Three questions...

Should I go ahead and put down the broadleaf killer now if I want to kill the clovers and plan on planting grass in a couple of months?

I know this has been asked 11tybillion times on here, but I don't feel like searching and we might as well get it out of the way...When should I plant fescue?

Do they make a push aerator or do you have to get the kind that tows behind a lawnmower? Anyone know a good place to rent one (the push type)?

[Edited on September 13, 2010 at 5:49 PM. Reason : l]

9/13/2010 5:49:00 PM

1. Yes - you should have done it yesterday

2. http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/Alerts.aspx#005122 - learn it and bookmark it. Great resource.

3. Holland Rent-All - http://www.hollandrentall.com/ - if you live around the NCSU area. They have the gas powered walk behind aerators. This is what you want to use if you have a yard that's 5k sq ft or more in my opinion. They have 4 hour rentals and the price is very reasonable - I think 50 dollars bucks.

9/14/2010 7:40:24 PM

Just had these guys do our grilling paver-patio and drainage:

http://www.antonyslandscaping.com/about_us.html


Young, but very good and surprisingly professional.

9/15/2010 12:53:34 PM

Mildew, how were their prices?

9/15/2010 5:11:24 PM

Went upstairs last night and it was 80 degrees, A/C wasn't running. Went in the attic, no frost on the coils.

Went outside, opened the compressor, dicked around for a minute looking for something obvious, pushed down a spring-loaded contact with the screwdriver, and it kicked on and I jumped back. Took out the breaker. Pushed contact again. Put the breaker back in, pushed it in again, ran it for a minute like that. Went back inside and turned it off on the thermostat and back on again, and it worked again!

So Yay, I didn't electrocute myself, the house didn't catch on fire, and the A/C is working again.



PS-Does anyone know what I did?

9/16/2010 9:02:33 AM

Gotta quick landscaping question...and maybe I can find a picture somewhere.

Anyway, my front yard has a gentle slope back towards the house...nothing serious.

We have a concrete sidewalk to the front steps and a tilled, mulched bed in front of that...beforehand, the sidewalk was lined with Liriope. Hated it. It was unkempt when we bought it, so I jerked it out and we started from scratch.

What we've noticed now is that during a heavy rain, enough water pools where the sidewalk meets the mulch bed that it displaces the mulch far far away, lol.

Any ideas to correct this?

Here's a shot of it...it happens where you see the azaleas near the driveway...


[Edited on September 16, 2010 at 9:52 AM. Reason : picture]

9/16/2010 9:49:41 AM

edging to keep the mulch from washing away?

9/16/2010 10:09:09 AM

Yeah, I've debated putting up the metal edging along the sidewalk, but didn't know if there were any other options...

9/16/2010 10:37:43 AM

Was he talking about metal edging or just using an edger and putting a nice little "mini-ditch" there. I've edged all over my yard between the grass and the sidewalk/pine straw area...and it's done wonders from keeping everything separate from each other.

9/16/2010 10:51:50 AM

Probably the edging.

I thought when I had pulled the Liriope, it brought a ton of soil with it and left a sufficient "trench/ditch" to collect water without pulling mulch away.

Evidently not...

9/16/2010 11:40:39 AM

Quote :

"Mildew, how were their prices?"

It was $1,950 for a ~90 sqft paver patio and about 50 foot french drain with 2 water basins(? I think that is what they are called)

9/16/2010 11:57:04 AM

Storm drain inlets/catch basins?

9/16/2010 8:34:21 PM

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/16/684065/after-give-and-take-front-yard.html#storylink=misearch

9/16/2010 8:36:30 PM

Trying to be a homeowner woes: http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=602154

9/16/2010 9:01:23 PM

Quote :

"Storm drain inlets/catch basins?"

Sure. Two 12sqinch grates that have about an 18in deep reservoir

9/17/2010 1:38:02 PM

House showings seem to be picking up. 3 in one week, which is really good compared to the average. Hopefully it will result in an offer.

9/20/2010 3:30:58 PM

I'll give you $150k for it and a sweet Nautique.

[Edited on September 20, 2010 at 7:19 PM. Reason : l]

9/20/2010 7:19:21 PM

I was told to fertilize the yard once before sept or else the grass might start thinning out. I didn't believe them... But they were right and it's a bit late to put down sod

9/20/2010 9:15:02 PM

what kind of grass do you have? if it is just "thinning out", you shouldn't need to tear it up and lay down sod...just overseed and water in the spring.

9/20/2010 9:18:20 PM

You folks had any experience with someone that you could refer to me to check out my water heater in the Morrisville area? 3 of our 5 neighbors have replaced theirs in the past 6 months and say ours is showing the same signs theirs did just before it blew up.

9/21/2010 1:05:49 PM

Quote :

"But they were right and it's a bit late to put down sod "

huh??? I guess it depends on what sod you are putting down, but this is about to be prime time for fescue. I say prime, because it has been a little hot fot new sod. I'd want the highs to be in the 80s when I put it down.

I put all new sod in my yard in the middle of september 2 years ago. It grew in perfectly.

Quote :

"You folks had any experience with someone that you could refer to me to check out my water heater in the Morrisville area? 3 of our 5 neighbors have replaced theirs in the past 6 months and say ours is showing the same signs theirs did just before it blew up."

based on my knowledge, there isnt much servicable on a water heater. When the tank goes, it goes. There is no fixing it.

It isnt much work. I replaced mine myself (with my brother) about 1 month ago.

[Edited on September 21, 2010 at 1:09 PM. Reason : .]

9/21/2010 1:08:21 PM

anyone know where I can by a few pieces of bermuda sod?

I've bought individual pieces of fescue sod from lowe's/home depot, but never seen bermuda. I don't really need it by the pallett, and just want to start filling in dead areas of my lawn with bermuda and let it take over slowly.

9/21/2010 1:23:24 PM

^you going to go from Fescue to Bermuda?

9/21/2010 1:38:46 PM

Doesn't Super Sod have some?

9/21/2010 2:33:55 PM

I wish my neighborhood allowed bermuda. They would shit a brick if I planted it.

bobby, you should also think about your neighbors. If I had a beautiful fescue yard, and you planted bermuda that invaded, we wouldnt be friends anymore

I have seen people build little raised barriers (plastic edging) between their yard and the neighbors if the neighbor is growing bermuda. As long as the neighbor keeps it mowed, and doesnt allow it to seed, then the barrier would prevent creep.

9/21/2010 2:47:33 PM

grass sucks. instead of spending money on sodding (and re-sodding!!), think about replacing some of that grass with edible or ornamental perennials, fruit-producing bushes or trees. its a good time to plant bushes and trees. you can even plant some spring bulbs at the same time

It is possible to have flowers blooming in every month of the year in north carolina, you should take advantage of it. plus, nice landscaping can add to the value of your home. If you aren't sure what you like, go have a look around a botanical garden or arboretum. make sure you compare the conditions in your yard to similar areas in these gardens to figure out what will really thrive at your place.

9/21/2010 2:59:36 PM

[Edited on September 21, 2010 at 7:43 PM. Reason : .]

9/21/2010 7:43:02 PM

I think large yards of grass are a huge waste of money and resources...but apparently it's not "popular" to just have something like a huge garden as your front and back yards...

I seriously spent about $300 on reseeding and fertilizing just this season...what a waste...

9/21/2010 7:53:08 PM

Quote :

"what kind of grass do you have? if it is just "thinning out", you shouldn't need to tear it up and lay down sod...just overseed and water in the spring."

Fescue. I hate fescue. The front yard is mostly bremuda, which I like and that's doing well. The back yard is the issue as it's primarily fescue. I guess it doesn't help that's where the dogs go out and play, so there's a lot of traffic in the yard. I've already started to sod some of the area in zoysia, which I am very pleased is doing well. I prefer the zoysia over the fescu, so.... I'm just going to wait it out until next spring. From what I gathered, Zoysia prefers to plant early spring to mid summer. Unless I am mistaken, Zoysia likes to go inter "hybernation" mode a bit early, and with temperatures already declining (especially at night), I don't think there's enough time now for the sod to get planted well enough for the grass to survive a cold winter...

Quote :

"I seriously spent about $300 on reseeding and fertilizing just this season...what a waste..."

This is why I'd rather just spend the money on some zoysia sod and be done with it. My parents have zoysia in their yard and haven't had any maintenance issues in the past 7 years with it. Best lawn decision they ever made.

Quote :

"Doesn't Super Sod have some?"

Yes. Last I checked, they had quite a bit.

[Edited on September 21, 2010 at 8:11 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on September 21, 2010 at 8:13 PM. Reason : .]

9/21/2010 8:08:32 PM

Quote :

"bobby, you should also think about your neighbors. If I had a beautiful fescue yard, and you planted bermuda that invaded, we wouldnt be friends anymore "

haha of course

The grass sections of my backyard are isolated from my neighbors' yards and my front yard based on the way i landscaped it. I'm going to leave the front fescue because it looks a hell of a lot better, and seems to be less prone to death for whatever reason.

Also, I already convinced one neighbor of the superiority of bermuda, and he had his backyard re-sodded with bermuda two months ago, and I am seriously jealous of his green bermuda lawn.

The neighbor on my other side has the purest crabgrass lawn I've ever seen. There are no signs of any fescue over there.

9/21/2010 9:18:05 PM

floating slabs and the amount of foundation issues in the gulf coast is the suck

feels like i wont find a place without movement

9/25/2010 2:19:27 AM

Got plantation shutters in yesterday and they look awesome. Been getting by with sheets and temp shades for the past two months...and these make a world of difference. Never in my life did I think I would be so excited about shutters.

9/25/2010 1:35:36 PM

Well, as much as those fuckers cost, I would be too.

9/25/2010 4:22:19 PM

starting an addition now. 20x25 carport is going away. adding a laundry room and pushing the kitchen out, closing in the carport to make a one-car garage (most likely used for storage than vehicle, but we'll see.). Should be an interesting couple of months.

Ends up being about 250 sqft added on. I'll take pictures when it's worth the effort to do so.

9/26/2010 4:16:43 PM

thinking of pressure washing the house this coming weekend before the cold sets in. (just got the pressure washer from the parents, otherwise, i'd have done it earlier in the season.) i had heard of using some car wax to act as a cleaner and a protectant. anyone had any luck using this before? (its vinyl siding.) also, any other suggestions for what type of chemical to use other then bleach?

9/27/2010 8:46:17 AM

Dont use car wax.

If you want to really do it nicely and easily, pick up an X-Jet tip.

http://www.xterior.com/XJetNozzle.html

Take a 5 gallon bucket, pour in a jug (1.5 gallons) of bleach from walmart, put in a large squirt of dawn.

Spray on 2 sides of the house with the xjet, then come back and rinse with the xjet. Done.

9/27/2010 8:53:15 AM

Quote :

"anyone know where I can by a few pieces of bermuda sod? "

Super Sod at the Farmer's Market. It's a trailer, down past the end of the first building. I dunno if they have Bermuda now, but you can get a single 5'x1' roll for $5. I did some zoysia like that to fill in where I cut a tree out.

9/27/2010 9:17:54 AM

yeah at this point, i'm just gonna wait until the spring, but i'll hit up the farmer's market then.

thanks.

9/27/2010 10:09:34 AM

So, is it too wet to aerate this weekend? I'm in Gboro and according to the noaa we've had almost 2" of rain in the past day, and it's been raining for a few days.

I'm actually off tomorrow and would have loved to do it then, but I just don't know if it's going to completely clog it up and be a total mess trying to move the machine around the yard. I don't want to tear up the grass I have with tire marks and just have clumps of mud everywhere.

The forecast claims it's going to stop completely around Wednesday and be in the mid to upper 70s next weekend...is it worth waiting one more week?

[Edited on September 30, 2010 at 9:36 AM. Reason : .]

9/30/2010 9:33:50 AM

You can throw some seed and lime now and then wait till next week to aerate and throw some more seed.

9/30/2010 11:56:34 AM

Bermuda sod + 18-24-12 fertilizer = HOLY GREEN


The landscaper I hired to do my patio + drainage recommended it.... It worked amazingly. Shit grew inches hire and super green in a week. I even left out segments of the lawn to see a before and after.... HUGE differences

9/30/2010 1:32:10 PM

pics or it didn't happen - we need grass porn up in here.

9/30/2010 2:39:57 PM

I've got a spider(s) that keeps weaving webs in my ceiling fan. There's webbing in between the blades, up into housing, and even down the chain. The fan is usually on 24/7 and I've never seen the bastards at work. I have an infant son so I don't want to use anything toxic and/or strong smelling (like indoor raid seems like a decent idea, but it's going to have that sweet chemical smell everytime I turn on the fan). Any ideas?

10/2/2010 1:51:39 PM

get one of those compressed air cans

blow that bitch across the room

10/3/2010 7:08:56 PM

so, i just spent pretty much the entire day mowing and aerating.

I got together with 4 other neighbors on my street to rent an aerator and split the cost.

Then thursday one of them tore his labrum playing flag football, and I offered to do his lawn for him. Then friday one of the other neighbors calls, and apparently BOTH of his parents had heart attacks within a day of each other, and they had to bolt to florida with their 5 kids, and I, without thinking told them that I'd take care of aerating their yard too.

So I scope out their lawns this morning and realize both of the ones i offered to do need to be mowed first.

The only thing that saved me from a fully miserable day was my next door neighbor splitting the labor with me. Even with that, it was about 7 hours of work.

[/tww is a blog]

10/3/2010 8:12:31 PM

The only significant thing I did today was replace the old weather seal on the door jamb that leads into my carport. Good lord it is such a pain in the ass to adjust those things so that you get the right balance between a sealed door and the ability to close and deadbolt your door. No more 1/4" gap at the base of my hilariously warped door, though! I'm hoping this will allow that part of the house to be less horribly cold and drafty in the winter (I noticed my house loses a lot of heat every night, so there's leaks all over the place).

Still on the agenda is assembling the shed I bought back in august. I have had the foundation dug out for a couple weeks, but this recent rainstorm may have washed away enough gravel to make it uneven again (which means yay, I get to go buy MORE gravel). Once it's assembled I'm planting some small shrubs around the shed to keep the erosion down. This rain storm really washed away a lot of soil from around my house, which tells me I need to get the damn place professionally landscaped and graded to reduce the suck.

I'm also not looking forward to replacing the washer/dryer, water heater, fridge, and dishwasher. Well, it would be nice to have a working dishwasher again, and to have clothes that come out smelling clean (and to not have the whole house be annihilated by the noise that is the washer/dryer).

[Edited on October 3, 2010 at 8:35 PM. Reason : words]

10/3/2010 8:35:09 PM

if I were you, with all of this rain we had, I would take the time to dig out the mud and add gravel. you will probably have to dig down 12" or so. you dont want to build on unstable soil.

10/4/2010 11:35:24 AM

started and finished the pressure washing over the weekend. while its always fun to play with high pressure water, it was a bitch having to climb the ladder and scrub some of the higher sides of the house, especially while doing it by yourself. on the brightside, its done and looks well.

also, love this weather we've been having. perfect, "open window, watch the power bill drop" weather...

10/4/2010 11:49:10 AM

Quote :

"perfect, "open window, watch the power bill drop" weather..."

yep. I love it. I expect our power bill to be pretty darn low this month.

10/4/2010 12:13:47 PM

37
_{Woodpeckers attacking plastic trim... wait, what?!}

10/4/2010 11:13:27 PM