Lawn Care. It drives me insane!!!

ossian

ossian

Senior Member
Location
Scotland
I hate it. I really do! I enjoy gardening and spend quite a lot of time at it, but I hate the lawn stuff. I even have someone cut my lawn, I hate it so much.

Yesterday I spent all morning scarifying and forking my lawn. After all, with this glorious weather, how could I not? This morning I thought I would complete the spring work by fertilising the lawn. So off I went to the local garden centre, found some decent feed and came home ready for the task ahead. I thought that I had considered everything.

No - I did not want a moss killer as that would leave me without a lawn at all
Yes - the lawn has been scarified.
Yes - the lawn is dry.
No - it has not been cut within 3 days.
No - it will not be cut within the next 3 days.
Yes - the soil is moist.

All set to go. Well maybe not. Firstly, it took me ages to try to determine the setting to use on my lawn spreader thingy. The people who make these devices are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. They warn you not to overdose, but do they try to advise on what setting to use. Nope!!! However, eventually the fertiliser product manufacturer site did give some advice - of sorts. Firstly, it was wildly at odds with what I thought the setting should be. And secondly, it warned against overdosing, accepted no liability for dead lawns and suggested that you may want to tweak it back a little - just to err on the side of caution. All very reassuring.

However, I pulled my big boy pants on and decided to go for the setting........knocked back a little....and then a little further.

But wait, what's this about frost? Don't apply if frost is expected? Come on, this is Scotland! How many days do you think we have in the year when it is dry, but has been wet enough to moisten soil, in the middle of my mowing cycle, with no imminent forecast of rain, but also promising rain within a week [...just to water it in] and no frost....IN APRIL?????

That was the 'coupon buster' [...as we say over here]. There is a risk of frost in the next 7 days. So the box is safely tucked up in the garden shed waiting for the perfect day. :crying:
 

And for all these reasons, I hired a service to do this for me. The come eight times during the season to treat my lawn and shrubs so that I don't have to think about it. The lawn is healthy, mostly weed free and I get to enjoy the view. I remember years ago burning out a huge section of my lawn from dropping too much fertilizer. I wouldn't mind cutting it myself (my spouse has serious objections), but I leave the complicated stuff to the experts.
 
I dunno maybe we were just lucky. Every Spring like clockwork we have full green grass. As far as I know my father in law got out to cut it once a month. But no fertilizer or treatments or even watering. My son mows it when it's high enough for the cats to get lost. It must just be great soil in a big yard. I've seen people spend hundreds in lawn stuff. The only thing I noticed that's kind of icky is lawn grubs. But the grass is green, I'm just leaving them be.
 

Bobw235 said:
And for all these reasons, I hired a service to do this for me. The come eight times during the season to treat my lawn and shrubs so that I don't have to think about it. The lawn is healthy, mostly weed free and I get to enjoy the view. I remember years ago burning out a huge section of my lawn from dropping too much fertilizer. I wouldn't mind cutting it myself (my spouse has serious objections), but I leave the complicated stuff to the experts.
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I had considered an annual lawn care service a few years back. I saw a neighbour having it done and thought that it may be worth it. However, I was not convinced that even that would deal with my compacted soil and excess moss.
fureverywhere said:
I dunno maybe we were just lucky. Every Spring like clockwork we have full green grass. As far as I know my father in law got out to cut it once a month. But no fertilizer or treatments or even watering. My son mows it when it's high enough for the cats to get lost. It must just be great soil in a big yard. I've seen people spend hundreds in lawn stuff. The only thing I noticed that's kind of icky is lawn grubs. But the grass is green, I'm just leaving them be.
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You must be very lucky, fureverywhere. I have been gardening for more years than I care to remember and lawns have always been the most difficult thing to manage. I don't mind heavy digging or taking down trees, but lawns just challenge my patience.
 
I hate lawns and lawnwork; am glad to life in a rural area of the Mojave Desert where lawns are not in vogue. Native vegetation is good, and here that means weeds. A pic of my backyard, looking towards our house(brown roof) to the N.E. :

backyardj.jpg


My weed abatement efforts include use of weed killer(in small, selected locations), mowing with a John Deer tractor and my "yard drag":

yard-drag.jpg
 
tnthomas said:
My weed abatement efforts include use of weed killer(in small, selected locations), mowing with a John Deer tractor and my "yard drag":
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What do you use the yard drag for? Would it remove weeds, and not grass? Or is it for leveling. Just curious, tn.
 
"a chocolate teapot" -- lol!

There is a city in Florida called Frostproof, ossian -- maybe it should have a sister city in Scotland.

tnthomas, what is that cool sort of 3-pronged tree near your house?
 
Weed killer doesn't always work or takes too long to work along with collateral damage. Sometimes you have to get down on hands and knees and pull weeds out by the roots. Can't let them get too plentiful because they are dominant species taking needed moisture and nutrients from other vegetation on a large scale. Also place new soil and grass seed in the hole or weeds old spot. Also it's possible to over cut. I've also found mulching rather than raking or bagging cut grass is better. Debris free grass can dry out too fast. Grass clippings or mulch can give nutrients and keep moisture in ground. Also avoid clumping of grass when mowing and don't cut the grass too low which can dry it out. Also attempt to cut grass the day before rain if possible.
 
Os, I actually enjoy lawn care. But if your lawn is anywhere near as huge as Thomas's photos, it would be impossible to get it green and lush on your own unless you made it a full-time job. If I had a yard that large, I'd make only part of it a nice, clean lawn and give the rest of it just enough care to keep it reasonably healthy. (here in California, all the outskirt acreage could be used as a "fire-wall"...with just enough vegetation to keep the soil from eroding)

That said, I don't fertilize. Rather than that, I spread grass seed, scarifying and aerating first, then keep that area very moist (but not soaked) for a couple of weeks, or until the new grass is 1 to 2 inches long. Then I water normally. Weeds have a harder time taking hold where lawn is thick. I pull weeds as soon as they sprout - the minute I see them, I pull them, and they come out easily, root and all, when young.
 
NancyNGA said:
What do you use the yard drag for? Would it remove weeds, and not grass? Or is it for leveling. Just curious, tn.
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It pretty much scraps all vegetation clean off, leaving a bare dirt finish. No lawns per se, the average annual rainfail is less-than 5 inches, so any kind of ornamental grass would not be sustainable. With the almost 5 years of drought we've had, the rainfall has been a mere fraction of the paltry 5 inches we'd normally get.
 
Guitarist said:
"a chocolate teapot" -- lol!

There is a city in Florida called Frostproof, ossian -- maybe it should have a sister city in Scotland.

tnthomas, what is that cool sort of 3-pronged tree near your house?
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That may be a good idea. And the only way I could use fertiliser in Spring.
 
A lot can depend on soil. You can turn it into a regular science projects and use the most expensive seed. You can test the ph balance and all the other balances. Treat it with everything on the market...but if you have "bad dirt" grass ain't gonna happen. Best buddy lives a few towns over. His backyard is part sand and part soil. There's whisps of grass here and there and he seeds every year...but it's sad.

If the problem is the dirt and you really are serious about a nice lawn you have to use heavy equipment or pay somebody else to do it. At least maybe a foot or more has to be taken out and replaced with healthy lawn soil. It's a big job even between two people. But once you have happy dirt and the seeds laid you should be good from there...until the grubs come...
 
As I look out from my balcony at this magnificent apartment complex in which I live and view the gardeners cutting grass and pruning the beautiful shuberry & the pool service cleaning the pool, I think to my self, Hey Lon --how fortunate you are to not have spend your time doing manual labor or payng others to do it.
 
Thanks, tnthomas. I have heard of the Joshua Tree National Park but hadn't had any idea what a Joshua tree really was!
 
I always kind of admired them, they are mostly a hardy tree, slow growing though, but live to be many hundreds of years old.
 
fureverywhere said:
A lot can depend on soil. You can turn it into a regular science projects and use the most expensive seed. You can test the ph balance and all the other balances. Treat it with everything on the market...but if you have "bad dirt" grass ain't gonna happen. Best buddy lives a few towns over. His backyard is part sand and part soil. There's whisps of grass here and there and he seeds every year...but it's sad.

If the problem is the dirt and you really are serious about a nice lawn you have to use heavy equipment or pay somebody else to do it. At least maybe a foot or more has to be taken out and replaced with healthy lawn soil. It's a big job even between two people. But once you have happy dirt and the seeds laid you should be good from there...until the grubs come...
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You hit the nail on the head there, fureverywhere. I have laid a few lawns in my time in various homes and have always prepared the ground well. Double dug it, settled it, prepared the seed bed, etc. But in this house, the lawn was established when I arrived. It has not been dug and is pretty compacted. It is, therefore, perfect for moss and that is a problem for all the neighbours. To deal with it properly would mean lifting the lawn and digging over the base. Something that is too big a task. So, I tinker with it and try to imrpove it as best i can.

And, this morning I see that I was right not to put down the fertiliser as it is frosty! Well, at least I did not make that mistake!
 
Os, I lived in a place for a while that had hard, old soil and poor drainage. The entire first year, whenever I went out in the yard I wore my golf shoes (with cleat extensions on them, too). I aerated the soil and increased drainage just by walking around on it. It took a few months or so, but this helped me ascertain where the toughest soil was, and I only treated the soil in those spots: I dug just a few inches deep to remove patches of the existing lawn, and set them aside. Once that soil was exposed, I loosened it real good about another three inches deep, mixed in some sand and pebbles, poured new topsoil, leveled it, soaked it, and replaced the patches of lawn. Turned out beautifully.
 
Wrigley's said:
Os, I lived in a place for a while that had hard, old soil and poor drainage. The entire first year, whenever I went out in the yard I wore my golf shoes (with cleat extensions on them, too). I aerated the soil and increased drainage just by walking around on it. It took a few months or so, but this helped me ascertain where the toughest soil was, and I only treated the soil in those spots: I dug just a few inches deep to remove patches of the existing lawn, and set them aside. Once that soil was exposed, I loosened it real good about another three inches deep, mixed in some sand and pebbles, poured new topsoil, leveled it, soaked it, and replaced the patches of lawn. Turned out beautifully.
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I used to fork the lawn every autumn but have now stopped that. Mostly because it ripped my hands to shreds, but also because the rain has caught me out in recent years. Once it starts here in autumn, it often fails to stop. :( But what you suggest sounds like a good idea. I am aware of a couple of really compacted areas in the lawn that your idea could maybe work on. So, I think I will check for those and maybe try your idea. Then, of course, it wont rain all summer. :doh:
 
I hate lawns. Water wasters and time.

Get an artificial lawn. Those things actually look very realistic.

I'd also have weeds before I'd use any chemical weed killer.
 

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