quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
Ok, so I cut weekly now, I assume that is often enough?

Cut it often enough that you never have to remove more than 1/3 of the height.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
Another issue with my lawn is it seems to have a lot of “matted” dead/unhealthy grass. Is that due to the mowing too short? Do I need to take it out when I’m feeling better?

You'll always have some thatch--particularly if you leave the clippings on the lawn.

Ideally, the clippings will decompose and feed the lawn. But if there's not enough water or the rate the clippings are added exceed the rate at which they can decompose: You'll get thatch buildup. Some thatch is good, because it helps the soil retain moisture--especially in hot, dry, windy weather.

But too much thatch promotes mold and fungus growth, and can prevent water reaching the soil.

Whether you have too much thatch is hard to say. Would take somebody knowledgeable to see it, first-hand.

quote:

Originally posted by mjlennon:
ensigmatic, I’m gonna give your Lesco 24-0-11 with iron a try. Will provide turf report in two weeks!

Caution: Do not over-apply! Otherwise you'll be out there cutting the grass every time you turn around

If you're using a Scotts spreader there's a chart somewhere on Lesco's SiteOne's site for converting Lesco's spreader settings to your Scotts spreader.

Oh, what the heck... <*click* *click* *click*...> Here ya go: Lesco:Other Spreader Setting Conversion Chart

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
Ok, so I cut weekly now, I assume that is often enough? My mower has 4 heights, I’ve been using the second lowest. I’ll try the top today and see if I can get away with that.

Another issue with my lawn is it seems to have a lot of “matted” dead/unhealthy grass. Is that due to the mowing too short? Do I need to take it out when I’m feeling better?

dead/matted = thatch - thatch will choke grass & allow disease a place to start. Rake it out. A garden rake to rip it up, a leaf rake to clean it up. The grass will look like hell afterwards, but only because the thatch was hiding bare spots.

Fescue likes to be cut tall. I cut at 3.25 in spring, then 3.75 as it warms up (switched this last weekend). That's flat ground to bottom of blade if you want to measure.

You are better off watering more deeply, less frequently. I don't know how much 30min of irrigation gets you, but 1/2" twice a week is about enough in 85-95, humid July's we have, full sun on sandy dirt, a little more each time would be better. I let mine go dormant in August - evolution > my remembering to turn off/move sprinklers. Too cheap to put irrigation on 3/4 acre of grass. If I'd done it when I moved in, I'd probably already be at the break-even point.

Fescue likes Nitrogen & Iron. If you have hard water, you probably need Iron. The name brand stuff is more expensive per unit, but there's not a night & day difference between it & 'pro' stuff. You have a small yard, so not a lot of product to buy & ease of use is probably better. If you de-thatch, a preemergent weed & feed type product would keep the bare spots bare until the grass can spread.
Fescue will spread slowly, cutting taller will help. I'd suggest overseeding in fall. De-thatch again & spread seed, rake in, cover with straw or a matt-type product & fertilize & water.

Also, calling it a lawn sets expectations pretty high. Using the term 'yard' makes you feel better when it looks like crap.

Once a week is probably more than it needs some times of year, and less than it needs others. As ensigmatic said, cut it often enough that you don't need to remove more than a third of the blade. If you do let it get high before you cut it, cut it as high as possible and then cut it again lower a few days later.

Also, I know you've said you were told you have Fescue. Find out for sure. Different types of grass have different care needs, and different sweet spots for mow height. Cut some too low and they will never fill in as they're basically stressed all the time. Other grasses need to be kept low lest they be crowded out by other grasses or weeds that will outcompete them.

I have all fescue (I'm in the Midwest so ymmv) - first best thing is not mow too low, second is not to cut too much at once - so mow regular and next best things we do every year is aerate the yard. I dethatched a few years ago and with proper cutting timing not mowing too much off at once I found that the mulching mower does good to not add too much thatch buildup - I admit I do mow in peak season every 4 or 5 days to stay ahead of it but that is for a short window over the length of the mowing season

ETA - we also overseed annually during the core/aerate. We have been trying to establish a decent lawn over last few years - at some point overseed may not be as needed

Great article on thatch

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

You'll always have some thatch--particularly if you leave the clippings on the lawn.

This is not correct, thatch is not from clippings on top. I used to think this as well.

Thatch is all UNDERNEATH, it's dead roots, stems and other buildup.

OP: A good mower will mulch the grass well and not leave piles/rows of cut grass like I see all over with cheap side-discharge mowers. My Honda HRX-217 purees the grass so finely you barely even see it when I have it on Mulch and and not Bag. It's an amazing mower and worth every penny it cost.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
This is not correct, thatch is not from clippings on top.

I wasn't entirely correct, nor was I entirely incorrect.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Thatch is all UNDERNEATH, it's dead roots, stems and other buildup.

And part of that buildup is clippings that settle to the top of the soil and don't decompose.

The others are correct. You are mowing WAY too short.

Unless you have one of the less common types of grass, and the photos don't appear to show that, 2.5 to 3.5 inches is the proper height to mow to. The hotter and drier it is, the longer you need to leave it.

Depending on climate, for example here, in the St, Louis Area, you can mow it pretty short for the first couple cuttings of the year (April) or the last few (October/November) but as it heats up, you need to leave it long. in July/Aug, you should pretty much have your mower on the highest setting.

If you insist on mowing it lower, you will have to put an unbelievable amount of water on it, and that's gonna get real expensive.

The best option for most lawns is an early application of fertilizer, along with preemergent weed control. When the turf emerges from dormant is when to put this down.

about 5 weeks later, a good application of weed n feed.

IF you water, then a summer application of that as well.

A late fall fertilizer and either overseed, or weed control. Not both, as the weed control will kill the seed and waste your money.

IF you have any evergreen trees in the area, I'd also do a lime treatment in the fall/winter.

Kevin

KevinCW,
While I agree with everything you just wrote...
I have to ask: Are you getting old?
It doesn't seem like long ago... you wouldn't have cared a wit about this topic.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
KevinCW,
While I agree with everything you just wrote...
I have to ask: Are you getting old?
It doesn't seem like long ago... you wouldn't have cared a wit about this topic.

Hahaha. Kinda...

Believe it or not, I actually used to work for a lawncare company... Trugreen. I needed a job to save up for the academy and worked there for a year and a half as the guy who drove the truck and applied the chemicals. It was hard work, but I learned some stuff.

The company, I'm lukewarm on... Their products actually work, but their business model, as far as employees are concerned, focus on absolute sales as opposed to the end result. They have a sales team that over promises and a work team that under performs.

If you get an honest sales guy, and a good, honest lawn guy, they will do wonders for your lawn provided you understand it is a process. Results won't happen overnight (which is what their sales guys tend to claim, and give customers the expectation that your lawn will look like a golf course 2 days after a single application). They WILL make your lawn look great, but it will take a couple years of their program, and YOU doing your part to water the lawn and mow it properly.

If you aren't going to put in the work to do your part (and find a guy who knows what bullshit they sell that isn't worth it and is worth it) AND make sure the guy actually puts the chemicals down.... it will work.

Two of the biggest problems we had there (other than the sales team lying) is the lazy, unethical lawn guys who would find out a homeowner isn't home and just post the flag claiming they put down the chemicals while actually not doing so. When I worked there (admittedly 16 years ago) we were NOT ALLOWED to come back to the station until we had a certain dollar amount of "work" done. As in they charged a set dollar amount for each lawn, which was negotiable. Yes, there was a formula based upon square footage, but if someone called to cancel, or other wheelin' and dealin', the price was subject to the sales team.... So let's say the average lawn price was 50 dollars, we couldn't come in for the day until we had done AT LEAST 1k in applications for the day... 1200 was expected, and 1.5k was a "good" day. Then they had weekly averages... You had to get on the Nextel and radio in with what you had done and they would "allow" you to come in... If your amount wasn't enough, they told you to stay out. And they paid you extra commission if you surpassed those weekly goals. So guys got tempted to fudge the numbers. Fill out the invoice, post the flag, make sure the person wasn't home... on the the next one.

One guy got caught posting 1.5k worth of lawns by 2pm each day and them dumping his chemicals into a ditch in the boonies every day.... Never applied a drop of the chemicals.

Get a good, honest guy, it was good stuff. Get a shady guy and it was a rip off.

Hated that job cause I was honest and worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, but it was an ends to a means.

Kevin

Possibly changing the watering schelude to the actual evening hours which would allow the water to actually sink and be absorbed in to the deeper root system before the early morning sunlight bring the heat of the rising sun drying out the ground before the watering process can be benifical.................. drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
Possibly changing the watering schelude to the actual evening hours which would allow the water to actually sink and be absorbed in to the deeper root system before the early morning sunlight bring the heat of the rising sun drying out the ground before the watering process can be benifical.................. drill sgt.

Watering a lawn at night is not a good idea at all, leads to all sorts of problems like fungus. Early morning is what the experts advise.

And keep your mower blade sharp so that the grass is cut instead of ripping off the top. Makes for healthier grass.

6 Reasons Why You MUST Keep Your Lawn Mower Blades Sharp

Dreaming of a lush, green lawn this summer? Well, it’ll stay that way – a dream – unless you make sure your lawn mower blade is sharp and ready to rock and roll, before you wheel your lawn mower out onto the grass. Most people don’t realize the importance of keeping lawn mower blades sharp until it’s too late and the damage is already done. And it’s not something that has an instant fix either. Well not unless you’re willing to rip your whole lawn up and lay some new turf down right away!

Keep Lawn Mower Blades Sharp

What Happens If You Use a Lawn Mower with a Dull Blade

When a mower’s blade is nice and sharp, the cut it produces is very clean; rather like a pair of scissors slicing through a sheet of paper. But when the blade is worn and dull, it’s akin to you tearing that same sheet of paper with your hands. The result? Grass that has frayed, torn ends. And here are just a few of the likely consequences:

Severe Lawn Discoloration (Typically Brown) – The torn, mangled ends you’ll see on your grass if you look closely after using a dull blade, lead to a loss of moisture. This moisture is wicked away or evaporated directly from the grass blade, causing it to dry up and become “dehydrated” which is what causes those ugly brown patches to start popping up all over your lawn.

Significant Risk of Lawn Diseases – Dull blades leave open wounds on the grass blades – rather like an old razor blade leaving cuts on your skin after a shave – which gives disease spores a direct entry point. And there are a whole host of lawn diseases that grass could fall victim to, with fungal diseases being the biggest danger. Some common fungal lawn diseases include Leaf Spot (Helminthosproium), Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia Homeocarpa) and Leaf Blight.

Aesthetically It Sucks – While it might not be as severe a consequence as some of the other points we’ve raised on this list, the simple fact is that your lawn just won’t look good. When you’ve got thousands and thousands of grass blades with frayed ends making up your lawn, it’s unattractive. And it won’t matter how good your fertilizer is, as it’s not going to repair the damage done by a dull blade.

Less Resistant to Heat, Drought and Pests – A lawn that isn’t in the best health is also at greater risk of problems with pests, and will be less able to cope with extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves and droughts.

And the Consequences Aren’t Limited to Your Lawn Either: Your Lawn Mower Suffers Too!
Yep, you heard right. Not only will the health and appearance of your lawn be affected, but you’ll be doing harm to your mower as well. Here’s how:

More Strain on Mower Components – When a mower’s blade is sharp, it slices right through the grass it encounters as you’re pushing it the mower along. However, when the blade is dull, the individual grass blades actually wrap themselves around the blade momentarily, before the momentum causes the top of the grass blade to be ripped off. This puts significantly more strain on the mower itself, and over time will shorten its usable lifespan. So in the long run you’ll either find yourself paying out more for repairs, or buying a replacement mower much sooner than you anticipated.

You’ll Use More Energy Too – That extra strain we just mentioned has another unwanted impact; you’ll need to use more energy than you would if the blade were as sharp as it should be. So if you’re mowing with a gas mower, you’ll go through more gas, and if you’re using an electric mower, you’ll use more electric. And with cordless electric models, this extra strain will have a significant impact upon the runtime you’re able to get out of each charge too. So more charging, more waiting around…you get the picture.

https://lawnmowerguru.com/6-re...-mower-blades-sharp/

That is also good advice above about sharp mower blades.

Also about the watering times. Early morning is best, about at first light. Also you are better to water for longer, less frequently as opposed to daily short watering.

Instead of 10 minutes 6 days, do 20 minutes 3 days, or 30 minutes 2 days a week. That promotes deeper roots which will help grass get water easier when it is dry conditions