New Landscaper and I'm lost.

[MadManMoo]

Hi all,

Let me preface this post. If I'm not posting in the right area, please let me know and I'll copy/paste to the appropriate section. Thanks!

There are 2 things that I hope you can help me with.

The first would be tools. What are essentials for lawn care? I have a mower, rake, blower, and a spade. That's about it. What would you say are the "must-haves"?

Secondly, I really need to clean up the look of lawn and then add some plants to make it look much better. There are weeds, stumps, and general disarray. Without going into too much detail, the lawn is just getting a little overgrown. Ivy has taken over and needs to be removed. What's the best place to start? Being that I'm completely overwhelmed with the task ahead of me, I'm wondering where to begin.

Thanks in advance for your help. Any links, advice or general thoughts would help immensely.

Best,

Scott

[Whitey4]

You seem to be asking for a lot of info with little knowledge or experience to help you get started.... no wonder you feel overwhelmed.

I can't begin to tell you where to start... but, I will suggest finding and joining your local Landscaper's association. That would be a good start.

[MadManMoo]

I guess that's a start. I'll do a little search on that for the area.

I thought the tools question was pretty specific. I know the rest is a bit wide open. I'll try to clarify a bit.

I need to weed and trim. I can do that. I want to separate the landscaping from the lawn with something. Bricks, rocks or something. Any advice on that? Should I use pine straw or something else to fill in the blank spots? I see that done a lot in the area. And then the ivy.... how do I get rid of that horrible weed?

I hope that helps. Thanks,

Scott

[Whitey4]

For a biz, a line trimmer, mower, blower, leaf rake, iron rake, bed cultivator and a couple shovels would be a minimum. Be prepared to rent some machines when needed... aerator, rototiller, etc.

As a homeowner, you can spray anything that isn't restricted on your ground ivy, but not on a customer's property. For that you need a state certification. Again, a local association would be very helpful. Many new landscapers sub out their weed controls, etc. There are also local permits and licesnes you will need to get, as well as an IRS FEIN number, which only takes a phone call.

Sounds like renting a stump grinder is in order. Pine straw is used often as a mulch to prevent weeds in beds. Don't use it just to fill in a bare spot in the lawn.

You really want a lot of info here... it's like a 2 part question? Your property and how to start a biz? You need to do some reading.... well, al lot of reading to have a starting point. Hardscaping with stones and pavers is a whole different ballgame. Home Depot and Lowes have free short, quick and dirty home owner classes for this sort of stuff.

Unfortunately, there is more legwork required on your part first... than getting all your answers served up on a platter in a forum like this... it just can't be done.

For the ivy go to HD or Lowes... read the labels on the weed control products. Is the ivy in the lawn? On a fence? What kind of ivy? Be sure not to spray when it's over 90 degrees... like I said, too much info needed here. that's the best I can offer.

[MadManMoo]

Shoot, I am in the wrong section. I'm not a new business owner. I'm just a homeowner trying to take care of his lawn. Any link to the correct place to post this? Or could a host/moderator push this conversation to the right place.

Thanks,

Scott

[Whitey4]

Shoot, I am in the wrong section. I'm not a new business owner. I'm just a homeowner trying to take care of his lawn. Any link to the correct place to post this? Or could a host/moderator push this conversation to the right place.

Thanks,

Scott


You really are lost.... you aren't a new landscaper, you are a new home owner. Yes, there is a forum for home owners. now that THAT is cleared up, answer some of the other questions I asked and I might be able to help more.

Still.... do some more legwork and make your questions more specific. Knowing the difference between a landscaper and a home owner would be a good place to start.

[mngrassguy]

We can help you here. You may want to post a few pics so we can see what your working with.

[MadManMoo]

Ok, here's an answer to Whitey's question. The ivy is climbing up my brick wall and new shoots have sprouted and are taking over the front porch.

I've pulled down the majority and started pulling it away from the wall, but it's pretty nasty work and I'm afraid that I need to get the roots to completely kill it. This is evidenced by the fact that the new shoots have come back so aggressively.

I know it may seem like I'm asking for a lot of information, but I guess I'm trying to figure out what the best cycle is for getting your lawn back into shape.

Should you mow, then weedwhack, then hand weed, then mulch..... stuff like that. Also, for the tools question, since I'm a homeowner, I wanted to know what the "must-haves" would be so that I don't have to make multiple trips to Home Depot for extra tools.

The mulch wasn't to fill in bare spots on the lawn. The mulch was to fill in the landscaping between bushes and trees.

Does this help at all or could you direct me towards something specific that I can post about. I'll see if I can get some pictures taken tomorrow.

Thanks again,

Scott

[Whitey4]

Ok, here's an answer to Whitey's question. The ivy is climbing up my brick wall and new shoots have sprouted and are taking over the front porch.

I've pulled down the majority and started pulling it away from the wall, but it's pretty nasty work and I'm afraid that I need to get the roots to completely kill it. This is evidenced by the fact that the new shoots have come back so aggressively.

I know it may seem like I'm asking for a lot of information, but I guess I'm trying to figure out what the best cycle is for getting your lawn back into shape.

Should you mow, then weedwhack, then hand weed, then mulch..... stuff like that. Also, for the tools question, since I'm a homeowner, I wanted to know what the "must-haves" would be so that I don't have to make multiple trips to Home Depot for extra tools.

The mulch wasn't to fill in bare spots on the lawn. The mulch was to fill in the landscaping between bushes and trees.

Does this help at all or could you direct me towards something specific that I can post about. I'll see if I can get some pictures taken tomorrow.

Thanks again,

Scott

Ah, much better, more info! get some of the Roundup in the yellow container labeled for ivy and tough brush. DO NOT cut the ivy back! The more leaf surface you can spray, the better the kill. You will never eradicate it by pulling vegitation and roots. The more agressively the ivy is growing, the more effective the Roundup will be! Just make SURE it doesn't drift onto your plantings! Even use a garbage bag if need be to cover them when you spray!

I would suggest buying roundup concentrate and a sprayer instead of the ready to use... cheaper, and you control how hot the mix is, but ALWAYS follow the label! I cannot stress nearly enough how important it is to follow the directions on the label.... spraying is not for mavericks.... follow the label, allways! Also, it's best to dedicate that sprayer to ONLY Roundup. If you want to use other selective herbicide concentrates, use a seperate sprayer.

Pine straw is a fine mulching material in beds.

Multiple trips to HD are hard to avoid, but the list I gave you is a good start. As far as mow first, etc... you'll have to try it, and see what works best for you. I mow first, edge, then weed whack and blow.

You can rent stump grinders at HD.... get the stumps down as far as you can. Remove as much root material as you can. It's hard to grow turf over old tree stumps, so the lower you can grind, the better. fill in with quality top soil and compost.

[MadManMoo]

Awesome. Thanks, Whitey. I'll get the Roundup today. I think I'll also pick up a pair of hand shears to trim back some of the small shoots from the trees.

Perhaps this will get a little easier as I cut some of the bad stuff back.

Again, thanks a lot for the information. I'm going to apply it today as I work on the yard.

Best,

Scott