help a weekend warrior out - lawn plan - thanks!

11 years ago

Hi all!

Avid listener, first time caller! Wanted to get some thoughts if possible about my lawn.

Cookie cutter builder's house. Builder grade lawn. August 2011 we moved in.

I had reseeded a few times but to no avail. Last fall (September 2012) I had top dressed with Earthmate and had the area aerated and reseeded. I think they did a spike aeration so there were really no plugs. The soil is so hard to begin with.

Little growth. My lawn is all clay - lots of rocks that I have been and still am removing.

I reseeded this past week with some Rebel's Tall Fescue. But wondering what else can I do? I have an organic service that comes - they had put down espoma corn gluten a month ago.

I'm trying to avoid pesticides, but don't know if it'll get me to where I want.

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

mpwong76
Original Author
11 years ago
Here's the back swale - area
mpwong76
Original Author
11 years ago
lots of bare areas

(sorry about the multiple photos)
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chaoticut
11 years ago
If you aerate to aleivate dense soil why would you spike aerate, which would compact soil more?
mpwong76
Original Author
10 years ago
bumping for the spring crowd
UT_VOL
10 years ago
I am not one of the experts here but I seeded a new lawn a couple of weeks ago and have done a lot of researching and reading in this and other related forums.

There are two things that consistently come up in many of the forums...the application of shampoo and the application of molasses to your lawn. The former helps with the softening of the soil improving water absorption and the latter gets the microbes going. It appears you can do both concurrently. I suggest you research it and get more info. The application rate is 3oz per 1k sq ft. I put shampoo on my front lawn last weekend and so far so good. Molasses are going down tomorrow.

If you do those two things, plus the standards of mowing high and infrequent deep watering, you should not have to aerate. I have never had a lawn in the midewest but in east TN we didn't overseed until the fall.
rager_w
10 years ago
Soil test, soil test, soil test.....http://www.loganlabs.com/
BermudaTamer
10 years ago
I've had fescue and although I hate it will grow anywhere. If I had your yard I would moisten the dirt take either small tiller or metal hoe rake scratch the bare areas up and apply new seed and rake into the soil top dress with manure 1/4" thick like black cow etc. It's to late to aerate for Fescue but I have done this and it works well even had grass grown on top of my water meter.