Quote :

"Am I an idiot for trying to plant Fescue today? This crazy weather seems to be cooling down quicker than I anticipated."

We're just hitting a cold snap...average for oct is 72/50

10/16/2018 6:10:08 PM

Quote :

"leveling a section of my yard for a playset. wish me luck!"

things went better than expected.

ended up going with a playset installer who leveled the playset into the yard given the slope is so gradual it wasn't really an issue. saved me time and money by just paying that dude $400 to put that bitch up. kids LOVE IT!.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/T3p2X2mTwKrvbe3U6

10/25/2018 3:28:36 PM

looks great. sometimes its just better to pay the man to do it.

11/8/2018 7:40:37 PM

^

Quote :

"We're just hitting a cold snap...average for oct is 72/50"

Eh, that's not the only concern... just a few weeks later and we are looking at hard freezes. That can kill young fescue, not to mention, if the soils temps get down, it will go dormant so the immature grass won't develop the root system it needs to survive

[Edited on November 9, 2018 at 8:39 AM. Reason : GRASS]

11/9/2018 8:36:11 AM

Just ordered a service from Trugreen to do treatment to the lawn, both backyard and front-yard. The moss is growing like crazy. Have to get rid of them otherwise the whole lot is destroyed.

11/9/2018 1:24:54 PM

moss is hard to deal with if you really want grass. that said we did a really cool project in which we worked with the moss (owner originally wanted lawn, but moss took over) and it's much cooler now w/ the moss than turf would ever be.

11/13/2018 8:18:01 PM

Lol so you totally give up growing grass now

11/14/2018 5:51:19 AM

now he doesn't have to mow it!
some people pay big $$ for moss.

11/14/2018 6:20:53 PM

i like that moss, how expensive is it to plant(? place?) moss?

i've also thought about just letting clover have the shaded poorly drained part of my yard, even seeding it so it's uniform, i kinda like the way it looks.

and ive been transplanting the wild strawberry that pops up in the backyard and using it as a ground cover in planting area where nothing else wanted to grow. i know most consider it a weed but i think it looks good and it has really pretty flowers and the birds love the berries.

11/15/2018 2:13:27 PM

moss is expensive, luck had it here that i was growing naturally on the site so we just helped it along and actually dug it up like sod and maneuvered it into place. once it's growing it doesn't need any real care. need shade.

https://www.wholesalenurseryco.com/carpet-moss-for-sale/

11/16/2018 5:27:18 PM

Shade and acidic soil

11/17/2018 12:23:54 AM

My SO wants a fire pit for our back patio. Unfortunately she's cold natured and also very adverse to wood burning smoke/smell. So she wants something that will put off heat without making her smell like a campfire.

Would one of these LP fueled 50,000 BTU fire pits at Lowes/HD provide enough radiant heat for use in cooler months?

11/26/2018 8:57:27 AM

i have a portable 55,000 BTU fire ring that I bought for camping back when there were fire restrictions, it puts off enough heat if you are close to it or above it (it's awesome to stand around during cold weather tailgates for example) but if you are sitting back from it in a chair you might want a higher output.

11/26/2018 11:05:27 AM

https://www.flamecreation.com

these guys make a great product. We've installed several of their custom setups but they have some good kits that would be safe/easy for a homeowner. Need to specify LP or NG

12/2/2018 8:50:39 PM

i need to seed some bare spots where i improved drainage, i'm assuming early march is the best time for this? this weekend weather looks bad, but the following weekend looks okay.

can i seed and do a weed treatment at the same time?

2/26/2019 8:54:15 AM

Nutsedge can eat my ass. I basically overhauled my front yard last spring and it was looking great going into winter. But now it's EVERYWHERE.

2/26/2019 10:03:59 AM

^jup. isn't that the one that requires nuclear treatment aka kill everything?

^^early March isn't the right time for anything to be seeded. Fescue or another cool seasons would be the better (but temporary) options, but a cold streak or freeze can kill whatever you put out.

2/26/2019 11:23:29 AM

There's a few nutsedge-specific treatments you can use. I bought the Ortho Nutsedge Killer from Lowes 2 days ago and sprayed the yard but honestly am not seeing results yet. Hoping it just takes 3-4 days to kill. The reviews were great. But still, i'm super bummed it came up so thick to beginwith.

2/26/2019 11:57:05 AM

ah. I must be thinking of another sedge that I have.

2/26/2019 1:33:06 PM

Quote :

"^^early March isn't the right time for anything to be seeded. Fescue or another cool seasons would be the better (but temporary) options, but a cold streak or freeze can kill whatever you put out."

end of march?

i'm going off this:
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/9-lawns

Quote :

"If seeding of a cool-season grass is not accomplished in the fall, the best alternative date for the North Carolina piedmont is mid-February to early March. Coastal plain areas would be seeded two weeks earlier, whereas the mountain areas would be seeded two weeks later."

2/26/2019 3:21:50 PM

my yard is being invaded by Henbit

2/27/2019 2:47:58 PM

My lawn is henbit other than the rye I threw over the sand patch I had for the kid's pool

2/27/2019 8:29:12 PM

^^^ you can try it. just be prepared to apply lots of water during the summer. heat usually kills off spring planted fescue.

seeding time isn't based on date:

Quote :

"Cool season grass such as Fescue, germinate best when the soil temperatures are between 50° and 65° degrees F. These soil temperatures usually occur when the daytime air temperatures are between 60° and 75° degrees. The fescue grasses, when planted properly, germinate within 10 to 14 days."

[Edited on March 1, 2019 at 11:54 AM. Reason : its 45 now]

3/1/2019 11:52:20 AM

3^

this^.

I don't know why that calendar says feb - mar. Spring is a shitty time to seed cool season, although there is a period in the spring during which soil temps are in the correct range. But it sure as hell isn't feb-mar in many/most years. I wouldn't waste my time on fescue now unless you (1) water all spring and summer (2) have great soil and (3) some afternoon shade

3/7/2019 8:23:02 AM

Does anyone have suggestions for what to do with a large amount of rosemary? It has such a strong flavor, recipes usually only call for a few tablespoons of it.

3/8/2019 1:27:16 PM

put it in compound butter and put that under the skin of a turkey or chicken and spatchcock and grill it

lay it on thick on porkchops or make a stuffing with it and put that inside butterflied porkchops

use the big sprigs of rosemary like kebab skewers for whatever meat and veggies you like

i put a bunch of it on red potatoes with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and put them in a foil pouch on the grill

3/8/2019 1:43:36 PM

Thanks!

3/8/2019 4:57:54 PM

Anyone have tips for stopping sapsuckers from damaging trees? They've already killed a small plum tree and now they're going after my giant cherry blossom.

Should I try putting up suet feeders near the tree? I've tried reflective streamers but the trees are big enough I can't safely get the streamers where they're feeding.

3/17/2019 4:40:35 PM

The grass seed I applied early March is coming up pretty good now, but the best new grass is actually the stuff I winter seeded when I did the drainage work.

I used Scott's seed starter with weed control and all the weed patches are dead and the new grass is coming in among the dead weeds. So far so good, even if it doesnt last the summer I think I'll be in much better shape for fall overseeding than I would have otherwise.

[Edited on April 12, 2019 at 3:55 PM. Reason : .]

4/12/2019 3:51:37 PM

^Much the same here. When i reseeded late last fall it was in desperation. I had lost most of my yard to disease, the winter weather was here, and things were bad. I seeded, left it alone and hoped something would happen. I got quite a bit to actually come in and better than i thought they would. Back on 3/23 i overseeded and then did a quick reseed job on the heavily trafficed portion of the lawn by just scratching the surface, mixing in top soil, and heavily seeding. It's come in pretty well too. All just using Scott's products from HD

On the other hand, my backyard has already started to show early signs of Pythium due to the heavy clay soil and poor subsurface drainage. I thought I would get to at least late May before having to deal with that. I put down a heavy dose of Mefenoxam and Propiconazole to try and knock it out before it's able to spread. Seems to have helped and i will follow it up in 2 weeks with a second treatment.


I've really enjoyed domyown.com for purchasing insecticides and fungicides that are otherwise for professionals. I also put down a Bifen I/T treatment last week on the lawn and perimeter of the house to knock out the majority of nuisance bugs.

4/22/2019 2:51:09 PM

i need to do a grub treatment

4/23/2019 2:36:45 PM

Has anyone dealt with oxalis in their lawn? I used some yard spray with triclopyr, is there anything else I should be doing?

I'm mowing fairly short (to bags) to try to prevent it from crowding out the grass, and it's not as bad as it was in the fall, but I've got a nice strip of it in the front yard.

4/27/2019 6:50:24 PM

I have a problem with oxalis in my yard (thought it was clover until I looked up what the hell oxalis is). I have been spraying it with 2,4-d which doesn't seem to have a great impact.

4/29/2019 11:34:28 AM

I've had better luck with a 3 way like Trimec Southern

4/29/2019 1:45:31 PM

I have really enjoyed State's extension website in helping with lawn care. I've been dealing with a lot of Poa Annua and found this interesting.

https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/2019/04/annual-bluegrass-poa-annua-spring-invasion/

5/1/2019 8:28:06 AM

^^^ that triclopyr spray I used seems to have worked, it's all shriveled and yellow and looks dead and it doesnt look like any of the lawn was affected

This is what I used: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ortho-Weed-B-Gon-32-oz-Chickweed-Clover-and-Oxalis-Killer-For-Lawns-Ready-To-Spray-0398710/206427519

I also have some clover and it did seem to make a difference, but the oxalis looks absolutely dry and dead

5/1/2019 5:06:34 PM

What's everyone mowing with these days? I think i'm going to replace my old Toro 22 Recycler at the end of the season with something new. My yard isn't big enough for anything more than a push mower. I am leaning towards a Honda.

Also, is there really any advantage to the big rear wheel?

5/3/2019 9:17:32 AM

big wheels feel easier to pivot to me

i don't know what brand my mower is, but the engine is honda and i'm not ever buying anything else. i think i bought the least expensive honda powered 3-in-1 big rear wheel mower i could find.

5/3/2019 12:13:10 PM

I'm cutting with an old murray 42" lawn tractor that I keep maintained.

5/3/2019 4:58:33 PM

Quote :

"I also have some clover and it did seem to make a difference, but the oxalis looks absolutely dry and dead "

the clover is now dry and dead too, and grass is sprouting up now that's it's not choked by the clover

5/10/2019 10:37:25 AM

i'm cutting with this old Husqvarna LZ6125. got it used through govdeals from the city of southport. the sand down there had worn holes in the deck and the baffles under the deck were toast. i welded plate over the thin areas and welded new baffles under it. then i built the sprayer tank rack and boom brackets.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kCJWSzobXgUzUfN99

5/10/2019 9:48:18 PM

Based solely on dtownral's suggestion, I sprayed my yard last week with a triclopyr spray.

I ended up using Crossbow (https://tinyurl.com/y2d6vecr) because it was cheaper than buying 4 bottles of the stuff dtownral suggested (and because Lowes didn't sell it).

We'll see what happens! It looks like the clover is shriveling a little, but that may have just been due to the hot weekend.

5/20/2019 8:49:13 AM

SpeedZone is another good product for knocking out broadleaf weeds.

https://www.domyown.com/speedzone-lawn-weed-killer-concentrate-p-1515.html


I did a coverage spray on my front lawn and it has knocked out almost everything. Saw results quickly too.

5/20/2019 2:00:19 PM

I've had good results with the generic Spectracide 2,4-D for broadleaf weeds.

5/21/2019 12:42:51 PM

And for mowers, I friggin' LOVE my Honda. I bought one of the self propelled models used about 6 years ago. It was about 15 years old at that point and had some rust holes in the deck. I used it 4 years before the self propel started acting wonky, so instead of investing in fixing it I just bought a brand new one 2 years ago. Starts on the first pull every damn time.

[Edited on May 21, 2019 at 12:46 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2019 12:45:16 PM

is this a good time of year to treat lawns for weeds?

better than the heat of summer I spose right

5/21/2019 1:05:23 PM

^for fescue, yes. Generally not for warm season grasses (spot treatment if needed though)

[Edited on May 21, 2019 at 3:30 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2019 3:29:47 PM

^^do it now before it gets any hotter. They are harder to kill when not actively growing.

5/22/2019 1:18:58 PM

aye yo bcvaugha, where do you work (assuming you're still in the landscaping business)?

I'm moving sometime soon and may have a project or 2 that I'd like to look into.

7/31/2019 7:50:19 AM

we're located in Asheboro... because of this we tend to work a lot in greensboro, burlington, high point the 3 lakes (high rock, badin, tillery) and the north side of charlotte. we poke our toes into other markets for big projects but not routine.

8/5/2019 4:45:37 PM