Zone 7a, MA about 1/2 mile from the ocean.
According to the internet, this is the soil we have:
Key Characteristics:
• Drainage: Very poorly drained.
• Texture: Contains sapric organic material with minimal mineral content in the upper layers.
• Acidity: Extremely acidic, with a pH of less than 4.5.
• Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high to high in organic layers; very high in the sandy substratum.
• Water Table: Typically near or above the soil surface for much of the year.
Fertilizer? Grass seed? (What type?). What else?
by EnterStatusHere
14 Comments
Maybe cutting it too much but idk
I would honestly order a soil test and find out for sure what you might need, guessing may not bring the results you want. At least with a soil test you’ll know your pH and any abundance or lack of nutrients so you can very specifically get the products your soil needs.
I’m personally taking a good thatcher to it first ripping it apart then a good grade topsoil top dressing then seed and starter fertilizer to it
My lawn needs an exorcist and daily holy watering.
Read up on the online resources offered by your local extension office. They study turf grass in your area fulltime. A quick internet search found this …. https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/turf/publications-resources/best-management-practices-overview
Aireate, amend soil, test PH and hardness.. water. We building rockets here ?
Water
The second pic looks green under shade. Your lawn is getting roasted and needs more water.
Aerate, water, nutrients
A dog, grill, and fire pit.
I’m doing it soon so it looks good for summer
You should definitely learn what type of grass you have. It looks like Bermuda to me, but I’m not an expert at all.
If so, my Bermuda hates sitting water (it will die and never come back) and does better in areas of partial shade (along my southern fence line).
Grass
Fellow Masshole here….Merrimack valley, so not as much salty air influence…lol But I am salty…lol
It looks like you have a good amount of fungus…possiblyt red thread and a bit of snow mold…which doesn’t require snow at all times…it sort of lingers under snow, then spreads and does more damage as snow melts. But snow mold will usually die off with warmer temps and sun…something we’re not getting a lot of right now. It’s a cold miserable day today…lol
How much work do you want to do? Do you have a tank sprayer? Using a fungicide can help bring that under control, but you need other work.
You could do this as a full Spring reno, or just slowly focus on maintaining a weed free area and improving soil health, then tackling the project in Fall….Fall is better, but that means waiting all Summer.
To start, get a rake and get to work…lol Rake it all up, separate the grass blades so there are no clumps or matted grass anywhere.
It’s too damp and wet for aeration, and dethatching is an internet fad…don’t do it…
I would apply a pre-emergent now, Lowes carries Lesco Stonewall usually. That will do a moderate weed blocking job for 4 months, and by then your grass should be strong enough, and you can do spot treatments as needed.
To fix your lime, apply it now, as it takes time to really work into the soil and make a difference…it will also be less of an impact by the time Fall seeding comes around. Lime and seed together aren’t a good mix.
If you can find a slit seeder rental, that would be a good alternative to aeration on the short term. But you would just use it to make slits across the surface, and not actually seed. Using a pre-emergent as recommended would kill that seed anyway.
How did you determine the sapric content? Usually people are low on organic material, but if you’re heavy sapric that’s not you…you would need something still organic, but not quite as decomposed as sapric. Sand, compost, etc….applying those over a slitter or aerated area can help work it into the soil a bit more, versus just sitting on top.
Lastly, once temps get in the 50’s more regularly, a good general feeder like Lesco 30-0-10 will help the existing grass…
Too much at once?…lol
Brawndo