I've wondered about doing something similar for the back of my backyard. My lawn slopes slightly down towards the back and everything then drains horizonally from there. Leaving the back part of my lawn soft and muddy pretty often and hard to mow without ruts.
Fertilizing my lawn for initial spring application
- Thread starter spierceisu
- Start date
I've wondered about doing something similar for the back of my backyard. My lawn slopes slightly down towards the back and everything then drains horizonally from there. Leaving the back part of my lawn soft and muddy pretty often and hard to mow without ruts.
I am planning on dethatching this spring for the first time. Does anyone have any timing tips? Is it a no-go until everything has dried up?
For sure wait until it dries up. It is a pain to clean muddy blades. If the weather cooperates enough that it is dry and the grass really hasn't started growing yet, get it done! It will still dethatch if actively growing, but in my experience the dethatcher fills up faster because it is pulling up thatch and cutting grass. Just more debris to clean up.
Weeks to go before yard work is needed
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Soil Temparature Maps | GreenCast | Syngenta
I've tried googling this, but wasn't smart enough to get the information I was seeking. Is it possible that soil temps can vary significantly even just yard to yard within a neighborhood or small geographical area? I have a full sun, flat, lower lying (wetter) back yard and I would contend my soil temps rise earlier in the year and my first application needs to go down sometime in mid March (maybe even early March). I suppose I could just measure my own soil temps, but was wondering if my hypothesis has any legs.Weeks to go before yard work is needed
Soil Temparature Maps | GreenCast | Syngenta
Once my yard dries out a bit more I want to aerate the heck out of it and then thrown down a bunch of grass seed. Then once the ground temperatures rise it should just start germinating
We are thinking about doing this too and including a small patch of land. Do you have to kill the current grass/weeds first?
I just filled two yard waste bins chuck full of chips/twigs and sawdust. Some areas were choked out. That was from a 30' x 30' area. Still have to deal with around 20 holes now. Some of those logs really did a number on my yard. A couple holes are almost a foot deep.
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I'd recommend it. Also, don't expect instant results. Natives and prairie forbs in particular are very deep rooted and will take 3-4 years to fully establish. Adding some annuals and biennials to nurse things along can help bridge the gap.
I have had that same problem in my bathroom.
I sowed some native perennials last spring in the front of a couple big wooden planter boxes and was amazed by the production of peppers I got. Going to plant some milkweed seed in it this spring.
Hey I can see a little grass in my yard finally. like 10 square feet but it's still there under all that snow.
The earliest was last fall before winter. But yes, if you didn't do it then right now would be best. The soil is still damp because the angle of the sun has yet to warm the soil to where things evaporate more quickly. But that window is closing fast. And if we hit a dry March spell you may want to water what you put down just to make sure.
I'd buy a meat thermometer at stick it in the ground in you want to be that precise.
Is it possible to throw some seed down in spots now, try to get some growth, then still be able to apply pre-emergent this Spring?
Id say no. By the time the ground is at a temp where the grass will germinate, the weeds are starting as well.
I think you are supposed to wait several months before seeding after applying pre-emerg. Seeds won't likely germinate until after you have put down your application anyway.
If you have to seed and weeds weren't too bad in 2020. Just seed in the spring and tackle weeds once it has established
You could do that but then you’d have to wait to apply your pre-emergent later in the spring and likely miss the window for that application.
