Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Sun 07/26/2020 View Sat 07/25/2020 View Fri 07/24/2020 View Thu 07/23/2020 View Wed 07/22/2020 View Tue 07/21/2020 View Mon 07/20/2020
1
2020-07-26 -Short Attention Span Theater-
Zap the weeds!
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by 3dc 2020-07-26 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views ]  Top

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

#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||   2020-07-26 00:45|| Front Page Top

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

#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||   2020-07-26 08:18|| Front Page Top

#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||   2020-07-26 10:46|| Front Page Top

#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||   2020-07-26 12:48|| Front Page Top

#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||   2020-07-26 13:45|| Front Page Top

#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||   2020-07-26 14:05|| Front Page Top

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

#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||   2020-07-26 15:30|| Front Page Top

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

#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||   2020-07-26 16:00|| Front Page Top

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

#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||   2020-07-26 16:10|| Front Page Top

#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||   2020-07-26 16:23|| Front Page Top

#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||   2020-07-26 16:59|| Front Page Top

#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||   2020-07-26 17:37|| Front Page Top

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

22:36 Cromoth Sheatch5463
22:34 Cromoth Sheatch5463
22:31 Cromoth Sheatch5463
22:22 Cromoth Sheatch5463
22:17 Cromoth Sheatch5463
21:53 trailing wife
21:42 Deacon Blues
21:39 Deacon Blues
21:24 Clem
21:20 Cromoth Sheatch5463
21:12 Cingold
21:08 gorb
21:06 gorb
21:04 charger
20:52 NoMoreBS
20:15 Clem
20:01 M. Murcek
19:53 Ulolump Grumble1426
19:26 Clem
19:12 Lumpy Mussolini7603
19:02 Lumpy Mussolini7603
19:00 swksvolFF
18:56 bbrewer126
18:52 Grunter









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com