Software
Houzz Logo Print
loudmara

HELP NEEDED: Lawn Care Plan for 2016

10 years ago

Hello! I currently have a large size backyard and small size front/side yard. I’m located in Indianapolis, IN. The house was built in 2010 and sod was put down on crappy clay soil mixed with pieces of concrete and rock as the builders didn’t care (typical cookie cutter neighborhood). I’ve been trying to get a nice looking, lush green yard for 6 years now and I keep failing/not getting anywhere. I tried to do as much research as possible and come up with a plan for the year to follow to get a better yard. However, I am in no means an expert and I’m not 100% sure if my plan will work or needs adjustments, etc. I would welcome any input, thoughts, and/or feedback on my plan below as time is quickly approaching and I would like to have everything organized/ready to go. Thanks in advance!

April 9th
• Dethatch & aerate yard: Saturday, April 9th
• Should I hire a company or go through rental company to do it myself?

April 16th
• Lay down 1 inch of Scotts Lawn Soil over the entire yard
• Over seed yard with Scotts eZseed
• Lightly rake over/through new lawn soil/seed to get in holes pulled up during aerating previous week

April 30th
• Lay down new mulch in flower beds
• Any mulch suggestions?

May 7th
• Plant flowers in flower beds
• Any suggestions for really nice perennials?

May 28th
• Put Scotts Weed & Feed down

July 2nd
• Put Scotts Crab grass control/preventer down

July 30th
• Put Scotts Weed & Feed down

September 3rd
• Dethatch (if needed) & aerate yard

September 10th
• Lay down 1 inch of Scotts Lawn Soil over the entire yard
• Over seed yard with Scotts eZseed
• Lightly rake over/through new lawn soil/seed to get in holes pulled up during aerating previous week

October 15th
• Put Scotts Winterguard fertilizer down

Comments (2)

  • 10 years ago

    Yikes! Hope you're ready for this, but most of that is going to give you poor results and/or spend money you don't need to spend.


    Assuming you have 8,000 square feet of yard, you'll need an 18-wheeler to deliver 24 cubic yards of soil for each soil event. I assume you don't think your soil is any good so you're going to add your own. There are many problems with adding more soil, and normally it isn't needed. What you need is a good soil test ($25 at Logan Labs - best soil test in the country) and very likely at least a minimal organic fertilizer treatment. One reason you're not happy with the soil is a lack of microbial population. Adding organic fertilizer like soybean meal, alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow), Milorganite, corn meal, or corn gluten meal will be the fastest way to restore the soil to health.

    Instead of aerating to soften the soil, spray it with any clear shampoo (like baby shampoo) at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Shampoo is a surfactant that allows moisture to flow down much deeper which has numerous beneficial effects. The result of that is much softer soil when it is moist. One treatment can last for years. I sprayed mine in 2012 and it still feels soft after a rain.

    When you want to fertilize, use a fertilizer. When you want to kill weeds, spot spray with something like Weed b Gon or Weed b Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis killer. The mixed weed n feed products don't do either one of them very well. July is really a bad time to stress the grass with heat, fertilizer, and an herbicide.

    Spring time is almost the worst time of year to seed new grass. The reason is that crabgrass seed is germinating in the spring. Second reason is that spring seeded grass does not have time to develop heat resistant roots by summer. The result is a yard full of crabgrass by the end of July. It is much better to tolerate the weeds until late August (for Indianapolis) and then seed. Also seeding into deep holes is a waste of seed. Mother Nature seeds grass on the surface of the soil and presses it down with animal activity. My back yard is a perfect example. The yard inside the fence with two dogs is knee high with grasses and other weeds. Outside the fence, the grass is barely an inch high. Animal activity at the surface is what stimulates new seed.

    Why do you think you need to dethatch once or twice? Most people never dethatch unless they are over watering and fertilizing lightly every week.

    Despite what you see on the TV commercials, grass is on autopilot until late May. Then you can fertilize. If you want to use a preemergent herbicide to control crabgrass and other summer weeds, do that as soon as you see forsythia blooming in your neighborhood.

    Mulch mow your weeds at the mower's highest setting until late July. Then start prepping the garden for new grass. The process is a little more complicated than you are planning. It involves spraying Round Up, twice, to get rid of weed seeds. Then seed, roll it down, and water. We can help you with every step. Thanks for writing in early and not waiting until May after you had already done some of the steps you proposed. It think you'll be less frustrated if you have some patience to wait until August for a renovation.

  • 10 years ago

    I agree with Dchall. Wait until late August before planting. Until then just mow whatever is growing. It's good to get a soil test and make amendments as needed. If you don't have irrigation, consider installing a system or at least gather enough hoses and sprinklers and a timer. Bringing in soil can adversely affected your drainage. If your yard has been properly graded, you want to keep it it graded so water drains away from the house. If the problem is rocks and concrete scattered in the yard, they will still be there. You could poke away with screwdrivers or a pole to find them and dig them up. Sometimes a spot that just won't grow grass well is an indication that something is below the surface.

Sponsored
Industry Leading Kitchen & Bath Remodelers in Franklin County, Ohio