Growing grass

[12poundbass]

With the house about done and the move in about a month I’ve been thinking about the future lawn. I’ll be starting from scratch, a clean slate.  I’m in Michigan, the soil is sand but will have a fresh layer of top soil on it. The lot is mostly clear, but the back yard is full of what I believe are white pines (I’m not good at identifying every greens). I like having a nice manicured lawn, so how do I go about creating a nice lawn from scratch and what type of grass would be best for my region? 

[cyclops2]

Ask local SOD FARMS what they use.  Also any county Farm / Extension Department. Sand is a very dry high watering soil . I somehow got a few patches of Bermuda / Zoyosa grasses that took hold in my north New Jersey lawn . It is fantastic. Never needs water VERY DENSE  Spreads quickly in my Red Shale soil.  I am way above the temperature limit for Florida grasses. 

Problem is it browns off very early and greens late.  But no water or food for it and it suffocates any weeds in the new spreading areas In the winter IT IS a SEVERE fire risk as it is dry. I cut it SUPER LOW to reduce the fire risk.

 

I looked you up on MapQuest. You are surrounded by lots of little lakes.  So you might get lucky on any type that has deep root systems.  

[A-Jay]

 

Install an irrigation system first.

Or don't bother with the lawn.

I'm not joking.

 

and then there's this 

https://www.scotts.com/en-us/products/grass-seed/scotts-turf-builder-grass-seed-midwest-mix

https://www.scotts.com/en-us/products/grass-seed/scotts-annual-program-northern-small-lawns

A-Jay

[gim]

I’m guessing Kentucky bluegrass is the dominant strain in Michigan as it is here. It’s the most common type of grass in the northern tier of the country.

 

@A-Jay often posts photos of his lawn or yard when he posts photos of his dogs, and his yard is usually in fine shape. I’d take his advice on the subject solely based on that. I keep my yard is good shape too but I started with $4 grand worth of sod that came with the house when I bought it new.

[12poundbass]

11 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Install an irrigation system first.

I had a feeling that was coming my way from you. ?

 

My dad has had a gorgeous lawn for since they built that house in ‘93 and he just had an irrigation system installed 2-3 years ago so it’s definitely doable without one, but I will say this, he was almost obsessive about watering it all those years. He did say after the first year with the irrigation system that he wished he had done it sooner! I’m going to get a quote for one but I don’t know if it’s going to be in the cards right away. 

[TnRiver46]

Irrigation is one of the greatest money makers for the pest control industry, fair warning haha

 

all of my customers “I don’t understand why all these critters like my yard more than my neighbors”

 

well, it’s wetter so there are more bugs and worms

 

also customer “well all this landscaping is expensive, I can’t just let it die”

 

so let me get this straight, you have expensive landscaping, that’s expensive to water, and you think my critter removals are too expensive. Could I interest you in spending even more money for no real reason??! 
 

also customer “absolutely, where do I sign?”

[Bird]

Sunlight is critical, grass can't grow without it......my problem.

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, Bird said:

Sunlight is critical, grass can't grow without it......my problem.

I’ve seen those hollers you live in , they bring sunshine in by pipeline . Sun comes up at noon at sets at 2 

 

I bet you could grow a nice crop of ferns and a champion holly tree though 

[Bird]

14 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve seen those hollers you live in , they bring sunshine in by pipeline . Sun comes up at noon at sets at 2 

 

I bet you could grow a nice crop of ferns and a champion holly tree though 

We live so far back, gotta go towards town to deer hunt. Lol

[Bankbeater]

I don't have an irrigation system so all of my experience with grass growing has come from trial and error, and info from the guy next door.  On a brand new house I would use sod, and keep it wet.  Soak it good at least once a day until it starts growing.  Before you lay the sod down spread some fertilizer.

I don't know how close you next door neighbor is but be careful on the grass near the house, or between the houses.  The heat bouncing off of the siding can burn the grass.

[gim]

20 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

On a brand new house I would use sod, and keep it wet.  Soak it good at least once a day until it starts growing.  Before you lay the sod down spread some fertilizer.

Let it grow really long before you mow it the first time too.  And when you do mow it, mow on the strips of sod the short way, not the long way, on the highest setting that the mower has.  New sod is ideal to start a lawn but if your yard is really big, its not practical.  You'll need to do seed instead if its a sizable yard.

[Choporoz]

Moss....or rocks....or meadow....I am over manicured lawns.  I have grass, but aside from cutting it, I'm through working at it.

[Bankbeater]

Don't get skimpy with the grass seed.  I've used an entire bag that can cover 5000 sq ft on a 1000 sq ft area.

[Bird]

If you're into manicured yards, stay away from the mountains.

[Bluebasser86]

10 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Moss....or rocks....or meadow....I am over manicured lawns.  I have grass, but aside from cutting it, I'm through working at it.

There's a house on one of the lakes I fish that put down the black weed barrier over their entire yard and then laid rock over top of it, so their entire yard is just rock save some nice mature trees and well maintained flower beds. After trying to grow grass in our yard the last few years, starting to think this man may be a genius. 

[Choporoz]

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

There's a house on one of the lakes I fish that put down the black weed barrier over their entire yard and then laid rock over top of it, so their entire yard is just rock save some nice mature trees and well maintained flower beds. After trying to grow grass in our yard the last few years, starting to think this man may be a genius. 

We did that in the tiny backyard of our townhouse.  Couple of big trees make for extreme shade and massive roots.  I worked for years at that little lawn but was always frustrated.   Had some nice rock put down...I believe they called it River Rock....about 4 years ago and couldn't be happier with it.

[Jig Man]

I can’t recommend a grass type because I don’t know what grows best where you live.  However, I recommend that you look into hydro seeding.  When we built we had the front done with sod.  To cut some expense we had the rest hydro seeded. It worked well and didn’t need as much initial water as the sod.

 

In my neighborhood I am the only one who has more grass than weeds.  I cut my grass when it is 6” tall and cut it to 4” where my neighbors cut theirs down to about 2” and wonder why it dies out and weeds take over.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Jig Man said:

I can’t recommend a grass type because I don’t know what grows best where you live.  However, I recommend that you look into hydro seeding.  When we built we had the front done with sod.  To cut some expense we had the rest hydro seeded. It worked well and didn’t need as much initial water as the sod.

 

In my neighborhood I am the only one who has more grass than weeds.  I cut my grass when it is 6” tall and cut it to 4” where my neighbors cut theirs down to about 2” and wonder why it dies out and weeds take over.

Warning: I’m about to throw out a stereotype

 

 

I used to work on a lawn care crew and that 2” grass phenomenon was almost always associated with older customers. If the grass got anywhere close to 3” they’d start hollering on the answering machine about needing somebody to come out and bail the hay in their yard before they started grazing livestock on it. Then when you mowed it they always wanted it cut lower, you had to take the pin out of the deck on a zero turn and keep your foot on the pedal for when the blade scalped the ground. 
 

guess what their yard consisted of? Dandelions 

 

All the yards that looked good and green we mowed at 4” and none of them were owned by older folks 

[gim]

9 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

All the yards that looked good and green we mowed at 4” and none of them were owned by older folks 

The same demographic in my neighborhood scalps their lawn down to the freaking root when they mow it too.  Then it doesn't rain for a week and it gets hot out...turns into scorched earth.

 

Part of being a home owner is taking care of the property, and that includes the yard.  If you don't want to take care of the property, go rent an apartment or live somewhere that has an association who does it for you, or go live in the desert where they have sand or rocks instead.  I may be selling my house this spring/summer and my realtor says that a nice yard can add up to 15% value compared to one that does not have that "curb appeal" because buyers can see often see a direct correlation with taking pride in a nice yard with taking care of the property/house as a whole.

[TnRiver46]

7 minutes ago, gimruis said:

The same demographic in my neighborhood scalps their lawn down to the freaking root when they mow it too.  Then it doesn't rain for a week and it gets hot out...turns into scorched earth.

 

Part of being a home owner is taking care of the property, and that includes the yard.  If you don't want to take care of the property, go rent an apartment or live somewhere that has an association who does it for you, or go live in the desert where they have sand or rocks instead.  I may be selling my house this spring/summer and my realtor says that a nice yard can add up to 15% value compared to one that does not have that "curb appeal" because buyers can see often see a direct correlation with taking pride in a nice yard with taking care of the property/house as a whole.

When my aunt was older I would sometimes cut her grass. She would yell at me over the motor “skin it” and grab her skin so I knew what she meant haha. We hit lots of rocks and roots 

 

the customer is always right, especially when it’s your aunt and she’s making delicious fried chicken for after mowing 

 

it’s funny, things are coming full circle. I started mowing a rental property last week for a buddy, I’m back in the pro lawn care game hahaha

[gim]

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

We hit lots of rocks and roots 

That's yet another reason to raise the deck!  Hitting roots, rocks, and other debris that sits lower dulls the blades quicker.

 

Another thing that gets on my nerves with some of my neighbors and their lawn is that they bag it every single time.  When you bag it, you are literally removing FREE mulch from your lawn.  In early June, the grass grows seeds on top too.  If you let it grow long when its seeding and then cut it high, its like re-seeding your entire lawn!  Half my neighbors mow it so short they don't even let it get to the seed stage every spring.  Some people I tell ya...

[Jig Man]

18 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Warning: I’m about to throw out a stereotype

 

 

I used to work on a lawn care crew and that 2” grass phenomenon was almost always associated with older customers. If the grass got anywhere close to 3” they’d start hollering on the answering machine about needing somebody to come out and bail the hay in their yard before they started grazing livestock on it. Then when you mowed it they always wanted it cut lower, you had to take the pin out of the deck on a zero turn and keep your foot on the pedal for when the blade scalped the ground. 
 

guess what their yard consisted of? Dandelions 

 

All the yards that looked good and green we mowed at 4” and none of them were owned by older folks 

We have all ages in the neighborhood.  I'm the only one who cuts the grass higher than 2".   I used to be a stockman grass farmer.  That means I learned as much as possible to grow as much grass as possible so that I could stock as many cattle per acre as it would hold.  I ran more cattle on fewer acres than the neighbors and moved the stock before the grass got below 4 inches so that photo synthesis would cause regrowth instead of the root system having to do it and thus be weakened.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, gimruis said:

That's yet another reason to raise the deck!  Hitting roots, rocks, and other debris that sits lower dulls the blades quicker.

 

Another thing that gets on my nerves with some of my neighbors and their lawn is that they bag it every single time.  When you bag it, you are literally removing FREE mulch from your lawn.  In early June, the grass grows seeds on top too.  If you let it grow long when its seeding and then cut it high, its like re-seeding your entire lawn!  Half my neighbors mow it so short they don't even let it get to the seed stage every spring.  Some people I tell ya...

I don’t think you’d like my neighborhood……… hahaha. There’s usually a box springs and mattress in most yards 

[A-Jay]

@12poundbass

 My 'dog yard' out back was an acre of woods when we moved in fall 2007.

Purchased this place with the full intension of clearing it, fencing it in and building the kennel aka Big Dawg House.   Excavating Company cleared it and I did the rest. (I did not built the kennel however)

Prepping the soil for seed was a bear and planting the pines paid off. 

It was and still is some work but when I get it right it makes me happy.

I pulled these pics off my wife's FB page.

Shows the before & after pretty good. 

In the first pic, I am standing where the dog kennel is now. 

15 years later the pines trees are doing well. 

#betterthanrocks

A-Jay

[gim]

Is that you in the back hoe?  Didn't realize you had a heavy equipment operator's license too!  LOL