Hot Spots

[lawndad]

Hello all -

I see that I get hot spots or stress spots whatever you want to call them after I get home from work on hot days. I did the screwdriver test and they are just areas that don't hold water as long as other spots. What is the correction for this? I know watering in the evening is bad and watering the entire lawn if it doesn't need it in the am is not the best solution but standing with the hose every hot day can get annoying. Do I do the baby shampoo on those spots or try a moisture manager product? Some of these spots are on slight slopes and others are on flat ground.

[PSU4ME]

I've been trying to add compost or peat moss to help but it hasn't been too effective. Its hard to get OM "into" the soil in a short amount of time to help with the water retention. i've turned to a second program on my irrigation to where i just run select zones for a quick 5 min here and there to push it through these hot months.

[1977212]

Probably thatch, pull a core sample.

[Jackpine]

Thatch or not a soil wetting agent should help with those dry spots. I use a liquid soil wetting agent from Southern Ag on thatchy areas to aid penetration and if I see localized dry spots on hot days then give that area a second app. Has always taken care of the problem for me.

[fusebox7]

^ Bingo. A wetting agent and/or soil conditioner is what you need. It's a regimen not a one-time cure. It is my go-to now that I know it works wonders since I have a lot of localized dry spots. I also like to use it liberally before we get a big rainfall - a tip I got from one of the premiere golf courses here.

Have you used the Best Lawn Soil Conditioner? Link: http://aroundtheyard.com/index.php?opti ... Itemid=117

[lawndad]

Thanks everyone.

I have tried the peat moss but little luck with that and I also did a shampooin' of the lawn but I still get them. I thatched this Spring so it's not the thatch layer. I didn't try the BLSC yet because it seems a bit much. You have to order all these things, mix them and apply. I was looking for something already done that I can apply. I just didn't have the extra time to source the products etc.

Any good products out there to buy already mixed and ready to go?

[TimmyG]

I didn't try the BLSC yet because it seems a bit much. You have to order all these things, mix them and apply.

Add shampoo to water. Apply. Rinse and repeat.

[fusebox7]

I have and will continue to use Aerify Plus when I need to. It'll cost you more but for a lot of people RTU products are the way to go. Nature's Lawn & Garden makes quite a few products that are RTU, albeit more expensive than the Best Lawn/ATY DIY products. Otherwise I have a lot of dish soap for a similar purpose that gets applied before heavy rainfall (makes water wetter).

[lawndad]

Okay I'll continue with that process and see.

I know Home Depot sells online this product. I didn't know if anyone used it or a similar one.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/30-lb-Lawn-S ... /204342985

[STL]

I'm going to take the other angle for sake of argument. To each their own, obviously, but BLSC and KH are really very easy to make. It's also MUCH cheaper, like 8x cheaper. You can order everything you need from two places on the interwebs, brambleberry and kelp4less. All you need is something to measure the ingredients, a five gallon bucket, a drill with a paint mixing attachment, water, and 15 minutes tops, including the time you're standing there while it's mixing, and it's made.

[timingchainslipped]

I didn't try the BLSC yet because it seems a bit much. You have to order all these things, mix them and apply. I was looking for something already done that I can apply.

sorry, this is not a valid excuse. you should be ashamed of yourself, young man/young lady!

you buy the lareth from brambleberry:
https://www.brambleberry.com/Sodium-Lau ... P3562.aspx
use 8oz/gallon

you buy the kelp and humic acid from kelp4less:
https://www.kelp4less.com/shop/kelp/
use 4oz/gallon
https://www.kelp4less.com/shop/humic-acid/
use 8oz/gallon

dry weight is similar to volume so either should work.

i keep the lareth separate from the other two.

stop wasting your time and money on the other junk. it won't cut it.

[lawndad]

Haha thanks. I will try that then... I said it's a bit much now because we had our 2nd baby recently so time got a little tighter but I appreciate the input and the break down.

[MorpheusPA]

If you just had your second baby, you have baby shampoo on-hand. Congratulations, by the way.

Just apply 4 oz per thousand square feet of that in any convenient amount of water to loosen soils. It'll work fine. Adult shampoo also works great, as will any other liquid soap (just use one that doesn't have an anti-bacterial).

On hot spots, you can apply far more than that. I do, using the harsher SLS.

[STL]

As a father to young kids, this ran through my head after reason that: honey, where'd the baby shampoo go? Ummm... Well... I put it on the lawn.

[lawndad]

Haha yeah I have plenty of baby shampoo on hand! Thanks again for all the help.

[smast16]

As a father of an 8 month old, I too had this worry of having to explain to my wife why I kept taking the baby shampoo, lol. So I opted for BLSC, but at the end of the day, you gotta do what's easiest for you.

[lawndad]

Yes agreed, of course the baby shampoo is the easiest to just spray all over the place but maybe not as effective as the BLSC.

[Green]

Shampoo alone or even mixed with humic acid and kelp wasn't cutting it for me...the labor was too much to mix it up, deal with the stupid/messy hose-end sprayer, drag the hose everywhere, stain my clothes...

So I bought Hydretain ES Plus II. I've started using it the past week or so. We'll see how it works. but it's a lot easier to apply. I went with the liquid concentrate, and all I do is mix it and spray with the hand can right before rain.

[andy10917]

Over the years, I've seen a pattern - the "easier, easier" members disappear at a higher rate after a couple of years. When they make a post after that, I've asked why they didn't stick with it and the most common answer was that the costs were higher than they had expected. DIY can be 60%-75% cheaper. Don't burn it all out in July and have no resources to play with in the most important season (Fall !!).

[lawndad]

Green, what is this hydretrain all about?