I Suck At Gardening

[Japher]

I don't think I have ever had a lawn that didn't die. Well, except one, and that was only because I seeded it, then it flooded, and the I moved out like 6 months later.

Every lawn I have had has died. I do what books tell me and still get no results. I have air raided, reseeded, water as I was told to, spent forturnes on sprinklers, fertilizers and the like, and still they die.

This new lawn is no different. Granted I have an oddly slopped yard, but still I have an out break of crab grass and I am afraid if I spray for the crab grass I'll end up killing the lawn and I don't have enough time to reseed, as I probably should of done that already. If I reseed now, I will need to feed, and that will only help the weeds.

Any advice would be helpful. Especially from midwesterners.

Thanks

[pchang]

Hire a friendly neighborhood gardening service. At the time, it was about $70/mo. and well worth it. My yard took up about 1.2 acres and I was highly allergic to just about everything in the outside environment.

[Japher]

I'm being told gardening services out here are expensive due to the small hispanic population

[pchang]

The garding service I hired was completely composed of white guys (this was in Iowa). Shop around and see. Otherwise, be prepared to get ugly looks from your neighbors everytime you see them.

[Japher]

It's mainly just half of my backyard, and the neighbors said that that half is tough to keep green because of the way the yards drain. I'm think of turning it into a flood plain... kind of.

[Last Conformist]

Let the weeds grow. Survival of the fittest

[Ted Striker]

I agree with pchang. Get a gardening service.

With the money you saved by moving, it shouldn't be a problem.

You'll probably waste more money if you try to do it yourself.

You can also get a landscape architect to take a look at it, the same way interior decorators do.

[Japher]

That's what I'm thinking.

[Snotty]

Whats crab grass? an evil bastie by the looks of it from GIS, so you had best nail it before it forces the other grass out and leaves patchs when you finally deal with it. What is it roots system like? We used to use a screwdriver to weed lawns, push it into the ground around the base of the weed to loosen the earth without breaking up the root, then pull the ****er out

Ive done damage to plenty of lawns but never enough that they didnt recover from it. crab grass looks relativly broad leaved so may get taken out by lawn feed and weed mixture. Use a rotary spreader, not a line spreader or by hand because its far too easy to screw it up without a rotary spreader. althought the feed and weed may not work if crab grass is too close to normal grass shaped blades

[Japher]

I'll weed and then use the spreader, I have a rotary spreader.

[Snotty]

Just so you know I dont really know what crabgrass is, thats just general advice for lawn care but hand weed + weed and feed mix was our solution to everything really.

I will ask my old boss if he knows any specific advice for crabgrass and he should be able to tell me if I know the weed or not

[Japher]

I think it needs to be dug out, I'm just worried that it's getting pretty cold and that I won't be able to get any grass in to replace it before winter hits.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Re: I Suck At Gardening

Originally posted by Japher
I have air raided

I think I see the problem. High explosives and/or napalm are not conducive to good lawns.

[Japher]

you know what I mean, jhacksas

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Seriously the best advice for lawns is being on the computer 24/7 at places like 'poly to get your gardening help and then going out and buying a whole ton of green paint.