season & cool-season.
Warm-season grass is dormant (& brown) in the winter, but greens up with
warmer temperatures. Cool-season grasses are usually green in the winter,
but may burn out in the heat of a Southern summer.

Based on a recommendation from posters to this *most excellent* newsgroup, I
bought "Month-by-Month Gardening in the South" by Don & Chris Hastings. It
has proven very valuable to me, since gardening in NC is so different from
what I did in NJ & VT.

One of the hardest things for me to accept is that weeds *never* take a day
off here in the South! No more taking things easy in the wintertime --
unless you want to literally watch the weeds taking over :)

Anne Lurie
NE Raleigh


"CAK" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I just moved from MA to NC so obviously the plants and caring for them are
going to be different. I wanted to find a site that could relate to my
specific questions and I think I found it!

We weren't able to start right away taking care of the lawn but I'm
wondering what I could do to get it ready for the fall seeding.

I was thinking about liming. Is this a good idea now or is there
something
better to do for it?

Also, I was reading a post about seeing yellow in the grass. Mine is in a
long line and the rest all around is healthy and green. It's only one
line
now. I thought maybe this is the start of grubs but I do have 3 dogs (2
females). How can I tell what is causing the problem?

Thanks much,
Christine

Lawn
 

I was thinking about liming. Is this a good idea now or is there something
better to do for it?


Now, is fine for lime. As a rule of thumb for clay soils, use 50 lbs p/1000 sq
ft.

Also, I was reading a post about seeing yellow in the grass. Mine is in a
long line and the rest all around is healthy and green.


A dog's urine tends to have a burn mark in the center with a much darker green
band around the burn. (This is from the excess nitrogen. Too much nitrogen causes
the burn mark, and the nitrogen becomes diluted on the edges and cause a green-up
in the grass). Grubs tend to create circular marks, not streaks.

Here is a link to the local Agricultural Division that tests soils. It is a free
service. I would use them. The price is right. http://agronomy.agr.state.nc.us/