June lawn care?

[Blaylocke]

So, I got sick of apartment living, and now I've moved into a house. Or rather I should say, I am currently moving into a house. It's the first time that Ihave lived in the Northwest that I've actually had to take care of a lawn. I used to love it, but now I am a bit out of practice. So I have a few questions for any North Westerners who are in to lawn maintainance.

Question one – What would your first steps be in taking care of this new yard? I have identified what appears to be dandelions, crabgrass, and white clover, running rampant in the yard. Does anyone have any recommendations on weedkillers that work well here in the Northwest?

Question two – too late for fertilizers or seeding? Websites tell you not to fertilize or seed in the summer months, but this barely feels like summer.

Probly more questions as I think of them. Thanks.

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[OLDNEWBIE]

"I have identified what appears to be dandelions, crabgrass, and white clover, running rampant in the yard." You've identified my yard except for the snails and burrowing critters. I've given up on the grass and just keep everything trimmed nice. You can tell the retired neighbors by the well maintained lawns in my neighborhood!

 

[Blaylocke]

"I have identified what appears to be dandelions, crabgrass, and white clover, running rampant in the yard." You've identified my yard except for the snails and burrowing critters. I've given up on the grass and just keep everything trimmed nice. You can tell the retired neighbors by the well maintained lawns in my neighborhood!

I hear that. It seems to be a common occurrence in the neighborhood I moved into. As far as retired people, there's one right down the street from the apartment I was in that is just like that. It looks like a fake yard on a movie set. Very jealous.

 

[Sling Blade]

Weed and feed doesn't work nearly as well as making a mix and spraying the broadleaf weeds and crab grass. I have found that Bayer lawn weed and crab grass killer works better than any other brand - it's in the blue bottle and can be found widely. Get a two gallon pump sprayer and you are set. FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS - they pay researchers a lot of money to come up with the right percentage mix, so no sense applying to hot or weak of a dose.

I usually wait a day or two after mowing and apply. Remember to get a good cover but you don't have to drown the plants. Some plants die quick, but others, such as crab grass take a long time - be patient. Be careful not to spray when temps are over 80 or the wind is blowing over 10 mph, or you might have drift going over to your neighbors, which is not a good thing at all. grape vines are especially susceptible to drift.

Allow product to dry before pets and kids go on the lawn.

If you water your lawn you can fertilize to your heart's content, but keep in mind that you want to get the slowest release fertilizer possible. The cheap stuff greens things up fast but fades quick and you end up applying often.

You will continue to see weeds as new seeds sprout - don't worry about it; eventually you will catch up! Also, we have spring, summer and fall weeds, so you'll see new ones showing up as the season progresses.

Always keep safety in mind and store chemicals out of the reach of kids and pets.

Best of luck!

PS: most people mow way too short and that allows weeds to set seed and the grass isn't thick enough to crowd them out. The lawn also dries up faster. Mow at the tallest height comfortable to you.

 

[giddyupgo55]

Spray it and paint it green.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Weed and feed doesn't work nearly as well as making a mix and spraying the broadleaf weeds and crab grass. I have found that Bayer lawn weed and crab grass killer works better than any other brand - it's in the blue bottle and can be found widely. Get a two gallon pump sprayer and you are set. FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS - they pay researchers a lot of money to come up with the right percentage mix, so no sense applying to hot or weak of a dose.

I usually wait a day or two after mowing and apply. Remember to get a good cover but you don't have to drown the plants. Some plants die quick, but others, such as crab grass take a long time - be patient. Be careful not to spray when temps are over 80 or the wind is blowing over 10 mph, or you might have drift going over to your neighbors, which is not a good thing at all. grape vines are especially susceptible to drift.

Allow product to dry before pets and kids go on the lawn.

If you water your lawn you can fertilize to your heart's content, but keep in mind that you want to get the slowest release fertilizer possible. The cheap stuff greens things up fast but fades quick and you end up applying often.

You will continue to see weeds as new seeds sprout - don't worry about it; eventually you will catch up! Also, we have spring, summer and fall weeds, so you'll see new ones showing up as the season progresses.

Always keep safety in mind and store chemicals out of the reach of kids and pets.

Best of luck!

PS: most people mow way too short and that allows weeds to set seed and the grass isn't thick enough to crowd them out. The lawn also dries up faster. Mow at the tallest height comfortable to you.

Follow what this dude says.

 

[DieselScout]

Weed and feed doesn't work nearly as well as making a mix and spraying the broadleaf weeds and crab grass. I have found that Bayer lawn weed and crab grass killer works better than any other brand - it's in the blue bottle and can be found widely. Get a two gallon pump sprayer and you are set. FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS - they pay researchers a lot of money to come up with the right percentage mix, so no sense applying to hot or weak of a dose.

I usually wait a day or two after mowing and apply. Remember to get a good cover but you don't have to drown the plants. Some plants die quick, but others, such as crab grass take a long time - be patient. Be careful not to spray when temps are over 80 or the wind is blowing over 10 mph, or you might have drift going over to your neighbors, which is not a good thing at all. grape vines are especially susceptible to drift.

Allow product to dry before pets and kids go on the lawn.

If you water your lawn you can fertilize to your heart's content, but keep in mind that you want to get the slowest release fertilizer possible. The cheap stuff greens things up fast but fades quick and you end up applying often.

You will continue to see weeds as new seeds sprout - don't worry about it; eventually you will catch up! Also, we have spring, summer and fall weeds, so you'll see new ones showing up as the season progresses.

Always keep safety in mind and store chemicals out of the reach of kids and pets.

Best of luck!

PS: most people mow way too short and that allows weeds to set seed and the grass isn't thick enough to crowd them out. The lawn also dries up faster. Mow at the tallest height comfortable to you.

Thanks for the info, I am not the OP, but after buying a house last February our front lawn looks like a well mowed weed patch. My wife and I have decided to give it a year or so to see if we can bring it back. If it's coming around, then we'll keep on it. If not, it's getting tilled under and our small front yard is going to be turned into a native flower bed, with LOTS of weed cloth and mulch. I'll take your advice, hope to start this week.

 

[Blaylocke]

Yeah, I want to the store on this advice. It was great, thanks sling.

 

[LoneStar]

Don't let the blackberries get a foothold. They are impossible to get rid of.

 

[jbett98]

For broad leaf weeds and dandelions I don't use a sprayer anymore (to much drift and over spray).
I put on some latex gloves and pour some concentrated Roundup on a sponge and just walk around the lawn and rub some of the Roundup on the weed leaves using my glove. It doesn't take much and then the weed dies without killing half the lawn.

A couple of years ago, my wife took it upon herself to spray the grass around my garden fence, instead of using the string trimmer like I asked her to.
I drive up the driveway after work and she is just about finished with the pump sprayer.

Little did she know that the 1 gallon pump sprayer marked "Roundup" actually contained a nasty cocktail of Crossbow and what I can only assume was a direct descendant of Agent Orange "2,4,D".

My brother had given me the mixture for some Blackberry vines growing on my rental property, with the warning that anything it touches and well within ten feet will be burnt black in ten days.
He was right. Everything in the garden died and it looked like a flame thrower had worked it all over.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

Little did she know that the 1 gallon pump sprayer marked "Roundup" actually contained a nasty cocktail of Crossbow and what I can only assume was a direct descendant of Agent Orange "2,4,D".

My brother had given me the mixture for some Blackberry vines growing on my rental property, with the warning that anything it touches and well within ten feet will be burnt black in ten days.
He was right. Everything in the garden died and it looked like a flame thrower had worked it all over.

Agent Orange, That's funny, the flame thrower idea is one I've been meaning to try though. They have little propane flame weed killing devices I've heard about but never seen being used. Seems
safer than chemicals and kids/pets.

 

[jbett98]

Tried the torch method too.
Was burning all of the weeds in my gravel driveway when my wife noticed that there was smoke coming from the over side of my 7' cedar wood fence.
Somehow I caught my neighbors 2' high grass on fire, and it was really taking off by the time I could get a hose up and running.
Torched the backside of his metal shed and a nice chunk of his back yard.

 

[Sling Blade]

For broad leaf weeds and dandelions I don't use a sprayer anymore (to much drift and over spray).
I put on some latex gloves and pour some concentrated Roundup on a sponge and just walk around the lawn and rub some of the Roundup on the weed leaves using my glove. It doesn't take much and then the weed dies without killing half the lawn.

That's a good method too, and is a great way to get at weeds in raspberry patches and such without endangering stuff you want to keep. Cutting a blackberry and immediately dabbing herbicide on the cut stem works great also, and you use way less chemicals.

 

[Sling Blade]

Tried the torch method too.
Was burning all of the weeds in my gravel driveway when my wife noticed that there was smoke coming from the over side of my 7' cedar wood fence.
Somehow I caught my neighbors 2' high grass on fire, and it was really taking off by the time I could get a hose up and running.
Torched the backside of his metal shed and a nice chunk of his back yard.

One early morning we smelled smoke and it never seemed to go away. The neighbor had used a torch on bark dust and it had smoldered all night. Torches work great for annuals, but generally one has to keep hitting perennials.

 

[Cheesemaker]

I use generic Roundup for killing everything. Can get a 2.5 gallon jug for $45 at the local feed store. And use 2 4 D stuff for everything else. And I use the blue dye so as to see where I've been. But generally will just spot check the weeds. But Weed-B-Gone works also. And a good fertilizer with time release is good. I use Lime to keep the critters moles and such away.

I have 3 different sprayers, one for Roundup, one for Crossbow, and another for 2 4 D.

I love using my torch. Its a freaking flame thrower. But it takes to damn long. In the amount of time it takes me to burn the driveway, I can have my whole yard sprayed and be back drinking beer and not stinking like burnt weeds. I use the flame thrower mostly for starting fires in my fire pit.

 

[PiratePast40]

Thanks for the info, I am not the OP, but after buying a house last February our front lawn looks like a well mowed weed patch. My wife and I have decided to give it a year or so to see if we can bring it back. If it's coming around, then we'll keep on it. If not, it's getting tilled under and our small front yard is going to be turned into a native flower bed, with LOTS of weed cloth and mulch. I'll take your advice, hope to start this week.

If the weeds have taken over, you might not have anything left if you kill them off. It's not unusual to need to kill and replant the whole lawn. Kill everything, grass and weeds, with regular strength roundup and wait about 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the roundup will have broken down and grass will now grow. Lay about an inch of topsoil, plant good quality grass seed, and rake it in. Use a starter fertilizer with plenty of nitrogen. If you time it so the planting is done about the first of September, you won't need to water much.

You'll still need some spot broadleaf control but it'll be much easier now and even easier when the lawn gets established. You can do this in the fall or spring, just avoid trying to start a new lawn during the dry season.

 

[Sling Blade]

If the weeds have taken over, you might not have anything left if you kill them off. It's not unusual to need to kill and replant the whole lawn. Kill everything, grass and weeds, with regular strength roundup and wait about 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the roundup will have broken down and grass will now grow. Lay about an inch of topsoil, plant good quality grass seed, and rake it in. Use a starter fertilizer with plenty of nitrogen. If you time it so the planting is done about the first of September, you won't need to water much.

You'll still need some spot broadleaf control but it'll be much easier now and even easier when the lawn gets established. You can do this in the fall or spring, just avoid trying to start a new lawn during the dry season.

I'll add a tip: about three weeks after the kill, water your lawn really well to get the seeds in your lawn sprouting. When you are reasonably sure that most have come up hit them with Round Up. That will greatly decrease the weeds that would later compete with your grass.

 

[rick benjamin]

Lots of great advice!
I have a big fir tree in my yard. Grass was rare underneath it.
The tree kept the rain from dripping under the branches.
After occasionally watering under the branches, the grass came back. Didn't take much water.

Get your soil tested for acidity.
Get it close to neutral with lime.
The moles don't like neutral, will move away.

 

[skerky]

I'll add a tip: about three weeks after the kill, water your lawn really well to get the seeds in your lawn sprouting. When you are reasonably sure that most have come up hit them with Round Up. That will greatly decrease the weeds that would later compete with your grass.

I second this, because I neglected to do it. I've even been advised to keep watering normally (maybe more necessary down here in the heat). Bermuda grass is hardy stuff and despite killing the entire lawn and letting it bake over the summer, there were still some roots deep down there with life in them come fall when I replanted.