Something with lots of quick germinating rye grass. Some of the quick fix mixes have lots of annual rye in the mix that of course will die but look good in the short term.
Yard Care for Dummies
- Thread starter wxman1
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Something with lots of quick germinating rye grass. Some of the quick fix mixes have lots of annual rye in the mix that of course will die but look good in the short term.
Considering the amount of salt and sand that ended up in my front yard I should probably be considering native dune grasses. 
Steep hill starts at about my sidewalk. They pound that hill with salt, spray and sand.
Steep hill starts at about my sidewalk. They pound that hill with salt, spray and sand.
Forgot to mention to put good amounts of fertilizer, or better yet a solid layer of worm castings, mixed in right before seeding. That shallow grave, excuse me..trench, will probably have too much subsoil on top and have poor nutrients for the grass to grow well.
If you like lawn care and you like podcasts, this one is for you
https://lawnsacrossamerica.blubrry.net/
https://lawnsacrossamerica.blubrry.net/
demoncore1031
Well-Known Member
Is there anything you can broadcast to control weeds and still put down seed?
Our backyard looks ridiculous right now. I put down a bunch of seed where we took out an 18ft pool about two weeks before getting that 10+ inch rain last year. The rain washed it all off the bare dirt towards the low areas and it all came up this year. I need to overseed the whole thing to try and smooth everything out. Not expecting this to be a quick fix, just look a little less trashy. I really don’t want to be fighting weeds the whole year either.
Our backyard looks ridiculous right now. I put down a bunch of seed where we took out an 18ft pool about two weeks before getting that 10+ inch rain last year. The rain washed it all off the bare dirt towards the low areas and it all came up this year. I need to overseed the whole thing to try and smooth everything out. Not expecting this to be a quick fix, just look a little less trashy. I really don’t want to be fighting weeds the whole year either.
Ace Hardware in Ankeny does have Milorganite, in case anyone else around here is searching for it.
Is there anything you can broadcast to control weeds and still put down seed?
Our backyard looks ridiculous right now. I put down a bunch of seed where we took out an 18ft pool about two weeks before getting that 10+ inch rain last year. The rain washed it all off the bare dirt towards the low areas and it all came up this year. I need to overseed the whole thing to try and smooth everything out. Not expecting this to be a quick fix, just look a little less trashy. I really don’t want to be fighting weeds the whole year either.
Cut the top off and sod it.
No, not likely in the long-term. It's fine as a component of a soil fertility program, but strictly fertilizing with bio-solids tends to build up phosphorus over many seasons. To build optimal soil conditions for turf, you would need to do a soil test and work towards that goal by applying amendments of deficient nutrients, and altering soil composition like boosting organic matter, and adjusting the pH where necessary.
Is there anything you can broadcast to control weeds and still put down seed?
Our backyard looks ridiculous right now. I put down a bunch of seed where we took out an 18ft pool about two weeks before getting that 10+ inch rain last year. The rain washed it all off the bare dirt towards the low areas and it all came up this year. I need to overseed the whole thing to try and smooth everything out. Not expecting this to be a quick fix, just look a little less trashy. I really don’t want to be fighting weeds the whole year either.
This is what you are looking for. Or you could use Tenacity, but it's not available in big box stores.
https://www.scotts.com/en-us/produc...er-starter-food-new-grass-plus-weed-preventer
Yeah, I’m probably not dropping that kind of coin with how hard our dog is on our yard. When he starts sprinting his laps, which is a daily thing, you can see the chunks of turf flying up behind him. A 100lb active dog can do a number on a yard. Not looking for perfect, just better than it is.
We have a 75lb lab and feel your pain.
The first few years I would try to fix her path but then she would just make a new one. Every time she dead sprints I see dirt flying. In the end I’d rather have one path than multiple and gave up on it lol.
Same. Our dog doesn't use the stairs off the deck and he has to sprint to clear the yard every time he goes out. Those first two steps rounding the deck after leaping off the top of it are about 3'x3' spots of bare dirt.
I am surprised at the amount of over-fertilization and over-application of herbicides in the various recommendations. While I live in Austin, TX, and have different constraints and issues, my recommendations are :
1) NEVER use Atrazine which is in a lot of the Weed-and-Feed products - it is outlawed in Europe and is an endocrine disruptor, and is not good for the reproductive health of any animals in contact with it (including humans) - including very limited amounts in drinking water.
2) Most grasses don't need a lot of fertilizer once the lawn is established. I fertilize at most once per year and I have a very full and beautiful lawn. I do use a mulching mower to put those nutrients back into the soil. I do also occasionally spread mulch in addition to fertilizing (but still once per year or less).
3. I do use some 24D / Weed-B-Gone occasionally to manage broad leave weeds, especially in my back yard as there is a part of it bordering a minimally maintained "natural" space which does have weeds.
4. If there is not a big weed problem, I manage it by just pulling / digging up the occasional weed rather that spreading chemicals.
The joke about the fertilizer going straight to the Gulf actually has a lot of truth in it - the Gulf does get a lot of algae bloom and has a large dead zone spurred by excess nitrogen from over fertilization washing into streams / rivers, eventually flowing into the Mississippi and onward to the Gulf.
1) NEVER use Atrazine which is in a lot of the Weed-and-Feed products - it is outlawed in Europe and is an endocrine disruptor, and is not good for the reproductive health of any animals in contact with it (including humans) - including very limited amounts in drinking water.
2) Most grasses don't need a lot of fertilizer once the lawn is established. I fertilize at most once per year and I have a very full and beautiful lawn. I do use a mulching mower to put those nutrients back into the soil. I do also occasionally spread mulch in addition to fertilizing (but still once per year or less).
3. I do use some 24D / Weed-B-Gone occasionally to manage broad leave weeds, especially in my back yard as there is a part of it bordering a minimally maintained "natural" space which does have weeds.
4. If there is not a big weed problem, I manage it by just pulling / digging up the occasional weed rather that spreading chemicals.
The joke about the fertilizer going straight to the Gulf actually has a lot of truth in it - the Gulf does get a lot of algae bloom and has a large dead zone spurred by excess nitrogen from over fertilization washing into streams / rivers, eventually flowing into the Mississippi and onward to the Gulf.
Alright, so whoever took the last 4 bags of milorganite from the Ankeny hardware last night is a d-bag.
I probably shouldn’t ask but what the heck it’s friday. Why do you use 2 4D but not anything with atrazine? Seeing how they are similar to each other in what is considered harmful.
I don't think they are similar in what is considered harmful, as least as far as what I have read and heard.
Was curious since the basic 2 4 D formula was behind agent orange. It’s not a nasty chemical but people can state a partial fact like that and make it seem worse. Any chemical is bad if you get too much. Knowing about all the recent studies, I figured you were going off the old material.
