TheMadCap Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Here's the thing with that: I live in WNY. The hottest day in summer will be, what 88? And that might happen twice. If I wait until "Fall", god knows when the first frost will hit... Wouldn't I be OK so long as I kept a sprinkler with a timer on? Seedlings are VERY delicate, and it's not the actual heat, it's the Sunlight itself which burns em up. I recommend waiting. The patching stuff someone recommended is, IMO, not worth the effort. You still have to water it everyday, and it is ususally a mix of grasses, so if you want an entire Fescue lawn, I would go from seed, or sod in the fall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Absolutely correct, Don't bother until late September, unless you plan to water the piss out of it all summer... Well, if Sept. 1 is the time to do it in MD - then late Sept is way too late in WNY. It takes about 14 days to germinate, so by the time mid-sept rolls around the weather will be perfect. Having seeds germinate in mid-oct doesn't seem like a good plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Well, if Sept. 1 is the time to do it in MD - then late Sept is way too late in WNY. It takes about 14 days to germinate, so by the time mid-sept rolls around the weather will be perfect. Having seeds germinate in mid-oct doesn't seem like a good plan. Forgot he moved from FLA. Adjust times accordingly for WNY, as Scott suggests... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In-A-Gadda-Levitre Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Noticed that nobody recommended Hydroseeding. Is it that expensive, or doesn't work well in WNY, or something else? I'm guessing it costs more than sod, but not sure. I live in New England and seems like a lot of the new homes and pro landscapers use it. Just asking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Noticed that nobody recommended Hydroseeding. Is it that expensive, or doesn't work well in WNY, or something else? I'm guessing it costs more than sod, but not sure. I live in New England and seems like a lot of the new homes and pro landscapers use it. Just asking... I don't have any experience, but is seems unneccesary and expensive to me. I can fertilize and water my own seed, thanks. But some people do like it very much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kegtapr Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Noticed that nobody recommended Hydroseeding. Is it that expensive, or doesn't work well in WNY, or something else? I'm guessing it costs more than sod, but not sure. I live in New England and seems like a lot of the new homes and pro landscapers use it. Just asking... Cheaper than sod, but still expensive. Unless you're starting a new lawn from just dirt I wouldn't consider it. It would be overkill on an exisiting lawn. You also don't know the grade of seed you are receiving. Choose a less then honest company and you may end up with more weeds than grass. People underestimate the ability for a lawn to bounce back with a little TLC and proper care. You can do it yourself for about 1/4 the cost for something like hydroseeding. You just have to invest some time and effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I suggest sodding instead of seeding. - A little more expense - EASY to put in.....its like putting in carpet - Quality sod doesn't weed problems in it....I dont know what your weather is like but it gets REALLY hot in Hemet and Sod is mature and bred for self repair and to withstand drought and disease. I never regretted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastaJoe Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Noticed that nobody recommended Hydroseeding. Is it that expensive, or doesn't work well in WNY, or something else? I'm guessing it costs more than sod, but not sure. I live in New England and seems like a lot of the new homes and pro landscapers use it. Just asking... Hydroseeding is just seeds mixed in with pulpy material and water to hold it in place. First you mix the pulp mix and water, then throw in a bag of seed, and spray it out. The advantage is it's quicker if you're doing alot of lawns. But you still should have a good base of topsoil to spray it on. Don't know if you can rent one, our's fit in the bed of a pickup. Call a landscaper and get an estimate and see if it's worth having someone else do the work. But you can achieve the same result on a small lawn with a hand spreader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 This thread is depressing me. My lawn is straw. My wells dried up last year. I'm not spending $1600 dollars to drill for new wells. I like straw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 This thread is depressing me. My lawn is straw. My wells dried up last year. I'm not spending $1600 dollars to drill for new wells. I like straw. Dude, my fescue lawn looks AWESOME from October to June, and like a hayfield from June to September. I have learned to accept it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Dude, my fescue lawn looks AWESOME from October to June, and like a hayfield from June to September. I have learned to accept it... Why your lawn look like pooh in June-Sept Mad? My front lawn looks good year round now. I do outsource all the sprayings/fertilizers/aerationsetc to VA Green Lawn, and they are great. Back lawn different story. Fairly steep grade and four pretty huge okas out there(range i guess from 50ft to 90ft high, these are some big, old trees) makes growing and keeping the grass bout impossible. Giving up on it, and plowing it all under this fall and just making beeding out of most of it. But I digress, fall is only time of year to overseed. Someone else mentioned they do core aeration is spring, and I have never heard of doing except in the fall either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Why your lawn look like pooh in June-Sept Mad? My front lawn looks good year round now. I do outsource all the sprayings/fertilizers/aerationsetc to VA Green Lawn, and they are great. Back lawn different story. Fairly steep grade and four pretty huge okas out there(range i guess from 50ft to 90ft high, these are some big, old trees) makes growing and keeping the grass bout impossible. Giving up on it, and plowing it all under this fall and just making beeding out of most of it. But I digress, fall is only time of year to overseed. Someone else mentioned they do core aeration is spring, and I have never heard of doing except in the fall either! Fescue goes dormant when the temperatures go up unless you water the crap out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Fescue goes dormant when the temperatures go up unless you water the crap out of it. Well no kidding, I was assuming Mad watered his lawn but maybe that was why i did not get the hay comment. We both live in Richmond, and no water even the Bermuda turns brown. I water twice a week, usually starting in Mid May, but have not had to this year as we have had a nice wet spring. BTW, i can go around now and tell which lawns are gunna be brown in two weeks based on the the height of the grass. People cut it way to short and then wonder why the grass turns brown in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Well no kidding, I was assuming Mad watered his lawn but maybe that was why i did not get the hay comment. We both live in Richmond, and no water even the Bermuda turns brown. I water twice a week, usually starting in Mid May, but have not had to this year as we have had a nice wet spring. BTW, i can go around now and tell which lawns are gunna be brown in two weeks based on the the height of the grass. People cut it way to short and then wonder why the grass turns brown in July. Yeah, I can't see spending tons of dough on watering the lawn. It always comes back in the fall anyways. Can't afford 1k for a sprinkler system, and dragging hoses around sux. The little woman and I are expecting, so I am trying to cut costs since she will likely be staying home with the little bugger. Also, the hippy in my won't allow me to waste water on something like a lawn when we have a drought on. I'm getting fruity in my old age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Also, the hippy in my won't allow me to waste water on something like a lawn when we have a drought on. I'm getting fruity in my old age! Drought..in Richmond.. nah, been raining since February it seems. BTW, those liitle spiinny sprinklers do a great job and cover a lot of ground. At least this year, you grass should be doing just fine with no watering right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpile Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 How big is your lawn? I have over 15,000 square feet (lawn not LOT size). I subtract the house, pool, garden, and playground (for the grandkids and wife's daycare) to figure the size. I basically weed and feed in May, do the grub killer (Merit is great) in early June, mow on the tallest setting, and weed and feed again in late June. I reseed in the fall sometimes. Once the lawn is healthy, it needs a lot less water. I mow the front and sides using a walk behind self-propelled mower. Takes about 45 minutes and 5000 steps on my pedometer. I mow around obstacles in the back yard with the same mower in the back, then finish with my John Deere (it's older than some of you). I have a gas trimmer and do all my own edging and trimming. A couple years back I neglected the lawn and we had a combination of drought and grubs. I lost a third of the lawn but restored it myself. I raked out the dead spots, re-seeded and watered. I *could* have scraped it all off and started over, but I didn't. It is not that much work in perspective. I laugh when I see people who pay to get all stressed out to work out in a crowded gym, and then pay someone to mow and edge their lawn. Duh. My workout is sometimes caring for the lawn and a small vegetable garden that I turn over by hand with a shovel, fork, and rake - THAT's a workout. In the summer I take breaks in the pool! Good luck! Yes, I have googled this and that's why I'm asking here. Most of the sites assumed you know something about this topic. I need it explained in simplistic terms so i don't !@#$ something up. My front yard is patchy, has some weeds, dry spots, etc. I just want to re-do the whole thing. I would think I would just need to rototil the whole yard, mix some topsoil in, and use a spreader to get the seeds on there. It seems some websites make it seem more complex. Anyway, any tips would be great: types of grass to use, additives, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Drought..in Richmond.. nah, been raining since February it seems. BTW, those liitle spiinny sprinklers do a great job and cover a lot of ground. At least this year, you grass should be doing just fine with no watering right now. I mean the last few years. No right now, there are a few brownish spots because there is a small concentration of fine fescue, which burns when the sun hits it, but last night should bring it back just fine. I hate dragging hoses around, so no sprinklers for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Well no kidding, I was assuming Mad watered his lawn but maybe that was why i did not get the hay comment. We both live in Richmond, and no water even the Bermuda turns brown. I water twice a week, usually starting in Mid May, but have not had to this year as we have had a nice wet spring. BTW, i can go around now and tell which lawns are gunna be brown in two weeks based on the the height of the grass. People cut it way to short and then wonder why the grass turns brown in July. I cut it too short to kill the phucking stuff! Then I don't have to mow say once every three weeks or more! And noooo to fertilizer and water! Hey, let the stuff survive by itself... It is freaking grass! I take the Republican approach to grass management... Deal with it! And it looks great when it is cut... Worse than a Danny Briere/Syndey Crosby playoff bread when it is not... This damn rain is really disrupting my pattern! IMO, lawns are quite the stupid obsession... The more you mow, the more it will grow, . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Here's the thing with that: I live in WNY. The hottest day in summer will be, what 88? And that might happen twice. If I wait until "Fall", god knows when the first frost will hit... Hate to be a dick, but didn't it ride inthe 90's for weeks at a time the past couple of summers? I seem to remember this, which means little to nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpile Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 IMO, lawns are quite the stupid obsession... The more you mow, the more it will grow, . For the most part, as long as it is green and does not have spikes, it is OK in my lawn. I use the weed n feed to keep the wife happy (she hates dandelions) and to keep me happy (I don't like a brown lawn). That is maintenance, not obsession. Hate to be a dick, but didn't it ride inthe 90's for weeks at a time the past couple of summers? I seem to remember this, which means little to nothing. Oh, you know you LIKE to be a dick! You're right though, we got a lot of "pool" days last summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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