Any LAWN experts???

[eyepatrol]

My lawn is in real tough shape right now. Each year it seems to get worse and worse. It's rock hard, SUPER bumpy, I can't get grass to grow in a few spots and in early to mid summer I get spots where mushrooms pop up. My yard is fairly well covered with adult trees, and I know that doesn't help as they provide lots of shade, but is there anything I can do to get the grass to grow thick, soften up the yard a bit, get those bumps out of it and once and for all prevent those mushrooms from popping up? Last year I did some trimming and have a couple of trees to trim yet, but I don't know if that's going to help all that much. I'd take a few trees down if I had the money, and I'd start all over on the yard if I could, but I got more important things planned for my money (new boat next year!).

Anyone have suggestions on what I could do on a low budget???

Thanks!

[FRESHWATER PETIE]

Sounds like a perfect lawn for a fisherman,less time mowing, more time on the water!!

If you really want to stay home and mow the yard on the weekends, I would try re-seeding the yard. cheap way to start, just pick up a few bags of grass seed and follow the directons on the bag.

[eyepatrol]

It's a fisherman's yard no doubt! Lots of neglect due to more important activities...like fishing!

We tried seeding last fall and then put a winter fertilizer down. Maybe I need to wait a little longer yet to see if it takes, but I'm certainly not noticing any extra growth at this point in time. On the up side, the existing grass is really growing fast and is very dark green!!

[Bobby Bass]

What kind of trees?

[eyepatrol]

Oh gosh, I'm gonna be guessing here a bit, but I'd say Ash?? It's those kind of trees that have those "hellicopter" leaves (of sorts) with seeds in them that fall and make a heck of a mess in the yard....does that help any?

[so haaad]

There may be a few factors involved here. Large canopy trees can act like a blanket that limits growth of anything below it. It might be time for a little pruning. If you get mushrooms it more than likely means that the area is pretty moist. Drainage and lack of direct sunlight may clear this up. Try adding some new soil, tilling up the old, aeriation methods, etc. Then seed.

[harvey lee]

They do have a chemical to kill fungus so those mushrooms will die.You may need to reslope your yard ,add some gypsym to your soil,and reseed for a nice yard.Lots of work but in the end you will have a great looking lawn.

A expert i'm not,but this worked for me.

I had mushrooms growing in my new lawn and sprayed for the last few years and it looked last year like they asre gone.Low spots in my yard and trash hunks of wood under the top soil was the worst area.

[NEANGLER]

I would thin out some tree limbs for some sunlight, aerate, spread on some new top soil in your thin spots and use a shade mixure of grass seed and use a starter fertilizer to get things going. Have you fertilized this year? If that doesnt work I would landscape your yard with hosta beds and mulch and go fish.

[eyepatrol]

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They do have a chemical to kill fungus

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Maybe a little "hot actin' Tinactin" as advertised by John Madden?? J/K These mushrooms are definitely a problem as when they die, they kill the grass along with it. It's in a low/flat spot underneath...guess...trees, and I've tried removing the soil and replacing it with new, but that hasn't worked. I'll look into some anti-fungal cream...errr...I mean spray of some sort.

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Have you fertilized this year?

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Not this year yet. We did seed and put a winter fertilizer down last fall, and that has really made the existing grass grow fast and dark green. Should we apply more fertilizer this spring, or would we "burn" the lawn?

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I would landscape your yard with hosta beds and mulch and go fish.

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Now that's funny right there! I actually had half a mind to pave the whole darn thing and be done with it!

We've got 9 adult trees on our 100'x140' lot. I've pruned all but two of them. Pruned them up to an elevation of about 12' above ground level. I'll be doing the same with the last 2 trees. I think we'll call in a guy to aerate the lawn.

I also wonder if a good thatching would help? Lots of old dead grass buried in there. Also wondering if it wouldn't hurt to take a roller and roll the heck out of the yard sometime after this rain passes and softens it up....maybe that would help take care of the lumps? Might be a temporary fix though huh?

Thanks for all the suggestions! Any more thoughts?

[NEANGLER]

It shouldn't burn the lawn up as what you put down in winter is gone and if you have had some good rains it needs the kick start. Getting a power rake wouldn't be a bad idea - you want a nice thach layer but not real thick -then it becoes detrimental to your lawn. If you haven't done it in ahwile it would probably be a good idea. Nothing wrong with hostas - they have nice flowers in the summer time.

[eyepatrol]

We've owned the place for 4 years now and haven't thatched it, plus it sat on the market for 2 years, so it's probably due. We've also got some fertilizer yet so we'll spread some of that on too.

Hostas are nice, but we have enough of them encompassing our house already.

[Rivernut]

Those would be Maple's that have the helicopter's. I would start by dethatching the lawn. Rent a power rake. Easy to use, then reseed. That should take care of it. And yes, too much shade isn't good this time of year. Just my 2 cents worth from past experience.

[Bobby Bass]

Kind of sound like Maples, if you have a doz. of them adult boys in your yard you have a pretty healthy canopy covering your yard. With our knowing how big your trees are I would say that they are the culprits for your mushroom problems as they ar not letting enough lite get to the yard. A good raking and then over seeding with a shade grass mixture. Continue to prune your trees and try to get as much sunlight as you can down on the lawn. A good raking and then spread seed. Take a leaf rake and lay it upside down and go from side to side to cover up your seed with your loosen dirt. Go ahead and roll your yard after that. Keeping in mine that grass seed will not grow unless it is in contact with the ground. Rolling will help with that. Keep moist but not soaked till grass germinates. Annual grass takes only 7-10 days but shade grass may take as long as 21 days. Do not water in the evening as it promotes disease. If you have a dog try and keep them off as the tender grass is easily torn up for the first few weeks. And remember when it grows you will have to mow

[Powerstroke]

Where to begin....

I agree with some of the answers here but there is some mis-information too.

Before you do anything I would check a few things, the thatch layer, type of trees, and if your mushrooms have a pattern. The reasons are this, having too much thatch will prevent grass from growing well and from taking hold. It also holds moisture causing disease and fungal problems. The type of trees matter because some trees release different chemicals into the soil and other cause mushrooms on their own because they have a natural fungus. Finally, if you have a pattern to the mushrooms (a ring or straight line) this could indicate something in the soil causing the mushrooms.

So, you take a piece of pipe or a shovel or some way to stick into the ground and pull out a soil sample without disturbing it. You want tosee what it looks like top to bottom. The thatch is the layer between the dirt (where roots grow down) and grass (grows up). The thatch will look like a mat of horizontal layersof decaying matter. If that layer is thicker than 1/2" than it needs work.

Maple trees have helicopters, but other types of shade trees have samaras (seed pods) similar to helicopters. Ash trees are also like this and cause mushrooms pretty easily, especially the kind that tends to harm the ground around them when they die. They way to tell is if you leaf is the size of your palm and has multiple fingers at the top (3-5) it is a maple. They should have full leaves already. The ash trees have small single leaves that are oval shaped but pointy on one end. Maple trees shade out everything as long as they have leaves. In a maple forest, very few things live under their canppies because they are so thick.

Patterns in the mushrooms will follow decaying matter in the soil or roots of the tree or maybe a pattern in the way the disease is spreading.

So, what to do?

-Trimming up the trees is a great start. The yard needs more light and more airflow. Thinning the trees is almost more important.

-De-thatching may be necessary and cheap. You can buy dethatching blades for any mower or you can rent. If thats needed or not you should still AEREATE the yard. Thats where you take the plugs out and it looks like goose [PoorWordUsage] for a week or so. This will break up the soil and loosen the ground up. This will also help work on the bumpy spots. The plugs will break up and go away. Once thats done you can overseed with a SHADY seed mix (very important).

Mushrooms is a tough one without knowing whats causing them. Best way to deal with them if the above steps don't work, is to use a fungicide to treat the lawn. This may kill a fungal disorder causing the mushrooms at certain times of the year.

You didn't say where you live, but I climb trees and work on lawns too and would be available to help if you want to work something out.

[Fish killer]

If your ground is hard like mine (clay soil) renting a aerater from Home Depot and going over it in the spring and in the fall. Put down some new black dirt where the real bare spots are and reseed with a shady mix. That's what has worked best for me.

[eyepatrol]

Thanks for all the helpful info folks! If it wasn't for all this rain I would have done a few things this weekend. I'll try and do as much as I can, but if I need some help maybe I'll call upon ya Powerstroke. I'm in Gaylord which is about a 50min. drive from Eden Prairie. Hopefully next weekend will be nice so I can work my tail off on these things, because after that it's more neglect for the lawn! Just gotta go fishing ya know! Don't want to mix up my priorities.

[Powerstroke]

I've got no problem helping out the average Joe sportsman. I'm not a money-making man as far as my help. We can talk about it, but I hunt and fish like the next guy and don't mind beer and BBQ's either (wink wink). This is how I pay for my auto service with friends.

Feel free to email me with questions and if you need a bit of help my weekends open up after this month. [email protected]

[Wayne Sieber]

Basscatcher - If those mushrooms are morels, give me a buzz and I will clean them up for you - No charge!!

[eyepatrol]

Thanks Powerstroke! I'll keep you in mind!

[eyepatrol]

FeetDown...I wouldn't be complaining quite so bad if they were morels. Unfortunately (to some degree), they're not morels.

[Reef Runner]

Ok I could use some help too. I have a nice yard. It was kept up very well before I bought my house. I now have had it for about three years and it is not as nice as it was. I just need to know some basics about lawn care. I did get a de-thatcher and an aerator ( not the plug kind) to pull behind my John Deer. I just got them because it is fun to drive around my yard.

Here is what I have done so far. I de-thatched, aerated, and put down crab grass preventer. I did this all before the dandelions bloomed. Did I do this too early??

When to I weed and feed?

Can I aerate too much? ( I have too much fun doing this)

How do I tell what kind of grass I have?

how do I get rid of my Dogs [PoorWordUsage] burns? ( I think I know that this is a hole subject on its own)

basically I want a kick a$$ yard. I know that my yard is half way there. How to I go all the way.

Thanks

[Reef Runner]

I guess no one is working on their lawns. They must all be out fishing

[Swimmer]

THese are good questions...anybody? Armchair experts even?

[Powerstroke]

Sorry I haven't been around.....I've been focusing on turkey hunting.

ANyway, to address your questions. I'm not sure what kind of aerator you have that doesn't create plugs. Does it pull dirt out at all or does it vibrate to loosten the dirt? If it doesn't do either of those its hardly worth its weight. Otherwise you're just poking holes making it firmir just 2-3" down. Most people wouldn't believe me unless I showed them, but a healthy lawn with good deep soil will have grass roots 6"+ deep.

I've explained before about the need for de-thatching. If your lawn doesn't need it I wouldn't do it. I usually recommend dethatching as necessary (not more than once a year) and aerating as necessary. To the average person this is every other year in the fall. If you have severly compacted soil or dense clay soils you may want to aerate yearly.

Pre-emergent crabgrass treatments are fine this early. We actually had quite the warm-up in april so it may work out quite well.

About the weed & feed...did your crabgrass preventer have fertilizer in it? If it did have fertilizer than don't do another fertilizing for 5-6 weeks after your last treatment.

At the lawn care company I worked for we would do 5 fertilizings a year.

1. Pre-emergent (crabgrass preventer)with fert by May 1 but not earlier than April 15th.

2. Weed and feed done by June 15th. I prefer to spray weeds seperately. Weed and feed mixes aren't very reliable especially against clover, creeping charlie and violets.

3. Light Fert only in Late July-early August ONLY IF YOU WATER.

4. Another weed and feed in early fall but before you do any seeding.

5. Winterizer in late fall (october)

Female dog spots can be tricky. The best thing I've heard is to rake the spot out, use Gypsum (you can find this at any lawn or garden store)you'll want to mix this in with the spot and maybe some new black dirt. IF your soil is hard than it may need to be tilled in.Then overseed. They make seed for high-traffic areas.

FInding out what kind of grass you have is hard unless you want to try and determine the shape and size of the blade and the shape of the sheath where the grass comes out of the ground. It really is unimportant to the layperson.

My last recommendation is to water properly. I don't know how big your lawn is but it sounds like alot if you use a rider. A good lawn needs ~3/4"-1" of water a week counting regular rainfall. I would say buy a good raingauge. PUt out some sprinklers and measure how much water your sprinkler puts out in an hour. Water appropriatly to get the right amount of water per week and leave youre rain guage in a good place so you know how much rain we get and you can cut back on watering.

Another thing to consider is fungus problems. De-thatching can usually help manage this, but other diseases can form without you knowing. If your "bad spots" are very uniform or have a pattern to them you mnay have a disease or insect problem. Between the wet springs and drought-like summers we've had in recent years this is entirely possible. We treated lots of new outbreaks last summer because of the unusual and stressful weather.

If you're serious about have a kick-a$$ lawn than none of this will seem to horrible. You can call an expert for an analysis or your problems and maybe a course of treatment, but most won't do it if they don't think you would buy from them. If you had pictures I could look at them. Let me know if I can help. I'll keep checking this thread.

[Reef Runner]

kick a$$ answers!!!!!

The aerator I have has a bunch of spikes like a Chinese throwing star. It pokes holes into the soil but does not pull out a plug. My soil is not hard and the spikes sink in about a couple of inches.

Thank you very much for all the GREAT advice. I will post some pics as soon as I can get some.

[Josh8481]

Powerstroke hit it on the head with all that he said. Pre-emergent ideally will be put down when the soil temperature is around 55 degrees, which as of wednesday it was. As for deadspots, dethatch as stated before, put a little black dirt on the spot, seed, and try to set the seeds in the dirt by using some weight on top of the spot, such as a roller, so the seeds don't blow around with the wind. Also, you can over-aerate, which as one would assume, is going to make your soil too soft, which could lead to soupy/sinking spots. Also, if you do have problems with possible disease in your lawn, make sure the person you have come out to look at it, is a licensed pesticide applicator. My company just recently got this license, and it is vital in order to properly diagnose and treat any disease your lawn may have. There are a lot of chemicals that can help more so than the Fleet Farm varieties, but can only be purchased/applied by licensed companies. And ultimately, it may be worthwhile to get a soil sample taken from your yard, so you'll know exactly what your lawn is lacking chemically, whether it be nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium. Ultimately, a lack of one of these can alter growth rate, density, color, etc.