Wraith Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 My wife and I moved into our new home in suburban Rochester about 5 weeks ago. The house is six years old and has a fairly well-established lawn. The previous owners did absolutely no spring maintenance with either the gardens or the lawn this year so we've been working hard to clean up some messes. I can't really blame them but a little work on their part would've saved a lot of work on ours. When we first moved in, the lawn was brown and thin so I fertilized with the basic Scott's product just to pep it up a little and since it's been rainy since, I've had no problems with the grass itself. However, I have a large amount of clover and crab grass with just enough dandelions to annoy me mixed in. Is there anything I can do now to help with this or do I have to wait until fall/spring. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I'm not certain what type of grass we even have but I'm guessing it's the bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue mixture since I'm told that is the most common in WNY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 When I wa growing up, we just cut the crabgrass, clover and dandelions like the regular grass. They were probably 50 % of our yard. The dandelions give you a good indication where you have cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 My wife and I moved into our new home in suburban Rochester about 5 weeks ago. The house is six years old and has a fairly well-established lawn. The previous owners did absolutely no spring maintenance with either the gardens or the lawn this year so we've been working hard to clean up some messes. I can't really blame them but a little work on their part would've saved a lot of work on ours. When we first moved in, the lawn was brown and thin so I fertilized with the basic Scott's product just to pep it up a little and since it's been rainy since, I've had no problems with the grass itself. However, I have a large amount of clover and crab grass with just enough dandelions to annoy me mixed in. Is there anything I can do now to help with this or do I have to wait until fall/spring. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I'm not certain what type of grass we even have but I'm guessing it's the bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue mixture since I'm told that is the most common in WNY. I'd let it go. Read up, and develop a weed plan for the coming spring. Put down a bag of that "winter fertilizer" in late November - or later...depends on when you are sure the grasses have stopped growing. Here in Cincinnati, I apply in December. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philly McButterpants Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 My wife and I moved into our new home in suburban Rochester about 5 weeks ago. The house is six years old and has a fairly well-established lawn. The previous owners did absolutely no spring maintenance with either the gardens or the lawn this year so we've been working hard to clean up some messes. I can't really blame them but a little work on their part would've saved a lot of work on ours. When we first moved in, the lawn was brown and thin so I fertilized with the basic Scott's product just to pep it up a little and since it's been rainy since, I've had no problems with the grass itself. However, I have a large amount of clover and crab grass with just enough dandelions to annoy me mixed in. Is there anything I can do now to help with this or do I have to wait until fall/spring. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I'm not certain what type of grass we even have but I'm guessing it's the bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue mixture since I'm told that is the most common in WNY. I do the Scott's program and my lawn always looks pretty good. It's too late to do anything about the crabgrass, so let that one go. You can get sprays to deal with crabgrass, but I've found that they kill the grass you want ot kjeep as well. Might as well use round-up . . . You can still use Scott's Plus 2 to get rid of weeds, especially dandelions. Clover is a bit more resistant to Scott's, so you might want to get a jug of Ortho Weed-B-Gone. It works pretty well on clover. In august , use Summerguard to give the grass a nice fertilizer boost. Lastly, in early October, use the Winterizer. You will be amazed at how healthy the lawn is next spring. Speaking of next spring, that's when you want to use the Scott's with Halts to prevent crabgrass. BTW, congrats on the new home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyT Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I've never seen anybody able to get rid of large amounts of clover, crabgrass and dandelions. I'm not saying that it's not possible, but I've known a lot of people who've put a ton of work into eliminating this stuff (including me) to see little improvement. I live in an older neighborhood in Rochester and whenever I see someone with a particularly good patch of grass it's usually because they tore up their mess and started from scratch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevestojan Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I had a similar problem, and my front yard was pretty much taken over with dandelions. I mean bad. To a point where they honestly seemed to grow a half inch a day. I went to home depot and picked out a bag of weed and feed randomly. I will tell you I will be a buyer of this brand for life. I used the type you spread (as opposed to spray) and the stuff work almost too well. It completely killed all the dandelions with one application. It didn't kill all the clovers so i tried again. I still have some clovers, but no weeds at all. The problem is, I'm convinced the "feed" part of the "weed and feed" is on steroids. My front yard grass grows incredibly fast. But now that I took all spring filling in the bare spots, and used the weed and feed twice, it looks awesome after I cut it. The brand name is Vigoro. Stuff is like $10 a bag and my front yard is small-average size and two bags worked fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live&DieBillsFootball Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I bought this stuff at Home Depot called Ortho Weed B Gone Max. You only need 2 oz per gallon of water in a bug sprayer. They also sell it in a spray bottle, but if you are doing large areas, it is a hell of a lot easier using a sprayer. This stuff works great on clover, dandelions and supposedly 250 other weeds. It works fast and didn't seem to kill any of my lawn. My weeds just laughed when I put down Scotts weed n feed, but this stuff kicked their ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I had a similar problem, and my front yard was pretty much taken over with dandelions. I mean bad. To a point where they honestly seemed to grow a half inch a day. I went to home depot and picked out a bag of weed and feed randomly. I will tell you I will be a buyer of this brand for life. I used the type you spread (as opposed to spray) and the stuff work almost too well. It completely killed all the dandelions with one application. It didn't kill all the clovers so i tried again. I still have some clovers, but no weeds at all. The problem is, I'm convinced the "feed" part of the "weed and feed" is on steroids. My front yard grass grows incredibly fast. But now that I took all spring filling in the bare spots, and used the weed and feed twice, it looks awesome after I cut it. The brand name is Vigoro. Stuff is like $10 a bag and my front yard is small-average size and two bags worked fine. Vigoro is a discount brand that's been on the market for years and years. Good product. If you used 2 bags on a small-average sized front lawn, you have definitely over-fertilized. By a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wraith Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 Thanks for the tips guys. The wife and I just finished up mulching and with a fresh mow the place looks great. I will take this all into consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I bought this stuff at Home Depot called Ortho Weed B Gone Max. You only need 2 oz per gallon of water in a bug sprayer. They also sell it in a spray bottle, but if you are doing large areas, it is a hell of a lot easier using a sprayer. This stuff works great on clover, dandelions and supposedly 250 other weeds. It works fast and didn't seem to kill any of my lawn. My weeds just laughed when I put down Scotts weed n feed, but this stuff kicked their ass. It's a wimp on nutgrass though. That's my bane. I'm turning to Bayer - killz crabgrass AND nutgrass (or so certain anecdotal reports I've heard, say). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Just cut it- it's all green! : or all brown out here in California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Wacka, Love your sig. It should be applied to ===>This head of hair. There's got to be at least two barrels there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Wacka, Love your sig.It should be applied to ===>This head of hair. There's got to be at least two barrels there. Not just his hair. Schmucky Shumer is a real oily character. Maybe we won't have to open up ANWR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackur Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 pave over it and paint it bills blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyT Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 pave over it and paint it bills blue This really is the best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I'm on the road mostly so weekends aren't long enough to get everything done. So this year I hired Green Thumb to come in and do the work. It was an amazing difference after their first visit. You can see the property line between my yard and the neighbors since they still have weeds and I've got grass. Not sure yet if I'll hire them again next year, but it was definitely worth it for the time it saved me trying to get the yard back in shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 My girlfriend and I just got our first house as well. The backyard is full of clover. Given the Texas weather, there really isn't a "winter season", as cincy suggests. Can we spray it now to kill it and try to grow grass? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buford T. Justice Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 My girlfriend and I just got our first house as well. The backyard is full of clover. Given the Texas weather, there really isn't a "winter season", as cincy suggests. Can we spray it now to kill it and try to grow grass? Wait a month or two. Trying to grow new grass in summer Texas heat isn't a good idea, you'll need to water the hell out of it. Seed in the fall, the roots will have 7-8 months to establish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I'm on the road mostly so weekends aren't long enough to get everything done. So this year I hired Green Thumb to come in and do the work. It was an amazing difference after their first visit. You can see the property line between my yard and the neighbors since they still have weeds and I've got grass. Not sure yet if I'll hire them again next year, but it was definitely worth it for the time it saved me trying to get the yard back in shape. I was going to suggest the same thing - hire it out. Unless you enjoy doing yard work as a hobby, it's just not worth the time IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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