Phil's Lawn Care...In Progress.
- Thread starter DCiFound
- Start date
DCiFound
SEAHAWKS!!
I would like to solute to the group of grass that are survivors. These guys are troopers to come out of hibernation.
Before the overhaul
9/5/2015
This was much more work than i anticipated and im glad the prep work is over. Now for the relaxation of kicking back and drinking my Henry's, while i water the grass seeds
Now for the prep work. Saturday morning at 8am, went to home depot and rented a power rake. The lawn has almost an inch of thatch, if not more. And the thatching rake would take me forever to do. $60 seems more feasible for 4 hours, than a long back breaking weekend of raking. I wouldnt have come close to a machine doing the work in 1 hour.
After power raking, i raked up most of the dead moss and grass, which was 90% in the backyard. I really wasnt expecting this after power raking. You can see where the ground would water log. TBH, i never looked really hard to see how much moss was actually in the ground. If i knew, i wouldve used moss killer. Since i already started, i decided to cover it up.
The front yard wasnt much better.
The top part of the pic area has thin coverage. Gravel has embedded themselves into the soil. You can see how compact that area is. I am skeptical that grass will grow there. We will see, as i still have hope.
Returned the power rake and rented the aerator. I wasnt sure if i could do both within the 4 hour limit, so i just rented one at a time. I can say, the aerator was a b**** to move around. I had to man handle a 300lb contraption vertically and horizontally through the lawn. There is a lever that made it a workout out as well. The lever lowers the wheels to the ground, so i could turn it. You can see it in the pic, the lever and wheels are used to lift the machine up and tines are off the ground. Both levers and trying to control it in a straight line was zero fun and i was worn out. Glad i had a break while returning the aerator to go pick up compost. It was the only part of the job i hated. I mustve been that worn out that i didnt take any pics of what the aerator looks like.
Here are the results of aerating in the front yard. Aerating is a good start, but i need the soil test results, to know what i need to add to the soil. Well, thats what happens when you turn in the soil test, a week before doing the renovation.
Picked up 2 yards of compost.
While i was waiting for a wheelbarrow to arrive, i did some hand shoveling. It was more work and didnt get the results i was looking for. A shovel and garden rake is all i used.
Shovel method and a lot of work to get that much on the ground.
I use the back of the garden rake to spread the dirt around. You can see some bare spots by the bricks.
Not to long after taking the pics, the wheelbarrow showed up. Now to make mounds and get the job done faster.
That was the end of Saturday. I ended up short on compost and i didnt plan to use so much.
Before the overhaul
9/5/2015
This was much more work than i anticipated and im glad the prep work is over. Now for the relaxation of kicking back and drinking my Henry's, while i water the grass seeds
After power raking, i raked up most of the dead moss and grass, which was 90% in the backyard. I really wasnt expecting this after power raking. You can see where the ground would water log. TBH, i never looked really hard to see how much moss was actually in the ground. If i knew, i wouldve used moss killer. Since i already started, i decided to cover it up.
The front yard wasnt much better.
The top part of the pic area has thin coverage. Gravel has embedded themselves into the soil. You can see how compact that area is. I am skeptical that grass will grow there. We will see, as i still have hope.
Returned the power rake and rented the aerator. I wasnt sure if i could do both within the 4 hour limit, so i just rented one at a time. I can say, the aerator was a b**** to move around. I had to man handle a 300lb contraption vertically and horizontally through the lawn. There is a lever that made it a workout out as well. The lever lowers the wheels to the ground, so i could turn it. You can see it in the pic, the lever and wheels are used to lift the machine up and tines are off the ground. Both levers and trying to control it in a straight line was zero fun and i was worn out. Glad i had a break while returning the aerator to go pick up compost. It was the only part of the job i hated. I mustve been that worn out that i didnt take any pics of what the aerator looks like.
Here are the results of aerating in the front yard. Aerating is a good start, but i need the soil test results, to know what i need to add to the soil. Well, thats what happens when you turn in the soil test, a week before doing the renovation.
Picked up 2 yards of compost.
While i was waiting for a wheelbarrow to arrive, i did some hand shoveling. It was more work and didnt get the results i was looking for. A shovel and garden rake is all i used.
Shovel method and a lot of work to get that much on the ground.
I use the back of the garden rake to spread the dirt around. You can see some bare spots by the bricks.
Not to long after taking the pics, the wheelbarrow showed up. Now to make mounds and get the job done faster.
That was the end of Saturday. I ended up short on compost and i didnt plan to use so much.
Last edited:
DCiFound
SEAHAWKS!!
I couldnt get all the pics in 1 post. This is the 2nd half of the post above.
Here comes sunday morning at 10am. Picked another yard of compost to finish the yard and raise the corners where the downspouts are. It ended up being 2pm when it was finally done.
Now, its time to lay down some grass seeds. Isnt this the whole point of prepping. I used Scotts Pacific NW grass seed mix with 2x less watering. The mix has two types of Perennial Ryegrass and two types of Annual Fescue for my region. I should see some growth by this weekend.
9/6/2015
Reading the label, 7lbs is 2,300 sq ft for overseeding, which i was doing. If i combine the front and back yard, its just under 2000 sq ft.
I used the back of my leaf rake to mix the seeds with the compost to get the seed to soil contact. Most important in seed germination.
After taking this pic, i realized that this yard needs a new lawn seeding. 7lbs for 1150 sq ft according to the label.
I went out and bought another bag. This is a better bunch of seeds. Yes, that is a weed and you will get them at the beginning. Lots of watering will encourage them to grow. Leave them there and wait til after the 2nd mowing to start pulling them. Doing it now will disturb the germination and can cause delay in growth or death.
I then watered the seeds and finished off the day with yellow tape.
Couldnt forget the little island of grass.
Well, this Labor day morning, i was able to sleep in. Rain was in the forecast this morning and watered the lawn for me. Before the mid day watering, i added starter fertilizer to help give nutrients to the soil, to help promote growth.
9/7/2015
Now, there is a couple of ways to determine how much fert to add to a lawn. Whether it be weed and feed, starter fert or just regular lawn food. To determine how much to add, we will be using the numbers on the bag. If you dont like math, then i will try to make it as simple as possible.
We will use the Sta-Green starter fert from Lowes. On the bottom left of the bag, you can see 18lbs and it covers 5000 sq ft. On the right side, you see three numbers. 18-24-6, which indicates, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium(Potash); aka NPK. I dont look at anything but Nitrogen, since that can cause lawn burn if to much is applied. Rule of thumb is, 1lb of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft per application. No more, or browning of the lawn will occur. By using this method, you want to convert the number 18 into a decimal, which is .18. And 1000 sq ft is 1. Divide 1 by .18, which equals 5.55lbs per 1000 sq ft. This indicates that using 5.55lbs of this fertilizer will include 1lb of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft. This is the max you want to use per application. Use this math for all other Nitrogen numbers.
18-24-6 resembles the percent of NPK. 18%-24%-6% is what contains in this bag of fert. Then you convert it into decimal to get the lbs. If it was 25 for Nitrogen, then it would be an easy answer of 4lbs per 1000 sq ft.
Now lets go back to the 18lbs and 5000 sq ft numbers on the left. This math is easier lol. Divide 18 by 5, which equals 3.6lbs per 1000 sq ft. This is far below the Nitrogen level that the lawn needs. Thats it, you now know 2 ways to figure out how much fertilizer to add to a lawn, according to the numbers on the bag. Hope this helps understand more about the numbers on the bag.
When i use fert, i try to stay under the 1lb of Nitrogen per 1000 sq ft, to prevent burning. I do plan to put another application in a month, once the grass starts getting taller and before the first mow. I divided the 18lbs by 4, which equals 4.5lbs that i applied per 1000 sq ft. This is still under the 1lb of Nitrogen needed for the lawn. Im good and so will youk:
And the finale pic of the labor day. Thanks for reading. Will have more updates as the weeks go on.
Here comes sunday morning at 10am. Picked another yard of compost to finish the yard and raise the corners where the downspouts are. It ended up being 2pm when it was finally done.
Now, its time to lay down some grass seeds. Isnt this the whole point of prepping. I used Scotts Pacific NW grass seed mix with 2x less watering. The mix has two types of Perennial Ryegrass and two types of Annual Fescue for my region. I should see some growth by this weekend.
9/6/2015
Reading the label, 7lbs is 2,300 sq ft for overseeding, which i was doing. If i combine the front and back yard, its just under 2000 sq ft.
I used the back of my leaf rake to mix the seeds with the compost to get the seed to soil contact. Most important in seed germination.
After taking this pic, i realized that this yard needs a new lawn seeding. 7lbs for 1150 sq ft according to the label.
I went out and bought another bag. This is a better bunch of seeds. Yes, that is a weed and you will get them at the beginning. Lots of watering will encourage them to grow. Leave them there and wait til after the 2nd mowing to start pulling them. Doing it now will disturb the germination and can cause delay in growth or death.
I then watered the seeds and finished off the day with yellow tape.
Couldnt forget the little island of grass.
Well, this Labor day morning, i was able to sleep in. Rain was in the forecast this morning and watered the lawn for me. Before the mid day watering, i added starter fertilizer to help give nutrients to the soil, to help promote growth.
9/7/2015
Now, there is a couple of ways to determine how much fert to add to a lawn. Whether it be weed and feed, starter fert or just regular lawn food. To determine how much to add, we will be using the numbers on the bag. If you dont like math, then i will try to make it as simple as possible.
We will use the Sta-Green starter fert from Lowes. On the bottom left of the bag, you can see 18lbs and it covers 5000 sq ft. On the right side, you see three numbers. 18-24-6, which indicates, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium(Potash); aka NPK. I dont look at anything but Nitrogen, since that can cause lawn burn if to much is applied. Rule of thumb is, 1lb of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft per application. No more, or browning of the lawn will occur. By using this method, you want to convert the number 18 into a decimal, which is .18. And 1000 sq ft is 1. Divide 1 by .18, which equals 5.55lbs per 1000 sq ft. This indicates that using 5.55lbs of this fertilizer will include 1lb of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft. This is the max you want to use per application. Use this math for all other Nitrogen numbers.
18-24-6 resembles the percent of NPK. 18%-24%-6% is what contains in this bag of fert. Then you convert it into decimal to get the lbs. If it was 25 for Nitrogen, then it would be an easy answer of 4lbs per 1000 sq ft.
Now lets go back to the 18lbs and 5000 sq ft numbers on the left. This math is easier lol. Divide 18 by 5, which equals 3.6lbs per 1000 sq ft. This is far below the Nitrogen level that the lawn needs. Thats it, you now know 2 ways to figure out how much fertilizer to add to a lawn, according to the numbers on the bag. Hope this helps understand more about the numbers on the bag.
When i use fert, i try to stay under the 1lb of Nitrogen per 1000 sq ft, to prevent burning. I do plan to put another application in a month, once the grass starts getting taller and before the first mow. I divided the 18lbs by 4, which equals 4.5lbs that i applied per 1000 sq ft. This is still under the 1lb of Nitrogen needed for the lawn. Im good and so will you
k:And the finale pic of the labor day. Thanks for reading. Will have more updates as the weeks go on.
Last edited:
DCiFound
SEAHAWKS!!
I didnt see this the last time around :rolf:$9.99 at Northern man
Accel.speed
basically, i like fast!
Going through this thread was like watching paint dry.
DCiFound
SEAHAWKS!!
It was brought to my attention that i never did finish my progress. Without further ado.
Im going to rewind to day 4, since i didnt post many pics of the grass growing.
Watering 3 times a day was the key to success in growing grass
Day 4
Day 10
Day 14
Day 18
Day 21
Looking down still looks speratic
Looking from at a lower point of view, you can see results are beginning to show
Day 23
Thats to catch up the 21-27 days for growth before adding nutrients to the ground. I will continue to catch up this thread as i get time to do so.
Im going to rewind to day 4, since i didnt post many pics of the grass growing.
Watering 3 times a day was the key to success in growing grass
Day 4
Day 10
Day 14
Day 18
Day 21
Looking down still looks speratic
Looking from at a lower point of view, you can see results are beginning to show
Day 23
Thats to catch up the 21-27 days for growth before adding nutrients to the ground. I will continue to catch up this thread as i get time to do so.
Samurai_Blue
Yolo Whippin'
thought this was spam from the title and almost deleted it lol