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merrick_phillips

Lawn Care Regimen Needed

9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

Climate Zone 5 (Northwest Illinois), Lawn Care Knowledge: One level above Noob. Weeds: Crabgrass, Dandelion, others
Insects: Grubs, Ants. I am looking for a thorough lawn care regimen for the year, beginning with this weekend.
Last year my lawn started to look like the ones I once envied so this year failure is not an option. I used Bayer liquid weed killer with minimal results. I may have used 1 bag of weed & feed in the spring. I use Sevin for the ants and it works incredibly well. Would it be safe yet effective at keeping ants out of mulch? I learned of the grubs late last summer so I have only put down 1 application of Bayer Grub Killer Plus but I'm open to alternatives. I am also using a drop spreader this year because I am putting in flower beds around the house. I'm unsure which lawn fertilizers, nutrients & weed killers to use as I haven't yielded very good results thus far. The only thing we did that was effective is putting grass seed in the holes the weed puller left behind. Your input, advice and wisdom will be gratefully received.

Comments (2)

  • 9 years ago

    Here is the regimen in order of importance.

    Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.

    Mulch mow at your mower's highest setting every week.

    Fertilize on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving(ish). Don't jump the gun and fertilize in early spring despite what all the advertising tells you. Now might be the time to buy fertilizer, but it is not the time to use it. In addition to the three apps of fertilizer, I would apply at least one dose of organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer works to feed the soil microbes and improve the health of the soil. Healthy soil microbes will feed your plants all by themselves, but most people aren't ready to accept that fact.

    Spot spray weeds in April with Weed-b-Gon or Weed-b-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer (or equivalent). Give that 3 full weeks to work before you respray. Some weeds are still germinating while the first ones are dying. Don't spray again until the summer heat breaks in September (possibly August in your area).

    Don't put down anything for grubs unless and until you see them in huge numbers. Grubs won't be a problem until early July. If you see swarms of beetles around your porch lights in May or June, then you MIGHT have a grub problem later. If you suspect grubs, dig up a 1-square foot area of grass in late June. If you see fewer than a dozen grubs you are good to go. If you see uncountable masses of them, then treat it.

    If you are going to reseed in the fall, wait until the summer heat breaks. Fall is the best time of year for reseeding a thin yard.

  • 9 years ago

    Thank you for all that info. I knew about deep watering but had no idea how often so that and many other things will be a big help.