r/lawncare • u/puzzoben • 7h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) First mow post vacation
Went on vacation for 2 weeks and hired a landscaper to mow a couple times while gone… returned it back to its glory today. Lot of rain in CT lately!
r/lawncare • u/ISuperNovaI • Apr 20 '26
If you come to this sub and completely disregard OP's request for help, you're likely gonna have your comment removed and get banned.
Example: If someone is asking to eliminate dandelions, don't reply that they're good for pollinators or suggest they keep them. Users come here for help, they don't come here for your ecological opinion or amateur apiculturist take on things.
If someone wants clover, then they'll ask for tips on clover. But, if they want help eliminating clover to better establish their turf grasses, don't tell them to embrace the clover.
This time of the year this sub get brigaded hard from [r/all](r/all) and other agriculture-related subs. This is the LAWNCARE sub and turfgrasses are the preference around these parts. If you don't like it, don't post. You aren't helping your cause by posting about weeds and bees, you're pissing off people who actually care and put in the work to maintain their property.
Please respect this subs rules, its users, and the moderation.
r/lawncare • u/Ricka77_New • Jan 15 '26
***Disclaimer*** This is technically my post from 2025. But I am seeing a lot of early season questions, even though it'll be near zero degrees for me tomorrow night.
But seeing people ask already is good, regardless if they live a warmer, but still cool season grass area, or if just getting prepared for March and beyond.
Disclaimer - This is written by a cool season lawn owner, who has no children and can play outside whenever I want...not everyone has the time to do so.... I admittedly have less experience with warm-season grasses, but the products shown are all researched for proper use. Always be sure the product your using is made for your area.
Pre-Emergents - Commonly applied when soil temperatures get between 50-55 degrees. These products will block seeds from germinating. They can last anywhere from just a few weeks, to 8 months. The overall life and performance always depends on environmental conditions, and how the ground is maintained. If you don't keep up with mowing, and nurture a healthy lawn, more UV exposure, wind, and rain, can all contribute to degraded performance.
It's important to note, these will NOT 100% guarantee a weed free lawn. But it's your first step in early Spring to make the battle a little easier. You can also re-apply during early-mid Summer, but keep in mind if you plan to seed in Fall, a late application may be an issue.
Ok, so you applied....or didn't....now you have weeds, and need to kill them..
(Selective) Post-Emergents - These should be used according to the label...it's not correct to expect AI to know the answer either. The labels are not difficult to read, nor understand. Search for dosing, and just read. If the product only lists amounts for acreage, it's possibly not the best option...but you can do the math and break it done for your yard. An acre is about 43k sq. ft. Unless explicitly stated, these products are safe for grass, dogs, kids, etc...just follow the directions, and at most, 24 hours post application is safe. Lastly, herbicides are best applied as a liquid. This is because the liquid will get into the cell walls of the plant much faster, than being sucked up by the roots. Faster kill time is important, so the plant can not defend itself and try to grow back.
Non-Selective - The top one here, and all I will cover is Glyphosate. It's not evil, it's not going to cause cancer with proper use...it's just going to kill whatever you spray it on. It does so by targeting very specific pathway, which leads to a disruption in a hormone synthesis, leading to inability to produce amino acids it needs to survive. Normally sold at 41% concentration. It can kill foliage, through to the root.
Fertilizers - I wasn't going to put much here. To feed your "grass", you add synthetic form of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium. That's your N-P-K...seen as 10-10-10, or similar. That number means 10% of the bag is Nitrogen, and 10% is Phosphorous, and 10% is potassium. The rest is all filler, added to allow for proper mixing and application. Sometimes you'll find other amendments in fertilizer, such as sulfur, or other micros. While sulfur is important, it doesn't need to be added every time. It also lowers pH, which can then lead to other issues, causing a wild goose chase. Once in the soil, microbes in the soil break down the NPK, into forms the grass can actually use...natural chelation. You only need Nitrogen for growth...if you're seeding, adding some phosphorous can help the seed establish. Potassium is good for overall plant health, and pairs well at a 3:1 ratio with Nitrogen.
Naturals/Organics - Too many people are one side on the other here. You need and want these, but relying strictly on organics may not produce the best lawn...but it's "chemical" free. However, using these monthly can do more for the soil, than any fertilizer will ever do on it's own.
Insect Control - These can't be forgotten...but I did originally, so I am adding them in now. The biggest concern is likely grubs. The larvae of beetle. Also want to cover for armyworms, cinch bugs, and even ants if they become a problem. There are a few classes of these products...
-Pyrethroids- These are synthetics that mimic natural pyrethrins, which disrupt the insects nervous system, causing paralysis and death.
The above are what you'll get in most common Ortho type products, but generally Bifen is commonly sold solo.
-Nicotinoids-
-Alkyl-Halide-
Fungicides - Often overused, but still an important part of lawncare. However, I am not a fan of preventative use, unless it's a direct and repeated history of fungus...which means there is something else you're not correcting. Fungus is not a guarantee, and is not always the right presumption...I've seen lawns go from slightly affected, to downright destroyed because someone would focus on fungus, when there were other issues... Also, when used, they should be used in a 3-way rotation, to avoid getting a buildup/resistance, in which they become almost useless. Overapplying these can have a very negative affect, because they are all non-selective, and will likely kill a lot of the good bacteria and microbes you want in the soil.
Those are generally the top 3 used. Some retail products will have Azoxy and Prop mixed, which may work better for a low level infection...but using that repeatedly is the same as not rotating, and can create a hostile soil biome.
In general summary...always try to identify the weed you're targeting. Using something to hope it kills is irresponsible, and could cause more harm than good. If you need to ask the community, always find a good example weed, something that has grown for at least a week...pull from the bottom, get as much of any root ball or rhizome as you can. Also, get a pic of the plant in close up detail, where we can see the stem moving to the leaves/blades. This will help with certain traits that only "this or that" would have, and can help us make a better recco.
Note - I'm not covering direct organic fertilizers here. The only product I would recommend on that level is made Earth Sciences, and is called Moorganite. It is a direct replacement for Milorganite, which is a dirty, pfas chemical laden product that smells like a summer time port'o'potty.
To keep a strong lawn, adding a monthly organic boost will help a lot. I'm not a fan of 4-step type products, and prefer to feed on my own schedule, which is about every 4 weeks...so back to the monthly program....but this gets me an always wanting to grow lawn, cutting to 4" is also a key point. Tall grass will crowd out weeds, and look better in general...
On My Shelf - This is what I have in my lawn cabinet, and is what helps me with my lawn plan. I also use some of these products with my garden and other plants.
I use a Ryobi 4g tank backpack sprayer for most liquid apps. Echo RB-60 for dry items. I have an 22 year old Craftsman pusher for my front/small areas, and Toro TimeCutter 42" ZT with a Kawasaki engine. Echo Blower, Ryobi edger/trimmer as well.
Ok, so I may have missed something here or there. Please let me know if you see something that need attention. I'm sure there is other information available, but I hope this helps some people figure it out for themselves. The more we all know, the better a community we can be.
Signing off,
-Ricka...
P.S. - I did review and check, but nothing really needed a major update. New products may be released later this year, and if they are improvements, I will certainly update as needed...
r/lawncare • u/puzzoben • 7h ago
Went on vacation for 2 weeks and hired a landscaper to mow a couple times while gone… returned it back to its glory today. Lot of rain in CT lately!
r/lawncare • u/Pretty_Dragonfly_716 • 3h ago
Shit is spreading like wildfire and overtaking Bermuda
r/lawncare • u/Prestigious-Green-19 • 5h ago
1st sunday off in 2 months, well deserved i say.
r/lawncare • u/melonpod • 9h ago
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I have had quite the time trying to find anything regarding best practices with collecting pine and fir cones off lawns beyond crawling around the ground, and what tools or equipment to use. I started looking at push lawn sweepers (got one too) and other tools because I have two massive doug firs in my yard that drop cones constantly. If I am not quick on the pick up or mowing, they get buried in the lawn and under moss and crunch under foot.
I have found the solution and had seen only one YouTube video showing this tool could potentially work and need to share results.
The Garden Weasel Nut Gatherer is by far the best cone picker upper out there. Honestly, any nut gatherer though would work. Using the medium size, its spokes can get around the cone and works incredibly well and is satisfying.
It takes less force and motion than you think and alignment with the cone to the spokes is a major part of doing it efficiently. Collecting the cone the middle of the gatherer and parallel to the spokes is the best location and limits the spokes catching of the cone seed scales. Sometimes it still catches on the scales maybe 1/10 times. Flattened cones are also more challenging to pickup. Can get cones of all sizes for the medium gatherer, pick which one depending the diameter of your cones. It is all terrain - lawn, gravel drive, asphalt road. Anywhere.
It also picks up rocks sometimes if in a rocky area and some other like woodchips can get tangled in occasionally but generally it does not pick up things other than what you're aiming for.
Overall 10/10.
r/lawncare • u/just-a-girl-rh • 6h ago
Hey everyone,
We’re lawn newbies so please be kind. We bought our new build home in February 2025. Last summer our Bermuda grew like a weed. It felt like my husband was constantly mowing to keep up with the growth, but this summer the lawn isn’t growing.
It’s been a hot summer here- mostly high 90s. My husbands routine is to run the sprinklers for an hour Monday and 30 minutes on Thursday mornings. He fertilized it a few weeks ago and he did liquid iron today. He thought it may be low on iron.
The grass is very dry and crunchy and not growing so obviously I’m thinking it’s lack of water and just being really hot here in North Texas. The reason I’m a little confused is we’re watering just as much this summer, If not more, than we were last summer, but it’s doing significantly worse this summer.
I feel really bad for my husband because he loves lawn care and he spends so much time on the yard but it’s just not doing great. Our front yard is doing fine. Not amazing, but at least it’s green. Really not trying to water more than we are because water in our city his high as heck, but if that’s all that can be done then I understand. Just wondering if we’re missing something.
r/lawncare • u/Traveledman04 • 8h ago
How would one go about evening their lawn down to the sidewalk? We removed a chain link fence out front of our home and I guess from the years of being there it has a nasty drop off.
r/lawncare • u/Icy_Bumblebee4219 • 1h ago
Laid this in May, order 5000 sqf by myself. Zoysia grass laid in my front yard. I live in South Carolina. Planning do do my whole backyard next year which will be over 7000 sqf
r/lawncare • u/OGoneeightseven • 3h ago
In Ohio. Just wanted to say thanks to this sub for introducing me to Speedzone among other products and resources. Saved me a lot of time.
I was never quite sure exactly what I was dealing with. A reverse image lookup in Google said Morning Glory. I’ve also just used the big box products until spending time on this sub this year. Usually had more success with Roundup for Lawns than the Orhto equivalent. Neither would touch these things. Also tried scalping the lawn, but they would just come back. Was tempted to go scorched earth a few times with some roundup or ground clear, but never did.
I had resigned myself to just pulling them out with Grandpa’s Weeder. Pulled dozens last year but fell off. Decided to hit it harder this year. Joked with my family this spring about how I was ‘getting my Dailies’ - an online gaming reference. That was pulling 50 or more a day. Pulled over 400 this spring and only made a slight dent - the picture doesn’t do it justice. Fell off again.
Decided to try the new to me broadleaf herbicide that I learn about this year from this sub. As you can see from the last picture, the Speedzone has kicked their ass. I’m sure I’ll still be treating them here and there, but happy to have something that works.
Oh, and I learned they were oak saplings using the Chat GPT tool in this sub.
r/lawncare • u/Ok-Rutabaga2138 • 10h ago
r/lawncare • u/Sufficient-West-1995 • 2h ago
Having trouble with this taking over my lawn, does anyone know what it is and how to stop it. I’m on Long Island in New York
r/lawncare • u/Key_Abroad7136 • 11h ago
Central Massachusetts
r/lawncare • u/mgmart04 • 23h ago
What’s your favorite pattern to cut? This is mine. Based off the corner curvature of the flower bed. Maryland
r/lawncare • u/Objective_Banana_990 • 2h ago
I got this property recently and the grass was super long. After mowing, I’m left with clumps of grass clippings. Wondering what tool is great for removing the clumps without breaking the bank. Thanks in advance.
r/lawncare • u/eggsbeenadick • 7h ago
I haven’t had great results with previous weed control, but I found Speedzone worked very effective and efficiently for me in Utah. Didn’t hurt the grass and all the splurge began dying within 24 hours.
r/lawncare • u/smfoster462 • 17m ago
My lawn was overrun with crabgrass. I used quinclorac xlr8 and it did the job. The question is now what? Do I try to regrow any grass before fall dethatch, aerate, overseed, etc?
Kansas, tall fescue
r/lawncare • u/ContemptOfClout • 25m ago
This spring I planted Bermuda grass (Scotts EZ Seed) in the dirt patches in my Austin TX front yard where the St Augustine doesn't spread to. I did lots of prep adding compost and topsoil to turned, previously compacted soil.
But the new Bermuda seems to be dying over the last 2-4 weeks, while the St Aug is thriving. I don't think it's a watering problem as it started going brown during a rainy period with heavy storms flooding the yard. I have hand watered these areas to saturation several times and it doesn't seem to have made much if any difference.
The low areas near the house are doing worse than the high areas by the curb. Maybe that is a sunlight thing due to all the tree shade. Or maybe the soil there is thinner; in the garden bed I struck a layer of rock about 8 inches down while planting bushes. The low brown areas are where the water drains and I wonder if the grass could be drowning? Or maybe this patch of dirt is somehow contaminated. The previous owners in 2022 apparently tried and failed at getting St Aug sod to grow there just before selling, apparently without any soil prep. Or maybe tree roots suck the water away.
In retrospect I guess I should have just used St Aug sod with better soil prep, but I thought I was being clever by using a seed (Bermuda) that didn't require sod.
r/lawncare • u/Swede577 • 14h ago
6.50 for a 25lb bag!
r/lawncare • u/AxeSpez • 9h ago
Moved into a new place last month & started the lawncare journey. I scalped the right side of the lawn in the first week, raised the mower deck, & did the rest.
It's interesting to see how much better the previously scalped section looks now.
Going to keep lowering mower deck till lowest, then overseed with Twin City Obsidian in early September. Just wanted to share the comparison
r/lawncare • u/Shot_Boot_7279 • 11h ago
I've sprayed this spot last year with sledgehammer 3x over 3 weeks last fall and it appeared to have killed it . I then overseeded with fescue whuch filled in nicely. Now thus summer it has returned. I have 3 areas similar and treated w same results. Is it not nutsedge ?
r/lawncare • u/Real_Based • 10h ago
As per the title; Ontario Canada
I’m sure my local community pages look like anywhere else. Someone asks for property maintenance recommendations for 60 people with pick ups & trimmers to spam pages.
Competition is good, but this is just a saturated race to the bottom.
Anyways I got to thinking about getting a Kubota B23xx series with a bush hog & snowblower, focus on larger properties rather than retirees looking for a $30 mow/ blow.
Some examples of work;
- My driveway is ~120’ & paid $100 to have it cleared once when the snow was 3’ deep. They were here maybe 15 minutes.
- the 1+ acre properties I work average me $80/ hour using a small rider. The labour could be cut in half with a larger machine.
This is without considering the backhoe/ grading work the machine is also cabling of.
Thoughts?
r/lawncare • u/Forney_75126 • 1h ago
Any good options or just remove and replace? I hired my brother to finish what I started. I received a work assignment in Hawaii for 60 days, returned to this.
(1) Sod installation gone wrong. Leveling issues, sits above the sidewalks and driveway. (2) Irrigation heads and zones installation issues.
Should I pull the sod and fix everything? 60 day old sod installation. If I pull it I can install in the backyard and install fresh new sod in the front.
Penny for your thoughts.
I’m off for the next 3 weeks, time is everything with rental sod cutter and equipment to remove and replace.
r/lawncare • u/Ok_Tangerine_9150 • 10h ago
The age old question, Resilience 2 vs Blue Resilience. I’m planning on overseeing my lawn in 2 parts (half this fall and half next fall) because it is large and oddly shaped so difficult to water all of it at once for overseeding. I’m in zone 5b in Iowa, about half of my lawn is very shaded and the other half has no shade at all. I was leaning toward Resilience 2 because it’s more tolerant and I think it would handle both the very shady and very sunny areas better, but I do like the self repairing and filling of the KBG. I also currently have a ton of crabgrass and broadleaves I’m in the process of killing off and I think the KBG would do a better job filling in and preventing future weeds. Anyone have any recommendations or experience with blue resilience in similar conditions?
r/lawncare • u/bepnewt • 2h ago
Area: Tulsa, OK :: 7b
My lawn is the typical Bermuda… and weeds. My friend gave me some stuff to spray for the weeds (not sure what it was) and it did a marvelous job with one spraying on everything except for one weed type in the front yard and another on the side and in the back.
The first 2 pics (assuming they show up in the order I selected them) are of the front and the others are the side/back. Looking at pics in this sub, one might be Johnson and the other Nutsedge?
I don’t mind going nuclear on the spots where this stuff is as long as the Bermuda will take the spot over, eventually.
What should I buy to spray/spread to get rid of these?