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| We purchased a house late last fall and I'm in the midst of brainstorming how to repair the lawn. Here are the main concerns...
1. Quite mossy - there's big patches covering random parts, about 50% of my entire lawn. One part is obvious.... It's always moist because of the grade and where it is. You can walk over there and feel the ground squish it's so wet. That's way down at the end though. The rest is more up hill and far away... Some parts are in full sun, some in partial shade. I have to do a soil test, but I'm assuming it's acidic? 2. Our entire yard is covered in pebbles! I know they laid down new soil to prep for the sale and put some seed down... I don't know if they picked the cheapest soil in the world or what... When you rake the lawn vigorously you can literally see little pebbles hopping into the air. 3. Super patchy. There are MANY areas of absolutely nothing - parts that are as big as 2 square feet. And to add insult to injury there are other patches of super green lush grass but it grows in a weird tuft, like a random round grass pillow. So! What should I do? I've talked to many neighbors and have gotten a very mixed response of the following.... - use something to kill everything then buy new loam and reseed everything
Clearly mixed responses. I know lime is probably important. I like the idea of tilling but won't that just churn the bad stuff underneath and allow it to grow again? I'd hate to buy loam for the whole yard.... That can get super expensive. Also, some friends are saying I should do this now before the summer arrives while others are saying wait until September. My thoughts: kill everything, till it endlessly til it's well mixed, till in lime, seed it, water it, cross fingers. Not sure when & not sure what else to till in. Thoughts?? (by the way, I'm in central Massachusetts) |
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| I suggest you dig a couple of holes (one in the mushy area and a couple in the dryer areas) to get a cross section of what is there for the first 12" (top soil, clay, sand gravel). I've seen lawns that have had swamp muck in one area and clay, even sand in another. How big is your lot? Get back with the results of your holes and the size of your lawn--don't worry about taking plug samples or soil tests yet-- and I'm sure you'll get the advice you need. |
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| What is the point of these holes grass1950? So you see what the soil layers are like, then what? |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Wed, May 9, 12 at 1:22
| Why would soil always be moist due to the grade? The water has to be coming from somewhere. Is that area a bowl that collects water and does not drain? Lime may or may not be important. You cannot know which kind of lime or how much without a soil test. By using the wrong kind of lime and guessing at the amount, you could set yourself up for a much worse situation. Tilling will set up a problem 3 years in the future. Tilling is popularly used for garden beds. When used on a lawn it creates a bumpy surface after the soil settles. The cheapest soil in the world is sand. I love sand as a base for a lawn. So does every golf course in the country. Your soil can be repaired much more easily than you are thinking. How are you watering? How long and how often? When were the last two times you fertilized? |
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| The purpose of the holes is to see what the builder covered up with the so called "topsoil" and see how deep the "topsoil" layer is to 1. determine if aditional soil is needed or if what lies beneath is sand and it may be better to just grade off the junk the builder put on and 2. get an idea why the wet areas are wet--whether for instance, it just needs regrading or if it may be an underground water (or swamp) situation and a french drain might be considered. Why wouldn't you want to know what is there and how deep the topsoil is? |
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