28
You don't want water-retaining soil sitting against the building because this causes damp problems. Creating a porous soakaway like this will mean any water sinks to a lower level than would cause any harm to the building.
21
That is annual bluegrass, Poa annua. It grows in lawns during the spring (and/or fall, depending on climate) and causes some very nice lawns to thin out, as it grows very thick and chokes out the lawn grass. The problem with removing it is that this is a grass itself, so you cannot kill it with selective weed killer. This site gives good information on the ...
16
Personally, I hate weed whackers. They're terrible at my house: the places I need to weed are either next to plants that can't get whacked, or they're next to wire fencing that chews through tons of string, or they're next to rocks that chew through tons of string.
My preferred tool for getting in next to the fences, lilies, and trees is a pair of manual ...
16
Moss is just fine in your compost! Moss is one of the great opportunists in the plant world. Moss is not hurting your lawn. The presence of moss is telling us your lawn is not vigorous enough, you are watering too often and too shallowly, you are probably mowing too short and you've possibly got shade involved.
The cool thing about moss is that if there ...
15
I've seen this many times in new subdivisions. The worst was a house with heavy clay soil where a year after the builder left you could still roll up the grass. As you have found grass finds it hard to get roots into a compacted clay subsoil.
I assume that you are not able to remove the existing grass and add two to six inches of topsoil. That would ...
15
I suspect the guidance came from a time of reel mowers, which do actually push the blades of grass over in the same direction. (I use a reel mower to maintain our acre and a half.) As you've pointed out, with a rotary mower there is a lot more randomness involved.
That said, if you mowed your lawn with the exact same path every time, you would probably ...
14
Perhaps I missed something in the other answers. The one and only reason is because of SPLASHING. Rain over the gutter, a hard sideways rain will splash mud/soil onto the siding. Not good for siding as the mud tends to hold moisture too long and can cause rot as well as a dirty 'skirt' on your siding.
The gravel, drain rock, cobble or even the lava ...
13
This may seem odd, but it has worked for me. Place the dog's feces in the hole they dug, then cover it back up. You may have to do this many times if they continually dig there holes in different places. At some point your dog will dig in a hole that you have covered up once before. At this point they will be disgusted by what they find and will learn to ...
13
That is Mock Strawberry, Duchesnea indica. The fruits are edible, but rather tasteless. This is a common weed in much of the United States. Look for small, strawberry-like plants in your lawn, with long stolons connecting the individual crowns. These plants have five petaled yellow flowers. See comparison photos:
13
I use a lawnmower with a bagger. The blades chop the leaves and reduce the volume by up to 80%. The finely shredded leaves are great mulch for plant or vegetable beds.
I cut my grass low in the fall as we get a lot of snow and this reduces the chance of snow mould. You may have to adjust your cutting height depending on the amount of leaves.
This ...
12
As a former landscaper my favorite quote to clients was "You can have it fast, good or cheap. Pick two." In this situation I see a few solutions:
rent a Bobcat with a toothed bucket and remove all the grass and bumps to a dump bin. Apply six inches of topsoil mix, gently compact and sow grass seed or sod. That's fast and good.
top dress spring and fall to a ...
12
Yes, paint will get beat up and you'll likely end up in a never ending cycle of repainting.
Instead, I'd look into using an concrete acid stain. These are the stains that people use on concrete floors and concrete counter tops and the like.
Note that there are two types of stains...true acid stains, that will etch into the concrete, and then there's the ...
11
It depends how big they are. For small bumps a roller is very effective, but for larger humps you may need to try one of the following:
cut the turf up, peel it back, take out sufficient soil (this is relatively easy to get close to flat...not so easy to get exactly right)
take the turf off entirely, flatten all the soil and re-lay the turf (bigger job, but ...
11
Theory says that changing up the mowing pattern will keep the grass from always bending in the same direction.
Another reason I've heard stated is that it keeps wheel ruts from forming.
I might buy the latter but the former's probably not a real problem. Grass tends to want to grow where it wants to grow, generally upward towards the sun. Maybe running ...
10
The label for this product does not recommend applying grass seed until four weeks after the last application.
Once this waiting period is up buy or acquire:
a big bag of grass seed suitable for the light and soil in your lawn
enough compost or top soil to cover the sparse areas to a depth of 1/4" to 1/2"
Then
Use a rake to open up the soil.
Apply grass ...
10
You've basically described what I have in my lawn and fields, except that I have blackberry instead of thistle.
What I use:
For my lawn I use a self-propelled walk-behind Toro purchased from a big box store several years ago. The blade is in horrible shape (I should replace it), but I sharpen it with an angle grinder a few times a year and it keeps doing ...
10
Weed Eater is the brand name of the first string trimmers. These days, people use Weed Eater and trimmer interchangeably the same way most people call facial tissue Kleenex (even though Kleenex is only one brand of facial tissue) or they say then need to Xerox something (even though Xerox is only a brand of copier).
As for insights into what to look for - ...
10
We own a tool that looks just like the one on the right here:
I used it just last week - it's good for goldenrod, raspberries, oregano and the like. After a round with this the mower can handle it. Instructions for using it are at the American Trails site, among other places. We own a gas powered trimmer, but this is actually quicker (and lighter and ...
10
As with most horticultural type questions, there's no simple yes or no answer to this. If you leave the cuttings, then nutrients are returned to the soil, drought resistance is improved, moss is inhibited and you are saved the task of taking the clippings away.
But there are disadvantages - if the turf is weedy, then you're likely to increase the number of ...
10
If grass is too long when you take a reel mower to it, it just folds over. This is made even worse when it is thick. After making sure the blades are sharp, you will probably just need to take multiple passes at it.
We own two reel mowers and the way we know we need to sharpen one is when the same grass responds like that on one mower and normally on ...
10
Agree with itsmatt's final solution, but there is another option. Because the fence is too close to the grass, you could excavate a narrow trench beneath, part fill with bedding mortar mix (about 1-2 inches deep, made with 4 parts sharp sand, 2 parts soft sand and l part cement) and then lay pavers in a row,or maybe 2 rows, so that the fence is sitting on ...
10
I believe I have gathered enough information that an answer is now available.
Three main variables determine the direction roots grow: Gravity, light, and water. These are called gravitropism, phototropism, and hydrotropism.
Phototropism is simply that the roots grow away from the light. I wouldn't think light extends much below the surface, so this ...
10
If you consult the manual, you find that the part the line comes out of comes apart to expose a bobbin inside of the housing.
You need to find out what the recommended diameter of the line is for the trimmer and get a spool of replacement line.
Hand rewind the bobbin in the proper direction, usually they have an arrow on them to tell you this. Poke the ...
10
Sure! You can reseed that. Wait till the ground is going to stay drained.Grass will germinate and grow fast in wet conditions, but then if you walk through, or mow, it will lie down and rot.
Because there is loose soil there already, when you're ready to reseed you could simply
Rake over the area briskly to looses the top layer of soil, even it out, and ...
10
Good quality topsoil is probably best, preferably with some organic or humus rich composted materials added (composted animal manures, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost, garden compost, anything like that), though the latter component should only be added if you're not growing root crops like carrots, which will fork badly in manured or very rich soil.
...
9
There's no tip or trick to burning grass and leaves on a windy day. You answered the question yourself, it's a VERY VERY bad idea. Fire can spread very rapidly in wind and, depending on conditions, could easily spread a mile in minutes. Not only could your life, and others nearby be in danger...you are also risking your property and other's property.
9
I'd be more concerned about the trees dying from lack of water than the grass which surrounds them, frankly. Have you considered cutting away the grass at the base of the trees and replacing with a mulch instead? A humus rich mulch such as bark chips or good composted material applied in spring, when the ground is moist, would conserve moisture for the trees,...
9
That's a pretty prolific plant. You should have no trouble propagating it from cuttings, but… you have to select the right growth stage to cut from.
You should only root from the newer (but not too new) growth. The best time is late spring to early summer when the newer growth is just starting to become woody. Cut sections of about 6-12" and strip ...
9
There are a less and less ways to do this fast since the 2009 ban on using pesticides in Ontario. Your goal is get your lawn to grow roots faster than the three different species of grubs can eat them.
nematodes can provide some control but are fussy to apply and should be reapplied yearly. Best recommended way to apply is:
applied with a hose end sprayer....
9
The clover (assuming white clover) is spreading on its own because, most likely, the soil is low on nitrogen, which favors the clover instead of the grass. Clover can fix nitrogen from the air, so it thrives in the low-N soil where other things have a hard time competing with it.
According to this: Do legumes provide nitrogen to their companions? Clover ...
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