Yard won't grow

Jmort1754

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Aug 17, 2018
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So we tried the soil test method and had to put a bunch of lime down and new seed. Grass till grows spotty. Local yard guy wants us to till it up and start over.

Previous owne had 3 dogs we have one, he pees on our walks and occasional in the yard.

Should I just put the tiller in the back of the tractor and turn it over or does anyone have any input ?
 
Joined
Sep 28, 2018
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VA
Watering grass is the single largest waste of a natural resource in the history of man kind.

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

Probably right.. I have a friend that lives in a planned community in CO Springs. The development HOA requirements demands that he has a certain tree planted in his front yard. Its a tree non native to that area of CO so it doesn't do well. He thinks its a stupid tree so he's not done anything to keep it alive. So he has a dead tree in his front yard
 
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
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AK
Watering grass is the single largest waste of a natural resource in the history of man kind.
And nitrogen is one of the largest pollutants in this country. I used to work fisheries and it was wildly comical hearing complaints from all the lake residents each with their 1 acre of pristine lawn complain because the lake was infested with weeds and algae and no fish could live there.

It takes about 40-50 years to realize the carcinogenic effects of a chemical, we’re in for a reckoning in ~10-20 years when we realize we’ve poisoned our drinking water so boomers don’t have to look at dandelions.

I mowed for the first time June 2nd this year and have mowed twice since. Hopefully the weird lawn obsession is something that dies with the boomers.
 

SonnyDay

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Jul 22, 2019
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I've had good success mixing grass seed with peat moss to help hold the moisture while the grass tries to germinate and grow into adulthood.

I've also had good success killing 50% of my yard in favor of xeriscaping, gardens, etc.

Good luck!
 

IDVortex

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Jan 16, 2024
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CDA Idaho
1000015057.jpg

What is your goal with the lawn, that's the first thing you need to know. Golf course greens, or a nice lawn but not crazy? Sounds like the lawn is dormant now, so noneed to try to green it up right now unless you're willing to pay a lot in water.

Grass type, location also helps. You should dig a few holes to see how deep your top soil is. Come this fall you should do a foiler application of nitrogen if you're a cool season lawn, and come spring start applying some organic fertilizers, and only use nitrogen in small doses. And a foiler application that way the plant uses it as much as possible, and less run off.
 

AKBC

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 22, 2014
Messages
235
I would try fertilizer. I have never been a huge fan of straight nitrogen which seems to be for "top growth" and instead have used a balanced fertilizer to make the overall grass plant healthier. I like to under-fertilize, partly to address some of the concerns noted above.
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
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Western Iowa
This spring I renovated a 35x35 section of lawn in front of the house. My process included:

  1. till to bare dirt
  2. cultipack twice in opposite directions
  3. broadcast seed, 12-12-12, and grub-x (individually)
  4. cover with erosion mats and stake with biodegradable stakes
  5. water every day for 15 mins. until the grass emerged or between rains.
We have 3 dogs and the erosion mats kept them from getting muddy feet and protected the seed.

The patch turned out beautifully and is the only good patch of grass on the acreage, LOL!
 

go_deep

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Jan 7, 2021
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Lots of different things could be the answer to your problem, but many of those answers conflict with each other. Have to figure out what the real problem is first, poor soil, poor nutrients, heavy compaction?
If you just want green and it doesn't have to be all grass I would recommend doing a over seed after aerating in the spring with white clover. It's drought resistant and puts natural nitrogen back in the ground for the grass around it too feed off.
I have a 50/50 grass clover lawn, takes very little water, only mow about once ever 8-10 days.
 

Jethro

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Mar 2, 2014
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Pennsylvania
Not many details to help with the problem. Did your seed germinate?

Whatever you decide, I wouldn’t do it before Sept. Takes lot of work and luck to grow from seed in the middle of summer.

Gypsum is a good application for anyone that has dog pee spots.
 
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Jmort1754

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Aug 17, 2018
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Seed germinated never matured however.

I have no idea what kind of grass, whatever rural king sells.

Hell I don't care about the looks of it as long as I don't have bare spots and look like I'm in the ghetto
 
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