Anyone here looking at seed catalogs?

S

Saddle Tramp

Moderator
There seems to be a correlation between owning a pickup truck and growing a veggie garden. I'm testing this theory out.

I haven't looked at any catalogs myself but I do find myself staring over at the seed racks at Home Depot and Lowe's.
 
Saddle Tramp said:
There seems to be a correlation between owning a pickup truck and growing a veggie garden. I'm testing this theory out.

I haven't looked at any catalogs myself but I do find myself staring over at the seed racks at Home Depot and Lowe's.
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My wife has a garden. I take care of the lawn. I did buy a soil sample kit. I'm going to be an amateur scientist this summer with test tubes. I'm trying to figure out the mystery around some dead spots.
 
This is the front yard. A little history. We bought the house and there was a so-so lawn established. I installed a sprinkler system and then hired TruGreen for 3 or 4 years. They got the lawn in much better condition. I haven't mowed yet this year so excuse the big clumps of grass. I fired TruGreen because they couldn't ever text me in advance for appointments and really got on our nerves. They one time double parked my wife in when she in was in a hurry for work.

Even then, the section that's dry is what I would call balding. The grass barely grows and the soil is hard even after aeration. I did a water test to make sure it was getting enough from the sprinklers and it does. I then grabbed a long screwdriver. I can barely get it in the ground. Literally a few feet next to it, it slides in all the way.

The lawn has been treated for grubs every year for the past probably 10 years.


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This is the thin or dry section.

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This section is another dry spot along the side walk.
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The backyard is a different story. There was no lawn here at all when we moved in 10 years ago. We tilled up the ground, ran a sprinkler system and then I planted seed. We had a very wet spring that year and the lawn took off. Now that was MUCH to the shock and amazement of the local lawn and garden center a-hole.

Now, I've never had TruGreen mess with it since it is mostly the dog's area. However, I've been fighting this growth of the dry patches and dead areas for a few years. I treated for grubs last year.

For the past few years, I've replanted seed, ran more water for longer and even one year, I tilled up the bad sections and replanted. It keeps growing. I thought it might be dead spots from the dog's piss. I tried giving them an additive to neutralize their urine and I didn't notice any improvements.

This lawn used to be VERY lush. It is pretty uneven. Now that the boys are older and I can keep them off it, I am planning on doing a leveling project this Spring and spreading top soil, seed and fertilizer over the entire lawn. I'm hopeful this will bring it back into shape. I have let it go and that's on me.

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Any advice would be appreciated. I get my fertilizer from a local place here in town that works with many of the farmers in the area. They have crafted their products for our soil.

My Dad is planning on making the trip out this Fall from Michigan. It might be his last trip he ever makes. He's getting older and I worry about his health. He can nitpick at times and I want to make the outside area look the best I can.
 
This is going to sound crazy, but I'd have the hard areas checked for fungus. The second picture you posted (the one with the sidewalk) has a circular leafed weed in it that looks similar to dollar weed. That plant loves heavy water. The grass also looks like it goes from brown to grey as it dies. That is another sign of fungal problems.

In your first backyard picture, there looks like a "ring" of dying grass in front of the third tree to the right, just passed the sideways plastic pot. That looks similar to a fairy ring which is also a fungal problem. I would definitely take a sample of that hardened soil and have it checked out by an ag extension agent.
 
Saddle Tramp said:
This is going to sound crazy, but I'd have the hard areas checked for fungus. The second picture you posted (the one with the sidewalk) has a circular leafed weed in it that looks similar to dollar weed. That plant loves heavy water. The grass also looks like it goes from brown to grey as it dies. That is another sign of fungal problems.

In your first backyard picture, there looks like a "ring" of dying grass in front of the third tree to the right, just passed the sideways plastic pot. That looks similar to a fairy ring which is also a fungal problem. I would definitely take a sample of that hardened soil and have it checked out by an ag extension agent.
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Huh. Fungus. Nobody has brought up that idea before. Everyone says grubs. It is irritating to keep hearing the same thing to be honest especially after you have treated for them.
 
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