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bacaruda

Weeds overtaking my lawn too,,,!

bacaruda
12 years ago

I have similar if not same problem as ephyfe. But heeding the advice given him, I am seeking advice as to what action to take before I do something more harmful. I have attached pics, but new to photobucket, see how it goes. I just used Expert brand 28-0-3 weed and feed a few weeks ago. It did kill a small patch of clover, but nothing else. I just put alot of work in on this in the spring. Plugging aerator, leaf-gro top soil, sun shade mix. Most of the new plants are all brown.

HELP!

jim.

Here is a link that might be useful: Poor Yard

Comments (10)

  • bacaruda
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Forgot to mention, I deep watered yesterday. Large coverage oscillating prinkler, took 5hrs to get an inch.
    This sound right? I hope our well can supply that once a week, if that's what is recomended.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yowzaa! I don't know if this is the year of bad weeds or the year of good photography!!

    First of all 5 hours is good for an oscillator. Mine takes 8 hours to get an inch. 1/8 inch per hour.

    Secondly, here is the consolidated wisdom of the ages on this forum: don't ever use weed-n-feed. You will not get the results you expect to get. It has such an appealing name and the concept is great, but the chemicals used just can't deliver. The problem is that weeds die best when they are the healthiest and sucking in all the soil has to offer. When you apply wnf, you get an immediate weed killing effect and a delayed fertilizer effect. By the time the fertilizer kicks in on the weeds, the herbicide is long gone. It is the worst of both worlds. It is much better to use a real fertilizer (but not in this heat) followed 2 weeks later by a real herbicide (but not in this heat).

    Your real problem now is you have grassy weeds. You cannot selectively kill grasses in among your real grass. Do you still have the bag of grass seed you used? I suspect it had a relatively high weed seed content. That's not necessarily so, but with the mix you have it is a good possibility. Really good grass seed is expensive. This is your hobby so you have to decide. The good news is that your coarse bladed weeds are crabgrass. Crabgrass is a hot season annual grass. It will die completely in the fall. Furthermore it will not come back in the spring except by new seed sprouting. Bad news there is you have puh-lenty of new seed. But the good news is you also have Kentucky bluegrass in your mix. Your job this fall is to get as much KBG spreading as you possibly can. If you can get 100% coverage with KBG and keep it mowed up to 3 inches, then you have an excellent shot at a weed free lawn all next season with minimal attention.

    Also, NEVER SEED IN THE SPRING OR SUMMER, unless you absolutely have no alternative. Your lawn is really not that unusual for a spring seeded lawn. We try to tell people this year after year but some still slip through. There should be a law against selling grass seed before late August.

    If you decide to do some thing really drastic like redo this lawn, my observation is that the soil level is higher than the bottom of the house. It is hard to see because of the shadow so it might be an illusion. If that is the case, then before you start a renovation on this lawn, soil should be removed, not brought in. This would normally be a job for a landscaper but you live in WV. You guys are animals and may prefer to do it yourself. All water should drain away from the buildings no matter what. If you develop a puddle next to the house when it rains, that is a serious problem. Any soil can be improved from the surface without plowing or rototilling, so when I see someone bringing in new topsoil, I start looking for known issues.

    Keep the water on it if you can. Let it grow up to 4 or even 5 inches before mowing. Summer heat is enough stress. Mowing it short causes much more stress. Wait until it cools off to the low 80s before mowing it back to 3 inches. It will be stressed but should be okay since the temps are cooler. If you cannot resist the temptation to do something good for the grass, then use organic fertilizer. You can get it cheap in the form of Purina Rabbit Chow at the feed store. Apply at 20 pound per 1,000 square feet every 3-4 weeks and you will be surprised how good it looks. Oh I can't resist the urge. Here is mrmumbles alfalfa test in his zoysia lawn from June this year. This shows what to expect from alfalfa pellets.

    {{gwi:80252}}

  • bacaruda
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Okie Dokie, Thanks,
    First the seeding was patches, most has died or dormant. The mix was one of the Pennington seed bags..?? good bad? I'll try do do the weekly deep water on our test back yard.
    I currently mulch mow at highest setting, I'd have to measure. I'll continue that, but you say cut to 3" in fall?
    You like the KBG, should I overseed everything in the fall with that? Or hit the patches I did in the fall, or both?
    I just got a bag of Milorganite, use or go with the rabbit food?

    Oh BTW, you have the eye, but you think it's all crabgrass?
    I thought we had a couple of intruders.
    I thought the seed stalks were ok,just mow them before they fall. NOT! ? ? Should I mow before any seed stalks?

    Thanks,
    Jim

  • ephyfe
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "It is much better to use a real fertilizer (but not in this heat) followed 2 weeks later by a real herbicide (but not in this heat). "

    dchall, what's the most effective herbicide out there that won't kill the grass and can be connected to and sprayed on with a garden hose? Our lawns have too many weeds to go around with a spray bottle so I'm thinking hose is the best method.

  • bacaruda
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You like the KBG, should I overseed everything in the fall with that? Or hit the patches I did in the fall, or both?

    Im sorry should be patches I did in the spring.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In my opinion seeds and seed stalks are not as important as getting a dense turf and doing proper watering.

    Use the Milorganite. In fact look for sales on it this time of year.

    I have learned from friends in the KBG community that 3 inches really is THE height to mow it. The highest setting is good for fescues, rye, and St Augustine in the south.

    Pennington seed will have weed seed in it. With seed you really get what you pay for. When you pay a lot for it, you get 0.00% weed and 0.00% other crop. The problem is the really bad weeds have seeds the size of dust. You can have 0.001% weed and it might be a few thousand seeds.

    Looks like crabgrass to me, but you have a much better view and in 3-D. The broadleaf grass looks like crabgrass. A look alike grass is dallisgrass. That is a little different deal. You need to kill that stuff because it comes back year after year. It is a perennial grass.

    If you overseed again, use the Pennington because it is a match to what you already have. No sense goofing up the look with distinctly different grass types. The reason to overseed would be to get the density faster. KBG will become dense but perhaps not on your schedule. It could take a full year to fill in unless you put more seed in.

  • flightfreek
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I HAD TERRIBLE RESULTS WITH PENNINGTON GRASS SEED. ALL OF MY TIME, EFFORT, AND MONEY WAS WASTED. FOLLOWING ALL DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER RESULTED IN NEAR 80% CRABGRASS. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE. I BELIEVE THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOME KIND OF PRODUCT CONTAMINATION BEFORE PACKAGING. I HAD NEAR ZERO CRABGRASS BEFORE RE-DOING A SECTION THAT WAS NEGLECTED BY A PREVIOUS OWNER. ITS LIKE THE WASTE PRODUCT SOMEHOW GOT PACKAGED FOR SALE. ANYONE WITH SIMILAR RESULTS?

  • nearandwest
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ flightfreek:

    Did you do your seeding in the Spring season or in the Fall season?

  • dchall_san_antonio
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think we know the answer to that one. Crabgrass does not germinate in the fall.

    flightfreek, it was not your seed but your timing. KBG seed takes three weeks of constant moisture to germinate. Crabgrass takes about 3 days of constant moisture. So your crabgrass had about 15-18 days of perfect growing conditions before the first seed of KBG sprouted.

  • nearandwest
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @dchall:

    I was going to go into a teachable moment with flightfreek but you beat me to it...lol.

    I didn't see anywhere in his post where he states that he has KBG, although the reference to Pennington seed may be the indicator.

    I also noticed 2 other things:

    1. flightfreek just registered for this site yesterday.
    2. flightfreek, please stop shouting!