I want a pretty yard. Last year I spent about 3500 on new sod, and I paid Aggieland to come out and treat my yard. I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but it looks worse now. Than ever. I followed the water recommendations from them. I don't know what to do. I am also not bashing aggieland. Is there a company than will really look into the yard? The homes in the fancy neighborhoods have pretty grass. I want it too. Thx.
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Grass re growth
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Last: 10 mo ago by halibut sinclair
What is the soil down one to five inches? Heavy clay? How often do you fertilize? How much shade do you have?Carny89 said:
I want a pretty yard. Last year I spent about 3500 on new sod, and I paid Aggieland to come out and treat my yard. I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but it looks worse now. Than ever. I followed the water recommendations from them. I don't know what to do. I am also not bashing aggieland. Is there a company than will really look into the yard? The homes in the fancy neighborhoods have pretty grass. I want it too. Thx.
I use Aggieland and alas, it actually does take some time for a lawn to come to life/back to life. There are a lot of factors including shade trees. Good luck but patience is likely necessary here.
Unfortunately I have no idea. I also don't want to know. I just want to pay someone to make it happen. Thx
They told me it might take a couple of years. Which I understand. But it looks like it went backwards.
We have similar issues. Use Aggieland and our yard still struggles. We have drainage issues that we've spent a ton of money on. We've had trees die due to too much water, yet parts of our yard don't get enough. Without Aggieland, it looks worse, but it seems like all conditions have to be perfect for it to look good, which is usually a very short time each year.
I've lived here 25 years in the same house. There was a time I had pretty grass. But for some reason. It just won't take. Ugh.
Carny89 said:
I've lived here 25 years in the same house. There was a time I had pretty grass. But for some reason. It just won't take. Ugh.
Do you have a bunch of trees that have gotten larger during that time?
What kind of grass? How much is sun and how much is shade?
Actually no. I lost a few trees. So I know the dirsct sun doesn't help. But even the bad spots have shade.
I don't know. I just want to write a check. I don't have a green thumb. Ugh.
I wouldn't judge a lawn right now. It's going through spring transition and unless you planned your short mow really well, bagged the clippings and got that soil warmed up early, you won't have a ton of green grass right now. I started cutting mine about 3 weeks ago and have been mowing about every 4-5 days, bagging all but one. Bagged today only because I had a lot of leaves on the ground from the storm. I lost a lot of st augustine because of the timing of the freezes. I put out a little compost in the areas that are struggling the worst. My grass went dormant a lot later than most yards and suffered because of it.
When did you sod last year? Aggieland is probably treating that new sod with baby gloves right now. The important thing is making sure the roots get established.
When did you sod last year? Aggieland is probably treating that new sod with baby gloves right now. The important thing is making sure the roots get established.
Also, if they told you it will be a couple years to recover, I'm going to bet you started with a lot of weeds. As soon as those weeds are killed the lawn could look awful for a little while until the grass fills in. Depending on the timing of the new sod, you may not have been able to get pre-emergent treatments.
What part of town are you in? Most of BCS is heavy clay but north has a lot of sand.
What part of town are you in? Most of BCS is heavy clay but north has a lot of sand.
Growing pretty grass is an entire degree at A&M, believe it or not. There is a lot that goes into it.
One part of that complexity is the soil under your grass. If your soil sucks, like a lot of it does in this area, your ceiling for pretty grass will be low.
There are things you can do to help with that, like aeration, fertilization, etc. but there are some things you cannot change, i.e. soil texture down to 6 inches.
Unless you want to dig your yard out down to 6 inches and import a sandy loam to replace it all. You said you wanted to write a check and have pretty grass, how big a check are we talking?
That last paragraph is sarcasm.
I'm an agronomist but I'm not your agronomist and the previous post does not constitute agronomic advice.
One part of that complexity is the soil under your grass. If your soil sucks, like a lot of it does in this area, your ceiling for pretty grass will be low.
There are things you can do to help with that, like aeration, fertilization, etc. but there are some things you cannot change, i.e. soil texture down to 6 inches.
Unless you want to dig your yard out down to 6 inches and import a sandy loam to replace it all. You said you wanted to write a check and have pretty grass, how big a check are we talking?
That last paragraph is sarcasm.
I'm an agronomist but I'm not your agronomist and the previous post does not constitute agronomic advice.
Possible issues
Not enough sun (trim trees)
Running water / occasional drainage can wash away soil leaving runner roots without grip (reroute runoff)
Pre-emergent can stop new roots from attaching to soil (skip it)
Too acidic or too alkaline of soil will stress grass (agrilife soil test, adjust)
Too compact of soil (aerate)
Too frequent of watering can cause root rot (water deep and infrequently)
Too infrequent of watering can allow it to wither (don't forget to water)
Mowing too low or too high (set it right)
Bug infestation (observe and treat if necessary)
Sod in a sunny spot with perfect ph and no drainage issues. Mow at the right height and water the right amount and aerate occasionally and only use pre-emergent if you have weeds and a healthy lawn. Test soil annually to make sure the city water hasn't changed the ph too much.
I haven't found anyone that will take care of all of the above. They fertilize, aerate, address insects, apply pre-emergent and brown patch prevention. If you want a sustained nice yard, you are going to have to be the GC on it and put together services to address everything above that you are experiencing. Or get out that checkbook and install turf.
Not enough sun (trim trees)
Running water / occasional drainage can wash away soil leaving runner roots without grip (reroute runoff)
Pre-emergent can stop new roots from attaching to soil (skip it)
Too acidic or too alkaline of soil will stress grass (agrilife soil test, adjust)
Too compact of soil (aerate)
Too frequent of watering can cause root rot (water deep and infrequently)
Too infrequent of watering can allow it to wither (don't forget to water)
Mowing too low or too high (set it right)
Bug infestation (observe and treat if necessary)
Sod in a sunny spot with perfect ph and no drainage issues. Mow at the right height and water the right amount and aerate occasionally and only use pre-emergent if you have weeds and a healthy lawn. Test soil annually to make sure the city water hasn't changed the ph too much.
I haven't found anyone that will take care of all of the above. They fertilize, aerate, address insects, apply pre-emergent and brown patch prevention. If you want a sustained nice yard, you are going to have to be the GC on it and put together services to address everything above that you are experiencing. Or get out that checkbook and install turf.
I determined that I can do a better job than Aggieland does for about a quarter of the price.
Turf grass is pretty horrible for the environment. But you probably live in an HOA, which is also pretty horrible in itself.
Get some spiked shoes or maybe a mechanical aerator. Poke some holes in your soil.
Get a rosebud torch and burn weeds instead of using chemicals.
Add composted manure or just get some chickens.
It won't look like a golf course, but it will be healthy.
Get some spiked shoes or maybe a mechanical aerator. Poke some holes in your soil.
Get a rosebud torch and burn weeds instead of using chemicals.
Add composted manure or just get some chickens.
It won't look like a golf course, but it will be healthy.
Astroturf! You won't even have to water or mow!
Your soil is probably terrible for growing grass. Most of it soil in this area is hard clay. Your cheapest option to help improve soil quality is to go to Producers Coop and get bags of Microlife Humates Plus. Spread it liberally on your yard and gently water it in, meaning water it with short watering cycles so it doesn't run off. It will help break up the hard clay.
With a little study, most people can. Aggieland is supplying you with the labor, equipment, and time savings.Tumble Weed said:
I determined that I can do a better job than Aggieland does for about a quarter of the price.
Here's great articles by A&M on turf management.
https://aggieturf.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/StAugustine.pdf
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/landscaping/bermudagrass-home-lawn-management-calendar/
Back when devoted more time to my lawn, most of the success was from following advice from Jerry Baker - https://www.jerrybaker.com/category/21. Some of the home made solutions sound a bit hokey, but they worked and helped me keep my lawn and gardens looking good.
Randy Lemmon's lawn care schedule, if you want to do it yourself. When I did this, I'd use the Producers Co-Op bagged fertilizer mix.
https://randylemmon.com/lawns/randys-lawn-care-schedule/
We switched from Aggieland Green to Greener Lawnscapes a few years ago. I think our lawn looks better now, and they are less expensive.
https://randylemmon.com/lawns/randys-lawn-care-schedule/
We switched from Aggieland Green to Greener Lawnscapes a few years ago. I think our lawn looks better now, and they are less expensive.