Not the green green grass from home

[wdfifteen]

It's not dead, it's resting - or pining for the fiords.

Monty Python - Dead Parrot - YouTube

[DanielDudley]

Nothing would kill an entire yard of grass to the last leaf but chemicals.

[slakjaw]

Dont get along with the neighbors do you...

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

Nothing would kill an entire yard of grass to the last leaf but chemicals.

I tend to agree with you but without some type of proof I'm porked

Originally Posted by slakjaw

Dont get along with the neighbors do you...

I have one, hay field in front, corn to the left, & woods behind, neighbor to the right. Believe me I've thought of that also, not him but something malicious. Except it's an 18,000 sq. foot lawn. That seems like a lot of trouble for such a likable guy as me

[willtel]

How much area is being prepped and hydroseeded for 6k? I used to work for a hydroseeding company and that sound like a lot of money for the area in the picture.

Also don't get too caught up in the hydroseeding hype, unless you are doing steep slopes with special materials there isn't much to it. For the most part they mix grass seed, fertilizer, and water then it is covered with natural straw using a straw blower. Don't let anyone convince you to use hydromulch instead of straw, it looks neat because it comes out green but ours was just ground up newspaper and it doesn't hold moisture as well as natural straw. Natural straw will always yield a better stand of grass than hydromulch.

[mudman]

If I was in your shoes hydroseeding would not be considered, unless you really don't like having money. Your climate and this time of the year mean the REAL ADVANTAGES (sorry weekend green thumbs) of hydroseeding won't benefit you.

My professional advice (though I'm not familiar with your soil):

Rent a slit seeder or a power rake, a spreader (if you don't already have one), and a lawn roller. Buy top quality seed, 50# for your .5 acre is ok for your first app. Buy 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 or whatever you find and apply @ half rate, don't buy starter fert until next spring.

If it was a mis-application of a product that fuched your grass the soil disturbing properties of the slit seeder or power rake (on a deeper setting) will be necessary, but you need to get the seed touching soil anyway and these tools are great.

Make sure you don't allow your fert company back, this year or next spring. The products they apply during these times of year in a typical fert program will kill your new grass, if somebody tells you that a pre-em product next spring won't hurt grass started this fall they are WRONG. In fact from what I saw in the before pic don't have them back at all. You can get much better results using common sense and some simple products, just tune out seasonal marketing hype and misinformation from friends/well-meaning pelicans. Keep your grass as long as possible (my mower has 6 height notches, I always have it in the highest setting) except during wet summers/warm nights/evidence of fungal activity.

Hope this helps!

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by willtel

How much area is being prepped and hydroseeded for 6k? I used to work for a hydroseeding company and that sound like a lot of money for the area in the picture.

Also don't get too caught up in the hydroseeding hype, unless you are doing steep slopes with special materials there isn't much to it. For the most part they mix grass seed, fertilizer, and water then it is covered with natural straw using a straw blower. Don't let anyone convince you to use hydromulch instead of straw, it looks neat because it comes out green but ours was just ground up newspaper and it doesn't hold moisture as well as natural straw. Natural straw will always yield a better stand of grass than hydromulch.

The lawn is 18,000 sq. feet. The hydro seeding price is $1,400.00. The rest is basically labor. At it's been revised to approx. $2,000

Originally Posted by mudman

If I was in your shoes hydroseeding would not be considered, unless you really don't like having money. Your climate and this time of the year mean the REAL ADVANTAGES (sorry weekend green thumbs) of hydroseeding won't benefit you.

My professional advice (though I'm not familiar with your soil):

Rent a slit seeder or a power rake, a spreader (if you don't already have one), and a lawn roller. Buy top quality seed, 50# for your .5 acre is ok for your first app. Buy 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 or whatever you find and apply @ half rate, don't buy starter fert until next spring.

If it was a mis-application of a product that fuched your grass the soil disturbing properties of the slit seeder or power rake (on a deeper setting) will be necessary, but you need to get the seed touching soil anyway and these tools are great.

Make sure you don't allow your fert company back, this year or next spring. The products they apply during these times of year in a typical fert program will kill your new grass, if somebody tells you that a pre-em product next spring won't hurt grass started this fall they are WRONG. In fact from what I saw in the before pic don't have them back at all. You can get much better results using common sense and some simple products, just tune out seasonal marketing hype and misinformation from friends/well-meaning pelicans. Keep your grass as long as possible (my mower has 6 height notches, I always have it in the highest setting) except during wet summers/warm nights/evidence of fungal activity.

Hope this helps!

Thank you Mudman I'll take your advise certainly on the fertilizing. One of the reason for the hydro-seeding recommendation was because of where I live. I live on a hill that gets pretty windy. Using straw would most likely blow away in time. The lawn is just to big to try to keep it wet all the time. I am thinking about laying some irrigation down prior to trying the repair.At least on the ridge that always gets dry in the summer. The septic runs under it also which I know is sand with a minimal amount of topsoil over it.

[mossguy]

....."I am thinking about laying some irrigation down prior to trying the repair".....

I think this is the most important thing that you could do, especially now that your lawn is non-existent.

[mudman]

Originally Posted by mossguy

....."I am thinking about laying some irrigation down prior to trying the repair".....

I think this is the most important thing that you could do, especially now that your lawn is non-existent.

Yeah yeah, this! I firmly believe that it is not required for successful turf grass but if you have the means and care about the aesthetics of the turf then consider it, a few hundred bucks and bi-annual maintenance are the only drawbacks.

And with a little help from friends (for the math and design, install for 18ksf as depicted in your photos would be an easy job for one guy) you could have a system superior to anything a 'professional' irrigation contractor would install.

The wind you're concerned about is going to dry out the hydroseed mulch just as quickly, well just slow enough so that your seed can still germinate, then die when it dries up because the seed hasn't made contact with the soil, just the hydro mulch. Without hydro mulch the seed is either going to magically levitate or touch the soil (THIS IS KEY, that is why I mentioned the lawn roller and scarification equipment).

One mistake contractors and homeowners both make is being a cheap ass when it comes to seed. Sticker shock and lack of basic math skills has folks coming home with inferior varieties and insufficient quantities. Don't be that guy.

[sammyg2]

Aw hell, jump off yer wallet and sod the entire thing. You can always take out a second on the house ...

[AirKuhl]

I don't know but as an NFA grad I salute your choice of locale. :-)

[strupgolf]

Originally Posted by Buckterrier

Wow Strupgolf. How did your buddy find out they applied the wrong chemical????

Well, for one thing, he's the head grounds keeper at our golf course. His house is off the 14th green. One week, his grass was green, next week it was dead. He know's about these things and after his investigation, the company said, yes, it could have screwed up. It's now coming back around and by next summer, should be good again.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by strupgolf

Well, for one thing, he's the head grounds keeper at our golf course. His house is off the 14th green. One week, his grass was green, next week it was dead. He know's about these things and after his investigation, the company said, yes, it could have screwed up. It's now coming back around and by next summer, should be good again.

Hey I know that dude!
He's the guy who said

manganese ....... most people don't even know what that is .... chinch bugs ..... nitrogen, I study this stuff ......

Do me a flavor, ask him why the stoopid gopher sounded like flipper?


Oh wait never mind, he was only the assistant groundskeeper. Had a lot of stuff on back order, credit trouble ..... ya know

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by AirKuhl

I don't know but as an NFA grad I salute your choice of locale. :-)

I'm not a native and actually think Ct. sucks, (sorry). But I've heard nothing but good things about NFA.

[GWN7]

Tractor Supply had 50# of grass seed on sale for $39.95 last week. They have 10 stores in CT: Tractor Supply Company - Generic Error

Get a tractor in to cut down the hill. Put a sprinkler system in. Layer seed (3 layers). Put up some wind deflectors so the topsoil doesn't blow away over the winter. They stop the straw being blowen away too. Fire lawn company. They ultimately caused the grass to die. Lawn cut too short, heat stressed, then burnt with fertilizing. Newly seeded lawns need lots of water.

[azasadny]

All I use is Ringer's Lawn Restore, which is an organic fertilizer, once in the spring and once in the fall. I didn't even water the lawn this summer, we had so much rain...

[Aurel]

Here is what they use around here. Problem solved, no more watering, mowing or fertilizing needed.

[Buckterrier]

Originally Posted by azasadny

All I use is Ringer's Lawn Restore, which is an organic fertilizer, once in the spring and once in the fall. I didn't even water the lawn this summer, we had so much rain...

Art that is a beautiful lawn.

OK an update. Since the whole thing was ruined I had irrigation put in. Nine zones, yikes! There also is a wireless rain sensor for the roof. Pretty cool stuff actually.
The ground was power racked and leveled back out. A bit of topsoil in low spots. Supposed to be hydroseeded tomorrow.
Today...



So there went the repair money for the Porsche, (the lawn and knee surgery for my girl cattledog). I just couldn't stand looking at that mess anymore.

[Baz]

Markus,

Thanks for the update.....looking good. I've already replaced a few yards around here involving new wells, pumps, irrigation systems, plants, sod, etc.

We don't really use seed too much - just sod.

Tell us more about the ACL surgery on your furkid? Billabong is still in rehab with hers (left rear).

Here's a yard I did not long ago....

Before:



After:

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by strupgolf

One of my golfing buddies had the exact same problem. His grass was green and good. A company came in to fertilize and a few days later it was dead, brown. They applied a grass killer rather than fertilizer. The company was a fault, but it looked the same as your lawn.

Same thing happened to U of M's baseball field last year.