Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Damn Lawn!

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Damn Lawn!

    My girlfriend and I bought our first house last year. It comes with a nice little garden with a patch of grass in the back garden (a lawn might be a bit of an exaggeration though).

    It wasn't in the best condition last year but we had to concentrate on the house - dealing with the appalling state of the DIY that the last owners had managed to conduct in the 4 years that they had had the house from new.

    So I start this year to try to tackle the lawn a little.

    It's chock full of weeds and doesn't appear to to be a shade resistant variety of grass (which is important seeing as said grass is in shade for at least 50% of the day). So I've been dealing with the weeds with feed/weed/mosskiller and a weed busting widget I bought at the local DIY store.

    What I've now discovered are chafer grubs & leatherjackets are in the lawn too. Only I can't use the normal pesticides because of the pond (don't ask). This leaves me with one option. Biological warfare - admittdly not cheap but I'm damned if I'm going to be beaten by a inch long grey bit of gloop!
    A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

  • #2
    Ouch. Sounds like you have your work cut out for you.

    Biggest issue we have is weeds, specifically dandelions (big surprise) and thistles. Oh and the Morning Glory from hell.

    Ok, second biggest. Biggest is my wife is allergic to fresh cut grass and I don't seem to give a damn...
    "If your day is filled with firefighting, you need to start taking the matches away from the toddlers…” - HM

    Comment


    • #3
      This http://eng-uk.fiskars.com/Products/L...10-Weed-Puller works rather well - takes out the entire tap root too. Unfortunately the dandelions in my lawn are so big they've left huge bare patches...
      A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

      Comment


      • #4
        I love that thing. It's been fantastic at getting rid of the short thistles. When they hit 3 feet tall, mobile, and have figured out how to fire their spines, however....

        Yes, I DO have a rather aggressive lawn. Why do you ask?
        "If your day is filled with firefighting, you need to start taking the matches away from the toddlers…” - HM

        Comment


        • #5
          Dig it all up and grow clover. Problem solved!
          "If anyone wants this old box containing the broken bits of my former faith in humanity, I'll take your best offer now. You may be able to salvage a few of em' for parts..... " - Quote by Argabarga

          Comment


          • #6
            Rob's maternal grandfather [the one that was a high scaler at Hoover Dam, among others] paved his yard and painted it green.

            To be honest, I have never really cared for one of the golf course like green lawns. To me, a large expanse of land without a garden for food or a building on it is somewhere to graze my animals ... I would be just as happy paving my yard in flagstones or brick.
            EVE Online: 99% of the time you sit around waiting for something to happen, but that 1% of action is what hooks people like crack, you don't get interviewed by the BBC for a WoW raid.

            Comment


            • #7
              I think it's just because it's there, so now I have to beat them.

              To that end I've ordered some biological death from the internet (can't really put that as my facebook status!) so that should even the score slightly.

              I'm looking forward to taking these bugs down.
              A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

              Comment


              • #8
                Personally, I'd nuke that fucker (take it alllll out), add some fill dirt to your scale /pitch you want, and lay down sod. Make sure there's not much raw dirt spots for the dandelions to take hold.

                you have too much to fix with one person's effort. If you pull out the damn thing, think about making a section for veggie garden or raised bed garden (2 birds with one stone) . Yank the bad grass out, measure the garden area, build your edges, add that fill dirt in with your order.

                The grass you have isn't the right grass, first of all, and your weeds like you so much they've settled in and called their family to live there too. My grampa used to sit and just GET the dandelions out by hand. He used a tool like a screwdriver except a long shaft, and it had a pronged edge on it. Shove it down in the dirt, pry the bastards out, get as much taproot out and (if you want) put some chemical on it to kill the rest of it. down towards end. Dandelion Tool (great name)
                Bugs, hell, I dunno.
                In my heart, in my soul, I'm a woman for rock & roll.
                She's as fast as slugs on barbituates.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth Der Cute View Post
                  If you pull out the damn thing, think about making a section for veggie garden or raised bed garden (2 birds with one stone) .
                  We've already got raised beds/veggie patch - they actually do quite well!
                  A PSA, if I may, as well as another.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth crazylegs View Post
                    I'm looking forward to taking these bugs down.
                    I take it that shouting 'Get off my lawn!' didn't help, then?
                    Engaged to the sweet Mytical He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      How about ripping out all the grass (and weeds and such) and putting in something unusual like a chamomile lawn? I used to know what varieties were hardy enough to stand up to being walked on, it's not hard to find on the net. Bonuses- the lawn smells WONDERFUL, and you can harvest the flowers for tea and other cooking.

                      Even if you decide you want to stay with grass, it does sound like tearing it all out and starting from scratch might be your best bet. If your grass isn't doing well because it's not the right sort for the spot, then you're going to keep having weed problems. Get some shade tolerant sort that will make a nice, thick sod to help keep weeds down.
                      You're only delaying the inevitable, you run at your own expense. The repo man gets paid to chase you. ~Argabarga

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Quoth Marmalady View Post
                        I take it that shouting 'Get off my lawn!' didn't help, then?
                        I don't think he's old enough to pull that off. However, I can be rented out at reasonable rates and travel expenses.

                        Rapscallion

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth Rapscallion View Post
                          I can be rented out at reasonable rates
                          So the rumours are true, then?
                          Engaged to the sweet Mytical He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Must be. I made them up myself.

                            Rapscallion

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth Rapscallion View Post
                              Must be. I made them up myself.
                              You too, then?
                              Engaged to the sweet Mytical He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X