Lawn Care 2012

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Brotato

How do you thatch your lawn? do you mean dethatch?

i have a blade that attaches to my mower, at the end of the blade are two pieces of really thick plastic line. Last year I started bagging more the the grass (as it is easier to put into the big black bin that the city kindly gave me) and this spring I noticed that I had less material to rake up.

As an aside, last spring I used a compnay called Timesense (they were recommended by someone else on CP) and they came and powerraked, aerated and fertilized for something like $150 - my lawn really perked up after that.

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by return to the red

If you bag your grass you really dont need to power rake but if you mulch you should.

Sorry but this isn't completely true. Mulching actually improves your lawn as the clipped grass decomposes and adds nutrients(nitrogen?) to the lawn.

Thatch starts from a poorly cared for lawn.

How does thatch develop?
The major causes of thick thatch accumulation are management practices that reduce the population of organisms which decompose thatch and/or that cause plant material to build up more quickly than the microorganisms present can break it down. Research has shown that earthworm and microorganism activity play a vital role in preventing excess thatch accumulation. Good aeration, soil pH around 6.5 and adequate moisture favor the build-up and activity of beneficial microorganisms. Thatch problems have been noticed more often in acidic and compacted soils, as a healthy microorganism population does not flourish under these conditions. Unbalanced fertilization and indiscriminate use of fungicides and insecticides are the most detrimental to beneficial organisms in turf. Too much nitrogen can promote disease development. High-nitrogen fertilizing speeds up lush, succulent growth that is more prone to insect pests and disease. Moreover, many disease-causing fungi can live on cut clippings as well as on living grass plants. These clippings are then added to the thatch layer that harbors disease organisms until the environmental conditions are right for disease development. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn, however, does not necessarily cause an increase in thatch buildup. Leaving short clippings after mowing does not add to thatch development--soil microorganisms break the clippings down quickly and return a valuable source of balanced nutrients back to the turf. Proper management practices, therefore, promote healthier turf that will need fewer pesticides and can maintain a healthy population of beneficial organisms. Grasses which produce a large amount of side shoots, such as Kentucky bluegrass (produces rhizomes) and creeping bentgrass (produces stolons), tend to produce thatch readily

[Brotato]

Any comments on the size of the aeration plugs I should be looking for? Got some quotes back from some guys on Kijiji, and they are talking roughly a 1.5" plug, dependant on soil conditions. That seems shallow, but I don't have much for a frame of reference. Any comments on a good depth of plug for S. Alberta?

Thanks

[Madman]

Originally Posted by Brotato

Any comments on the size of the aeration plugs I should be looking for? Got some quotes back from some guys on Kijiji, and they are talking roughly a 1.5" plug, dependant on soil conditions. That seems shallow, but I don't have much for a frame of reference. Any comments on a good depth of plug for S. Alberta?

Thanks

Weedman does aeration as well - give them a call.

[Ironhorse]

Should aeration be done every year?

Can anyone recommend a service that will just aerate my lawn without trying to sell me a year's worth of fertilization service (which I can handle very well on my own, and better than some of the yahoo's I've seen in the past).

[Brotato]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Should aeration be done every year?

Can anyone recommend a service that will just aerate my lawn without trying to sell me a year's worth of fertilization service (which I can handle very well on my own, and better than some of the yahoo's I've seen in the past).

That's what I am looking for too, I can aerate and weed control (possibly) myself, but not looking to rent an aerator. Just want someone who can do nice deep plugs

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Should aeration be done every year?

Can anyone recommend a service that will just aerate my lawn without trying to sell me a year's worth of fertilization service (which I can handle very well on my own, and better than some of the yahoo's I've seen in the past).

I've had Canada Yard Pro do these services - they'll provide either individual services like aeration or power-rake, or various packages. I don't know how their prices compare to other companies, but they are on their website (at least for small/medium yards).

[normtwofinger]

Power raking is good if it's done properly. If you are kicking up dirt, then the machine is set too low.

[rayne008]

You should consider buying one of these from Canadian Tire for $20.


http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

Takes 5 mins to install and does a great job of power raking. Then rent an Aerator from Home depot for 4 hours, have you and your neighbor chip in $20 and do both lawns...

Then get a hand spreader for fertilizer and your done for under $80.

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Anyone know how to get rid of quack grass??


It's totally pissing me off.

Monsanto is testing a selective herbicide to kill quackgrass, but not not lawn grasses. The herbicide is 'Certainty'. It is commercially available from farm suppliers, but in quantities intended for acres of land.

A google search came up with this

The Certainty reduced quackgrass in all treated
plots compared with the control at the end of the
season by 75 to 92%

[PIMking]

I weed & Feed my lawn last week and all the weeds are gone but now I have some serious brown patches. I don't know what I'm going to do but it cannot look like this. Our place has two "front lawns" One is about 80'x30' and the driveway cuts it off then the other front lawn is a mess from the previous owners. It's about 220' x 100' and has a bunch of trees and weeds and very little grass. The previous owner never racked out there so there are years of pine needles and leaves piled up. It will take all summer just to clean it up to put seed down, so I think I'm going to have to rent a tractor and use a heavy duty rake and then grade the dirt and put some seed down.

Does anyone know of a great weed killer?

[Madman]

Originally Posted by PIMking

I weed & Feed my lawn last week and all the weeds are gone but now I have some serious brown patches. I don't know what I'm going to do but it cannot look like this. Our place has two "front lawns" One is about 80'x30' and the driveway cuts it off then the other front lawn is a mess from the previous owners. It's about 220' x 100' and has a bunch of trees and weeds and very little grass. The previous owner never racked out there so there are years of pine needles and leaves piled up. It will take all summer just to clean it up to put seed down, so I think I'm going to have to rent a tractor and use a heavy duty rake and then grade the dirt and put some seed down.

Does anyone know of a great weed killer?

The pine needles have changed the pH balance of your soil, I'd probably add some fresh soil and till it in to ensure the best conditions for your new grass.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Zevo

Sorry but this isn't completely true. Mulching actually improves your lawn as the clipped grass decomposes and adds nutrients(nitrogen?) to the lawn.

Thatch starts from a poorly cared for lawn.

Thanks for adding, I'm at work and hastily typed a reply. I never intended that there was anything wrong with mulching and completely agree with the added nutrients parts. If you cut your grass once a week there is no way those clippings are going to completely decompose every week, especially if you do not regularly keep up with the maintenance.
So basically what either of us said can be true

edit: to add to what mad man said above pine needles are very acidic. If the trees are large I would concider creating tree beds and mulching underneath.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Madman

The pine needles have changed the pH balance of your soil, I'd probably add some fresh soil and till it in to ensure the best conditions for your new grass.

I was planning on grading the land to get it as close to level as possible so it can be mowed easier.

Thanks for the information though, I might just call true green and have them deal with it.

[mikey_the_redneck]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Monsanto is testing a selective herbicide to kill quackgrass, but not not lawn grasses. The herbicide is 'Certainty'. It is commercially available from farm suppliers, but in quantities intended for acres of land.

A google search came up with this

Interesting....

Are you American by chance?

Because I heard you could get quack/crab grass herbicide at stores down there. If not, maybe I can find me some "certainty"

PS Monsanto = most evil corp. ever

[mikey_the_redneck]

Originally Posted by Madman

The pine needles have changed the pH balance of your soil, I'd probably add some fresh soil and till it in to ensure the best conditions for your new grass.

You can also add a soil neutralizer like lime.

[KTown]

I just was power raking tonight got a good jump, my south facing lawn is super dry right now. A few good points on here, you need to aerate every other year. and igf you want a real healthy thick lawn you need to fertilize 4 times a year. Thats right 4 times a year. I usually do april, June, August and then October for the winter.

I usually have the healthiest greenest grass on the street all year, I also hand water every other day in the summer as well.

[Clarkey]

Is phosphorous banned in Calgary? It seems that none of the fertilizers have phosphorous in them, only Nitrogen and Potassium.

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

Is phosphorous banned in Calgary? It seems that none of the fertilizers have phosphorous in them, only Nitrogen and Potassium.

look for a 'starter' fertilizer, like this one

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/scot...-4-59kg/967200

[moncton golden flames]

i can't believe how many people on here feel the need to have a lush lawn and to what chemical extents some of you will use.

seriously, watering your lawn every 2nd day all summer?