Need Lawn Advice.... Winter Treatment

[Matt_]

So here's the deal... my lawns been a battle because the previous owners let weeds take over the property. I did a good job earlier this year with weed & feed in the spring. This fall I just put down a hefty spreading of sun/shade mix grass seed.

 

I want to get a winter mix to put down... but should I stay away from the mix with "weed control"? I know that weed control means anti-germination chemicals.... which would probably adversely affect the spreading of the seed I put down in early October.

 

So here's my current plan:

1) Put down another course of grass seed (there are some new spots I didnt get before... and some extra over-seeding couldnt hurt..)

2) Put down winter care mix that does not have weed control

3) In spring, start early with weed & feed <---- this is what im nervous about... will my new grass still need to germinate in the spring??

[Nytemare]

I usually do the first two..but wait until about 3 cuts before I start with weed and feed.

Over-seeding kills a lot of weeds, and I also use some weak fertilizer for the first few weeks of the spring...just so nothing gets burnt.

 

I over-seed with some short germination seed as soon as the snow is gone off the lawn...which is about the 15th of January here in Victoria...LOL

Get something that takes 6-8 days to germinate, and that will kill a lot of the newly germinating weeds...after about your first 3 cuts or so..I start with weed and feed, go for about 1 month using 3 day intervals, than start spreading some longer germination grass...like blue tip. this usually takes a long time, around 4-6 weeks, as soon as the blue tip is about at mowing height you can weed and feed again if necessary. I also remove any large weeds by digging them out, than fill the hole with some potting soil and short germ seed.

[Matt_]

Awesome... thanks for the advice.

 

Also, for the new seed I'm going to throw down before winter comes here... i should use the long 6-8 week germination stuff right? Then in the spring ill take your advice with some more of the short germination seed to keep the weeds under control for the first few cuts before going into the weed & feed stuff.

[Wingnut]

You know what I've found?

 

 

Shit you buy at Lowe's, HD, Ace, etc...Even Tractor Supply and Lumber2....Aint worth a damn, and it's expensive to boot.

 

I priced it out, and it's cheaper to have Agrilawn, Greenlawn, whatever...Those places that spray for you...Than it is for you to do it yourself. That is if you have a decent sized yard. They work better too. It's the same with bug control.

 

I have well over an acre, and it costs less to pay somebody to fertilize/weed 4 times a year (MORE than plenty) than it cost me to do it myself at my last house, that had less than 1/2 an acre. When I did it myself using stuff designed for the exact grass I had and the exact soil I had, I was STILL constantly fighting weeds. Now? Not one. Ever. The house was unoccupied 9 months before I moved in (over run with weeds-n-stuff) and in the 6 months I've lived here there's not one left. Perfect yard. All I do is mow.

 

Maybe that's just me though...My lazy is showing.

[Matt_]

I've never even thought about having a service do it.... i always just wrote it off as "its got to be too expensive"..

 

My neighbor has a service do theirs, I'll get their contact info and maybe get some prices. One bag of seed is near $100 anyways

[Wingnut]

I've never even thought about having a service do it.... i always just wrote it off as "its got to be too expensive"..

 

My neighbor has a service do theirs, I'll get their contact info and maybe get some prices. One bag of seed is near $100 anyways

 

Yeah...I was thinking the same thing. But I got the quote and it was $200 for 4 treatments on the main part of my property (about an acre, I'm not bothering with the back half behind the shop). I can't tell you how many times I spent $200 on enough fertilizer for my last place (1/2 acre)...For a single treatment. And their industrial stuff works a LOT better to boot. At least in my experience.

 

So once I figured out that it's quite a bit cheaper, it was a no-brainer.

[Nytemare]

Yep...I usually go with long germ stuff for winter...it wont really start to do anything until the spring anyway, it will just go into hibernate mode...than you can start counting from the first day the snow goes away...and you don't get frost anymore. That's why I use the short germ stuff right away...just to get a good cover down, and try and choke out the weeds.

 

Its worked well for me for the last few years. I live in Military Married quarters, We are responsible for our own yards while living there, and some people just do nothing but cut it. So yeah it was covered with weeds when I moved in. I used this recipe right away, as we moved in in the spring, and I was the only one on our street with green grass in the summer. It still had quite a few large weeds though...but a few nights and a couple cases of beer later they were all gone.

 

It suffered a little this year and last year...I was deployed, and the wife has enough to deal with while I'm gone...so she just maintained it. I think next time I'm away I will get a service to pop in and look after it.

[Roofer]

You know what I've found?

 

 

Shit you buy at Lowe's, HD, Ace, etc...Even Tractor Supply and Lumber2....Aint worth a damn, and it's expensive to boot.

 

 

Soooo true, soooo many times, but people keep buying home improvement stuff there. haha

 

 

If planting new grass, it's best to start out with sod. It's actually cheaper in the long run and you don't have to wait for it to grow.

[Wingnut]

You know what I've found?

 

 

Shit you buy at Lowe's, HD, Ace, etc...Even Tractor Supply and Lumber2....Aint worth a damn, and it's expensive to boot.

 

 

Soooo true, soooo many times, but people keep buying home improvement stuff there. haha

 

If planting new grass, it's best to start out with sod. It's actually cheaper in the long run and you don't have to wait for it to grow.

 

 

Amen to that too. Did it from scratch once. Cost a crapload more and was tons more work than just paying for sod.

[hcpyro13]

Hey, it's going winter time in NJ... you can do a fall fert on the lawn, no herbicides. Herbicide now will do virtually nothing, and won't help any recent seeding. If you are having a real problem with the weeds, early next spring stop by a neighborhood Lesco supply store and get a bag or two of a product called Revive. It isn't used much out here so you may have to stop in early so they can get you a couple bags. That'll help snap your lawn out of dormancy, I don't even know of many of the pro companys that use it here. Then get a good lawn care company, SavaLawn or Davey in this area. They are a bit more pricy but they have no backbone when it comes down to customer service, just refuse to pay until your lawn in perfect. Get 1 or 2 early season liquid fert applications with a pre-emergent herbicide. It's a really neat series of herbicides, broadleaf selective and kills before they even break surface. Follow those 2 applications 3-4 weeks apart, wait 2-3 weeks then reseed, stick with the Lesco seed... it costs more but it works better then that home depot crap. if that doesn't solve your problem, your last resort to get a good lawn in quick order, look into slice seeding. Expensive to have done, pretty cheap if you can rent a machine locally. They are the size of a pushmower with a series of blades that slice the earth and drop the seeds into the slits. if you are having a invasive species of grass taking over this is typically the solution short of salting the earth with glyphosate and starting from scratch a month after you have killed everything (your neighbors don't usually appreciate your bare dirt front yard... )

 

If you have any questions just PM me, I used to play those games.

[Stevens03]

Have you talked to Chris yet (blackdog)? He's certified now

[RyanbabZ71]

Aerate!

[d3athsong]

I would just fertilize. I believe most weed and feeds just use a reduced rate of 2-4D which has no residual, so it would be pointless. And of course depending where you are, if it gets too cold overnight, the weeds won't take the chemical in anyways.

[txab]

Weed and feeds aren't real good around some if not most trees and shrubs. Thus the warning about applying beneath "desired trees and shrubs" To most of chemicals, trees and shrubs are weeds. Over applying is a no no. I never use them. A good fertilization program and applications of pre-emergents at the proper times, work well.