top quality lawn mowers image
hold_on_jo
Part of my grass has turned really brown, despite regular water. I used weed/feed and it killed the weeds, but didn't help green the area that was turning brown. No dogs pee on my lawn, so not sure if it's related to the ph balance of the soil. Any suggestions on what I can do besides digging up the brown sod and replacing it with new top soil/seeds?
Answer
During hot, dry periods, grass naturally goes into a state of dormancy (turns brown). Even regular watering may not be enough to sustain it when temperatures are extreme. If your grass has simply gone dormant, it will come back when the weather is more favorable. Be sure to water deeply to encourage deep rooting. Allow sprinklers to run at least 30-45 minutes in each lawn area.
A few other things may cause grass to turn brown:
If you grab a clump of the brown grass and you can lift it easily, as if it was a newly-laid piece of sod, you may have an infestation of grubs, which chew on the grass roots.
If you applied fertilizer and had the spreader set incorrectly or over-applied in that area, the turf may have been burned.
If your mower has a fuel leak and you stopped it in that area to empty the bag, take a break, etc., the grass may have been chemically burned.
If no disease, insect infestation or chemicals are at fault, you may want to go so far as to have soil samples analyzed by your local agricultural/horticultural extension agency, operated by your county or a regional university. Your soil may be lacking nitrogen or iron, which can be corrected by soil amendment products.
If your lawn is mostly good turf (rather than equal parts weeds and grass), try avoiding the 'weed-and-feed' products. They're a step-saver, but they accomplish neither feeding the lawn or controlling weeds as well as performing each task separately. Feed the lawn with quality lawn food as directed and kill weeds individually with a lawn weed product (or dig them out). I like Ortho Weed-B-Gon in the CONCENTRATE form. A couple of ounces mixed with two gallons of water in a pump-up type sprayer and applied to each weed individually works great for even some of the toughest lawn weeds.
Good-luck!
How often should I fertilize my lawn?
justin s
I bought a new home recently and the previous owners never really took care of the yard besides just mowing it. The grass is nice and green in some spots, and it others its pretty dry. Not too mention a lot of clover, chickweed, and regular weeds. I put down Scotts turf builder a couple weeks ago. It really doesnt seem to be making a difference. How often do I need to fertilize? The next time I fertilize I want to put down weed and feed to kill all the weeds.
Answer
There are several steps to a beautifully maintained grass. Like you said you need to put down a fertilizer with a weed killer to take care of the weeds. You can do this as often as you need until your lawn is weed free, once a month for the next few months or so.
However, your hands on will begin in the beginning of next year.
First, you will need to dethatch, get rid of as much as you can to let the new grass grow.
Second, you will need to aerate, this allows grass to get oxygen.
Third, water, water, and more water. You can water as often as your bylaws allow.
Fourth, you will need to spread a good quality black earth as a topping and in areas where there is no grass, you will need to sprinkle seed. This must be done early in the year before the hot weather sets in. You can get this at your local nursery if you choose.
And finally, adjust your height on your lawn mower. You should leave it at the highest setting during the extreme summer months and only cut an inch at a time. You may have to mow every 4 to 5 days depending on how fast it grows.
The only thing you need to do after all that to maintain your lawn is to fertilize once a month and water generously. Good luck!
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-002/430-002.html
http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/lawn/Dethatching.cfm
Tip-Fertilize when you know it will rain, less work for you.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
