Lawn Maintenance

I've been mulching the fallen leaves the past few years and it really seems to improve the soil. After two passes, the leaves are like confetti and fall down to the soil. This section of lawn was just about covered before I started. Beats raking!

Shelton-20131102-01254_zpseefed434.jpg
 
clarkenstein said:
speaking of this...

i just found out that the stupid little broad leaf plant that occupies at least 70% of my back yard is actually some kind of wild strawberry. i hear that it is very difficult to kill off. i have experienced this difficulty first hand.

i doused a section with a weed killer a month or so ago. the weed killer was an ortho broad leaf weed killer that also takes out crabgrass. it killed off the crab grass completely, but this little plant is still kicking everywhere - like nothing happened to it.

any ideas?
Click to expand...

Check the ingredients and try a different brand. Some of them have different active ingredients that may work better. From what i've read wild strawberries are difficult to get rid of.

Wobbegong said:
I've been mulching the fallen leaves the past few years and it really seems to improve the soil. After two passes, the leaves are like confetti and fall down to the soil. This section of lawn was just about covered before I started. Beats raking!
Click to expand...

+1 for mulching! We've been bagging it and dumping the confetti on the garden.
 
Good stuff! Mulching leaves will definitely help the lawn. 🙂 I'm currently at 2.75" cutting height and mulching all the leaves I can. I might drop it down to 2.5" for the final cut and mulching for the season. Then plan to spread seeds down before a snow forecast this winter to help areas that were damaged this summer.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2158[1].jpg
    IMG_2158[1].jpg
    347.9 KB · Views: 28
Last edited:
I dumped the first round of leaves from the front and back yard on the garden then went over it with the mower. What a difference a few passes make.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1384171002.713854.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1384171013.637307.jpg
 
the contractors who installed the new septic did a piss poor job leveling the yard. I have changes in grade all over +/- a few inches here and there.

I'm not sure what it's called but what is that process/machine that bores holes and pulls out the soil? Do you think if I did this over the next 5+ years my yard will start to naturally level out? I can jut bring in soil but I really don't want to pay for that or spread it
 
THATmanMANNY said:
the contractors who installed the new septic did a piss poor job leveling the yard. I have changes in grade all over +/- a few inches here and there.

I'm not sure what it's called but what is that process/machine that bores holes and pulls out the soil? Do you think if I did this over the next 5+ years my yard will start to naturally level out? I can jut bring in soil but I really don't want to pay for that or spread it
Click to expand...

that is a core aerator - and i guess you could rake the cores to where you want them ?????
 
Wouldn't spreading soil once be a bit eased that aerating 5 seasons? I need to do the same thing myself, not looking forward to it.
 
THATmanMANNY said:
I'm not sure what it's called but what is that process/machine that bores holes and pulls out the soil? Do you think if I did this over the next 5+ years my yard will start to naturally level out? I can jut bring in soil but I really don't want to pay for that or spread it
Click to expand...

No, this won't really work by just doing this alone. You could get a big roller and roll it after it is wet to level it out. Other than that, you should havce level it out before grass started to grow and if it isn't starting to grow yet, get out there with a 2by and level it out.
 
THATmanMANNY said:
the contractors who installed the new septic did a piss poor job leveling the yard. I have changes in grade all over +/- a few inches here and there.

I'm not sure what it's called but what is that process/machine that bores holes and pulls out the soil? Do you think if I did this over the next 5+ years my yard will start to naturally level out? I can jut bring in soil but I really don't want to pay for that or spread it
Click to expand...

Wait for the spring. Let the yard settle over the winter then get top soil to fill in the low spots. Unless you want to redo your septic, don't put any heavy machinery over the septic.
 
The septic was done 2 years ago. It's on the back end of lot and small mound. I know not to mess with the mound. It's everywhere in front of it that is all uneven. It rained a lot that end of summer/fall. They had a hard scheduling the finishing touches because the machinery would get stuck. Nevertheless, they finished the job when it was still wetish and that is why I have all uneven terrain. So it's settled for a bit and the new grass is better than the previous. I was hoping it would level out, but it's much better than the first time I mowed last srping. It was like riding a rigid and using my legs for dampening. I should really call those bastards and see what they are willing to do...
 
Last edited:
without being too assuming, there will still be a pitch to the yard
away from the house if this gets 'leveled' ?????

you working today? i'm heading to home depot, could make it lowes and swing by.
 
THATmanMANNY said:
I should really call those bastards and see what they are willing to do...
Click to expand...

This. The contractor may just blow you off and assuming you already paid him there won't be much you can do about it, but its worth a shot.

You could topdress(less then .25") the lawn with a sandy soil over several years, you could rip it up and regrade...its tough to say without seeing it. Regrading doesn't involve bringing in soil but it is more labor intensive and you have to reseed, which would best be done in the spring.
 
Like a concrete roller you see at a BMX track or that they use on athletic fields to smooth them out each year.

2 x 4, 2 x 6, etc, to aid in leveling.
 
just out of curiosity, is wobbegong a play on woebegone?

mentioning grass helps me stay on topic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom