Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I'm looking for the best & toughest grass for use in a no sun zone of my yard. The area gets a lot of traffic, so it has to be a durable grass.

I appreciate all types that meet my needs, but also if a particular brand is better than the competition.

Before coming back to Abby's recently I posted this request for the best grass to grow throughout the web. Needless to say most respondents advised using the kind of grass you smoke, not mow.

Dave,
You are welcome. But You get the thanks. Instead of paying the lawn service for the 3 or 5 time treatment, and killing the birds, and I think, my cats. It takes me about 2 hours a year, and usually less the $100, and my lawn has never looked better. Drought and everything. The only cheating I do is starter fertilizer if I need a patch. It's the way to go, I never have a worry about kids, or pets.

robmints wrote:
Can I fertilize with bubble gum? I'm not happy with the above choices in my water. :-)

--SnowRemover

I agree 100% organic. When i first purchased my home it was all new to me. My lawn was kind of run down so i asked questions and was pointed to SCOTTS . The first 2 years using it i had the best lawn in the neighborhood. All of a sudden i started having problems. first the grubs got bad. I called scotts and was told to use there insect controll. Didnt work ! Then the fungus took over. Called scotts and was told to use there fungus control. Within a year my lawn looked like poop and i spent over a grand in chemicals. I started online research and forum posting and was told about chemical fertz. They rob your soil of needed nutrients and cause shallow roots. They also cause thatch which leads to bugs and fungus. I purchased a dethatcher and dug deep. I then over seeded with a good quality mix. I then made the switch to Organic. First thing in the spring i fill my 20 gallon hose end sprayer with a bottle of beer and spray my lawn. a few weeks later i fill it with dish washing soap and spray the lawn. I then put down a bag of 100% organic fert. On the 4th of july i spray the lawn with beer again. In the fall i fert one more time. I cut it high and often and bag.  My lawn is as healthy as can be. no more fungus, or bugs. no poison. Use much less water and Much less money spent !

I feel sorry for you. in a few years you will be kicking yourself very very hard. your grass will look like Straw all summer and first thing in the fall. You might get 2 months of full green grass if you are lucky.  Once the zoisa takes hold, and it will, its gonna look like crap. If i were you and the stuff was just put in i would dig out every plug and dont miss one. Put some fresh soil in the holes and plant some fresh seed or sod. i have 5 neighbors all older that planted the stuff 10 years ago and let me tell you, its not a pretty sight. The zoisa is meant for florida,bermuda,california, places where you need consitent 80 degree temp or higher. Trust me when i say, remove it now before it takes hold. AND IT WILL. next year you will have green grass with a few small straw like brown patches, the next year a few more brown patches , the next year a brown lawn with a few green patches untill its all brown untill the weather hits 80 degrees then it will look ok for a month or 2 untill the weater changes and we get a temp drop and the straw is back.   Dave___in___CT wrote:

Hi Knee. With all that beer in the lawn, it must be a 12 step program.. Actually down the road I would like to research more on an organic program for my lawn. For now the Scotts has been doing a very good job.

                                                                                                                                 Kevin

I did pro lawn maintenance for 6 years back in the late 1970's early 1980's. Having handled all sorts of chemicals designed to boost this and kill that, I don't use ANY manufactured stuff on my own lawn. I'm sure it would all eventually end up in my well as it percolates down through the soil, and it is very harmfull to the "good" insects, and does not totally eliminate the "bad" insects. Organic is the way I go. It's healthier for me to handle, healthier for the lawn, cheaper to do, and I won't be drinking the whatevers that every bag and bottle I ever saw contains. If it is so safe to use, why does it have an 8 paragraph warning label about fish, wildlife, pets, spill management, washing hands, eyes if in contact, etc.

Where did you learn of the beer?

So when we say organic, are we talking about products that can be bought at a lawn and garden store and are they really cheaper? What types of products are there? Just curious.

                                                                         Thanks,   Kevin

TheKneebiter

I like your organic lawn approach !

Wow... Zoisa woahs !

My 2nd order of 1200 plugs arrived yesterday ! Now... I'm concerned... thinking... I do thank you very much for the information and advice ! More knowledge !

I don't like throwing away $100 +  of it... and hours of time to plant the 1st time... plus removing it now... hmmm....

I believe what you say... and will expect it... and may say "I shoulda' removed it then !"

I think I'll go ahead and plant some of the new stuff... but limit it to where I didn't finish... not touching the other area I planned on...  if it fizzles out... it wan't look worse than now... yes... more work... but that's OK... ( yeah... right ! )

But... I'm gonna' sleep on it for a couple nights... maybe I can re-sell it to some folks who want hair ! LOL...

Dave...

Kevin if you are looking for stuff at the garden center, Blue Seal makes some stuff. You can find a lot about organic lawn and garden care on the net. A lot. There was a guy on PBS named Jerry something that was big on the beer and soap and stuff. He had whole books with stuff like latex paint mixed with listerine to seal where you trim limbs off. I use Cockadodudledodo <sp> or better known as aged chicken poop. And corn gluten meal if I need a pre-emergent.  Lots of methods work just as good as another. And after a little while the lawn takes care of it's self almost. Good soil and good bugs, like worms  do a lot of the work for you. healthy grass keeps the weeds down.

Dave, if you are doing this for a lawn, I need to be in the anti-zoysia crowd. The rhysomes can be like a mini-bamboo, you will need a barrier (like a sidewalk)  to keep it from spreading and crowding everything else out. It can hold dirt with it's roots and is pretty durable and hearty. It does stay brown most of the year. It grows slow, but is hard to cut, and is hard on blades.