Lawn care

ampersat · 02-05-2004, 08:40 PM

I put some bad juju on my lawn last year and need to have my soil tested. Last year, I used the home test kit but I'd like to get a professional lab's opinion in case it's something beyond the NPK balance. Anybody got any good suggestions for me? I did a quick check on my local extension service and it seems like they're geared to commercial enterprises, not private stuff.

Also, with all the winter rain my yard tends to get a bit soupy. Would spreading a thin load of sand into the lawn after dethatching it be a good or a bad idea?

high_arc · 02-05-2004, 08:54 PM

I have heard that spreading a layer of sand after airating (plugging) your lawn would help. That way the sand gets into the holes to provide better drainage.

Silver Hilton · 02-05-2004, 10:21 PM

NW lawn problems are pretty well understood. I suspect if you wandered by a non-big box type garden store, and described your issue, they'd be able to tell you what the issue is. In the NW, it's liable to be drainage, sun, pH or basic fertilizer. On those, if you use one of the better ones, with some trace elements, you'll probably be fine. You may have cooked your lawn with too much fert, in which case rain and lime is your friend. But talk to the pros.

Thumper · 02-06-2004, 02:48 AM

Grass growing --- bad!

Grass growing in March and April, like 4 inches a day --- very bad!

Grass just sitting there, resting, perhaps taking a little nap, preferably all summer --- good!

You actually want your grass to grow? [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

ampersat · 02-06-2004, 06:09 AM

You know Thumper, I got a nice little rest from having to mow my 1/4 acre yard last year. I burned stripes into my grass right down to the dirt with this stuff. Basically cut my mowing load by half and made getting out fishing on a regular basis a lot easier.

However, the dogs come in muddy every night. Also, the wife is a little peeved with me and has threatened to take away my lawn spreader. I'm hoping to get my lawn fixed up to the point that we can have a nice backyard party sometime this summer.

wade · 02-06-2004, 06:24 AM

Look in the phone book for "County Extension Agent." They will likely come out and give a free educated opinion, or help you get some soil samples to cook and send in to OSU. When you get the results back the Agent will analyze the data and give you a recommendation. You may or may not need the soil test but you can't get better help, and its free, with nothing to gain by selling you something. I could give you some sight-unseen advice here but it'd be worth as much as this cyber-type without being onsite.

edit: If the grass just up and died its about contamination, pests or disease - not nutrients. A soil test wouldn't do much in that case. The County Agent would be able to help, he also should have a big library for references- no guesswork. Anybody that claims they can give an accurate diagnosis without seeing the symtoms first-hand or having you ID them from a picture in a good book are flattering themselves.

Kevin

[ 02-06-2004, 07:37 AM: Message edited by: wade ]

wade · 02-06-2004, 03:32 PM

If the County Agent won't help, try a Farmer's Co-op like Cenex. They usually employ a field expert.

Kevin

pdxkevin · 02-07-2004, 07:03 AM

I have put a lot of thought into this... seems like the harder I try to get the grass to grow the better the moss grows. This year I am going to work really hard trying to get the moss to grow. I figure the grass should look incredible in no time!

FishinMission · 02-08-2004, 06:17 AM

Hah...That reminds me of the time my dad said if I put ammonia nitrate on my grass it would green it up during the summer. So he came over one day, and without reading the directions (you know how dads are) dumped a bunch of that stuff on my nice pretty green grass right after I mowed it. Which the instructions say not to do.

For the rest of the summer, I was the only one on the block that had BLACK grass! :shocked:

Just for thought AMP..that grass could come back with a vengeance this spring!

Thumper's got the right idea. Kill your grass so it won't need mowing. :grin:

Mark

Pete · 02-08-2004, 07:23 AM

Ahh ... juniper! Grows about 1 inch a year and doesn't cut into my fishing time. I think I'll keep it!

Smj · 02-08-2004, 07:48 AM

"However, the dogs come in muddy every night"

You can't have dogs and a nice lawn too!

(Just an observation from a guy who mows 35-40 lawns a week, during the mowing season.)

Smj

sturgn · 02-08-2004, 08:03 AM

3/4 minus rock leveled and painted deep green!

Spray for weeds and call it good!

[ 02-08-2004, 09:03 AM: Message edited by: sturgn ]

Fish_N_Russ · 02-09-2004, 12:13 PM

ampersat,
get ahold of Tom Cook, OSU Extension Turf Specialist. He should be able to help you with whatever you need

Tom Cook
OSU-Dept. of Horticulture
4017 ALS Bldg.
Corvallis, OR 97331-7304
Office Phone: (541) 737-5449
Fax: (541) 737-3479

cookt@science.oregonstate.edu

While we are at it, here are some OSU Extension Articles on turf maintenance
Lawn Care OSU Extension

Also, county agents rarely do 'house calls' anymore......there is very little funding or time to do so :smile: You can always bring in a sample/bug/plant to you local extension office and have a Master Gardener have a try with it, or if they can't help you they will send it off to OSU and have it diagnosed/identified.

Russ

Grantspastor · 02-09-2004, 11:40 PM

If you just burned the grass with too much fertilizer, the winter rain should have taken care of that problem. I'd just re-seed. I read somewhere that lawns should be fertilized four times a year on holidays (Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day) I have done this for several years with good results. I have burned the grass in the past, but one product that seems to be very safe for me is Lily-Miller Ultra Green. I have piled that stuff on, and never had a problem.