The "lawn" looks good(from a distance) after mowing...all the clover flowers are cut off and mulched and everything looks nice and green. I would like to turn more of the lawn into actual grass and be rid of the clover and weeds......what should I do? Somebody suggested weed&feed commercial product(Scotts I think) and then re-seed the lawn??? Anybody have any experience...I don't want to use too much in the line of chemicals as our main water field is directly below the area in question.
You say that like it was a bad thing. The clover is fixing nitrogen in your soil for free.
Adjust your mower to its highest setting. That has the dual effect of stimulating the grass and frustrating the weeds. The grass will begin to overshadow the weeds and they will die back by late summer.
This fall, overseed with with the grass you like (I've had great luck with Barenbrug's Rhizome Fescue). You could add pelletized lime with some iron, if you just can't resist the urge to "spread something" on the lawn.
You don't really need fertilizer, because you have been mulching that clover all summer.
Avoid the "weed and feed" stuff because it will cripple or kill your fall grass seeding.
Good luck.
Where are you located? Makes a bit of a difference on recommendations.
Here in the north, (midwest central) we deal with clover using light applications of 2-4-D, which is in Ortho's Weed-B-Gon. No need to re-seed here as the KY blue grass will take the clovers' place. Its a broad leaf, and the 2-4-D handles it pretty well, as well as the dandelions and other broadleaf plants.
But the use of chemical is your call.
We are in N-Central PA.....since aquiring my new "mower" I have adjusted the cutting to the next to highest setting and hope after a few months the grass will start to take control...I have lotsa patience so we'll go with this for awhile, just need to cut more often...but that's ok, new tractor and I get along very well! [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] We spread lime in the fall due to having 3 dogs..trying to neutralize the acid build up. Found 2 strips of sod on the side of our highway one day and put them over the septic tank cover that I had to dig up...sure would like a lawn of that stuff!
I put a weed and feed I got at the local co-op on my *yard* in the spring. The only thing it did was have me mowing twice as often as my neighbors. I still had dandelions and now it's covered with clover and a bunch of different weeds. My mower is set so that it doesn't cut the tops of the clover flowers off, so I guess this would be considered a high setting, but I don't know how that will drive out the weeds...
Every time I mow the lawn looks worse. I may try seeding it in the fall like suggested to see if that does the trick. The weed and feed was a waste of money.
<font color="blue"> ... just need to cut more often. </font color>
Why exactly would you have to cut more often because you raised your mower deck?
If your grass grows say 1.5 inches a week, what's the difference if you cut from 3.5" to 2" or from 4.5" to 3" each week? (not exactly sure what height you were, or currently are set at)
Actually, you are better off with the latter, for the less percentage of the leaf you cut off, the healthier your grass will be.
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Would cut more often because to us it's acceptable for the grass to be a certain height....say 4", but if it grows 1.5" before the next cut then it just doesn't look right. If we kept it at say 2" and let it grow 2" then it's at the 4" level which is still acceptable...so all things being equal the grass takes longer to grow 2" than 1.5...so cut more often. I guess it's all inyour particular taste, but we are leaving the grass higher than we used to hoping the grass will eventually choke out the weeds and cut down on the clover....the bunnies sure like the clover and dendelions though!
<font color="blue"> If we kept it at say 2" and let it grow 2" then it's at the 4" level which is still acceptable </font color>
If you are cutting 50% off each time, then you are doing your grass a disservice. You should only cut 1/3 of the blade when you cut. So if you cut it at 2", you need to cut when it hits 3". If you cut at 3 inches, you need to cut it when it gets to 4.5". So, in reality, the shorter you cut your grass, the more often you need to mow.
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Gatorboy is right. Cutting off a third or less stimulates the grass to grow. Cutting more than than that puts it into a mild shock. It has to draw on the food reserves in the roots because it just lost it's "photosynthesis machine" (the leaf). [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
OK...sounds logical.....the prblem now is trying to find a dry day to cut anything at all!!! When is summer gonna get here in PA??? Just did my 1st oil change on the new tractor and been chomping at the bit to get out there and get some projects done(along with grass cutting) but every day has been stormy lately.....and the grass is growing right before our eyes LOL! [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
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