aroundtheyard.com Forums

I’ve stopped giving advice to local people, I just say I feed organically anymore. I’ve spent a lot of time talking people through the reasoning for certain things only to see them continuing to do their old habits, buying the Scott’s 4 step program and the such. Their lawn is greener and they chock up the victory. Everyone’s lawn is green in the spring then the problems come.

I used to keep saltwater reef tanks and moderated a site. There I played “Andy”. Politely and constantly backslapping people who wanted to over complicate things and chase miracle cures. My line to everyone was this “nature applies to everyone, don’t try to cheat it”. Some people just never learned.

Just like reefs where I “kept water” and that was the main thing. With Lawns we try to keep soil and train grass.

Like mentioned above, knowing the goal of what you want is super important to understand what needs to be done.

Interesting, I find that people that are lawn enthusiasts are often aquarists too. I'm a freshwater heavily-planted 130g keeper.

Nice! So your high input on the FW?

I was all in on my SW setup, $20k plus!

Here's my SW reef set up. I actually met PSU4ME on a local reef forum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQXMQVEBMjA

As for helping neighbors, I also lend them my lawn equipment. From tow behind aerator, thatcher, spreader, and even my tractor. I like to help out when I see people doing manual labor and the equipment I bought is still sitting around. One guy in the corner, in particular, is very hard working. He was dethatching by hand in 80degrees weather. He does not have a tractor so I drove my tractor and the tow behind dethatcher and let him use it. He asked for some advice and I said, I'm just a novice at it but this is what I do to my lawn. He seems to listen.
My next door neighbor, however, does the opposite of what I said but he's constantly asking for help. This is getting very annoying. I spent 3 occasions this season to start up his sprinklers and set the controller when he was on a business and his wife asked for help.
When the husband came back, I haven't seen the sprinkler popping up. I told my wife, this is probably the last time I'm going there to help but she knows me and said you'll run over there when they call you for help. I'm at a point where I just said, you probably better off paying for someone to do it like my other next door neighbor. This, he seems to listen to and I saw the same lawn company on my other side neighbor spraying down some weed and spreading something.

I should say, my neighbor was a turf specialist at my last place and his help got me interested in this again. He gave me a bunch of free herbicide and a few simple pointers. That lit the fire and the next thing I know I'm researching how to renovate my front lawn to look good like his.

The rest is history....

My next door neighbor has a Wife who got ill and he’s been staying at the hospital a lot over last two months.

The area of his yard adjacent to mine I’ve been mowing, fertilizing, and even eradicated 95% of the weeds. It’s been holding its own considering it’s not irrigated. By late August it would likely have taken off and grew.

My neighbors Father showed up last night and fired up the rider with bagger and proceeds to scalp the lawn at what looks like the lowest setting on the machine.

So much for that .

He joined 50 million others that would have done the same thing.

People dont realize you have to know more when it's short, because the plant pushes more top growth.

*mow not know

Or that running the blade too Low and hitting rocks in the transition between lawn and woods isn’t good for the blade or tractor.. lol. Considering how it looked it’s crazy he even mowed it.

We got lot of rain last night which will spare him the worst of it until the next time he does it. At this point I’m not touching it anymore.

This is precisely why I have shrub beds along both side yards. Technically I own three feet of lawn on the opposite side and he scalped all the way up to my shrub bed. That three feet is dense KBG. Unfortunately a conversation will need to be had.
Had I not had shrub bed there our city boy would have wanted to play more on the rider and likely have mowed into my lawn.
Next time I’ll turn on the irrigation system 🤪

HoosierLawnGnome wrote: ↑

July 12th, 2019, 8:58 am

People dont realize you have to know more when it's short, because the plant pushes more top growth.

HoosierLawnGnome wrote: ↑

July 12th, 2019, 9:18 am

*mow not know

I actually appreciated and agreed with the statement when it said "know".

TimmyG wrote: ↑

July 12th, 2019, 10:58 am

HoosierLawnGnome wrote: ↑

July 12th, 2019, 9:18 am

*mow not know

I actually appreciated and agreed with the statement when it said "know".

Very true. Way more difficult.

I live in a development where we have an HOA. The HOA pays to have a company mow and fertilize. It's included in our monthly dues. Needless to say, I pay my dues but do not allow the company to mow or fertilize my lawn. They put down the wrong fert at the wrong time and in the wrong quantity. And when they mow they cut too short and of course mow regardless of how stressed or wet the lawn is. Most lawns in my neighborhood look like $hit while mine is generally an oasis of green.

As an example of their fertilizing practices, they will be around next week to "weed and feed." Most lawns here are half dormant due to 7-10 days of 90 degree, dry weather. Nobody has irrigation. Their fertilizer will be all nitrogen despite the fact that our soil is deficient in P and K. And based on what I see in the fall, they don't put enough down - though now they should not be putting anything down. The first time the worker showed up to fertilize I asked him what he was putting down. When he said "I don't know" I told him to skip me and I haven't allowed him back. Lawns here generally look hungry. I have taken it upon myself to fertilize my side of the the circle in front of my house because I cant stand to look at hungry lawn. You can see the dividing line between where I supplement the fert and where I dont.

I ran for the HOA board on a platform of "our lawns don't HAVE to look like crap" and was defeated by a woman more interested in controlling where residents can plant small herb gardens. So that tells you where I stand with respect to advising neighbors. Mostly they are content for their lawns to look terrible. Though a woman moved in across the street and had kbg sod put down. It looks awesome and she is out constantly watering it. So I am hopeful that she and I will raise the bar for the neighbors. We will see.

Are those single family homes or condos?

Double edge sword in your situation where at least everything is mowed and trimmed.

I have neighbors who act like mowing is painful work.
No expectations for everyone to be into their lawns but why buy homes with 1-3 acre lots of you truly hate lawn care.

schreibdave wrote: ↑

July 13th, 2019, 6:17 am

I ran for the HOA board on a platform of "our lawns don't HAVE to look like crap" and was defeated by a woman more interested in controlling where residents can plant small herb gardens. So that tells you where I stand with respect to advising neighbors. Mostly they are content for their lawns to look terrible. Though a woman moved in across the street and had kbg sod put down. It looks awesome and she is out constantly watering it. So I am hopeful that she and I will raise the bar for the neighbors. We will see.

They are single family, detached homes but close together. When the houses on my left and right are built they will likely be about 15ft from mine in the front. Further away in back because the road is a circle and the lots are pie shaped. I am at the high point in the circle which should mean that the houses on either side will have their garage/driveway adjacent to my yard - which is ideal. My lawn shouldn't touch the neighbor's lawn, it will go to their driveways.

My neighbor asked to borrow a lawn roller, which I dont have. I referred a rental place.

He is reseeding an area that was highly compacted from 6 months of construction traffic and was graded. Fresh dirt was brought in and leveled.

He asked if my son would spread peat moss and straw as a job, so guess what he is doing all day today.

I'll probably pop in and check on how he is doing but I will keep my opinion on someone else's home and project to myself.

The problem in these scenarios is too many chiefs and not enough Indians. My neighbor will no doubt be successful and achieve results that satisfy him.

if I try to get involved, it becomes two conflicting strategies and I get blame for weighing in if things go poorly. Like two pilots with their hands on the stick.

Not my plane.

Most times things go better if one person is leading, rather than two people vying for control, even if one may be more knowledgeable than the other.