We purchased our house 5 years ago and inherited this lawn. I haven’t had a lot of luck with it and I’m in SE Michigan
by SteakInevitable1137
We purchased our house 5 years ago and inherited this lawn. I haven’t had a lot of luck with it and I’m in SE Michigan
by SteakInevitable1137
10 Comments
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Kill weeds, put down nitrogen fertilizer, water. Post results in 2 weeks.
Add compost. Add seed. Water. Mow at your highest setting.
Kk here’s what you ACTUALLY want to do.
1) scalp it. Mow down at your lowest setting
2) rake or dethatching rake it
3) aerate or use a hand tiller to break up any dead areas that are just dirt.
4) overseed overseed overseed. Lay it thick
5) top dress with soil (sift it first to remove mulch and rocks, get a nice layer on top the whole thing
6) water every single day for the first 3 weeks. Do not mow
7) once grass has come in about 4 inches tall, first mow, high setting, 3 times per week especially through the summer. Make them longer and deeper waterings, do not water small amounts every day
7a) keep grass at about 3-4inch height all summer
8) fall, overseed whole yard, any spots that are still bare re hand till prior to doing so or breaking up the ground, top dress again, water just those spots every day that were bare, everything else stick to normal water schedule
9) after overseeding lay down some lawn food
10) next year (follow Scott’s 4 step routine for the year but use whatever products you want)
Core aerate and get a soil test. Amend soil with lime or sulfur to bring pH into correct range THEN apply appropriate fertilizer.
I noticed a lot of those trees are buried rather deep with mulch volcanoes. Not sure if that’s the reasoning for the surface roots being so dramatic but in picture 1 but, you might consider correcting that as well. Could only make your situation near the trees worse + kill the tree eventually.
Those roots popping out of the surface are definitely a problem. I bet those trees have a wide shallow root system that is crowding out your grass. Check if you can stick a screwdriver into the ground there, or if it gets stopped by the roots.
I have a spot in my yard with this issue and it reoccurs every year. I don’t want to kill the tree so I don’t mess with the roots. I just spread seed over the bare spots and cover in topsoil.
As far as the roots go I used a grinder attachment that cow hoof trimmers use. Worked like a champ and can be purchased on Amazon. My problem is that I was hitting them when I mowed. Live Oak trees. It’s been 3 years and the trees are fine
Start by bringing a couple of dirt samples to your local agricultural extension office. They’ll test it for free in most cases. Then in the fall overseed and use whatever fertilizer they recommend that you need.
I would ask your neighbors which all have beautiful green grass.