I've never owned a place with a lawn until I made a purchase last Fall. This house has about 2000sq ft of lawn front & back, doesn't seem like much in the grand scheme. I let the lawn grow through the Winter but, now that its warmed up and its growing again, time to do maintenance.
What do I need to know?
Mower & edger...what do I need to know?
Fertilizer, seeds, patches...?

Look up and subscribe to The Lawn Care Nut on YouTube

Also there are a TON of knowledgeable people here.

You'll never go wrong with a Toro or Honda lawnmower.

Thelawnforum dot com is pretty good.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

What do I need to know?

#1 mistake a lot of people make is cutting the grass WAY too short. You don't need to make it like a golf course and that's actually not healthy at all for the grass.

Set your mower to almost the highest setting (I usually do my Honda one or two notches down from the highest which is 4 inches) and don't scalp the lawn.

What you have to do depends mostly on how you want the end result to look like. From just presentable enough to stop the neighbors from making fun of you through sod farm level to tennis court level almost perfection. The latter can get you in trouble with envious neighbors too. Each level up costs more time and money. For example, if you are successful at eliminating weeds, which also means effectively achieving a monoculture of a particular grass species, you will then have to deal with insect and fungus problems, pests that thrive in a monoculture, but are usually not noticeable in a typical mix of grass types and weeds. There are many trade-offs of this nature in a turf-growing situation.

If you just want a green lawn, then putting in the right grass for your area (check with your county extension agent), mowing, and trimming will get you there. Trying to force a bluegrass lawn in a climate that favors Zoysia, is an exercise in frustration. If you are in Sonoma, as your location implies, you likely have a good variety of seed mixes to choose from.

A keys issue is what your current lawn looks like, and its composition. This will determine whether you work to boost the existing grasses, or kill it all and start over. This is not always an easy decision. Building a nice lawn from scratch requires quite a bit of work, "improving" an existing lawn can be done incrementally, and at least you have something green in place rather than brown, bare soil for a few months.

Also, timing is very important, and very dependent on your environmental conditions, and grass species. For example, it is usually a mistake to fertilize cold-season grasses (those that stay green in the winter) in the Spring. At this time of year, the grass is trying to make a seed head, and not foliage, fertilization just increases this tendency. As after most reproductive events, too much effort in that area can lead to enervation, and an inability to resist predators. Better to fertilize in late Summer, early Fall when the grass is trying to build foliage to last through Winter. Depending on the micro-climate of your particular stand of turf, regular or as-needed irrigation can also come into play. It isn't easy in many areas to have a top-quality lawn without a permanent irrigation system in place. Probably not an issue in Sonoma, I suspect.

As implied above, your county extension agent is your best resource. These guys generally love to help an aspiring homeowner with specific recommendations for their local area, and usually have a lot of free time on their hands. Get your soil tested (usually free), and learn what are the best practices and products for your area.

You will need a mower, string trimmer, edger (perhaps available as an attachment to a trimmer "head") at a minimum. You may also need watering equipment (hoses and sprinklers), a fertilizer spreader, and a hose-end sprayer for weed control.

If you are going for the golf course look, be prepared to do much more. For example, golf courses are usually mowed daily, not weekly as is typical for homeowner plots.

As a first have your soil tested and then choose appropriate grass for your climate zone.

Great info folks, really appreciate it.

What's the word on mowers and trimmers, with a relatively small lawn areas, I know I don't need a sit-down, however I also don't want to get too small of a mower.... Electric-battery seems convenient over 2-stroke, as the capability to inter-change batteries with other tools is appealing. Is there a certain sales promotion period for retailers on such? Any brands or, features to be on the look-out for?

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Great info folks, really appreciate it.

What's the word on mowers and trimmers, with a relatively small lawn areas, I know I don't need a sit-down, however I also don't want to get too small of a mower.... Electric-battery seems convenient over 2-stroke, as the capability to inter-change batteries with other tools is appealing. Is there a certain sales promotion period for retailers on such? Any brands or, features to be on the look-out for?

I have a Kobalt battery leaf blower and weed wacker that are surprisingly powerful and I'm happy with both but after doing a lot of research on battery mowers and my situation requiring a lot of leaf mulching, I decided to stick with gas and got a Honda HRX-217. You will find fans of battery mowers here and one of them may work perfectly for your situation. Ego seems to be the dominant brand and it's a good idea to stick with one brand for battery compatibility; I can use the same set of batteries for my two Kobalt devices.

Step #1 - determine which type of grass you have - cool season (e.g. Kentucky Bluegrass) or warm season (e.g. St Augustine). I'm assuming "Wine Country" means California which is a transition area so you could have either. I've had the nicest lawn on the block in both the north and the south, and while there are a lot of similarities there are also a lot of differences. The biggest differences are the growth cycle and what herbicides can be used.





Step #2 - what are your goals (e.g. keep it alive or do you want to have the nicest lawn on the block)? Are your goals going to change as you age?

My Dad did something brilliant when he was my age and I've been emulating. He put in sweat equity in late 40s and early 50s to make the lawn easier when he was a senior citizen. For example, he is able to have a nice lawn that he mows entirely on a tractor without having to use a weedeater or trim mower. That involved installing rock landscaping all sides of house and the edging with something low enough the tractor deck can clear. I don't have a lawn big enough for a tractor, but I've been doing projects to make it easier to care for with just a self-propelled lawnmower. So far I've eliminated 10% of my mowable area.

Step #3 - Determine how you're going to irrigate it. A lawn needs water or it'll either die or go dormant. If it has a sprinkler system, make sure it has a 100% coverage before you get in the heat of summer (it sucks digging up a sprinkler in August). It can be as simple as setting out an empty tuna can in a zone and measuring how much water is in the can after 10 minutes. If it doesn't have a sprinkler system, you're going to need some hoses and sprinklers. I'd suggest a Nelson Rain cast iron traveling lawn sprinkler. Having a hose that kinks is an exercise in frustration, and I highly recommend Flexzilla garden hoses.

Step #4 - purchase mower (I'm on my 23rd year with a Toro Recycler), a weedeater, an edger, a blower, a broadcast spreader ( Scott's edge guard mini is perfect for your sized lawn. I used to own one), and a hose end liquid sprayer (I like my Chapin). I've converted over to a Ryobi 40V battery system for weedeater, edger, and blower. They have the quick attach system and I change back and forth between edger and weedeater.

Step #5 - don't use Weed and Feed. It sucks at both fertilizing and weed killing. Also, frequently contains an herbicide that is horrible for tree roots and shrub roots.

Step #6 - soil test. Between it and your grass type, it'll help you select the right fertilizer. Warm season or cool season will determine when to apply (e.g. Northerners would be shocked how much fertilizer an irrigated warm season lawn can handle in the middle of summer). Doubtful the soil test will come back with the big box store's 29-0-2 fertilizer. Here in Texas, my soil test keeps matching the standard Texas 3-1-2 ratio (e.g. a 15-5-10 or a 6-2-4). I mostly use a product made locally in Houston, but YardMastery (i.e. the aforementioned Lawn Care Nut on YouTube) and The Andersons (i.e. affiliated with How to With Doc on YouTube) are both products I've purchased online and liked. I use a granular and apply with broadcast spreader.

Step #7 - weed prevention. Much better to prevent the weed or crabgrass than try to kill it later. My experience with warm season and cool season lawns is both benefitted from spring and fall weed prevention applications. I use a granular and apply with broadcast spreader.

Step #8 - weed killer (i.e. herbicide) as necessary. The specific chemical will really depend on whether you have warm season or cool season grass. Many popular national brand herbicides will kill a warm season lawn so select carefully. Northerners are well meaning when giving advice but if you have a warm season lawn then blindly listening to them could kill your entire lawn. Also, herbicides typically have a temperature maximum listed on the label (usually 80 or 85) and applying when it's hotter than that can kill the lawn. I use a liquid and apply with a hose end sprayer.

2000 sq ft is equivalent to a 100' x 20' strip - not much comparatively, less than 1/20th of an acre. I'd buy a cheap gas mower from big box central and you're finished in less than 10 minutes. Lot of people don't like gas but I do. Use Stabil, StarTron, SeaFoam or other stabilizer of your choice or, even better, buy non-ethanol gas if you can.

Scatter seed and water it. I don't use weedkiller on my lawn and I like clover so my maintenance is mowing weekly, or when it needs it, and let God do the rest.

subscribed!

+1 on Soil testing, almost free thru your county cooperative extension (It's a subsidized Farmers resource thing)

Aeration every 1-2 years (PITA but worth it to me especially after the soil settles)

The do it yourself chemicals and such are WAY overpriced now, I tried and tried for years. Started using a service "TurfMedic" now (WeedMan before that). 100% better results, for not really much more, especially in terms of weed control. My little yard is ~$60 per treatment, 7 treatments a year (Includes flea, tick and ant control, but not aeration, overseeding or lime. It took ~6 months to really kick in. Wish I went this way from the start.

This is very interesting reading. I’m a live and let live sort of person typically, so my lawn is the dandelion filled one in the spring..feeding the pollinators and all that. Also have a pretty lush lawn compared to my neighbors, but I definitely cut it at above 3”, and I think that’s the trick.
Maybe I’m remembering wrong, but I think we have an pro expert on lawn care here.. mark123?

Ok, got a soil test kit and having that done. Did some weeding filling up the green can and used the pitch fork poking holes all over the place.

Got an eGO trimmer and their basic mower, I already had a leaf blower so, I figured to stick with a common battery. Also helped I had a number of gift cards from Amazon which helped soften the overall cost.

Getting an edger not sure I need, perhaps a hand tool. I can do some hand-work and turn the trimmer on its side...we'll see.

Any recommendations on weed killers for driveway and asphalt? I'm not against using 'the good stuff' but, also want to be aware of what's necessary and unnecessary.

Rhw Lawn Care Nut Group

Look no further! Cheers.

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:
… Maybe I’m remembering wrong, but I think we have an pro expert on lawn care here.. mark123?

I’m just a guy that make people’s grass grow taller and then make it shorter.

I’m getting out of the shortening end of it though.

Tatortodd has it all covered. I agree with everything, Toro mower, soil test, water, slow release fertilizer.

Getting a professional mower will last you forever and parts are easy to source and install.

Here’s a great article on Cation Exchange Capacity: https://www.turfcaresupply.com...20cation%20nutrients.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Getting an edger not sure I need, perhaps a hand tool. I can do some hand-work and turn the trimmer on its side...we'll see.

You can most definitely edge with a weedeater turned on its side. I have a corner lot with curb and sidewalk so due to the volume of edging I prefer the stick edger. However, if I had a normal lot I probably would just turn the weedeater on its side.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Any recommendations on weed killers for driveway and asphalt? I'm not against using 'the good stuff' but, also want to be aware of what's necessary and unnecessary.

A couple options in non-selective herbicides:

41% Glyphosate (aka Round Up). It's the tried and true kill everything solution for driveway expansion joints. The generic Glyphosate is cheaper than Roundup as it's usually more concentrated (i.e. pay for less water). However, California (I'm assuming that's what wine country means) has many counties who have banned it.

Spectracide Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate (Lowe's and True Value stores carry it) has a combo of 3 herbicides in it and is likely an option in counties that have banned Glyphosate.

20% vinegar. It's 4x more concentrated that household vinegar and unlikely to be banned.

Most fun way is with a weed burner:

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Great info folks, really appreciate it.

What's the word on mowers and trimmers, with a relatively small lawn areas, I know I don't need a sit-down, however I also don't want to get too small of a mower.... Electric-battery seems convenient over 2-stroke, as the capability to inter-change batteries with other tools is appealing. Is there a certain sales promotion period for retailers on such? Any brands or, features to be on the look-out for?

Aren't gas lawn equipment being phased out by law in CA? Sounds like you'd need to go Electric, which is good enough to take care of a small yard.

Lowes here has discounts on EGO lawn mowers, imagine you could go with the least expensive model for that small of a yard.

You'd probably want the rear bagger to pick up clippings.

An Ego string trimmer and a blower is really all you need, maybe get the hedge trimmer if you plan on keeping them tidy.

Batteries are interchangeable, be sure to register everything online with EGO for warranty, tool, battery, chargers all have s/n

^^^
2-stroke engines manufactured AFTER 2024 are banned for sale in the state; basically retailers can sell-thru their inventory and that's it. I wouldn't say there's a run on chain saws and generators, the last five years people have fortified their garages given all the fires and power outages, however later this year, we'll see.

I posted earlier that I did get eGO trimmer and mower, mainly for battery compatibility since I already had eGO items. Costco has been promoting Greenworks tools, I don't have any experience with them but, some experiences I've heard is they're the value alternative to eGO. I've got some Makita tools, and they were another consideration.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
^^^
2-stroke engines manufactured AFTER 2024 are banned for sale in the state; basically retailers can sell-thru their inventory and that's it. I wouldn't say there's a run on chain saws and generators, the last five years people have fortified their garages given all the fires and power outages, however later this year, we'll see.

I posted earlier that I did get eGO trimmer and mower, mainly for battery compatibility since I already had eGO items. Costco has been promoting Greenworks tools, I don't have any experience with them but, some experiences I've heard is they're the value alternative to eGO. I've got some Makita tools, and they were another consideration.

OK that makes sense, but at some point CA is fully E-Lawn stuff, Greenworks is good, so is the Lowes Kobalt line.

Sticking with the same line due to battery type being swapable is good, if you get an Ego mower now they have a deal where you get a second battery for free, that's a $300 deal because it's a bigger battery, makes the after purchase net mower cost $299 taking into account the freebee.

Ego Mower with Free spare battery Link

Ego Trimmer on Sale Link

Ego Blower w/Battery on Sale Link