Why I Oughta...

Putting a few things in the [ lawn diary ] in this post: cut length + domination line.  First, the cut length.  Back in June, I posted about how I was using Hydretain to try to reduce watering while bringing my front yard lawn down one notch on my mower - to 4 out of 6.   The past few Summers, I cut the lawn at 6/6 and while it was dark green and lush, it started to fall over a bit and was probably *too long*.  I mean...the lawn looked great ( 2019 early August when it should be failing ), but I wanted to push things a bit this year and see if I could handle the shorter cut. I posted this image in 2019 showing how when my mower was set to 6/6, I was getting between 3.5" and 4" of grass length .  Knocking two spots off the mower height setting, I'm now seeing between 2" and 2.5" of height right now.  See below for the current length: So far, so good.  We'll check back in with the lawn in late August after the full month of hot, hot heat has beaten the turf

Marking down a few items in my [lawn care diary] for the season with this post that have taken place over the past few weeks.   The last time I posted a lawn update was when I put down Hydretain at the beginning of June on the front lawn and 'between two driveways' strip.   This post is marking four other applications that I've done and figured it was best to wrap up in one post. The first (that I don't have a photo of) was the application of 2 total bags of Grub Control from Menards on the front and back lawn and even some of the beds at the very beginning of June.   Then, I put down a second spoon-feeding of the Sea Kelp, Biochar, Iron and Humic from The Andersons.  At the end of May.  Here's a look at the bag of this stuff in the garage below.  I think I'll get two more applications of this still this Summer:  #3 at the end of June.  #4 at the end of July. In June, I put down two new products:  First this Slow Mow Lawn Conditioner - a growth regulator - to

I decided to do a couple of (new to me) things with my front lawn this year including some of the things that I've already covered like spoon-feeding a granular with Sea Kelp (applied at end of April and end of May - so far) .  But, this post is intending to cover two other new (to me) things:   First... I'm cutting it shorter than I've done in the past.  For the past couple of years, I put the mower ALL THE WAY up and cut at that length. I had a deep green lawn through most of the Summer and didn't get killed with a water bill.  But, the length came at the cost of neat-ness.  My e-Go mower doesn't have a ton of vacuum power, so there was always a lot of folded over blades. So, a risky change:  This year, I'm putting it on the 4th 'notch' out of the six on my Ego walk behind push mower.  Last year, I was cutting at six.  See below for the difference - which is about an inch shorter. And the second new (to me) thing - which is a companion to that shorter

For the past few years, I've put nothing but organic/natural products down on the yard to control weeds, feed the turf and improve the soil.  But, this year, I skipped the application of a pre-emergent and I'm dealing with A LOT more weeds in the backyard than I normally have at this time of year.  I don't know if skipping the pre-emergent has to do with the weeds or if it is just a coincidence. But, I needed to take some action.  I bought a concentrate to spray the weeds and applied that a couple of weeks ago.  It worked - in spots - but wasn't enough.   So, I went with what I consider a drastic measure:  I bought a bag of Weed and Feed from Menards and threw it down in the backyard .  I looked around for a weed control ONLY granular product, but didn't see something that would work, so I decided to use this combination product.  Here's a look at the bag: Here's a closer look (below) at the makeup of the herbicide product including Dimethylamine Salt, Propi

A little over a month ago, I posted a photo of the pair of soil tests that I was planning on conducting for my lawn - both front and back - from SoilSavvy.  These tests require you to take a composite set of soil plugs and combine them into a little tray that you ship off.  When SoilSavvy's lab receives the samples, they run them through their system and then send you off this analysis.   I ended up doing one test for my front yard and one for the backyard.  This is a little different in approach than I did last year, but I'm thinking this is the best way forward.  First, a quick review of where things were last year .  This year, the results show higher levels of just about everything aside from Boron.   First up, the front yard.  The N-P-K analysis shows that the Potassium is below the target area.  Surprised?  Not really.  Milorganite's N-P-K is 6-4-0 - so I haven't added any Potassium to the yard this year.   The Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur are all off the char

I recently ordered the pair of Soil Savvy test kits that you see above and am going to turn around the soil samples to get my results right away.  I did the same thing last year - ordered two kits in June .  And, in July, I had the results - for both the front and backyard(s).  You can buy the kits directly from Soil Savvy and they give you a little break if you order two of them.  I'm interested to see what has changed in my soil over the past year - and to see how much impact that I have had with my soil amendments and fertilizers.  For those keeping track at home, #4 on my 2020 to-do list this Summer was to test the soil again .  So, I'm on my way to crossing that one off. Below, is a look at what is in the package.  You get a little soil scoop, a screw-top container that you deposit the soil sample, a registration card and a padded envelope with pre-paid postage to send the sample in.  In the little container, there's a little bit of (what I think is) water an

I've thought about an in-ground irrigation system for the past few seasons and went so far as to get a quote from the guy that Chris at Green Grass recommended ( Phil's Irrigation ).  We have been talking about a zoned system that covers our grass, our perennial beds and even some of the containers on the front porch and back patio.   But, in the mean time, I've been both hand-watering, soaker hoses and using various sprinklers to try to keep things alive.  In the front , that's been - exclusively - via an impact sprinkler on a spike.  And, it has worked pretty well.  But, we're on the third season of the impact sprinkler and between using it a lot and the wear/tear that comes with it being on the end of a retractable hose , it started to have a bunch of leaks and the pressure wasn't strong enough to have it complete a full evolution.   In the back, I've used that same impact sprinkler and a multi-pattern stationary sprinkler.  That one was, to

The hot, hot heat has hit the Chicago Suburbs.  We've had 90-degree temperatures for the past few weeks and it has NOT been a good environment for anything living outside - including our grass.  Lawns in our neighborhood are struggling.  Even ones with built-in irrigation.  Ours is no different.  I've been cutting it VERY LONG (setting #5 on the mower - all the way up) and watering it as frequently as I can - typically in the very early morning.  Here's how it is looking right before I feed it the usual "4th of July" application: It is green, thick and lush - which I'm happy with for the most part.  I'm almost 100% certain that the reason for the partial success this season is due to the tall cutting height.  I have other parts - like in the back where the Automower cuts - that are cut shorter that aren't as healthy and other parts where the grass appears to have gone dormant.  As for the timing of this post and the lawn schedule, I'm j

This post is now two weeks in the coming.  It is being published in the first week of June, but the photo above is from Memorial Day weekend when I put down two bags of Milorganite on the front yard.  I applied to the main yard, the south side yard, the parkway and the strip of grass on north side of the driveway.  My 2020 scheduled called for Milorganite application to the yard on Memorial Day with five bags (2 in front, 3 in rear).  In the photo, you see only 2 bags - and that's because I only applied the fertilizer to the front yard.  Of note, though.... #9 on my 2020 to-do list was to work the turf - and apply the work that I have done on the main yard on the parkway and the north strip.  I've been cutting those other sections high - like my main yard - and now the fert application is continuing that trend of hitting #9 on my list.  Why not the backyard?  Well...I don't have the backyard automower wire set up, so I held off on the back application because I d

I broke out the mower and hit the (entire) front yard including the parkway and *just* the high spots (thanks, Lizzie) in the back yesterday with my first mow of the season.  I mulched it, but with all the little debris on the lawn, the next time, I might bag it to see what I can get up before the grass grows too quickly this Spring. So far, I'm seeing some good green-up and what appears to be a healthy lawn.  The biosolids on the parkway haven't worked their magic just yet, so it remains to be seen if I can replicate the success we had with the test patch .  My goal for the coming week(s) is to get the Automower boundary wire reset and get it going on the backyard with the new configuration.

Our Home Depot is doing curbside pickup with online orders, so I put through an order for some lawn care products including pelletized lawn lime and (wait for it....) ten bags of Milorganite.  Yeah...it seems like they've figured out their supply chain issues this year?  Our local Home Depot is showing over 600 bags in inventory right now.  Based on my 2020 plan , I need 18 bags for the season, so perhaps I should buy the balance and store them (hoard them) for a few months.  Also, based on the 2020 lawn plan , I outlined a 4 bag application of lawn lime to the back in Mid-April.  You can't get any *more* Mid-April than April 15th, right?  That's a bag of the stuff from Home Depot (curbside FTW.) in the Chapin spreader that I was sent last Fall.  Mark it down.  Lawn lime applied.    #5 on the 2020 to-do list was to continue to wage battle against the Wild Onions .  This lawn lime is *supposed* to help do just that.    I'm going to go at the lawn with a small spad

Well, well, well...now we're talking.  Have a look at that test plot above where you can see the impact of the biosolids that I topdressed in this section of our backyard lawn.  A week ago, I shared a photo that was two weeks in and the turf had already started to react positively .  Today, you can see the dark, thick grass in the rectangle that had the biosolids applied. Here's the timeline: Application of 5 gallons of biosolids . Two weeks in . Three weeks in.  (this photo/post). I don't know how I could classify this experiment as anything other than a spectacular success. I can see a process of top-dressing larger sections of our yard, but that's not a small project if I get it delivered - as it requires three yards minimum.  I could, however, see taking a series of five gallon buckets over to fill up and use on the parkway to try to thicken that area.

A couple of weeks ago, I spread 5 gallons of biosolids on a rectangle of turf in our backyard.  Here's that post .  Today if you look out there, the grass is, ummm, different.  It is different than any of the reset of the grass in our yard.  It is deeper green and has taller growth than any other section of grass in our entire backyard.  If you look at the photo at the top, you can see the arker area that runs from top to bottom, right?  A couple of weeks in and you can still see the material that is in large chunks, but some of it has made its way into the thatch.  I was out there on a day that it had rained and it seemed that the original smell from the biosolids was invigorated a bit. That's a downside of topdressing with biosolids.  But, the upside?  It is visible in this photo - clear as day.  With that smell and our kids being heavy users of our yard during the Spring and Summer, I'm wondering if Fall is the best time to consider topdressing with biosolids.  It

In March, I shared the bag of Halts (no lawn food) that I had secured before Amazon started to slow down their shipping during the pandemic and referenced the Michigan State University Growing Degree Days tracker .  Welp...today is the day:  we're right in the middle of the "Optimum" range so it is time to put down that pre-emergent.  You can see where April 2nd lines up in the screenshot above. My bag of grassy weed pre-emergent that I have from Scott's covers just 5k square feet.  I have about 15K square feet of turf, so this covers just part of my lawn - and I've been focused on the very far back 5k square feet.  That's where I applied this year's batch .  I'm trying to set a reminder for myself that I should throw down another round of this stuff in the Fall to take on the Poa that I think is taking over parts of my lawn.  I went back to my ratty Scott's Edgeguard spreader for this job of what reminds me of cracked corn: I'll be

That right there is a five gallon bucket of biosolids.  Yeah...biosolids.  Courtesy of the Downers Grove Sanitary District.  They have what they call a " Biosolids Distribution Program " that residents have a few ways of engaging with in terms of receiving the, ummm, biosolids. First...you might be wondering:  what the heck are biosolids?  According to the DGSD : Biosolids, a byproduct of the process of wastewater purification at the Wastewater Treatment Center, is highly recommended for use in flower beds, lawns, shrubs, hedges, and other landscaping. The biosolids are stockpiled for one to two years and then pulverized to provide a product that is easily incorporated into the soil.  The high organic content of biosolids enhances soil work-ability and water retention capacity. The substantial nutrient content will help supply plant needs for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The lawn fertilizer that I've been using called Milorganite is a biosolid.  But....if

I was out in the far back of our yard yesterday and I saw some brand new, bright green growth.  I knew immediately what I was looking at:  the first instance of Wild Onions for the year.  I know it won't be the last.  If you've followed along, you know that Wild Onions in my yard are public enemy #1.  They've achieved that status due to their prolific nature (they are EVERYWHERE), the fact that I can combat them in early Spring when there isn't much else going on in the yard and they are a DIY project that doesn't involve herbicides (you have to dig them out). I've chronicled my Wild Onion journey here on the blog starting with last Spring when I started to dig the clumps of Wild Onion bulbs out of the turf everywhere I could .  Once their season passed, I tried my best to make the soil less hospitable for them by applying Lime a few times.  I posted about them earlier this year when I saw this story about a potential spray (Bonide Burnout) that might wo

Nat added this bag that you see at the top of this post to one of her recent orders from Amazon.  It is a bag of Scott's Crabgrass and Grassy Weed Preventer under the "Halts" product name.  It does NOT have lawn food in it - which is fairly uncommon in most crabgrass preventers. You can find this stuff here at Amazon (this is NOT an affiliate link.  I don't do that...) for $16.99. I used this same product last year - and sought it out because of the fact that it doesn't have lawn food in the mix.  Last year, I held off on feeding my lawn until Memorial Day and I'm thinking that I'm going to do the same. I laid out my full 2020 lawn care plan here in this post from February .  In that post , you'll note that I'm calling for an application of this pre-emergent in "April" versus "mid-April".  And that's because that I'm going to turn to - once again - Michigan State University and their "Growing Degree Days&q

I posted (in jest) last September a look at what Allyn Hane calls the 'domination line' in our front yard showing the fruit of the efforts of tending to the turf look like after most of a season.  Back in September, you can tell that the grass that I had fed over the season appeared darker.  Today, I'm posting a photo that I took recently to add to the [ garden diary ] of what our front yard grass/turf looks like after a rough Winter.  I'm including the 'domination line' as a way to see the difference in my grass over time.  The photo above is shot from the sidewalk toward the house with my yard on the right side.  The brown-est part in the middle of the photo (closer to the bed) is also the 'highest spot' in that area.  So, I'm not certain that it has to do simply with feeding or if the contours or grade of the yard is involved, too.  I have a gutter that comes out in the area of the bed near the house that runs each time it rains and the I

The post I created about Wild Onion removal a few days ago made me realize that I have to get my thoughts together on a 2020 lawn care plan.  In order to do that, I thought it would be valuable (for me) to collect what I did last year so I can determine what I want to do this year. For reference, I have a cool season lawn made up of Kentucky Bluegrass.  I cut the front long  all season and the back is done shorter with my Husqvarna Automower . If last year was my *first* year of digging in and working the turf on my own, this year, I'm going to try to learn from my mistakes ( burning with fertilizer ) and successes (not pushing the lawn too much with food) and continue on my path towards 100% non-synthetic applications.  Because of the Creeping Charlie, I'm not certain that I'm going to get there this year, but we'll see. 2019 Lawn applications/treatments by Season Spring: April:  Bought as much Milorganite as I could find:  8 bags .  32# bags. April:  Bega

Is it too early to be thinking about Spring lawn care and turf treatments?  I don't think so.  I need to put together my full annual timetable for the lawn.  But, before I do that, I wanted to post that establishes my main Spring lawn enemy. Mid-April is one of the first milestones - at least based on last year's temperature:  that's when I put down pre-emergent on the lawn - mostly focused on crabgrass and other broadleaf/grass leaf weeds .  Last year, that was followed by a large-scale attack on something that we have present ALL OVER our backyard:  wild onions .  In late April, I documented how I was going around and attempting to dig out the full clumps of bulbs .  My turf was pockmarked with holes from the extraction all Summer.  Come September, I used the soil temperatures to my favor and threw down some seed and soil in these holes and it germinated pretty fast .  I seem to have managed the crabgrass piece of turf care and I'll likely follow the same setup