[klepsta]

Hello all, just joined in the quest for knowledge and guidance! I honestly dont even know where to begin or what to start for my search.

I purchased a new construction home in northern Massachusetts on June 1 of 2016. We were not involved in the building of the home so I unfortunately had no involvement in the landscape construction and the types of fill or seed that was used, or the application method. The original site was a farm in a low lying valley with very rich, albeit very wet soil. The builder built up roughly 1/2 of the site to accommodate the septic using fill of some sort.

The lower portions of the yard went un-mowed for the duration of the construction until we purchased the home at which time they were 3+ feet tall and I spent weeks with my trusty 38" John Deere mower taking it down slowly but surely. Two pictures below of the before. You can see the new lawn starting and the lower areas which were essentially a jungle.





That lower area is at a point where it is 100x better than the upper portion of the yard. It could use some weed control and some greening up in some areas, but the maintenance that area needs pales in comparison to the really bad stuff...

The summer of 2016 in Massachusetts was a horrible drought and there were severe water restrictions, the lawn essentially was never able to establish. This is a photo taken on July 21 of 2016 only 2 months after we moved in when the above pictures were taken


You can see how bad it is and how there is a lot of sand. I tried to get it back by putting down 10 yards of clean loam and reseeding - it barely took. Last spring I put down a 50/50 mix of loam and compost and again re-seeded, it came in OK, but has never grown to a point where it is strong, healthy grass, and still the yard is patchy, thin and I am getting frustrated.

Below is how it currently looks which is little improvement from the burnt to a crisp July 2016 photos.

You can see the cover for the septic system - i also cant seem to keep grass growing around this area. I have filled and reseeded it twice, and each year it just dies.

The builder also didn't grade the mound with much forgiveness so i cant get grass to establish on the hills. It seems like every time I seed we get torrential rains and all the fill and seed just wash down the hill. The lawn tractor also tends to dig up the side of the hill as I drive up and down when cutting. I cant traverse the hill or the tractor will tip so I go laterally but braking and slipping have killed those areas.




I have spent months digging mowing, digging out silt fence, ripping out old farm remnants, filling low spots, seeding, fertilizing, watering, mowing, mowing, mowing, and yet I cant make any headway, each summer seems worse than the previous. I have also noticed that there are a lot of small ants, and a lot of clover spreading. This can likely be remedied chemically, but what is the best time to apply so that the seed or juvenile grass doesn't immediately die? And what is the best product to accomplish this?

I apologize for the length of this post - trying to get as much information out as possible in the hopes that I can one day, have a thick green lawn my kids can enjoy and that i can be proud of. Is this mostly just due to poor soil? I plan to have a soil test done this weekend so can report back there.

As for grass I am unsure what the contractor used, but suspect a contractor mix which in this area is usually a mix of perennial ryegrass, creeping red rescue and annual ryegrass. I have seeded with KBG, Perennial ryegrass and creeping red fescue.

I have used several types of fertilizers in my attempts at making things better. Starting with Scotts Summer Guard and dolomite lime. I fertilized last spring summer and fall with suggestions from a local Agway, but kept poor notes so unfortunately cant provide any more information. Stupid mistake in my part, and I plan to log everything moving forward so I have a history. Part of my challenge is having no idea what is necessary so have been throwing anything against the wall hoping it sticks.

TL;DR - new construction home, really really bad lawn - seeking help on fill, seed and chemicals.

 

[jessehurlburt]

Hey Klepsta-

Welcome to TLF!

What a beautiful piece of property; it looks bigger than an acre from the pictures. Here is a thread with a ton of compiled information to get you going.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1595

 

[klepsta]

Thank you very much! I am humbled at the amount of knowledge on this forum, I am eagerly consuming as much information from the above link, thank you again.

I just did find the Find My Lot size and were coming in right at .77 acres, so not too far off. The pictures add a bit of strange perspective and also include some of our neighbors backyard before the fence was installed but our lot size is only 0.86 acres. With the house, driveway and a raspberry patch the actual acreage of mowable grass sounds about right. At least that confirms the needs when it comes to how much product is needed.

 

[Suburban Jungle Life]

A soil test is a good place to start. Maybe do 2 soil tests. One in the trouble spots and one in the good spots. This will give a good baseline and to see what you are working with.

You should seed in early fall so the cooler temps and hopefully some rain help out. On the hills, use a tackfier to hold the seed and any other materials there. If you are struggling to mow the steep part, use a push mower for that section. I know it will take a lot longer but that should help until you have thick grass with deep and strong roots.

For weed control, start with something simple like a 3 way maybe with triclopyr. You can buy pro stuff or stop by the local home improvement store and get weed b gone CCO. Do 1 blanket application and see in a few weeks how the weeds are doing. A second application may be needed.

 

[klepsta]

Thanks SJL! Just printed out my order form from UNH and will be digging and tagging samples tonight. Pulling samples from the front, back upper area and back lower area. Good call to try to get a comparison of the good vs. bad

I have put down a small amount of OM/soil in the front lawn with some seed as a test area. Should I hold off on any additional seeding until the fall and just plan to weed control and soil buildup and conditioning this spring/summer? I've always been under the assumption that you really can't do both since the new seed needs time to take and by the time it matures the window for fertilizer and weed control has already been missed. I also haven't put down any starter with the new test seed - should I add something to what I put down on Monday? I have a bag of Agway brand 10-18-10 starter that I could use.

I'm still struggling with timing of everything and when to apply. Reading into the Cool Season Guide and hope to have a better handle on that soon.

Was thinking similar with the mower, have been looking at AWD mowers to help handle the terrain. It will definitely take longer, but I agree is worth the extra time.

 

[Suburban Jungle Life]

The problem with seeding now is if you have hot summers, the new grass dies. It doesn't have enough time to grow deep roots. If you seed in the fall, the new grass grows roots all fall, then in spring it keeps growing more roots. By the time the hot weather hits, your grass stands a much better chance of surviving. So, can you spring seed? Sure. You will need to water it through summer or most of it will be dead by fall unless you get lucky with a mild summer. If you have hot summers and you water, you also have a higher chance for fungus problems. Definitely some drawbacks to spring seeding.

For seeding, you can put down a starter fertilizer. Mature grass doesn't use much P but research has shown new grass can really use the P so starter fertilizer when you seed or a week later is good. It also helps to get the new grass to grow a little faster.

As for weed control, most young grass will die with most chemicals. Mesotrione is one that is safe to use during seeding and if you are seeding fescue, you can also use ethofumesate. Aside from a select few, most weed killers stress out the grass and young grass can't withstand that stress.

For a plan, put starter fert on that new seeded spot and hold off on seeding the rest. Put some fert on the rest but not a lot. Just some to get the grass going. Maybe 0.5 lb of N per M. It is light but you don't want too much additional growth in the spring. Spray the rest of the lawn with the weed killer and work on getting even coverage with your sprayer. Once you have a thick lawn, you shouldn't need to use a lot of weed killer anymore. I just spot spray twice a year and that takes care of my weeds. In the beginning, reducing the competition from weeds will help the grass do better and get more of the nutrients and space to grow.

Spring: lighter on the fert. spray for weeds. Put pre-emergent for weeds (also stops grass seeds from growing so no seeding...)
Summer: water if you wish. otherwise, wait for the grass to make it through the hot weather. cut tall to keep moisture in the grass and soil.
Early fall: seed. spray mesotrione and ethofumesate (if you seed fescue to control poa annua or if you seed kbg or rye, there is a 2-3 week wait until you can spray) if you want. Don't spray any other herbicides. Fertilize.
Mid fall: new grass should have a few mows now. Spray herbicide. Fertilize. Put down pre-emergent for winter weeds. spray mesotrione and ethofumesate if you have a poa annua problem.
Late fall: fertilize.
Winter: go skiing or something....

 

[klepsta]

This is awesome, thank you again for taking the time. Looks like a solid plan. Hoping the soil analysis will yield good information that will help determine what needs to be done about the soil itself. Im guessing will need continual back-fill with OM and good soil with seeding in the fall.

 

[Suburban Jungle Life]

This is awesome, thank you again for taking the time. Looks like a solid plan. Hoping the soil analysis will yield good information that will help determine what needs to be done about the soil itself. Im guessing will need continual back-fill with OM and good soil with seeding in the fall.

If you keep the grass fertilized properly and mulch your clippings, the grass will create the OM. You don't have to top dress. That is a lot of work. When I seed, I do top dress with peat moss since it holds moisture well and I'm not the best with watering. I water once a day, maybe if I'm lucky, I'll water twice a day. If you don't top dress, you should water 4 times a day. 7,11,3,7. If the seed dries out after getting wet, you will have reduced germination. This is light watering, just to keep the top damp.

If you really want to get the root cycling (what builds OM) going, you can add humic acid/fulvic acid/kelp to your lawn when you fertilize. These will help the grass grow more roots and increase holding capacity of nutrients in the soil. Not necessary but if you wish to take it to the next level... Brands like Green County Fertilizer, Kelp4less, the Andersons, etc, all have humic/fulvic/kelp options.

 

[klepsta]

its a relief to know I might not "need" to top dress, although the soil in the fall ends seems very compact and not a good place for a seed to germinate. in lieu of top dressing with dozens of yards of fill would light top dress/aeration combo be a better idea to loosen up the ground a bit and promote growth? and combining with some of the root cycling products above?

What is the typical application method for the above products? Broadcast spreader or sprayer application?

 

[social port]

its a relief to know I might not "need" to top dress, although the soil in the fall ends seems very compact and not a good place for a seed to germinate. in lieu of top dressing with dozens of yards of fill would light top dress/aeration combo be a better idea to loosen up the ground a bit and promote growth? and combining with some of the root cycling products above?

What is the typical application method for the above products? Broadcast spreader or sprayer application?

Top dressing with peat moss is primarily used for moisture retention when seeding. As far as I am aware, peat moss won't directly address compaction. However, core aeration certainly addresses compaction and will get the soil breathing more freely.
I don't know of any granular humic or kelp (I'm not saying that they don't exist--I've just never run across them). If you want to use them, plan on making applications with a sprayer. You can use a tank sprayer. Personally, I've just used hose-end sprayers for humic and kelp because I am less worried about hitting the perfect rate.

 

[Suburban Jungle Life]

its a relief to know I might not "need" to top dress, although the soil in the fall ends seems very compact and not a good place for a seed to germinate. in lieu of top dressing with dozens of yards of fill would light top dress/aeration combo be a better idea to loosen up the ground a bit and promote growth? and combining with some of the root cycling products above?

What is the typical application method for the above products? Broadcast spreader or sprayer application?

Top dressing with peat moss is primarily used for moisture retention when seeding. As far as I am aware, peat moss won't directly address compaction. However, core aeration certainly addresses compaction and will get the soil breathing more freely.
I don't know of any granular humic or kelp (I'm not saying that they don't exist--I've just never run across them). If you want to use them, plan on making applications with a sprayer. You can use a tank sprayer. Personally, I've just used hose-end sprayers for humic and kelp because I am less worried about hitting the perfect rate.

:thumbup: agreed. Aerate, seed, and 1/4-1/2" peat moss on top.