Yes we are, we are just getting it now, flash flood and mudslide warnings have been issued. Supposed to get 3 inches by tonight and it is warmer now even raining then it was over the weekend. Like 65 degrees, which is going to push the snow level way up and melt a ton of now. The ground at my place is so saturated that I have spots of standing water that were there all last week with no rain. Luckily was able to scalp my back and my brother in laws house on sunday after the yards dried a little. They are just starting to green up now.

Last rain wasnt too bad, ended up with 2.5" in a 24 hour period. Have a reprieve now until monday. Supposed to start again mon and go through wednesday. Another 3 inches. That will put us over 25" since jan 1st. Close to 40" since october. Property is well. Need to get another load of gravel in for the side yard. It is compacting down, which was expected, but is greatly helping with the flood control. Was able to get a mow in on the back yesterday afternoon, laid down some more prodiamine and a small dose of nitrogen as it is starting to green up. Used a green marker dye for the first time, that was a game changer, and fun for ST. Patricks Day because my hands ended up stained green when my nozzle plugged and had to clear it.

All my trees are doing amazing, lemons like mad, probably 70 or so bushels. Need to get the avacados off the trees, probably 100 bushels between the 2, before they start to bloom again. Need to get them trimmed up. All the other young trees, nectarine, peach, tangerine, orange and pomengranat are starting to get flowers. Tulips and all the other bulbs are loving the rain and coming up, some have been dormant for years. The front fescue took off last week, back to growing 2 plus inches a week and the 2 thin spots I had are now sprouting from when I reseeded a few weeks back so they should be filled in within a month or so.

Assistance with weed ID please!

At first I thought this might be common bermuda mixed in some spots but the more I look at how it grows and spreads (clumping growth along rhizome nodes with leaf growth on short stolons), the more I think this is either torpedograss or goosegrass (leaning towards latter). Any thoughts?

My guess is Goosegrass, does it get a seedhead?

No seedheads that I could find yet. Not sure if it matters but it gets mowed at about .6" so there's a chance I'm lopping them off but will keep an eye out before I mow next time.

ETA: General consensus from a FB bermuda group is that it might be common bermuda or centipede. I was under the impression my lawn was established common bermuda and not hybrid so perhaps I was wrong about that. I hit a couple test spots with MSMA which will kill/damage goosegrass and centipede so if it has no effect I'll know the invader is just common bermuda.

Just found this thread.  Central Ohio with Bluegrass/fescue, likely mostly bluegrass.  Lawn has improved since ditching the large outfit that I swear cut the application rates and seemed to miss half the weeds on his standup spreader/sprayer. Dandelions and Crabgrass is typically the issue.  Joining properties do not treat their lawns, and an adjoining field only gets cut when things are going to seed so it blows in. Dandelions were easy to deal with and would spot spray them before they flowered.  Crabgrass has always been a nuisance and while not out of control it annoys me since I always notice these lighter green crabgrass clumps growing here and there.

Last spring picked up a new Lesco 80# spreader and installed a Permagreen agitator kit.  Hit the lawn with a bag of 13-0-5 with pre-emergent March 28.    Likely didn't get it down soon enough since no different than the years past as far as weed pressure.  Applied 30-0-5 with Iron in mid May and besides spot spraying that was it.  Did not try to treat the crabgrass since it would brown out and look worse all fall.

This year I to skip the pre-emergent and put down 30-0-5, ya, that is a lot of nitrogen for springtime here but I can cut ever other day if that is what it takes. Local Lowes had the stuff and it was way more convenient than the hour and a half round trip to SiteOne.  I think it was the stuff left over from last year cause the average person does not even know the Lesco brand and grabbed the Scotts instead.....  Employee seen me grabbing bags and said..."that a good deal huh, we are discontinuing it" ($108 was the "normal" price, got it for $28.94/bag).

As stated I skipped Pre because I did some fall/winter seeding.  So now I am looking at the options I have for knocking this crab grass out before it gets to later stage.  Im looking at  Quinclorac 75 DF and a backpack sprayer to walk the acre of lawn.  The biggest area was right along the road, where the seeds just get blown into yard that end up on the pavement.  Suppose I just keep an eye there for germination and growth and then hit the lawn with Quinclorac, maybe add some dye to verify coverage.

Late spring last year....
Attached File


Some leaves leaves and crap in scattered in yard, a NWS verified EF1 tornado passed about 800' away about 4 hours prior.  Yes, the noise they make sounds like a freight train, I was outside on deck looking for it as I watched the radar and news report that a cell was moving my way.  Anyhow, that would be another discussion.  Was on the roof that evening to check for damage...but a neat shot of lawn.

Attached File


Cheap Fert....

Attached File

I have a bag of pre, Dimension 0.15%, that I could put down in the front and stay away from the area under an Oak that has low limbs that is shading the new seeding I have done. (front seems highest crab area).  I think that is a good idea actually.

Attached File

I'd say by the middle of May the seeding I did in the dormant months of February should be germinating if it takes hold.   I will look at mixing some Mesotrione with the Quinclorac going forward.

please delete - glitched.

Thanks for your input, Kitties! Other than a few small patches here and there in the center of my otherwise weed-free yard (except stupid Poa Annua) it isn't super obvious and only sticks out when you're right on top of it. The stems have a little purple in them but not a whole lot. I think my photo was just a bit dark and blurry. I'll try to dig some up as it grows out more in my yard - I've pulled a good bit of it and it seems really difficult to pull without breaking so I haven't had any luck getting a good look at the roots. Here's another pic that shows the thicker bladed stuff on the right and then on the left my bermudagrass with a quarter for reference. I was under the impression hybrid bermuda tended to have thinner blades and common thicker?


ETA: Don't mind the blue tints in the above photo, that's from dye where I sprayed that spot to see if anything would happen.

As an aside, I'm getting leveling done today and also got my soil analysis back. Ordered some DAP 18-46-0 to address my phosphate deficiency (you think one app at the recommended rate should do it for the season?) and also have AS 21-0-0 for the rest of the season. Hopefully that'll help lower my pH some but open to suggestions if ya have em.


Otherwise it's looking much better and is recovering quite nicely compared to the pics I posted from a couple weeks back:.

It is a university test (Texas A&M Ag Extension). I didn't opt for the micro test but I probably should have. I ordered the high phos fert based on some info I found online just to bring up the phos a bit. No problems other than occasional yellowing of some grass blades (but usually only in the spot where there used to be a tree) though I find iron apps usually take care of that once I start my regular fert regime - I'm assuming my high pH is making any iron in the soil difficult to impossible to be used by the grass, so I'm using a chelated EDDHA iron which seemed to work well last year.

I'm mostly just wanting to smartly apply fertilizers and not just "spray and pray" so to speak - plus my last soil test I did with one of those kits last year showed I had high pH and wanted to see if I lowered it at all with apps of Ammonium Sulfate last year or see if it was wildly off from a university lab result.

Thank you for the compliments and I think I'm on the right track but yeah I agree that bringing my pH down is probably the most important thing I can do so more nutrients are made readily available to the grass and to improve nutrient uptake. Everything I've read on the subject is that changing pH, especially lowering, is a very slow and difficult process so I completely agree with you on making that a priority. Hopefully AS + regular Sulfur applications this season will make a dent in it.

I really appreciate you taking the time here to explain and guide me and others from your knowledge and experience. I have a habit of trying to fix something till it's broken so, thanks for bringing me back down to earth a bit and helping me focus on what I can improve on.

Not sure if this a direct lawn question but here goes. These maple trees have destroyed the mow strip that was poured around them many yrs ago. One of the smaller rings is so bad it's sinking into the soil. The freeze cycles have also taken it's toll.

I'm thinking of just taking them all out and using topsoil and sand to regrade and taper into the existing lawn, as sad as it is, and just let the lawn grow around the trees as much as it will. Is there another solution that I'm overlooking? The roots on these trees make a lush aerated healthy lawn all but impossible so I'm just trying to put some lipstick on a pig.
Attached File

Attached File

Attached File

Attached File

Attached File

Have you thought about doing a natural border with a mulch ring like this? Just be sure not to cover up the flare (sp?) of the tree so it can breathe (no mulch mound).



Not an expert by any means but if you use topsoil, that will eventually break down as it's mostly organics and you'd be left with the same problem again down the road. I'd suggest using masonry sand (or play sand as fine as you can get it) and maybe extending the ring out a bit to cover more of the roots if that's a concern. Looks like your grass is tolerating the shade there just fine and doesn't appear to be thinning much which is good. My uneducated .02 but food for thought!

Ironically I think that’s probably how it will end up anyway. It certainly will be the first step once the concrete is removed.

First, I’ve been watching some of the tornado coverage also, also praying for the people that find themselves in the path of these clusters.

Some of the roots have definitely been girdled by the ring it’s one of the many reasons they need to go. I assume the trees were originally planted too shallow and they’re fighting their way out of their bindings.

Thanks for letting me hijack your lawn care thread

@Kitties-with-Sigs

I have some areas on my yard that are just big bald patches. Like this. What do you recommend? Topsoil and seed? Lots of trees on my property. The front there gets sun. I have to do the back too but I need to figure out how to fence out the dogs and probably do that in sections so they have some room to run around in the fenced in area.

I'm still planting around the flag pole before I get mulch. So I'm aware that looks like trash.

@kitties-with-sigs

There was no lawn when I bought this house. The entire yard was pachysandra or mostly pachysandra and there were about 8 more trees on the property (5 right next to the house). Those came down two years ago according to my text messages.  

The majority of the grass that you see is because I attempted to grow grass.

Lawn care routine has been mowing (where there is grass) and last year I applied 24-0-11 fertilizer in the spring and fall. I also aerated and overseeded, but fear I may have done more damage than good. I tore the lawn up pretty good in a few sections (mainly out back not pictured) with the aerator. Yesterday, I cut the grass for the first time this year and applied the same fertilizer.

Admittedly, I failed to get out there to do a second fall clean up, so there were a lot of leaves on the lawn for the winter. But there were also bare spots last year as well. There are a few areas of the lawn that will need soil just to level things out a bit, but I'm trying to look at the "bigger" picture here.

And yes...that's a few rhododendrons...but the one next to it and one next to my house are even more impressive.

What is this type of grass that is invading my yard and how do I kill it?  I've done nothing with this yard since last fall.  I'm still thinking killing it all and starting over is what it needs.




Close up

Looks a lot like dallisgrass to me. I've been battling with that stuff for a while, it's hard to get rid of. Best way is digging it out since the chemicals that will control it are harmful to most turf grasses, in my case centipede which is very sensitive to most weed control products.

That is correct. The lawn has never recovered from that.  No new work has been done.  This grass is mainly along the front edge along the sidewalk, so possibly something blew on to it from the road.  

I hit it with this about a week ago and it has also been mowed once.

Trimec Crabgrass Plus Lawn
2,4-D, dimethylamine salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.313%
Quinclorac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.104%
Dicamba, dimethylamine salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.029%

No problem.  Whatever it is did not bounce back quick after the mowing, it is still the same height as the regular grass.  In the first picture I posted it was growing twice as fast as the grass.  It doesn't look terrible when cut and the same height as the grass but obviously it is something that needs to be removed.

Secondary question, how long before I can hit the yard again with the mixture above?  The weeds started to curl but haven't died off.  I used lower end of the mixture rating in a backpack sprayer and hit the whole yard.  It's been 7-10 days since I sprayed.  I'm thinking I'll mow Wednesday and spray again Saturday.  That would put it at least 2 weeks apart unless that is way to soon and will weaken the lawn.

Effects of the weed treatment, 12-14 days later.

@Kitties-with-Sigs

Thank you for the book suggestion. I consider myself a student in all things and have always enjoyed learning and diving head first into interests so I will definitely be picking it up. Appreciate your guidance and suggestions, as always sir!

For the season my plan of attack will remain the same - leveling and just keeping at it as I have been. I did an oops and bought the wrong AS at the local SiteOne though (instead of a granule I bought the dissolving flakes), so now I have 50 lbs I can *only* spray on the front every two weeks which is a pain especially during summer months but I'll get through it. I've also received some quotes to hardscape the vanity strip along the drive so hopefully will get that done this summer. Unfortunately, the wife is getting laid off so any expensive projects are currently on hold until further notice.

The first leveling has been done and hit it with .5 lbs of N per 1k (all fast release AS), along with a 40 lb bag of CarbonPro G and some RGS. Unfortunately, I've also noticed the bermudagrass mites appear to be back and I'm all out of Movento. I'll need to find another source for that at some point if Deltagard/Abamectin doesn't do the trick. It is filling in quick though!

Day 1:


Day 3:


Day 10 (today):

But wait... there's more! See that rectangular cover in the lawn (enclosure for the home water pressure regulators)?


It sits low and when mowing I can never quite get an even cut in that spot so I always end up having to take the string trimmer to it. So, let's dig it up and raise it because reasons - I'm sure it'll be quick and easy!

Wait, what the hell is that? A previously hidden sprinkler solenoid enclosure that I had no idea was there (the grass had completely grown over it).


Gee, this "1 hour easy/quick project" sure is taking forever since I can't dig for more than 2 seconds before running into the rock quarry the builder apparently laid this sod over.


Yes, all that is from the excavation I did in the previous picture. I'd guess about 100lbs worth of rock (limestone probably). Proof that bermudagrass will fricken grow anywhere even if there is arguably more rock than soil (it didn't even struggle in that spot!).

And thus concludes why I need to just leave shit alone. Thank you for your time.

The round enclosure was just completely covered over with grass and some soil and I had no idea it was there. Inside was a single solenoid for what I'm assuming is the main front yard zone and all zones work just fine. The system at this house does not have a single manifold with all the zones' solenoids but rather solenoids scattered throughout the front and back yard and flower bed in those round enclosures. Some lines I've found are flex pipe and others are PVC. I don't know who installed the system but it appears like a total afterthought with no foresight into ease of maintenance.

Delete.