Want to improve lawn quality..haven no idea where to start

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sportbikerider78

sportbikerider78

Minister of Fire
Jun 23, 2014
2,493
Saratoga, NY
I have no desire to have a perfect lawn. I live in the country and really don't care. What I want is a lawn that does not consist of 50% dandelions and other weeds that all grow at totally different rates. Two days after I mow it looks like I never mowed because there is all kinds of stuff growing out there...I call it my field...not a lawn.

How do I start killing the weeds and planting seed? I have moist soil and we get plenty of rain, but short growing season.

Thanks!!!!
 
How much lawn are we talking here?

Mine is hardly a lawn also, weeds all over the place. But it's big - takes 2 hours to do with the ride-on, between mine & the folks. So I just try to mow as regularly as I can. Even weeds don't look THAT bad after cutting, they kinda blend right in. I can tolerate the dandelion stems poking back up in between mowings. If I had something more postage stamp in size, I might think about a tool to root them out with. But I think one could overseed with more grass seed, any time - not sure how effective it would be, likely would come down to soil type & climate.
 
If you do not mind spraying the simplest would be to contact a lawn care company like Nitrogreen or a similar one and have them come out and spray it. If you want to think about putting a garden or trees in any time in the future, be sure to mention that you do not want anything that is persistent.

If organic is your thing, then you can till everything under and keep tilling for a year to control the regrowth. An alternative to that is to cover with black plastic and kill things that way.

The very best time to seed grass is to wait until just before winter hits, and spread the seed on top of the ground and lightly rake it in. Your local count extension agent would likely be the best to advise on the particular grass species for your area.
 
I have about 2 acres I mow. When I bought the house it was definitely more of a "field". I've found the best thing to keep it looking nice is to mow every week during the growing season. Last year I finally bought a commercial 52" zero turn mower and that has made it possible to stay on top of it. I agree that the weeds are not noticeable from the road if the lawn mowing is kept up with. It all looks green and evenly cut.
 
Montanalocal said:
The very best time to seed grass is to wait until just before winter hits,
Click to expand...
That's right, but if the grasses themselves are okay, I think I'd try applying 2,4-D which kills most weeds but leaves the grasses alone. Maybe one of the "weed&feed" products that mix fertilizer and 2,4-D. Then buy or rent a plug-type aerator and maybe a dethatcher before over-seeding in the fall. But that all depends on the nature of the problem.

This is a very good resource for pro help: http://www.lawnsite.com/ It's a site for pros, but they have a forum for homeowner assistance. If you join that forum, you may want to provide pics for them.
 
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Check out your local cooperative extension. They usually have a good handle on local conditions/problems and tend to take a less is more approach. You could always just use Scott's or some other companies pre-determined program but they'll have you treating with something practically year round and often for things that may not be a problem for you.
 
Thanks guys..i'm dealing with likely under 1 acre. I have about 2 acres cleared, but don't care much about the rest.
If it costs much money, I'm just not going to do it. Besides..the wild turkeys love my yard the way it is.

A weed killer that leaves the grass would be ideal. I'll price that out and look into some more detail.
 
Got any farmer friends? If so - get a cup of farmer grade 24D and half a cup of Banvel and mix into 20 gallons. Nukes weeds, won't harm the grass. Grass will start to take over the bare areas that the weeds occupied. Cost of the product is next to nill (most farmers probably have that much in an old jug sitting in the corner somewhere).
 
If you aren't in a rush use some weed and feed now and in the spring. Those are the dandelion seasons.

As someone said above I'd dethatch if needed and aerate come fall. Then overseed. By next spring you will see a huge difference.

Also pull a soil sample before you do anything and get the results. If the ph is off the fertilizer will be a waste of money.

I have about 3/4 acre and go with a push spreader over a pull behind for the mower. You can get used Scotts ones on craigslist but they are all junk in my opinion. I got this one.


Pics too big. Apparently can't post it. Sorry
 
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sportbikerider78 said:
How about this?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gordons-amine-400-2-4-d-weed-killer-1-gal
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That will work for the 24D part. It is not farmer grade (if you can buy it without a license - it ain't farmer grade), but it will still work. The Banvel part is still missing. Banvel will go after stuff that the 24D doesn't. Depending on the time of year, the 24D won't do much against creeping charlie (as one example). Banvel will. I don't know if there is a consumer grade equivalent to Banvel. It may be worth a minute on google to find the active ingredient to see if there is a cross reference to the stuff in the stores.
And YES - you can mix them in the same sprayer so that it is a one application and done.
 
I have a similar problem as the OP. I hadn't known of Banvel before, so I looked it up. The generic name is dicamba. As Jags says, it is commonly mixed with 2,4,-D for the tougher weeds. I did note one warning about dicamba, and that is that is migrates through the soil, and can damage nearby ornamentals and trees. So you would want to consider that for your application.

Thanks Jags, I'll keep it in mind for our place. This is a pretty good site for lawn weed control: http://turf.okstate.edu/pest-management/weeds/hla6421-weedsinlawns.pdf It addresses dicamba and 2,4,D. It also mentions Roundup products. Do NOT use Roundup or any such product on a lawn. It kills anything. But it's good for pesky problems where killing desireable plants is not an issue. I've used it for sidewalks, pathways, etc.
 
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Jags said:
I use roundup in place of a weedeater.
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Like around edges? I probably should use it more often, like around the foundation, greenhouse, etc. It apparently doesn't poison the soil and does biodegrade fairly quickly. Good stuff if you're careful not to overspray. Yeah, I'm going to get out and get at it in a few trouble spots. Stuff is growing like crazy around here now.

Too bad it's no good on blackberry bushes. Any good ideas for blackberries?
 
Please be very mindful of runoff when using strong herbicides. 2-4-D is the basis of agent orange. You don't want this stuff washing into local ponds, streams or lakes. I have been eliminating dandelions one at a time with a Fiskars dandelion puller tool. I just work a reasonable area at a time. Takes a bit longer but the results are good.
 
begreen said:
Please be very mindful of runoff when using strong herbicides. 2-4-D is the basis of agent orange. You don't want this stuff washing into local ponds, streams or lakes. I have been eliminating dandelions one at a time with a Fiskars dandelion puller tool. I just work a reasonable area at a time. Takes a bit longer but the results are good.
Click to expand...
I agree that you need to be careful when using any herbicides. While Agent Orange was mostly 2,4-D (maybe half with the 2,4,5-T) it's pretty well established that the toxic effects were the result of the uber-toxic dioxin (TCDD) contaminant component, not the 2,4-D. No question, it was an extremely unforgivable chapter in the war that it was used. Somewhat controversial, but it seems that Monsanto was aware of the dioxin contamination with the 2,4,5-T part.. Horrible stuff (as was the war IMO) (and yes, I did my "thing" but stateside).

Sorry for the mini-rant. It's a sore point.
 
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begreen said:
I have been eliminating dandelions one at a time with a Fiskars dandelion puller tool. I just work a reasonable area at a time. Takes a bit longer but the results are good.
Click to expand...
Does that tool get the whole root all the way down? I've never had good results trying that technique, but always willing to try something new. My back and front lawns are small enough for a manual technique that works.
 
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Solved our lawn care issues by agreeing that the wife would take on mowing, etc. She quickly decided too much work (wise woman), and lawn now is a view lane out the front, a little wider off one side, and leave it alone to grow natural on the other two sides of the house. Grass, the lawn kind, is way over-rated.
 
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If your out in the country you can get away with that but in the burbs we have to deal with the local weed patrol wardens! And uppity neighbors and the like.
 
I read it's good to mow your grass tall, and more frequently. This way the grass will out compete the weeds.
 
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blades said:
If your out in the country you can get away with that but in the burbs we have to deal with the local weed patrol wardens! And uppity neighbors and the like.
Click to expand...
...that's why I live in the country :)

I can park my car on said front lawn, build a shed, tune up a dirt bike at 2am (with a garage full of roudy friends), mow the lawn at 6am, then shoot targets till i run out of ammo. :)
 
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