Sandra asks…

Lawn question - Jerry baker has recipe that will remove thatch from a lawn.?

Something like, beer, soap, southern comfort,etc. Do you know the exact ingredents and portions of this recipe and, is there a web site that has all his receipts free? The thatch is built up on my lawn (I use a mulch blade on my mower).

landscapeliving answers:

Jerry Baker's All-Season Green-Up Tonic

1 can of beer (not light beer)
1 cup of ammonia
1/2 cup of liquid dish soap (not anti-bacterial or concentrated, trust me)
1/2 cup of liquid lawn food (get this at a nursery or farmers' supply)
1/2 cup of clear corn syrup

Mix in large bucket, pour into a 20-gallon hose-end sprayer and spray on everything (grass, bushes, flowers) every three weeks. One batch covers approximately 1500 square feet.

Richard asks…

sod lawn showing browning and thinning throughout. is this a fungus? how do i treat it?

i have a sodded yard and for the past 8 weeks it seems to be struggling. in many areas there are green and brown blades of grass and the grass appears to be thinning. one spot is almost completely bald and can easily be pulled out. when i first noticed the problem i thought i was underwatering so i have been watering the heck out of it for the past 2 months... no response.

i recently purchased Bayer fungus control and applied it about 10 days ago. seems to have worked moderately, however, hard to tell since i now mow the yard extremely high as fearing mowing to low was part of the problem. i also now bag the clippings as i heard that can contribute.

it is noteable that the sod is only a year old and since installed has never been aerated or thatched. i fertilize it pretty regularly as advised by scotts 4 part plan.

also, i live in the northeast so with the fall weather i am concerned as the grass should be thriving right now. my backyard is seed and is doing fine.pleasehelp

landscapeliving answers:

Hi:
There are a couple of possibilities for what is going on. Are there any big trees around where the grass is thinning? Above ground tree roots are a major reason why some seed and sod doesn't take well.

Also, what type of sod is it? You are in a northern climate which if I remember, has had good rain this summer. Do you have irrigation or using sprinklers? It would be good if you aerated your lawn and then possibly over seed and fertilize before your ground freezes. I reecommend to my clients a slow six month nitrogen relase fertilizer in spring and fall. This helps the root systems.

It sounds also like some of the root system may not have properly taken hold over the past year. This sometimes happens with certain types of sod.

I hope this has helped some and if you need any other help with this topic or other landscape solutions, please feel free to contact me at my website. Let us know how you make out.
Take a look at my website and see if any of the articles will help you for this problem or any other one that may arise.
Kimberly

http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com

Lizzie asks…

When is the 1st time I shold mow each Spring?

I cant tell if my lawn did well through the Winter. Its too soon to see the full potential of new grass blades, but mostly now I see thatch from last year. It was about 5 inches long last Fall but I could not cut it (was out of the country)
Will mowing now (March) cut off all that dead thatch to let me see the actual grass?

THX!

landscapeliving answers:

Make sure the grass is dry. Not only is wet grass heavy in the catch bag, the wet blades can stick to the mower blades instead of being sheared. What this will do is rip out the grass from the soft wet earth. You'll want to wait until your lawn is long and dry. If the thatch is so matted down that it's suffocating the soil, as new blades won't pop through, you can use a leaf rake to scratch open spaces. Try to wait until it's somewhat drier too, or you could pull out grass. NOTE: some old grass will come out, and that's okay.

Betty asks…

How to make grass darker without much growth in blade length?

We have a nice lawn and we fertilize pretty often. We water regularly, too. This spring, we also removed the excess thatch which helped get more oxygen to the grass, and kept it from starting out "lumpy" which seems to normally occur in the first springtime growth. It looks good, but I would like to know if anyone knows what you can use to give bluegrass the darker bluish look, wider blade growth, without the excessive length. Maybe this is not even a fertilizer question, but thought I'd give it a try. When we fertilize, it seems to cause more growth in the blade length rather than the width. I have noticed that the blades are often wider where there is more space between plants, thus more oxygen. Anyone have any experience with this?

landscapeliving answers:

Chelated iron will darken a KBG lawn without stimulating top growth, but its color affect is short term. If your soil is neutral to alkaline, sulfur can also darken KBG without stimulating top growth. Sulfur has a much longer term affect on color than iron. Finally, plant growth regulators applied to KBG can reduce the growth rate. Some of these regulators do so through cell size reduction (Primo Maxx) that helps to concentrate the green color into a smaller blade. Though regulators will not increase blade width, they can darken a KBG lawn, reduce the rate of top growth, stimulate root development and increase overall density.

Charles asks…

What should I do about my lawn?

I don't know anything about horticulture. My back lawn is a mess. There are areas where my dogs have dug holes 3 ft deep and 4 feet around. The soil turns to almost rock when it dries out and gets soggy/swamy for weeks when it gets too much water. There is a tree in one corner that nothing gross around, it's some sort of evergreen spiny leafed thing, so there is a dead zone. There are several types of grass that grow; one it tall, thin, ridgid bladed mostly in winter, one is a thick fuzzy soft blade that grows with alot of water in the summer, and one is a pale wrinkly blade that is mostly spring/summer. When the summer type grass dies there are big ugly sandy spots all over. I want to get rid of all of it and start from scratch. I don't think there is any saving what we have. But my question is where should I start. I also have alot of thatch that needs to be taken out. I want to do this myself, no professionals. Any websites with info or can you tell me where I should start?
so. california

landscapeliving answers:

Can you send me pictures?

If you want to keep the tree, you can plant pachysandra or an ivy underneath it. They will tolerate the same soil as the tree, provide ground cover and add texture and color.

Pick up the dog droppings and plant them in the digging spots. Dogs do not like to eat, sleep or play where they drop ;-) and this includes digging.

Your answers are predicated upon where you live and the soil conditions. There are informative books available at the library. I suggest whatever you do, make it fun and look at it as a growth experience so as not to...make yourself a victim with any negative thoughts.

There is also a bible (forgive me Lord) called the Western Garden Book. It covers EVERYTHING. Do not lend it out cuz that's how I lost my three...

BEFORE any digging, call the 800 number for a check of gas, water and electric lines. No shortcuts here!

If you till, USE A REAR tinned machine and not one with blades on the front, unless of course you really want a work out and inferior tilling. Then it is raking out rocks and then fine raking/grading with a large aluminum rake. Depending on soil, you may want to add...You can email me for the rest...

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