Gardening/Maintenance Thread

[blackjack68]

We moved last summer from a row home with basically no yard to a single family with about 1/3 Acre mostly all grass.
I know basically nothing about maintaining a nice lawn. Anyone have any good resources to read? In our neighborhood some people have lawns where all the grass is the same shade of green and looks beautiful. Ours does not look like that. I don't know what is involved in getting a lawn to that point or if it's even worth it.

I would start with a soil test first. See if the soil needs any remediation.

Aeration is important as well.

[robbiestoupe]

Perhaps off tangent, perhaps not - but how does one deal with roots that are coming up from trees? It seems my grass is really thinning out, and every year my lawn mower takes a beating because I keep riding over more and more roots. I do live on a slope, so is water runoff part of the culprit?

My mom has the same issue at her house, and we never were able to figure it out. Is it too much shade?

What kind of trees? Maples?

All my trees. Maples, non-fruit bearing cherry and pear. But the main culprit is what I believe to be an ash tree.

[Silentom]

Yeah, those trees can be real asholes.

[NTP66]

Yeah, those trees can be real asholes.

Oh dear god Silentpun has returned.

[Silentom]

I speaketh the truth, though.

[Willie Kool]

Perhaps off tangent, perhaps not - but how does one deal with roots that are coming up from trees? It seems my grass is really thinning out, and every year my lawn mower takes a beating because I keep riding over more and more roots. I do live on a slope, so is water runoff part of the culprit?

My mom has the same issue at her house, and we never were able to figure it out. Is it too much shade?

What kind of trees? Maples?

All my trees. Maples, non-fruit bearing cherry and pear. But the main culprit is what I believe to be an ash tree.

Yeah - maples, cherry and ash are among the shallowest rooted hardwood trees. Not really much you can do...

[DigitalGypsy66]

When we sold our previous house, we sodded the front yard. To prep it, I bought a mattock and chopped the hell out of the roots of an old scrub oak in the front of the yard. According to Google StreetView, the tree and the grass are still there and doing well. YMMV.

[willeyeam]

Yeah, those trees can be real asholes.

they're the root of many problems

[Silentom]

Yeah, those trees can be real asholes.

they're the root of many problems

You're good people, ulf.

[blackjack68]

Yeah, those trees can be real asholes.

You can leaf now.

[mac5155]

There is a tremendous demand for hops from micro-brews and DIY brewers that is not being met by local growers.

Most brewers are looking for pelletized hops vs. wet hops, so anyone looking to get into the hops game would need to to source pelletizing.

Or grow "organic hops" and make bank.

Telling you, growing hops is a solid get rich scheme.

[robbiestoupe]

There is a tremendous demand for hops from micro-brews and DIY brewers that is not being met by local growers.

Most brewers are looking for pelletized hops vs. wet hops, so anyone looking to get into the hops game would need to to source pelletizing.

Or grow "organic hops" and make bank.

Telling you, growing hops is a solid get rich scheme.

I always thought if I ever opened a brewery, I'd open it on a farm that grew the hops and grains.

[Freddy Rumsen]

Got my first good grass cutting in today.

Good stuff.

[meow]

Yeah, those trees can be real asholes.

You can leaf now.

Why don’t you make like a tree and get outta here.

[Freddy Rumsen]

Cut my whole property today and it took a shade under two hours.

[LITT]

This is the first time I have used a grow light to start my seeds
What a difference it makes. Everything grows straight up. Used to chasing the sun and rotating every day to try and keep uniformly straight

[Freddy Rumsen]

Here is the plot tilled today that I mentioned in the randomness thread. Lots of kudzu under it that I've pulled a billion of out.

[AuthorTony]

That wheelbarrow full of roots looks like something out of True Detective.

[NTP66]

This weather has been so whacky lately that I've already got flowers starting to sprout from the ground (tulips and some other flower I don't remember the name of).

Every single bud that popped up back in February survived three snow storms and one ice storm, and half of them have already bloomed. Given that it appears as though the weather is taking a turn for the better, I may overseed the lawn on Thursday and put down seed in some bare spots in front of my wife's garden.

[blackjack68]

My hyacinths were up and budding in February held on through the snow and look great now.

[NTP66]

My hyacinths were up and budding in February held on through the snow and look great now.

That’s exactly what ours were (tulips, too).

[NTP66]

Went to mow my lawn for the first time this season yesterday, and the mower wouldn’t start at all. Long story short, I found red crystallized gunk all throughout the carb, and was unable to clean it enough to get it to run.

So, despite the fact that I turn off the fuel valve after each mow, and run the tank empty at the end of the season, Sta-Bil still caused an issue. I’m done with that **** for good.

[robbiestoupe]

Join the dark side and buy a battery powered mower. I've yet to cut my grass yet, but the mower is pretty and purrs like a kitty.

[NTP66]

Absolutely not. I love my Honda.

[dodint]

You stink of old gasoline and sadness.