Lawn Care Experts
#11
I've decided that I'm going to start taking better care of our lawn.  We live in Winston Salem, NC.  The house and lawn  are 20 years old so the lawn is pretty well established.  Thew lawn is pretty much fescue and the soil is NC clay.  I have some larger bare spots that will need hepl/and lots of moss.

In other homes I have used weed b gon as a weed control and am happy with the results.  I noticed today that it is recommended that weed b gon be applied a max of two toimes per year.  I have always used it more frequently (maybe 3 or 4 times a year) without noticing any negative impact.  So my first question is what is the effect of over use of weed b gon?

Second question - my understanding is moss control is accomplished by applying pellatized lime to raise the soil Ph.  Is there any detrimental effects to multiple applications per year - say once every month or two.

More questions to come once these are resolved

Thanks
Rick

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#12
When I lived in Charlotte I did my own lawn work.  Same red clay, same fescue.  I'd lime in the early spring and in the fall.  I followed the Scotts program of fertilization, which really works.  Do a survey and figure out the square footage, and learn to use your spreader adjustments for the proper application amounts.  Also consider pesticide granules for the dreaded sod webworm, which can literally kill your lawn, generally one application in late May early June in NC, (now for me in NJ, its late June early July).  But the most important thing, especially in the clay, is to aerate the chit out of the lawn with a plug aerater, a good one that will give you 3" plugs.  I used to go over my lawn twice in a criss-cross pattern, and let the plugs disintegrate into the lawn. Again, in the spring and the fall with the lime.  Overseed with a good quality seed after the areating.  I used to split the rental of the plugger with a neighbor.  You can get the soil tested for ph and fine tune the liming, in the beginning I used a lot of lime.  Also, leave the clippings on the lawn, use a blower to distribute any clumps, but if you mow regularly and don't let it get too high the cuttings will be manageable; over time they add organic material to the topsoil and improve it considerably.   My neighbor and I had the nicest lawns in the subdivision, we'd get asked "Who does your lawn work?"
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#13
Not an expert, but my take on the overuse of lawn chemicals is they want to prevent damage from runoff, etc. to the environment in general. Using it 3-4 times/ year on one lawn is not so bad, but if everybody did it would be really bad for our lakes and streams, etc. I suppose you *could* use too much in your lawn and risk killing off trees, bushes, etc. that you don't want to kill off, but I think that is secondary to the runoff ending up in our waterways.

My opinion, 3-4 times a year is probably too much, year after year. You must have some sort of underlying problem if your weeds are that bad. There's a ton of info on lawn forums and the like out there, so I'll stop there. The Purdue cooperative extension website has some pretty good articles about residential lawn care.

I like the Gordon's products myself (Trimec). They have them at the Farm Stores and local hardware type places, not so much at the big boxes.
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#14
Thought I should add, I live in Indiana so your conditions are a lot different than mine. Also, not sure about the moss, but I wouldn't add lime like you are suggesting without getting a soil test first. I've never had a soil test but I just add lime in the spring. I should probably get a test though. I just do it because 'that's what you're supposed to do' and it seems to help. If you want to skip the test though, I think you'd be fine adding 1 application per the bag recommended rate. If your lawn needs more than that, I don't think there is any benefit to adding it slowly over time like you are talking about. I'd either get a test and add whatever they recommend all at once, or just do it spring and fall until your lawn looks the way you want.

Best lawn advice out there- be patient. Second best advice- post pictures on a lawn forum. You'll get a ton of good advice there.
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#15
Weed-B-Gone is a liquid? If so, spot applications and not general overall spraying is best. Over use of chemicals stresses lawn and soil. Proper mowing, watering and fertilizer schedule for your area should bring a strong lawn. A strong healthy lawn begins in the soil. Once established, weeds should have no room to grow. Keep an eye out for disease, fungus, insects and heat stress.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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#16
I use Trimec. Only when I have to, as in, my dandelion tool is just not getting
the job done anymore....

Mow long. As in, put the wheels as far down as they will go and leave them there.

Milorganite every other month.  

Water right before sun up. Less evaporation. Better water pressure.
Mark Singleton

Bene vivendo est optimum vindictae


The Laws of Physics do not care about your Politics   -  Me
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#17
(04-17-2019, 09:22 AM)ajkoontz Wrote: Not an expert, but my take on the overuse of lawn chemicals is they want to prevent damage from runoff, etc. to the environment in general. Using it 3-4 times/ year on one lawn is not so bad, but if everybody did it would be really bad for our lakes and streams, etc.

No expert here either, but that's what I've always been told by those who profess to be experts. It's my understanding that Weed B Gone is detrimental to some specific grasses ( I think bent grass may be one of them, it's on the label) but outside of the specific ones overuse becomes more of an ecological issue. Harmful to general environment, animals, insects (good ones), etc.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#18
Thanks guys for the comments - some good odeas and things to think about.
Rick

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#19
You’re 1000 times better off using a pre-emergent to stop weeds before germination than using something for post control. With fescue you’ll have to plan around any reseeding areas
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#20
In terms of pH/lime application you can take the guesswork out of it and get the soil tested for a pretty low cost. I got mine done through the University of Delaware for $12. They'll do tests for NC customers. There are other Ag departments and universities that offer similar services.

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