Need lawn help w/ pics

[Please_Be_Green]

I'm going into my 2nd season in my new home. Previous owners contracted all work out so the lawn is/was in pretty good shape...

I'm trying real hard to do it myself, but there's just somethings that I'm just not sure what to do or what it is.

Last year I had the same situation... both in the early spring and late fall I had these lighter patches of grass. I'm not sure if it was seeded with a different variety of grass or what... I can say in the warmer months it green's up pretty consistent with the rest of the lawn which is a mix of KBG and Rye.

Here are two photo's. The first is a lawnshot and the other is a close up of the lighter areas which I just took on this cloudy and misting morning.

Any help is appreciated.


http://i44.tinypic.com/sljofn.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2nbbtq8.jpg

[BostonBull]

Looks like a portion of the lawn going dormant....?

Topdress with compost. now is primetime for you. then overseed with some KBG and Fescue varieties.
These will spread out and make your lawn thicker. Rye is nicve for fast germination, but it goes dormant easy and doesnt spread out on its own....tends to stay in clumps.

have a soil test done if you want to be super anal. If not compost 2-3 times per year, light fert, and water DEEPLY once a week, or once every 3 days during really dry times. This is assuming no natural rainfall.

Good luck!

[Please_Be_Green]

Thanks for the reply... So maybe just heavy rye seeding areas by the past owners? Since it does green up relatively nice... I can always tell when I'm mowing that those sections are just a little bit more fine bladed during the summer growing season the the rest of the yard.

Last fall, I did aerate and overseed with 50/50 KBG & RYE.

January 3, 09 collected soil sample and did get a soil sample from Rutgers

February dropped 40+#/1000sq ft of limestone. Plan on dropping another 15 or so in the fall. 2nd soil test to following a 12 week period.

Put my dimension down today, so unless I seriously aerate those areas... not much germination is going to happen with spring seeding.

Plan on a serious double pass aeration and over seed with 100% KBG this fall with a 1/4" compost immediately following...

Thanks again.

[BostonBull]

Looks good, except thats a lot of lime. soil test showed the need for it though I am sure..?

I would compost now, 1/4" on top of the overseed you do this spring. rough up the ground first with a rake to aid in the seeds getting into the soil.

[Please_Be_Green]

Soil test came back with a pH of 5.4

Soil test recommendation was to put down 50# this spring with another 5# in the fall and retest. I've been told that 50#/1000 should raise the pH by 1pt.

I thought 50#/1000 was a hell of a lot and took a more conservative result.

I do want to do compost... but at this very moment... spreading 1/4" over 15k of turf doesn't sound too fun:)

Not to mention that I've already put Dimension and regardless of chopping up the surface root development would be compromised.

[BostonBull]

Not to mention that I've already put Dimension and regardless of chopping up the surface root development would be compromised.

I dont agree. i think that hitting the surface with a tine or plastic leaf rake will give the seeds some nice channels to sit in and not float away.

You would be surprised at what compost can do for your soil.....including the Ph of it!

Good luck.

Sounds like you arent the average homeowner? Why did you post this here and not in the pro section?

[Please_Be_Green]

Sounds like you aren't the average homeowner? Why did you post this here and not in the pro section?

Funny you said that... My signature used to have "Not your average ordinary homeowner"

But indeed I am just that... a home owner with a hell of a lot of cool toy's and attempting to learn as much as possible about keeping my grass green.;-)

I've got a lot to learn, but I'm reading and experimenting on my own lawn.

[BostonBull]

Best way to do it! Turf is very different from Arboriculture and my yard is an ever changing experiment too.

best of luck!!!

[joshua]

is that close up picture from which part of the lawn? the top or bottom of the picture?

[Please_Be_Green]

It's a close up of the top of the photo... the area that looks more yellowish than green... Again, it does all green up nicely, during the growing season the lighter areas are finer bladed... I'll take another photo after the first cut.

Maybe someone can help me with grass variety/species....

[ussoldierforhire]

Maybe try adding some Iron to green it up. I'm not sure on the grass types. Although, that up close looks like my bermuda.

[betmr]

It's a close up of the top of the photo... the area that looks more yellowish than green... Again, it does all green up nicely, during the growing season the lighter areas are finer bladed... I'll take another photo after the first cut.

Maybe someone can help me with grass variety/species....

I'm in NJ, I'll try to help. I notice in your picture, the little branch laying on the ground, I also noticed the surface tree roots (upper left). Your pretty good at cleaning up those leaves so I don't see any identifiers, Could it be a Swamp Maple? Anyway that's not that important. What is, is how much shade it makes. I don't see the tree in your picture, but I'm guessing that it it bare when you took the picture. If this tree is shading that area, I believe that may be your problem. So, if this area is shady, try a mix with Chewings or Creeping Red Fescue. I personally do not like Tall Fescue as I find the grass blades more course than I like, and I find that it tends to clump.

But be aware that even shady grasses need some sunlight, and perhaps thinning the tree will let more light through.

P.S. I Looked at the picture again, and thought it was interesting that the brown areas look like they could be a perfect match, to the canopy of your tree, maybe even the spots where the sun comes through the branches,look closely...Hope this helps

[Please_Be_Green]

I'm in NJ, I'll try to help. I notice in your picture, the little branch laying on the ground, I also noticed the surface tree roots (upper left). Your pretty good at cleaning up those leaves so I don't see any identifiers, Could it be a Swamp Maple? Anyway that's not that important. What is, is how much shade it makes. I don't see the tree in your picture, but I'm guessing that it it bare when you took the picture. If this tree is shading that area, I believe that may be your problem. So, if this area is shady, try a mix with Chewings or Creeping Red Fescue. I personally do not like Tall Fescue as I find the grass blades more course than I like, and I find that it tends to clump.

But be aware that even shady grasses need some sunlight, and perhaps thinning the tree will let more light through.

P.S. I Looked at the picture again, and thought it was interesting that the brown areas look like they could be a perfect match, to the canopy of your tree, maybe even the spots where the sun comes through the branches,look closely...Hope this helps

WOW!!! An extremely observant eye and informative response...

The tree is a weeping cherry. it's beautiful and huge. Definitely could use a professional trimming as I can only get the lower stuff. The area on the top of the photo would be due north. That area would get some mid-summer end of day sun.

The bare spots are the base roots and the brighter green spots towards the tree are the areas which I concentrated last years over seed and it took well.

I probably should just mulch under this tree as the shade canopy is massive... i.e. approx 20-25ft diameter

[Marcos]

I'm going into my 2nd season in my new home. Previous owners contracted all work out so the lawn is/was in pretty good shape...

I'm trying real hard to do it myself, but there's just somethings that I'm just not sure what to do or what it is.

Last year I had the same situation... both in the early spring and late fall I had these lighter patches of grass. I'm not sure if it was seeded with a different variety of grass or what... I can say in the warmer months it green's up pretty consistent with the rest of the lawn which is a mix of KBG and Rye.

Here are two photo's. The first is a lawnshot and the other is a close up of the lighter areas which I just took on this cloudy and misting morning.

Any help is appreciated.


http://i44.tinypic.com/sljofn.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2nbbtq8.jpg

This is the typical look of a lawn coming out of dormancy.

If you're anxious to see it green up more evenly, a light hand-raking with a leaf rake in those light brown areas will allow for better air flow & sunlight infiltration in and around the crown area of the turf, thus prompting the breaking of dormancy much more quickly than if nothing was done at all.

Your last mowing of the fall should be one of the lowest mowings of the year. This will help to minimize winter 'matting' of turf. Same thing for the first couple of mowings as the weather breaks this spring...cut it relatively short. In between, when the weather starts to get warmer & dryer, graduate your mower to higher blade settings as the conditions get more extreme. This overall strategy should help to reduce this problem for you in the future.

betmr is 100% correct about compost.
But I can see your point about forking, wheel barreling & and raking compost over a third of an acre of turf! :cry:
You may want to consider hiring someone locally who can do the work much more efficiently with today's top-of-the-line ride-on compost applicators.

[betmr]

WOW!!! An extremely observant eye and informative response...

The tree is a weeping cherry. it's beautiful and huge. Definitely could use a professional trimming as I can only get the lower stuff. The area on the top of the photo would be due north. That area would get some mid-summer end of day sun.

The bare spots are the base roots and the brighter green spots towards the tree are the areas which I concentrated last years over seed and it took well.

I probably should just mulch under this tree as the shade canopy is massive... i.e. approx 20-25ft diameter

OK, so now we know the tree is shading that brownish area, because you said it is on the North side of the tree. So since the sun moves on a southern axis to us, you need to forget about KBG for that area, it likes lots of sun, Creeping Red Fescue, is nice in shady areas, and blends well with KBG. You need a Shady seed mix, I don't even think Sun & Shade. That's what I would suggest, scratch up the dirt, sow some shade mix and some fertilizer, water it in, see if that works. Before you go nuts with all kinds of stuff, A little mulch, & some Variegated Hostas (or whatever type you like), to dress up the base of the tree. And your set

[Marcos]

OK, so now we know the tree is shading that brownish area, because you said it is on the North side of the tree. So since the sun moves on a southern axis to us, you need to forget about KBG for that area, it likes lots of sun, Creeping Red Fescue, is nice in shady areas, and blends well with KBG. You need a Shady seed mix, I don't even think Sun & Shade. That's what I would suggest, scratch up the dirt, sow some shade mix and some fertilizer, water it in, see if that works. Before you go nuts with all kinds of stuff, A little mulch, & some Variegated Hostas (or whatever type you like), to dress up the base of the tree. And your set

Sorry betmr. I didn't see the post where you'd diagnosed shade! :waving:

I'm not sure about bluegrass or rye, but I do know that alot of T.T.T fescues around these parts are aleopathic, meaning that their intermingling root systems of two types of plants in the same plane of soil...(fescues and weeping cherrys for example) could create distress over a period of time to the tree or shrub that's planted above.

One problem specifically with weeping cherries is that they tend to be somewhat shallow-rooted in their overall nature, thus adding to the overall chances of this happening.
Weeping cherries typically are landscape specimen types of plants, usually used as some sort of piece-work to build around in bed construction.
But when they're out in the middle of a yard like PBG's situation, it may be wise to consider removing sod (carefully), mulching, and planting hostas (etc) just like you advised.
Keep in mind that you may see a certain amount of tree roots, too, so don't go too deep, just very carefully "skim" the sod!

After you're done....it may not be a bad time to verticle mulch the cherry tree with an organic fertilizer like Plant-tone.
The nutrients will help it to recover from any stress you may have instilled upon it with the sod removal, and the potential loss of a % of its crucial surface feeder roots.
Plus, the vertical "pillars" of pea gravel that you use to back-fill the Plant-tone around the circumference of the cherry tree will help to direct natural rain water into the soil's pores and toward this tree's roots during summer rain storms. :waving:

[Midstate Lawncare]

This is the typical look of a lawn coming out of dormancy.

Your last mowing of the fall should be one of the lowest mowings of the year.

Marcos, this is the first post of your's I think I haven't agreed with... or part of a post anyway.
You should Never cut your lawn short in the fall!
Doing so makes your lawn go into a flush of growth in the fall and weakens it's spring energy stores, becuse when grass is close to dormancy, it doesn't absorb as many nutrients.
This weakens the grass before the spring freeze thaw, grow stop cycle and will thin your lawn considerably...
I have mowed my lawn twice already this year... My neighbor who spends a lot of time on his lawn can't figure out why his lawn is in such poor shape and not growing. I told him last year when he asked me "not to mow so short in the fall", he said it will collect leaves and he's always been told that you are supposed to mow short in the fall... Case and point... my lawn looks like a fairway, his looks like a parking lot.
Do not ever cut your lawn short in the fall!

[Valk]

How short is too short to mow towards Fall/Winter dormancy...? KBG, Fescue, Bermuda, Zoysia?

[Midstate Lawncare]

KBG 2.5 ( assuming it is not normally shorter)
"Tall" Fescue 2.75 absolute minimum in fall
Bermuda doesn't like -0 temps so not common around here
Zoysia... umm... roundup? I hate the stuff but in my area I have never seen it mowed less than 3" probably.
How about you Marcos, what say you?

[Marcos]

Marcos, this is the first post of your's I think I haven't agreed with... or part of a post anyway.
You should Never cut your lawn short in the fall!
Doing so makes your lawn go into a flush of growth in the fall and weakens it's spring energy stores, becuse when grass is close to dormancy, it doesn't absorb as many nutrients.
This weakens the grass before the spring freeze thaw, grow stop cycle and will thin your lawn considerably...
I have mowed my lawn twice already this year... My neighbor who spends a lot of time on his lawn can't figure out why his lawn is in such poor shape and not growing. I told him last year when he asked me "not to mow so short in the fall", he said it will collect leaves and he's always been told that you are supposed to mow short in the fall... Case and point... my lawn looks like a fairway, his looks like a parking lot.
Do not ever cut your lawn short in the fall!

Well, first of all, I think your last mowing and my last mowing are at two different points on the calendar!

Yeah...if your last scheduled mowing was at a warm spell, and you decided to lower the blades.... BOOM!....you'd get surge growth!!
Q: What would that do?
A:It would necessitate another mowing, not necessarily just because you lowered the blades, but ALSO because of the late fall Indian summer weather! :waving:

When do I put my mower away for the year?
Typically, mid-December, because it doubles as a wonderful leaf-chopping instrument, and we have Bradford pears here that drop awfully late!
By that time (I think you'd agree) any chance of surge growth is pretty much long gone.
The last height setting for the last few cuts is about 2.75"-3".
This enables the turf to get better air circulation, and to not mat down during the winter, as so many high cut fescue lawns tend to do, especially in snowier climes.

I don't mow turf for a living. I do organic bridge lawn care, have a small nursery, and do landscape installs & maintenance, lighting, etc...
But me not "mowing for a living" doesn't mean I don't know what works in t.t.t. fescue turf!

Going into the 1st week of April, I've yet to do anything with it this spring in terms of nutrients, whereas most of my neighbors already have had their 1st shot of TGCL or whoever...
(I plan to douse the entire thing with $15 / sack corn gluten in about a week or so. :))
But nonetheless, it still is among the best looking lawns on this entire street.
But, frankly, I give most of the credit for THAT to the fact that I focus on "building the soil" with soil-building grains like corn meal, soybean meal, etc; and not just "feeding the grass" with empty short-term NPK store-bought fertilizer.