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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Zap the weeds!
2020-07-26
Posted by:3dc

#18  I wonder how this would work on urban rioters...
Posted by: CrazyFool   2020-07-26 18:02  

#17  :-) Always with the reasonable advice, TW

But not near as much fun.

Good thing that gopher didn't decide to dig under the house.
Posted by: gorb   2020-07-26 17:37  

#16  LOL - yeah, Raj, it's the density, plus some areas are expansive clay (hello cracked foundations!) For my trees, I dug the rootball holes twice as big (std practice) and soaked a couple bags of gypsum over a couple days - it helps break the clay electrical bond between particles IIRC (an anti-floculant)
Posted by: Frank G   2020-07-26 16:59  

#15  Nice lawn care technique there, Frank G!

Tune in next winter when we show you how to clear snow off your driveway with detonator cord.
Better Living Thru Chemistry!
Posted by: SteveS   2020-07-26 16:23  

#14  For what it's worth, I'm also all over composting techniques and methods; I'll throw out some big-ass comments on a more applicable thread.
Posted by: Raj   2020-07-26 16:10  

#13  Nice lawn care technique there, Frank G!
Posted by: Raj   2020-07-26 16:07  

#12  Frank G - I take it the high clay content inhibits root growth primarily due to its density, right? There may be other factors (Ph levels) involved, but that looks like the obvious one.

I'll check out the other tips you and trailing wife gave me - I have holes in the back yard that I'm gonna start patching after Sept. 15th or Oct. 1st, but if average temperatures are at 70 F, it's not good for growing grass, at least not fescue strains in the dreaded Northeast.

Oh, gorb - do NOT fertilize that new grass when you throw it down - you'll cook it with the chemical burn. Just do mulch cuts when you mow those areas, so it's a natural fertilizer.
Posted by: Raj   2020-07-26 16:00  

#11  :-) Always with the reasonable advice, TW
Posted by: Frank G   2020-07-26 15:53  

#10  If you have a little more time to deal with compacted or clay soil than Frank G’s gentleman, plant daikon/tilling radishes.
Posted by: trailing wife   2020-07-26 15:30  

#9  If you need to break up the soil quickly, try this
Posted by: Frank G   2020-07-26 14:48  

#8  Sounds like a good tip, Raj. Here in San Diego, the problem is often the high clay content, not allowing proper drainage. Answer? Rototill gypsum into the soil - that helps break up the clay. Do same in tree rootball holes
Posted by: Frank G   2020-07-26 14:05  

#7  Gorb - I got this tip indirectly from a greenskeeper at one of the local golf courses, so there ya go.
Posted by: Raj   2020-07-26 13:45  

#6  Thanks, Raj. I'm going to look into this. Someone was thinking when they figured this out! :-)
Posted by: gorb   2020-07-26 12:48  

#5  Gorb - I'm all over this one. Wait until September, when temperatures get near or just below 70 F on average. Then get the following stuff at Home Depot - topsoil, peat moss, grass seeds (I go w/ fescue) and five gallon joint compound buckets. Mix the first three together in another container, then dump it into the 5-gallon bucket and add water to the point it's moist (not waterlogged). Do this a couple more times until it's full. Cap that shit and let it sit in the sun if you can, but it'll start sprouting after two or three weeks, sometimes sooner. Break up that part / parts of your lawn so it's not wicked hard packed soil, then spread it out over those parts of the lawn and aim for 12 sprouts per square inch, then cover it with all peat moss (birds don't like peat moss). It'll take root in a few weeks. Water it lightly before 10 AM and heavy after 4 PM for at least six weeks and do not miss a day of doing that (like I did w/ the back lawn in the spring - huge wasted effort there on my part). Once you can cut that grass three times (let it get to 3" before cutting it), you can cut back to daily watering. Coverage per bucket's about 30 to 50 square feet.
Posted by: Raj   2020-07-26 10:46  

#4  the downside is they have to allow the weeds to establish themselves enough to get to a height where this is effective

keep chasing that 'organic' label
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136   2020-07-26 08:18  

#3  skid, the weeds are taller than the veggies that are growing underneath
Posted by: Chris   2020-07-26 01:55  

#2  Hmm. I'm trying to establish part of a lawn right now. I could surely use a smaller version of one of these.
Posted by: gorb   2020-07-26 00:45  

#1  So kool!
Albedo, and leaf shape recognition.
Posted by: Skidmark   2020-07-26 00:19  

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