just don't go crazy and fill those walls up and bury the tree. The trunk of a tree isn't designed to be under soil! You'll get bugs/rot if you're not careful.

6/4/2017 3:02:23 PM

yep, one of my friends warned me about keeping the base of the trunk exposed, so I'm gonna keep that in mind

6/4/2017 3:57:34 PM

Quote :

"You seeded with bluegrass?"

Yes

6/5/2017 8:46:21 AM

Garden has bacterial wilt Tomatoes and peppers are done for.

6/5/2017 1:47:10 PM

^ where did you get the seed from? I may overseed with it this fall...

6/5/2017 6:01:21 PM

Get my seed from SeedSuperStore. I wouldn't recommend overseeding with KBG. It's too slow to establish. If you want to use KBG I would start from scratch this fall. Actually, I would probably do that no matter what, unless your lawn is already in pretty good shape, in which case you probably wouldn't be thinking about an overseed anyway.

6/6/2017 10:18:28 AM

^ looks like carpet, nice!

This was my backyard a few weeks ago. We are selling the house so only a few more weeks of cutting. Then it will be on to the new house which will have bermuda sod in the front and fescue in the back.



[Edited on June 6, 2017 at 11:07 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2017 11:06:37 AM

my eyes went straight to that dead leyland

but seriously, it looks good.

6/6/2017 12:14:05 PM

^Yeah, that just happened this year. I planted those back in 2009 I believe when they were about 4 feet tall. Not sure what happened to it. Disease of some kind I guess. I think the one to the right of it might be next. It has some white, bud looking things growing on the tips that the others do not have.

6/6/2017 1:27:56 PM

probably blight - leylands are pretty susceptible. there are other options for large evergreen screens (green gaint arborvitae, cryptomeria yoshino) but if you're moving, it's not your problem anymore haha.

6/7/2017 7:21:48 AM

so I found this cable in my backyard yesterday, but have no idea what it might go to



811 call-before-you-dig was here recently and nobody marked it for anything

does that type of cable look familar to any of you?

[Edited on June 19, 2017 at 2:28 PM. Reason : mnkjbmnb]

6/19/2017 2:27:58 PM

looked at 2nd pic...scratches head

[Edited on June 19, 2017 at 2:30 PM. Reason : ]

6/19/2017 2:30:05 PM

Looks like power doesn't it? Probably something a previous homeowner installed...is there a shed or outdoor lighting or something like that outside?

6/19/2017 2:41:28 PM

nope

I'm the only owner so far. It looks mighty flimsy to be a power line, but ??

it almost feels like it's just a strip of plastic, but I have no idea and am scared to mess with it

I spotted it when I was mowing my lawn. I thought it was some piece of random plastic, then when I pulled on it, it started un-earthing

6/19/2017 2:54:28 PM

Do you have a voltage pen or ammeter? You could at least check to see if its live.

How old is your house?

Edit: Are you sure its actually a wire and not just a piece of form for when the concrete was poured?

[Edited on June 19, 2017 at 3:01 PM. Reason : ]

6/19/2017 3:00:05 PM

house was finished in Jan 2015

there aren't any exposed wires/metal or anything to really test for voltage. would they put something like that down when placing sod? (it's bermuda, if that would make any difference)

6/19/2017 3:28:34 PM

An actual voltage pen just blinks and beeps in the presence of current/voltage, so it doesn't actually measure what voltage it is. The tip is often plastic, so it doesn't actually have to make physical metal contact. I think (THINK) it would pick it up if you were to get it close enough to any live wire.

Mine usually hums pretty loudly and blinks when I hold it up to a 120V live wire without touching it...even with the rubber sheathing on the wire

Problem is if this thing isn't running high voltage.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EJ332O/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_bxldh_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=711J5G19VK2E5AV4QNQ1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=9d157d73-e2d0-5ce8-a10d-7cca07cee9da&pf_rd_i=14244481

You dont have landscape lighting or a sprinkler system, do you?

To me, it looks like a piece of plastic left over from construction. It even looks rectangular and almost "2-ply" from your photos.....I'm not even sure there's wire inside of it, but its hard to tell

[Edited on June 19, 2017 at 3:46 PM. Reason : ]

6/19/2017 3:42:06 PM

at first glance that looks like romex, but zooming in a bit on the second picture, the end is frayed, but it doesn't seem to be an insulating jacket. I think this might be spot on:

Quote :

"Edit: Are you sure its actually a wire and not just a piece of form for when the concrete was poured?"

6/19/2017 4:03:31 PM

as far as I know, there's nothing electrical away from the house (red line is my best guess as the orientation of the "cable" pic'd above)



now I dunno how power is routed through the neighborhood, but we do have these towering powerlines that run behind my place.

if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably some random plastic, but for now that stone will sit on it so the dog doesn't get fried or something lol

[Edited on June 19, 2017 at 4:06 PM. Reason : hhjbmvgn]

6/19/2017 4:05:22 PM

Doesn't look like wire to me

6/19/2017 4:17:41 PM

Ah, so that's not a poured concrete pad we're seeing...its a paver.

I have no idea what it is. What's the random paver doing in the middle of the yard. I assume you placed it there to mark where this thing is located?

Hell, worst case, just pull it up until you find the end. If it goes under your house, that's when you go buy a voltage pen like the one linked above. Its probably construction debris.

6/19/2017 4:17:57 PM

yeah I put the piece of concrete pad there to cover it so my dog doesn't mess with it

6/19/2017 4:20:48 PM

that's not a wire

6/19/2017 6:43:31 PM

it looks like plastic banding used for shipping lumber and other raw construction materials. it probably got dropped and run over when they were building the house, and no one bothered to clean it up. That, or someone dug a hole in your yard and buried construction debris at that location.

6/20/2017 11:40:39 AM

I would pull it up to try and see where it goes. (hold my beer)

seriously though, if you find it is semi-important for any reason you can easily re-bury it, and to a depth that is safer than it was originally.

6/21/2017 9:22:21 AM

FYI 811 won't locate your entire property and they don't locate private stuff. i agree that doesn't look like a wire, but if it was it wouldn't be something 811 locates

6/21/2017 11:41:20 AM

I dug down about 6 inches (planting along the foundation) and found a black "wire" one time. It appeared to be just a plastic sheath though with no actual wires within it. Nothing in my house was off either, so ...who knows. The joys of digging.

6/21/2017 1:48:19 PM

My girlfriends front yard is kinda shitty. It's Bermuda grass. But mostly sorta patchy and weedy (worst patch is in a small shady area which may just be a lost cause for Bermuda in that smallish spot). I know very little about lawns (got plenty of nursery/hort experience so I'm not ignorant about this kinda stuff as a whole, just grass specifically). The side of the house is more shaded and has patchy centipede, but it's mostly just dirt. To be honest I'm not really too considered about the side of the house. I/we have contemplated putting in a larger plant bed and not even worrying about grass there. But I'd like to make the front a priority. My basic question is...am I better of to get out there now with some 2, 4-D or wait till early next year and be on top of things from the start with preemergent and whatever else (id definitely need guidance there)? Like, the yard is more weeds than Bermuda...so if I hit with the 2,4-D am I just gonna be looking at a mostly brown in the front yard for a while?

Girlfriend's kinda given me free reign of the yard and I think it already looks a lot better than when she moved in about two years ago (extended a couple plant beds, got a nice vegetable garden in the back and stuff like that) but the lawn has been what I'm most ignorant/inexperienced about. I'm willing to put in the effort and money...with that said, I'm not going for a perfect lawn, I just want it to look presentable.

(All this is exacerbated by the neighbor having p nice Bermuda right beside us lol)

[Edited on July 8, 2017 at 1:15 PM. Reason : A]

[Edited on July 8, 2017 at 1:16 PM. Reason : A]

7/8/2017 1:08:54 PM

if you do a fertilizer in addition to the herbicide, the bermuda will fill in the empty spots more quickly

7/8/2017 1:40:14 PM

Any particular fertilizer blend you'd recommend?

7/8/2017 2:53:18 PM

(Too late to edit dbl post whoops sorry)

It's probably too hot to spray the whole yard now, but I think I'd be ok with spot spraying some areas. That sound right to y'all?

7/8/2017 3:29:16 PM

a bit hot to sod / seed warm season grasses now (possible with a lot of watering).

you can spot-spray post-emergent weed control to control weeds, but if your existing warm season grass is already stressed / struggling, the weed control will probably kill it (I think may products even say to not spray warm season grasses when temps are above 85 or 90).

you also need to decide if the current grass is enough to spread and take over with care, of if you need to start from seed / sod. If it's really spotty, I'd say start over.

for fertilizing (and other info), see: http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/turfgrasses/bermudagrass/lawn-maintenance

if it were me, I'd probably leave the lawn be until late winter / early spring. Then I would spray any remaining weeds with post-emergent, wait 2 weeks, till the area and prepare for seeding / sodding. I would hesitate to use any pre-emergent in the same season as seeding / sodding unless you can wait the 6-8 weeks (I think) recommended and also till again before seeding / sodding.

7/8/2017 4:48:21 PM

All good info. Thanks a lot.

7/8/2017 5:47:17 PM

If its a warm season grass you're trying to spray to de-weed, you can just wait until winter when it is dormant and spray round up (glyphosate) anything green. It will not hurt dormant grass...you just need to make sure its fully dormant and not "going into" or "coming out of" dormancy. December/January is perfect for this.


Man, I sometimes really miss my bermuda/centipede lawn. I have fescue and my yard got nuked by brown patch (I think) this year. I have a very wooded lot, so theoretically fescue should work well, but apparently I have a lot of the bacteria that causes brown patch. Its destroyed it every year since I've been here, and I do proper waterings, dont fert in the hot parts of the year, etc. Fungicides cost $texas

7/9/2017 10:30:50 AM

I've read differing views on spraying glyphosate even on dormant stuff. But the differing views may just be because you have to be careful to make sure it is totally dormant, because it's obviously gonna kill everything green/growing.

I think what I'll try to do is get an early jump next year and stay on top of things from the start. I was mowing today and maybe it's not quite as terrible as I described. It's real weedy, but I may have overstated the patchiness. I know the yard hasn't been fertilized or limed since gf moved in (2.5 years ago) and I seriously doubt the previous owner did much since it wasn't in great shape before. So I'll get on a fert schedule for the rest of the season (maybe it's too late to do much good this year, idk) and then be ready next year to be on top of weeds earlier.

7/9/2017 1:34:37 PM

FWIW, I had a centipede/common Bermuda mix at the old house. Centipede is Waaaay more docile than Bermuda.

I used to round up every year in December and never had any problems at all with killing or even stunting the spring green up of my lawn.

7/9/2017 3:59:33 PM

yeh, unless it's an usually warm fall and winter, you can spray all you want in the winter. When daily temps have been 40s and below for 3-4 weeks, any warm season grass is completely dormant.

7/14/2017 1:36:39 PM

anyone have any recommendations on a metal and glass/polycarbonate greenhouse kit? Would ideally like something larger than 8' wide so that I can plant on the outside walls and a row down the middle. I want something that will look decent right beside the house. I'm not settled on a length yet, but somewhere between 12-20' long is what I'm contemplating.

7/24/2017 1:28:41 PM

New house in Apex. Current yard status is shitty fescue. Looks to be pretty unestablished (newish) and about 50% dead. Large patches of weeds.

Front yard gets direct sun most of the day. Back yard gets about 50% sun, with some areas getting almost no sun. There's a big canopy of mature Pine trees and gumball trees

I will probably be installing a DIY-type sprinkler system.

I'd love to find a grass variety that will thrive in the full sun front yard, but also grow in and survive in the super shaded areas. Suggestions? I hate the look of centipede...prefer Fescue, but not sure it will grow well in the shaded areas and die quickly in the 100% sun areas...thinking Zoysia might be a good fit? Thoughts?

[Edited on July 27, 2017 at 11:16 AM. Reason : .]

7/27/2017 11:14:54 AM

My front lawn (fescue) is also mostly dead and taken over with weeds. Happens every year and I'm finally stopping with the madness and going with centipede next spring (or maybe bermuda).

If you have money, Zoysia will do best for both conditions. Otherwise, a bluegrass-fescue mix in the back with bermuda or the like in the front.

7/27/2017 1:45:55 PM

^^ Zoysia will probably be your best bet. You need to determine which of the multitude of cultivars are best for shade.

Bermuda is a no go.
You may want to see if any of the shade tolerant Kentucky Bluegrass varieties will work for you.

Would you ever consider fescue in the back, zoysia in the front?

7/28/2017 5:04:49 PM

Quote :

"My front lawn (fescue) is also mostly dead and taken over with weeds. Happens every year and I'm finally stopping with the madness and going with centipede next spring (or maybe bermuda). If you have money, Zoysia will do best for both conditions. Otherwise, a bluegrass-fescue mix in the back with bermuda or the like in the front."

I have a sprinkler system and a fescue lawn, and I water quite a bit and have a dense canopy of mature trees. My grass is also dead, and I've learned is becuase of freaking brown patch. Your problem may or may not be water/shade related...ive learned a lot about fungus after realizing thats what always killed my yard every summer!

7/28/2017 5:07:09 PM

Quote :

"My front lawn (fescue) is also mostly dead and taken over with weeds. Happens every year"

Yearly pre-emergent and a later round of weed and feed used to always keep my weeds in check, but I didn't do that this year and have a similar situation.

Planning on killing the weeds and seeding in the fall for the first time in a long time (had trees/stumps pulled out too).

What's decent at killing established weeds? Seems most stuff prefers younger less established weeds.

7/29/2017 1:00:54 PM

^depends on the weed, but speedzone, trinex, or any 3-way will do the best job. Probably too hot for it right now though

7/30/2017 2:42:43 AM

^^^Mine isn't fungus; it's heat / drought. My soil is a hard packed sandy-clay mix that doesn't retain moisture. I watered one year, but refuse to be a long-term lawn waterer. And that year the lawn still didn't do all that great.

^^I've got a weed control and fertilizer program; can't keep up and then some of the weeds aren't controllable with grass-safe mixtures (eg broom sedge)

7/31/2017 7:22:21 AM

Front yard is overrun with torpedograss. Been fighting it for 2-3 years since all my grass got ruined by a bad batch of fertilizer. Finally to the point where the only solution is to completely kill the front yard and re-sod. I'm replacing the centipede with St Aug's, since I've already been patching the backyard with St Aug's.

Also, the backyard is pretty well fucked, too. It's been kind of a death-spiral since the bad fertilizer. You can grab the turf and slide it around over the ground; it is barely rooted in and mostly just sits on top of the ground and develops little dead spots. I've had 2 different people tell me they think it's ground pearl (one of them showed me a couple of them; so I'd say that's probably it). That means I'm pretty much fucked there, too...but I'm gonna just turn a large chunk of it into boat parking and fruit/vegetable garden. The rest, I'll continue to patch with St Aug's.

Sucks...my lawn looked awesome a few years ago, and now is pretty much obliterated.

8/21/2017 7:23:14 PM

This is the best year for my lawn in a long time. I did two things differently. First, I upgraded my lawn service to do grub and anti-fungus treatments, which I historically hadn't done. Second, starting in July when temps regularly were in the 90s, I'd run my sprinklers for about 3 minutes per zone every day around 4pm just to cool things off. This is in addition to deeper irrigation 3 times a week at 4a.m. Running sprinklers every day seems to be generally not recommended, but someone one the /r/lawncare sub mentioned he'd seen good results by doing this and I figured it wasn't a ton of extra water.

Here's my south facing yard in May, and below in August. Some die-off, but way way way better than every other year I've lived here.

8/22/2017 3:10:37 PM

damn patch of 'shrooms popped up overnight!

8/22/2017 4:58:53 PM

Quote :

"I'd run my sprinklers for about 3 minutes per zone every day around 4pm just to cool things off"

likely not doing anything

8/23/2017 7:49:07 AM

^ yeah logically, I think you're right. But now that my lawn is in much better shape than it was a year ago, I'm psychologically biased against changing that up now

8/23/2017 2:23:50 PM