The Great Outdoors

[PhDhawk]

the dirt clods working back into the soil isn't bad. The soil gets compacted over time, aeration opens up the soil so that oxygen, nitrogen, and water can penetrate deeper and allow the grass roots to extend further into the soil. the dirt pellets breaking down and working into the soil is fine. The point isn't to remove soil but to decompact/relax it.

Right, so if you want to decompact/relax, shouldn't you remove the pellets? You want softer soil, it's compacted, you put holes in it, it loosens it, the pellets break down, work back in, and then your soil is compacted again.

No. Those plugs will break down and reintegrate into the soil within a couple weeks. When they breakdown they will release the nutrients stored within the organic layers of the dirt back into your lawn. You want to leave them.

That's what big Aeration wants you to think.

Their way, you have to get your lawn aerated every other year.

With my way, the lawn is now decompacted forever because there's less dirt compacting it. Aerate once and never have to do it again.

Soon as I develop the pellet vacuuming technology I'll be rich.

[Deleted User 863]

Right, so if you want to decompact/relax, shouldn't you remove the pellets? You want softer soil, it's compacted, you put holes in it, it loosens it, the pellets break down, work back in, and then your soil is compacted again.

No. Those plugs will break down and reintegrate into the soil within a couple weeks. When they breakdown they will release the nutrients stored within the organic layers of the dirt back into your lawn. You want to leave them.

That's what big Aeration wants you to think.

Their way, you have to get your lawn aerated every other year.

With my way, the lawn is now decompacted forever because there's less dirt compacting it. Aerate once and never have to do it again.

Soon as I develop the pellet vacuuming technology I'll be rich.

Some golf courses (at least nice ones) have a machine that sucks up the pellets. Not sure it'd work very well on yard grass, but works well on greens and fairways.

[TDub]

No. Those plugs will break down and reintegrate into the soil within a couple weeks. When they breakdown they will release the nutrients stored within the organic layers of the dirt back into your lawn. You want to leave them.

That's what big Aeration wants you to think.

Their way, you have to get your lawn aerated every other year.

With my way, the lawn is now decompacted forever because there's less dirt compacting it. Aerate once and never have to do it again.

Soon as I develop the pellet vacuuming technology I'll be rich.

Some golf courses (at least nice ones) have a machine that sucks up the pellets. Not sure it'd work very well on yard grass, but works well on greens and fairways.

they do that on golf courses to keep a more playable surface. they dont need the extra nutrients because they fertilize and water constantly.

[TDub]

Right, so if you want to decompact/relax, shouldn't you remove the pellets? You want softer soil, it's compacted, you put holes in it, it loosens it, the pellets break down, work back in, and then your soil is compacted again.

No. Those plugs will break down and reintegrate into the soil within a couple weeks. When they breakdown they will release the nutrients stored within the organic layers of the dirt back into your lawn. You want to leave them.

That's what big Aeration wants you to think.

Their way, you have to get your lawn aerated every other year.

With my way, the lawn is now decompacted forever because there's less dirt compacting it. Aerate once and never have to do it again.

Soon as I develop the pellet vacuuming technology I'll be rich.

so you've been bought off by Scott's fertilizer I see

[Deleted User 863]

That's what big Aeration wants you to think.

Their way, you have to get your lawn aerated every other year.

With my way, the lawn is now decompacted forever because there's less dirt compacting it. Aerate once and never have to do it again.

Soon as I develop the pellet vacuuming technology I'll be rich.

Some golf courses (at least nice ones) have a machine that sucks up the pellets. Not sure it'd work very well on yard grass, but works well on greens and fairways.

they do that on golf courses to keep a more playable surface. they dont need the extra nutrients because they fertilize and water constantly.

Correct.

Although we actually used the pellets for things when i was working on golf courses. The pellets were good for filling in wear and tear spots near cart paths where we needed to regrow grass.

[PhDhawk]

No. Those plugs will break down and reintegrate into the soil within a couple weeks. When they breakdown they will release the nutrients stored within the organic layers of the dirt back into your lawn. You want to leave them.

That's what big Aeration wants you to think.

Their way, you have to get your lawn aerated every other year.

With my way, the lawn is now decompacted forever because there's less dirt compacting it. Aerate once and never have to do it again.

Soon as I develop the pellet vacuuming technology I'll be rich.

so you've been bought off by Scott's fertilizer I see

I'm a celebrity spokesman for them.

[shindig]

yeah, I'm not convinced it does much, but since he already had it, I figured I'd give it a shot. I've had professional lawn companies come out and aerate, but I was always at work (pre-COVID) and didn't realize how much work it was. My front yard isn't great, but it's still pretty green but has some yellow areas that just burned up. And my soil is pretty clayish, it just cracks when it gets really dry.

[MICHHAWK]

it's hard work to have a nice lawn.

[shindig]

it's hard work to have a nice lawn.

Yes it is. Mid-summer is the worst because you have to water it so much and I don't have a sprinkler system, so I try to water it in the morning 3-4 days a week. One of my neighbors does have a sprinkler system and he waters twice a day, every day. His yard is very green and thick.

Part of my issue is I have a huge 90 year old Oak tree in my front yard (it's between the sidewalk and curb) and it sucks up a ton of water, plus I have a small dogwood tree that also seems to like its water. So the yard always gets dry after a day, plus all the asshole squirrels that constantly dig, it's almost impossible to have a really nice yard in my neighborhood.

[Deleted User 89]

lawns are so silly...especially fur those that bag the cuttings and then fertilize

dumb

[TDub]

lawns are so silly...especially fur those that bag the cuttings and then fertilize

dumb

if you cut frequently enough you should never bag the cuttings.


I usually bag because I dont always get to it in time to leave it....but I tske the clippings and put it in with the chickens and ducks and feed on top of it...let them turn it for me and fertilize it and eventually pull it back out as some nice composted dirt

[Deleted User 89]

lawns are so silly...especially fur those that bag the cuttings and then fertilize

dumb

if you cut frequently enough you should never bag the cuttings.


I usually bag because I dont always get to it in time to leave it....but I tske the clippings and put it in with the chickens and ducks and feed on top of it...let them turn it for me and fertilize it and eventually pull it back out as some nice composted dirt

yeah, yours is not the behavior i was attempting to reference

[TDub]

lawns are so silly...especially fur those that bag the cuttings and then fertilize

dumb

if you cut frequently enough you should never bag the cuttings.


I usually bag because I dont always get to it in time to leave it....but I tske the clippings and put it in with the chickens and ducks and feed on top of it...let them turn it for me and fertilize it and eventually pull it back out as some nice composted dirt

yeah, yours is not the behavior i was attempting to reference

yea I know...I just like talking about something non political or covid related. ha


I never fertilize...too much a pain in the ass, too many animals potentially impacted...and really its unnecessary if you do other things and let it happen naturally. I also don't need a pristine lawn so....theres that

[Deleted User 89]

if you cut frequently enough you should never bag the cuttings.


I usually bag because I dont always get to it in time to leave it....but I tske the clippings and put it in with the chickens and ducks and feed on top of it...let them turn it for me and fertilize it and eventually pull it back out as some nice composted dirt

yeah, yours is not the behavior i was attempting to reference

yea I know...I just like talking about something non political or covid related. ha


I never fertilize...too much a pain in the ass, too many animals potentially impacted...and really its unnecessary if you do other things and let it happen naturally. I also don't need a pristine lawn so....theres that

gotcha

i’d love nothing more than to do away with our lawn. landlords suck (shout out to Ousie lol)

the only benefit to having grass, imo, is for the pups. otherwise, it’s more work than it’s worth, particularly in the desert (obviously). fortunately, with the drought and our attempts to water “just enough” to keep it from dying, ive been able to maintain what we’ve got with just the weed-eater.

the plan is to nearly completely re-do the back “yard” into garden space so that the only grass is in the front. we’ll see what our nearly absent landlord has to say...

[jhawks99]

My dad was obsessed with having a nice lawn. True Green, sprinkler system, mowing and bagging. All of it. He was jealous of yards nicer than his, there were two in our neighborhood nicer than his, and judgmental of those not as nice has his.

I caught the bug a little, I fertilize in the spring and fall, seed in the fall and cut often without bagging. Haven't had to water this summer with all the rain we've had. We have two giant trees in our really small front yard and it doesn't get much sun so the grass is there, but grows really slowly. Back yard gets full sun and is thicker and grows faster. There's some clover and a dandelion or two, but it mostly looks pretty good.

[Deleted User 89]

My dad was obsessed with having a nice lawn. True Green, sprinkler system, mowing and bagging. All of it. He was jealous of yards nicer than his, there were two in our neighborhood nicer than his, and judgmental of those not as nice has his.

I caught the bug a little, I fertilize in the spring and fall, seed in the fall and cut often without bagging. Haven't had to water this summer with all the rain we've had. We have two giant trees in our really small front yard and it doesn't get much sun so the grass is there, but grows really slowly. Back yard gets full sun and is thicker and grows faster. There's some clover and a dandelion or two, but it mostly looks pretty good.

1) why do you fertilize?

2) have you ever gone a year/season without doing so? if so, how’d it go?

[PhDhawk]

lawns are so silly...especially fur those that bag the cuttings and then fertilize

dumb

My lawn is native grass, it's not as green or as soft, but I never have to water. I always mulch.

Only bad thing I do is usually apply a dose of weed/crab grass inhibitor in the late winter/spring time of year, because if I don't I get a shit load of noxious weeds that cause all kinds of problems.

In my previous home, it came with sprinklers and I had neighbors who cared a great deal (lived near a country club), so I'd water and stuff. But, I have (a lighter shade of) green grass most of the time not counting winter without the added cost or guilt of wasting water now and it's a lot better.

[shindig]

My dad was obsessed with having a nice lawn. True Green, sprinkler system, mowing and bagging. All of it. He was jealous of yards nicer than his, there were two in our neighborhood nicer than his, and judgmental of those not as nice has his.

I caught the bug a little, I fertilize in the spring and fall, seed in the fall and cut often without bagging. Haven't had to water this summer with all the rain we've had. We have two giant trees in our really small front yard and it doesn't get much sun so the grass is there, but grows really slowly. Back yard gets full sun and is thicker and grows faster. There's some clover and a dandelion or two, but it mostly looks pretty good.

1) why do you fertilize?

2) have you ever gone a year/season without doing so? if so, how’d it go?

The only fertilizer I use is Milorganite, which is basically sewage from the Milwaukee treatment plant. It's slow release and won't burn your yard. I only use it a few times a year.

[jhawks99]

My dad was obsessed with having a nice lawn. True Green, sprinkler system, mowing and bagging. All of it. He was jealous of yards nicer than his, there were two in our neighborhood nicer than his, and judgmental of those not as nice has his.

I caught the bug a little, I fertilize in the spring and fall, seed in the fall and cut often without bagging. Haven't had to water this summer with all the rain we've had. We have two giant trees in our really small front yard and it doesn't get much sun so the grass is there, but grows really slowly. Back yard gets full sun and is thicker and grows faster. There's some clover and a dandelion or two, but it mostly looks pretty good.

1) why do you fertilize?

2) have you ever gone a year/season without doing so? if so, how’d it go?

This is our 2nd summer here, it was in bad shape when we moved in. Better now.

[Deleted User 89]

https://www.wjcl.com/article/bulloch-co ... t/37681193#