OT: Lawn Care

[LVC11]

I have my first house and have a lawn to care for as a result. First off, I'm renting so I am not going to spend a bunch of money on the lawn but I am very interested in maintaining it and making it look right. It is a .32 acre lot with front and back yards. some shrubbery to maintain. one tall tree in both the front and back. i have a push mower and am in the market for a cheap weedeater.

what sort of advice or tips can you give me as far as maintenance? growing up i always helped maintain the lawn but was never actually responsible for the whole nine yards

TIA

 

[chassc]

what kind of grass?
how much shade?

 

[LVC11]

Originally posted by chassc:
what kind of grass?
how much shade?

Absolutely no clue what sort of grass. I am in Winston-Salem so I'm not sure if a particular kind grows more around here than another. The house faces east and west, east being front yard. The back certainly gets more light but I don't think shade is too prominent.

 

[chassc]

ID the grass type then look up what type of treatment you can put down this time of year that will give it a good boost. Being a rental, I would just use a basic brand like Scott's that you can get for a few dollars at Lowe's. Not sure if it's too late for a weed & feed up there or not.
Water first thing in the morning before the sun comes up...15-30 minutes. Don't water after the early afternoon.

What condition is the yard in now?

 

[LVC11]

Originally posted by chassc:
ID the grass type then look up what type of treatment you can put down this time of year that will give it a good boost. Being a rental, I would just use a basic brand like Scott's that you can get for a few dollars at Lowe's. Not sure if it's too late for a weed & feed up there or not.
Water first thing in the morning before the sun comes up...15-30 minutes. Don't water after the early afternoon.

What condition is the yard in now?

I would say the condition is fair. Decent amount of crab grass weeds, and dandelions. Fair may be being a bit too nice but it doesn't look awful.

 

[jmh9713]

If it is a rental dont waste your money. Just keep it cut and move on. Once you own then start dropping cash on fertilizer, pre emergent, post emergent, new equipment etc....

It gets expensive (especially for product you put down because it is so dilluted these days.....do not go to Lowes or home depot to buy concentrate)

 

[chassc]

Originally posted by jmh9713:
If it is a rental dont waste your money. Just keep it cut and move on. Once you own then start dropping cash on fertilizer, pre emergent, post emergent, new equipment etc....

It gets expensive (especially for product you put down because it is so dilluted these days.....do not go to Lowes or home depot to buy concentrate)

No way. Trial and error on somebody else's yard? Take that all day. If he has something low maintenance, he won't have to spend much.

 

[LVC11]

Originally posted by chassc:

Originally posted by jmh9713:
If it is a rental dont waste your money. Just keep it cut and move on. Once you own then start dropping cash on fertilizer, pre emergent, post emergent, new equipment etc....

It gets expensive (especially for product you put down because it is so dilluted these days.....do not go to Lowes or home depot to buy concentrate)

No way. Trial and error on somebody else's yard? Take that all day. If he has something low maintenance, he won't have to spend much.

It seems like a simple enough yard to do some experimenting and learning, as you said.

 

[jmh9713]

I personally would not waste the money. As far as trial and error goes.....every lawn is different. You figure it out as you go anyways

 

[LVC11]

Originally posted by jmh9713:
I personally would not waste the money. As far as trial and error goes.....every lawn is different. You figure it out as you go anyways

then without spending money other than gas and such, what would you do regularly to the yard to keep it as nice looking as possible, all things considered?

mow once a week, mow as needed, water, if water when to water, etc.

 

[jmh9713]

Mow, weedeat, fire ant killer. Rinse repeat.

In most cases simply maintaining a cut schedule will keep weads to a minimum.

 

[gcsoccer16]

Don't cut it too short. Keep it higher in the summer time but mow more frequently. 3-4 inches is a good estimate for the summer months. Try to keep it watered at least once a week. I would not put down any weed and feed right now but nothing wrong with getting a bag of scotts turf builder fertilizer and spreading it around the yard.

1) Mow it high and once every 7-10 days
2) Water the lawn for 30 minutes at least once a week (you may have to move the sprinkler around every few days to make sure all areas are getting covered.....yes this can be a bit of a hassle but without getting a sprinkler system you will benefit from this)
3) Go ahead and get a big bag of scotts turf builder and treat the front and back yard.

Prices:
Sprinkler(s) $40
1 40lb bag of Scotts Fertilizer $40
Black and Decker 18V cordless trimmer $

 

[Patagonia]

Originally posted by gcsoccer16:

Don't cut it too short. Keep it higher in the summer time but mow more frequently. 3-4 inches is a good estimate for the summer months. Try to keep it watered at least once a week. I would not put down any weed and feed right now but nothing wrong with getting a bag of scotts turf builder fertilizer and spreading it around the yard.

1) Mow it high and once every 7-10 days
2) Water the lawn for 30 minutes at least once a week (you may have to move the sprinkler around every few days to make sure all areas are getting covered.....yes this can be a bit of a hassle but without getting a sprinkler system you will benefit from this)
3) Go ahead and get a big bag of scotts turf builder and treat the front and back yard.

Prices:
Sprinkler(s) $40
1 40lb bag of Scotts Fertilizer $40
Black and Decker 18V cordless trimmer $

 

[prorange]

You need to identify the type of grass before you do anything. The wrong type of fertilizer can kill your grass. Difgerent types of grass should be mowed at different heights. Hybrid bermudas should be mowed less than 2" for best results. Fescue should be 3-4 inches and grows best during the cooler seasons like early spring and fall. Don't use products like roundup when grass is growing because you will kill it. You should water once a week but deeply to encourage deep roots. If it's a rental I wouldn't worry about the time and money to maintain it though
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[Trading Tiger]

Originally posted by LVCtiger11:

Originally posted by jmh9713:
I personally would not waste the money. As far as trial and error goes.....every lawn is different. You figure it out as you go anyways

then without spending money other than gas and such, what would you do regularly to the yard to keep it as nice looking as possible, all things considered?

mow once a week, mow as needed, water, if water when to water, etc.

As a homeowner who hates yard work, listen to jmh. You'll have plenty of time to experiment, learn, and spend countless hours maintaining your lawn once you buy a house. Don't burn yourself out maintaining someone else's yard.

Mow regularly. Weed eat/edge when necessary. If you don't have too much shrubbery, just get some manual hedge clippers and trim them once or twice a year.

 

[CU1TruTiger4Life]

Winston Salem is much more of a tall fescue area than warm season grasses. The problem with tall fescue is you really shouldn't over seed until September/October.

 

[LVC11]

Originally posted by CU1TruTiger4Life:
Winston Salem is much more of a tall fescue area than warm season grasses. The problem with tall fescue is you really shouldn't over seed until September/October.

upon research it is fescue that we have i believe. looks identical to the pictures online.

 

[OrangeTigerTower]

If its a rental make sure you have the legal right to do anything beyond cut the grass (I own 5 rentals and none of my tenants have that right FYI)

Next make scertain what type of grass you have. Id assume its a fescue blend on a rental but...might be zoysia (sp?) or bermuda...and what makes fescue pop will absolutely kill the other two.

If it is fescue the following prescription will get you close in that area.
(A Proper course of treatment would involve soil smaple and mineral analysis (free) and a tailored solution. Short of that this will get you close most anywhere in the piedmont region of the carolinas.)

in the fall (late september early october) aeration (big fan of a mechanical aeration like aerovator ot just a drum roller) and overseed with fescue
two weeks later 18-24-12 fertilizer application
32-5-7 winterizer indecember
March 1 a pre-emergent with an 18-24-12 feed.

Keep water on it all summer 1-2x a week in the mid morning.

Enjoy

 

[AceBasin1SC]

This is a good place to start.




Tall Fescue Maintenance Calendar

 

[CU1TruTiger4Life]

Originally posted by Patagonia:

Originally posted by gcsoccer16:

Don't cut it too short. Keep it higher in the summer time but mow more frequently. 3-4 inches is a good estimate for the summer months. Try to keep it watered at least once a week. I would not put down any weed and feed right now but nothing wrong with getting a bag of scotts turf builder fertilizer and spreading it around the yard.

1) Mow it high and once every 7-10 days
2) Water the lawn for 30 minutes at least once a week (you may have to move the sprinkler around every few days to make sure all areas are getting covered.....yes this can be a bit of a hassle but without getting a sprinkler system you will benefit from this)
3) Go ahead and get a big bag of scotts turf builder and treat the front and back yard.

Prices:
Sprinkler(s) $40
1 40lb bag of Scotts Fertilizer $40
Black and Decker 18V cordless trimmer $

 

[acwill07]

People are actually suggesting buying electric lawn equipment ITT? Yikes.

If you are going to have your own yard soon (as in a year or two down the road), go ahead and start buying good equipment that will last. And definitely buy gas powered....everyone has their opinion on brands. I like Husqvarna...all my equipment is Husqvarna, but some like Stihl and others. None of the big companies are bad.

 

[CU1TruTiger4Life]

Originally posted by acwill07:
People are actually suggesting buying electric lawn equipment ITT? Yikes.

If you are going to have your own yard soon (as in a year or two down the road), go ahead and start buying good equipment that will last. And definitely buy gas powered....everyone has their opinion on brands. I like Husqvarna...all my equipment is Husqvarna, but some like Stihl and others. None of the big companies are bad.

Apparantly you don't have much experience with newer battery developments.

Reasons I went electric:
Cheaper
Quieter
Lighter
1 moving part, less to break/maintain
A single charge will finish my yard twice over
I don't come in smelling like exhaust
I don't have to buy gas and oil

Now why should I have bought a gas weed eater?

 

[acwill07]

Originally posted by CU1TruTiger4Life:

Originally posted by acwill07:
People are actually suggesting buying electric lawn equipment ITT? Yikes.

If you are going to have your own yard soon (as in a year or two down the road), go ahead and start buying good equipment that will last. And definitely buy gas powered....everyone has their opinion on brands. I like Husqvarna...all my equipment is Husqvarna, but some like Stihl and others. None of the big companies are bad.

Apparantly you don't have much experience with newer battery developments.

Reasons I went electric:
Cheaper
Quieter
Lighter
1 moving part, less to break/maintain
A single charge will finish my yard twice over
I don't come in smelling like exhaust
I don't have to buy gas and oil

Now why should I have bought a gas weed eater?

Dude if you're buying any, and I mean any, electric powered landscaping equipment over gas powered then you're doing it wrong. There's a reason electric crap (and it is crap) is so cheap. It's all about power.

 

[greenvilledoc]

Originally posted by acwill07:

Originally posted by CU1TruTiger4Life:

Originally posted by acwill07:
People are actually suggesting buying electric lawn equipment ITT? Yikes.

If you are going to have your own yard soon (as in a year or two down the road), go ahead and start buying good equipment that will last. And definitely buy gas powered....everyone has their opinion on brands. I like Husqvarna...all my equipment is Husqvarna, but some like Stihl and others. None of the big companies are bad.

Apparantly you don't have much experience with newer battery developments.

Reasons I went electric:
Cheaper
Quieter
Lighter
1 moving part, less to break/maintain
A single charge will finish my yard twice over
I don't come in smelling like exhaust
I don't have to buy gas and oil

Now why should I have bought a gas weed eater?

Dude if you're buying any, and I mean any, electric powered landscaping equipment over gas powered then you're doing it wrong. There's a reason electric crap (and it is crap) is so cheap. It's all about power.

Not necessarily. If you have a small yard, then buying gas makes no sense - especially if you're going to put them up for half the year during winter. You have to deal with winterizing the engine and keeping fuel/oil around - storing flammables can be a pain in certain small homes as well. Electric stuff is lighter and easier to work on IMO, and is great for older folks as well - no starter pulls, just plug it in and go - even after sitting all winter. Not to mention less expensive.

The only folks I recommend gas stuff to is people with large yards or professionals - where you need a lot of power for heavy duty use or the cord won't reach or you need multiple batteries to finish - other wise it's a waste of money. You don't need a gas powered weed eater or hedge trimmer to trim around the driveway and deck of your patio home.