Lawns, the care/feeding/maintenance of

[JoeWras]

In a lot of places (including here) the HOA covenants prohibit any grass over 18 inches high. Over that, and they will send a crew to mow it and send the owner the bill. The original Levittown, NY forbid any grass over six inches or they'd send a crew to mow and send the owner the bill. That may have been relaxed since it was built. One hopes so.

The city of Raleigh as an ordinance setting max lawn height at 8". The nuisance ordinance also covers things like putting your old appliance on the porch. Even "excessive parties." We don't have an HOA. I think the city has us covered. I sought out a neighborhood without an HOA.

It has been a while, about 10 years, where a neighbor called in another neighbor about their lawn height. He got a warning first, posted to his door. They give you time and let you fix it before they take over and send you the bill and fine.

https://raleighnc.gov/Community/content/HousingNeighborhoods/Articles/Nuisances.html

 

[Walt34]

My problem, after using Scott's Turf Builder, is after it killed the weeds, there were several bare patches in the lawn and crabgrass quickly grew in the bare areas and spread to the other areas of the lawn. So now I have a big crabgrass problem. Not sure how to handle that!

Other than dig it up, the only way I know of to deal with crabgrass is put down a preemergent and that has to be done in the spring, I think about the time the forsythias bloom, although I might be confused and that's for dandelions. Several companies sell preemergent stuff for various and sundry weeds with and without fertilizer.

Now is a good time to get a soil test done so that you'll know what, if any, fertilizer is needed for the fall (for cool season grasses) or spring (for warm season grasses). My test showed that I didn't need anything except some nitrogen and not much of that.

 

[jollystomper]

We have just over an acre of land and I do minimal maintenance. I'm more of the attitude "as long as it is green and no bare patches things are fine" I will fill (or try to fill) any bare sports, but I do not water the entire lawn. I aerated the backyard once, and have put down fertilizer in the backyard (after soil test results), but that made minimal difference. I did spend one spring faithfully pulling up weeds growing within the front section of the lawn, but do not do that on any regular basis. We have a lot of trees and the fall can coat our backward very well with leaves, so I do that the time to get those up.

I do mow it to keep it looking neat. Something grows in it that attracts rabbits and birds - I'll see several contentedly munching around the property on most days. I do spray for insects the the lawn around our porch and patio, that cuts down on us getting bit while we are spending time there.

I get more active with the brush, we have poison ivy popping up among the shrubs and trees that border our property so I go after that more. Our late neighbor would help, as he was a kind guy and was not allergic to poison ivy so would pull it up for us. Now I use poison ivy killer to go after it.

Our goal has been a neat lawn but looking the best in the neighborhood was never a priority. It does look better than when the kids were growing up and performing all kinds of sports and play activities.

 

[2177V]

Artificial lawn is the way to go in my opinion. Stays green, no mowing, no maintenance, no watering, and it is cleaner than a real lawn and comfortable to walk on barefoot except when the temperature is 90 degrees plus.

Cost about $2 per square foot plus your labor and the cost of sand and weed barrier fabric which is an extra 50 cent per square foot. The only problem I had, when I did it myself, is the location of the excavated soil to make room for the sand. The sand is necessary to make the artificial lawn comfortable to walk on. The only other negative is that you can't play football or some heavy duty sports on it.

In my younger days after buying a new house with an undeveloped yard, I made sure the lawn was a very small size so I can mow it with a manual lawn mower, i also install an automatic sprinkler system. However, the cost of an artificial lawn has come down so that you really only need a real lawn for your dog or your neighbor's cat for a place to have a bowel movement. For some reason, animals do not have a bowel movement on an artificial lawn...at least in my neighborhood.

 

[kingkarmann]

We have “country” grass. It’s mostly green, some clover, some weeds. A couple of acres the could all be cut with the ride. I opt to push mow the front and string trim. DW rides. That’s her reward for still working a day job

 

[jazz4cash]

Other than dig it up, the only way I know of to deal with crabgrass is put down a preemergent and that has to be done in the spring, I think about the time the forsythias bloom, although I might be confused and that's for dandelions. Several companies sell preemergent stuff for various and sundry weeds with and without fertilizer.

Now is a good time to get a soil test done so that you'll know what, if any, fertilizer is needed for the fall (for cool season grasses) or spring (for warm season grasses). My test showed that I didn't need anything except some nitrogen and not much of that.

I broadcast granular pre-emergent while forsythia are blooming to prevent crabgrass. Reapply in 3 months. It prevents weed as well as grass seeds from germination so I seed in fall and use pre emergent in spring. There is a high priced pre emergent that is selective so you can still sow grass. Broadleaf herbicide for dandelions and the like while actively growing. I spot treat for these with pump sprayer.

First home I owned was all crabgrass but I had no clue. It kept getting thicker and thicker till I could barely mow it by late summer.

 

[5Miler]

I had a big name lawn service for weed control/fertilizing up until about 10 years ago when I got fed up with the constant rate increases. It took 8 years of my incompetence to allow the weeds to completely overrun what was a well manicured bermuda front lawn. My two dogs made the back yard a wasteland so not worth mentioning. Two years ago I found a smaller, local lawn service to save me and my weed problems are a thing of the past. I mow my own yard as even I have trouble screwing that part up. I write one check in January and forget about it the rest of the year.

 

[JoeWras]

Once you get crabgrass under control, it can be managed manually thereafter. It takes vigilance.

1) The actual lawn must be as thick as possible
2) You have to pull the crabs at the first emergence, earlier the better.

I spend 5 minutes per mow in the summer doing #2 and I can manage it. (Typical suburban lot.) This despite the crabgrass lawns growing around me.

Now, if someone can help me with WINTER weeds like chickweed. It drives me crazy! Theoretically, pre-emergence works on it too. But here's the thing, you have to put it down at the same time you reseed fescue (sept to nov).

Trust me, I found out that pre-emergence works just as well on fescue seed as it does on any weed seed.

 

[DayDreaming]

In a lot of places (including here) the HOA covenants prohibit any grass over 18 inches high.

The grass in my back yard is over 6 feet high (Big Blue Stem).
Fortunately no HOA to worry about.

 

[JoeWras]

Around here, tall grass is an actual hazard. TICKS! Keeping grass low definitely helps in avoiding tick bites.

Our primary issues are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Erlichiosis, Lyme, Alpha-Gal and STARI.

RMSF and Erlichiosis are very serious and deadly. Lyme is a long haul nightmare. Alpha-gal is the weird meat allergy, but is now shown to have long haul effects that advance coronary artery disease.

We've also had cases of Babesiosis and Powassan. These are typically imported from states just north of here. Both are serious. NC's former senator, Kay Hagan died from Powassan. The last years of her life were hell on earth.

Although our eyes are on Covid, we need to be very aware of ticks. Many people in the prime of their lives have their lives changed by these suckers.

A friend got Babesiois on a trip to the northeast. He came down with it here. He was delirious for a few days. He jokes that he took a trip without leaving home. Fortunately, he appears fully recovered. He had good care here as they recognized the possibility right away and gave him proper treatment.

 

[rayvt]

This is retirement, right?

We live in a heavily wooded area. When we had the house built, I told the builder/developer that I wanted NO grass. Just clear out the underbrush and put down pine bark mulch. I am retired and do not want a second job of looking to a grass lawn.

My neighbor told them that he wanted a small lawn. So instead they cleared his backyard of trees and planted a large lawn. Every year he moans to me about what he pays for water, the in-ground watering system, and the lawn mowing and weed-killing service.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Around here, tall grass is an actual hazard. TICKS! Keeping grass low definitely helps in avoiding tick bites.

Our primary issues are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Erlichiosis, Lyme, Alpha-Gal and STARI.

RMSF and Erlichiosis are very serious and deadly. Lyme is a long haul nightmare. Alpha-gal is the weird meat allergy, but is now shown to have long haul effects that advance coronary artery disease.

We've also had cases of Babesiosis and Powassan. These are typically imported from states just north of here. Both are serious. NC's former senator, Kay Hagan died from Powassan. The last years of her life were hell on earth.

Although our eyes are on Covid, we need to be very aware of ticks. Many people in the prime of their lives have their lives changed by these suckers.

A friend got Babesiois on a trip to the northeast. He came down with it here. He was delirious for a few days. He jokes that he took a trip without leaving home. Fortunately, he appears fully recovered. He had good care here as they recognized the possibility right away and gave him proper treatment.

Yes, ticks are a serious hazard in tall grass. Up here in Wisconsin. DW and I have lived on our 40-acre farmette for 30-some years. It used to be that we never worried about ticks unless we were in wooded areas, but the last five years or so, I've been finding a few on my clothing every spring -- and that's with me mindful of avoiding tall grass whenever I can, applying insect repellent, etc. The nymphs are the worst, so small they're hard to spot. And I can't be certain that one or two haven't lunched on me and dropped off without my knowledge (shudder).

I posted a thread a couple months ago about my neighbor contracting Rocky Mountain spotted fever. He and his partner think they got it while working in a neighbor's woodlot. It's unsettling to think that the disease is lurking so close. The state also has Lyme hot spots; my BiL caught it several years ago.

I like to walk my dogs on my land, and have a path I keep mowed for that purpose. This time of year, I let them run untethered, but in the spring during high tick season they stay on the leash.

 

[JoeWras]

I like to walk my dogs on my land, and have a path I keep mowed for that purpose. This time of year, I let them run untethered, but in the spring during high tick season they stay on the leash.

Spring and early summer are the worst. Tick season isn't over yet, though.

There's this misconception that many of us (50+ generation) learned that ticks drop from trees. Not really. It is all about brushing up against tall grass, shrubs or wooded borderlines. If it is on your torso, the buggers will crawl up to your neck and head. That's probably where the "fall from trees" thing came from.

Picnics are fun. But don't sit on the grass. They'll crawl up your shirt or pant-leg. Then later, someone will say it fell from a tree.

I've been fortunate to get through about 10 attached ticks in life without any known effects. The worst bite was from a sucker who attached for 4 days in a place that ... well, I'd rather not say too much except you have to check those private areas, especially the guys. Oh, and I've come to appreciate old school jockey underwear as a barrier. Too much information? Or not enough? Here's more from Men's Health.

 

[Badger]

Get a few pet possums to leave in the yard.
https://www.wideopenspaces.com/did-you-know-that-opossums-eat-virtually-all-the-ticks-in-your-yard/



Cheers!

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Spring and early summer are the worst. Tick season isn't over yet, though.

There's this misconception that many of us (50+ generation) learned that ticks drop from trees. Not really. It is all about brushing up against tall grass, shrubs or wooded borderlines. If it is on your torso, the buggers will crawl up to your neck and head. That's probably where the "fall from trees" thing came from.

Picnics are fun. But don't sit on the grass. They'll crawl up your shirt or pant-leg. Then later, someone will say it fell from a tree.

I've been fortunate to get through about 10 attached ticks in life without any known effects. The worst bite was from a sucker who attached for 4 days in a place that ... well, I'd rather not say too much except you have to check those private areas, especially the guys. Oh, and I've come to appreciate old school jockey underwear as a barrier. Too much information? Or not enough? Here's more from Men's Health.

Up here the weather dries out in the summer, which knocks down the tick threat, at least for brown (dog) ticks. I've picked one up as early as late March with temps in the upper 30s -- but it's generally damp then. I don't think I've ever found one after late June.

As for blackleg (deer) ticks, I'm a little more wary of them in the woods. Here's a University of Wisconsin web page connecting them to forested habitat. It could be they're questing in the understory vs. dropping from trees, but the canopy keeps the environment cool and damp. https://wisconsin-ticks.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks/ixodes-scapularis-black-legged-ticks/

NC is a totally different environment, I'm sure. We never see a full-blown tropical storm up here, just some weakened remnants that may stretch up from the Gulf. So far this month we've had less than 2 inches of rain.

 

[JoeWras]

As for blackleg (deer) ticks, I'm a little more wary of them in the woods. Here's a University of Wisconsin web page connecting them to forested habitat. It could be they're questing in the understory vs. dropping from trees, but the canopy keeps the environment cool and damp. https://wisconsin-ticks.russell.wisc.edu/wisconsin-ticks/ixodes-scapularis-black-legged-ticks/

Ticks hang out on any little twig in the woods, waiting for a mammal to brush by, called questing. So, yeah, woods are clearly a danger zone for ticks, even "clear" woods. The worst area is the border where a lot of brush can grow and provide a good questing position. Sorry all, I put this thread off topic. I'm a bit passionate about it after learning how to mostly avoid these guys, after getting bitten too many times.

Questing and other behaviors from How Stuff Works

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Get a few pet possums to leave in the yard.
https://www.wideopenspaces.com/did-you-know-that-opossums-eat-virtually-all-the-ticks-in-your-yard/



Cheers!

Yes, I'm a big opossum fan. Apparently, they can carry a disease that is transmitted to horses, according to a friend who is a horse fancier. Still, I'm happy to have them around.

My dog is death on varmints but the opossums playing possum aways fool him. He has walked away from several that he has confronted before they went inert. Half an hour later, they were gone.

None of this has anything to do with lawns, other than JoeWras' observation that tall grass can harbor ticks. Strictly an old geezer's rambling at this end... signing off now.