# Whats a good order to do certain things to the lawn?



## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

These would have to be the worst areas of my front yard lawn. It's warming up and I want my lawn to be nice for summer (some what weed free) It's mostly centipede with some St. Aug and little bits of zoysia. I want to focus on the centipede and st aug. I put down milorganite about 6 days ago along with a bag of centipede overseed from home depot. Wondering when I should start my weed killer? I got some Bayer Advanced All in One lawn weed and crabgrass killer. I have heard about this stuff from multiple people Ref: 




I also might need to do some more dethatching. Anyone have any tips on where to go from here to get some fast results? The weather has been between 70 and 80 the last couple weeks with one day of rain.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

The way I'd approach it is to put down the post emergent now - the go to post emergent is Celsius but it is not available in the big box stores, but can be purchased online. I am not familiar with the All in One weed and crabgrass killer, but since you already have it, you might as well use it. I'd put down a good pre emergent a week or so after the all in one application to keep the weeds at bay, since they will drop seeds that will have them come back later in the year if not dealt with before the seeds germinate.

I am also not familiar with the "crabgrass overseed" Is this some sort of grass seed, and if so what kind is it? Since you have a mix of three different grasses, but want to nurture the St Aug and Centipede, I'd recommend a centipede grass seed as an overseed.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

I'm no expert, but to me it doesn't look like you need to dethatch at all.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

@Confederate Lawn - What exactly is a "bag of crabgrass overseed from home depot?"


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

Movingshrub said:


> @Confederate Lawn - What exactly is a "bag of crabgrass overseed from home depot?"


He's probably talking about this


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## WBrown999 (Apr 3, 2018)

That's a ton of clover! Soil looks pretty compacted as well. Would you consider having the lawn core aerated and putting a post emergent down as well?


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

I was really hoping he was going to reno with crabgrass. Look at the upside, it spreads quick and won't compete with the rye in the fall after the first frost.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

I meant centipede over seed! that probably changes everything! haha!! Can y'all explain a little about the pre and post emergants? and also what's everyone's take on St. Aug plugs?


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## Ballistic (Mar 19, 2018)

Topcat said:


> The way I'd approach it is to put down the post emergent now - the go to post emergent is Celsius but it is not available in the big box stores, but can be purchased online. I am not familiar with the All in One weed and crabgrass killer, but since you already have it, you might as well use it. I'd put down a good pre emergent a week or so after the all in one application to keep the weeds at bay, since they will drop seeds that will have them come back later in the year if not dealt with before the seeds germinate.
> 
> I am also not familiar with the "crabgrass overseed" Is this some sort of grass seed, and if so what kind is it? Since you have a mix of three different grasses, but want to nurture the St Aug and Centipede, I'd recommend a centipede grass seed as an overseed.


Is Celsius about the same as trimec classic?


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Ballistic said:


> Is Celsius about the same as trimec classic?


They work in different ways, on different (although some overlapping) weeds, and contain a different blend of chemicals.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> I meant centipede over seed! that probably changes everything! haha!! Can y'all explain a little about the pre and post emergants? and also what's everyone's take on St. Aug plugs?


Are you going for a centipede, st aug., or Bermuda lawn, or are you specifically trying to blend all three?

I'm a little lost on your target end-goal. The answer to that will impact the response you receive concerning pre-ems and post-ems.

Pre-ems stop the weed seed (or even seed you want to grow) from turning into a full plant. I use the metaphor of weed birth control.

Post-ems kill the plant that's already growing and established.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

I think my end goal is to have a nice carpet like green lawn that is fairly weed free. would prefer a mix of centipede and st aug because the seem very similar in growth and color.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> I think my end goal is to have a nice carpet like green lawn that is fairly weed free. would prefer a mix of centipede and st aug because the seem very similar in growth and color.


You're really better off choosing one over the other. Warm season grasses like Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, and St. Augustine don't do as well mixed as the cool season grasses.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Look through the warm season section at other people's lawns. Try to find pictures of each different kind of grass you are considering. You can get an idea of what eat will look like. That may help you decide which way to go.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> You're really better off choosing one over the other. Warm season grasses like Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede, and St. Augustine don't do as well mixed as the cool season grasses.


100% agree with this one. It will also make your life easier from a chemical and maintenance angle. Some chemicals work for one or the other, not all. Also, management practices and the amount of fertilizer varies between turfgrass type.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> Look through the warm season section at other people's lawns. Try to find pictures of each different kind of grass you are considering. You can get an idea of what eat will look like. That may help you decide which way to go.


Also, each plant works best in a certain environment. For example, you may love the look of Bermuda but have too much shade for it to be viable.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Movingshrub said:


> gijoe4500 said:
> 
> 
> > Look through the warm season section at other people's lawns. Try to find pictures of each different kind of grass you are considering. You can get an idea of what eat will look like. That may help you decide which way to go.
> ...


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> If I'd have to choose I'd go with St. Aug all the way then. I have a big Bradford pear tree in the middle of the lawn but I've been told St. Aug can do well in shade and sun. does anyone recommend plugs? or seed?


Is sod an option?


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Is sod an option?
[/quote]

eh, It's a little pricey for me these days. just spent a bunch of money on a new HVAC system and privacy fence. next big purchase and install is the deck for the pool before summer. I just messaged the wife to grab some St. Augustine seed from the store. maybe do a little overseeding this weekend.


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## WBrown999 (Apr 3, 2018)

Confederate Lawn said:


> St. Augustine seed


Is there such a thing?


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

WBrown999 said:


> Confederate Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > St. Augustine seed
> ...


Yes. But I don't think you can buy it. And no one uses it, except people trying to breed new strains of St. Augustine.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Shoot! I don't know. is there? now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen St. Aug seed.... :shock:


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## WBrown999 (Apr 3, 2018)

Confederate Lawn said:


> Shoot! I don't know. is there? now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen St. Aug seed.... :shock:


Just going to have to mow it high and hope those runners start growing.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

WBrown999 said:


> Confederate Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > St. Augustine seed
> ...


No.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

does anyone have any experience with sprigs or sod plugs? You can buy those.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> does anyone have any experience with sprigs or sod plugs? You can buy those.


How much work are you wanting to put into this? How much time and energy? Do you have a sprinkler system? What is your time frame? Your budget? All important questions to consider. I haven't read of anyone sprigging or plugging St. Augustine here, but if that's the route you want to go, I'm sure information can be dug up.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

http://publications.tamu.edu/TURF_LANDSCAPE/PUB_turf_Maintaining%20St.%20Augustine%20Grass%20Lawns.pdf


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

WBrown999 said:


> Confederate Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > St. Augustine seed
> ...


No. You'd have to buy sod. Fortunately, St Aug Sod is widely available at all the local big box stores around here.

As far as mixing Centipede and St Aug? At one point I had a St Aug/Centipede mix in my front yard... in fact the narrow strip on the opposite side of the drive way is still a mixed centipede and St Aug turf. The only thing that made it less desirable is that the Centipede goes fully dormant and turns brown while the St Aug does not. So the lawn looks funky in the winter/early spring months. The blade for the St Aug is thicker/wider as well, and it is noticeable on a manicured lawn. I did not have a problem with chemical compatibility with the mixed turf.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

WBrown999 said:


> Confederate Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > St. Augustine seed
> ...


Never heard of it.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Topcat said:


> WBrown999 said:
> 
> 
> > Confederate Lawn said:
> ...


If you had to pick centipede or st. aug, what would you pick since you're in my area? I have super black beautiful soil in my yard here in S'ville


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

I'd pick St Aug over centipede for my lawn . Things to consider as you decide:


 How much sun does the area get? Both do well in shade, but I think St Aug does slightly better in heavy shaded areas


What is your target height of cut (HOC). St Aug does not take that low cut reel mowing too well and will struggle and possibly die off. Centipede can take the low cut better


Centipede can is sensitive to over fertilization and die off if it has too much. I like my lawn thick and lush, so I tend to throw down fertilizers to stimulate growth.


St Aug holds it's color longer and sometimes thru out the year. A couple of winters ago where we did not see extreme cold or prolonged freezing temps, my St Aug stayed green the whole year. It stopped growing, but did not yellow or brown out on me. This year I did have some of it brown out but that was because of a cut worm infestation that hit it hard right before it stopped growing last fall.


 St Aug does very well in the summer months with the heat and does not take as much water. Centipede tends to look stressed before the St Aug when watering schedules are the same.

This is not an all inclusive list and might be biased towards using St Aug.


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## WBrown999 (Apr 3, 2018)

Topcat said:


> What is your target height of cut (HOC). St Aug does not take that low cut reel mowing too well and will struggle and possibly die off. Centipede can take the low cut better


 This is my only gripe with Saint Augustine grass. I prefer the look of a lower HOC, and if you live in an excessively hot area like me, you really need to keep Saint Augustine mowed at 4 inches. You just don't get that high quality turf look like you would with a Bermuda grass.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Very true. Last year I started my back yard at 1 inch, by mid June I was at 4 inches. The lawn looked amazing, but I still prefer reel cut carpet looking grass over a shag carpet look.

However I have to state that the side strip that I have and mentioned earlier is a mix of St Aug and Centipede. I've been experimenting with that area. I threw down Bermuda last year and once it started growing, I decided to stress the St Aug, nurture the Bermuda and cause the St Aug to die off slowly while the Bermuda filled in. It is not an entire flop, but progress is very slow because the St Aug held up very well to being reel cut at sub 1 inch last year... That is until winter hit. I think I will be more successful this year at getting the area mostly Bermuda


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## WBrown999 (Apr 3, 2018)

Topcat said:


> Very true. Last year I started my back yard at 1 inch, by mid June I was at 4 inches. The lawn looked amazing, but I still prefer reel cut carpet looking grass over a shag carpet look.
> 
> However I have to state that the side strip that I have and mentioned earlier is a mix of St Aug and Centipede. I've been experimenting with that area. I threw down Bermuda last year and once it started growing, I decided to stress the St Aug, nurture the Bermuda and cause the St Aug to die off slowly while the Bermuda filled in. It is not an entire flop, but progress is very slow because the St Aug held up very well to being reel cut at sub 1 inch last year... That is until winter hit. I think I will be more successful this year at getting the area mostly Bermuda


I am assuming your lawn is very sunny with minimal shade? I have been wanting to do the same "Bermuda takeover" that you have been doing, but my front yard is heavily shaded by 2 mature oak trees and a river birch. I don't have the heart to take them out, so I had them thinned out to let more light through. Still, I suspect it isn't nearly enough light for Bermuda.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

The neighboring lawn had a large Bradford Pear that shaded the lawn, but they had it removed about three years ago, so that area is in full sun now.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

I'll have to look hard this weekend to make sure that I know what grass type I have the most of. I have a feeling its Centipede which may be ok considering you can find seed everywhere!!! But I do not have an irrigation system and some pretty shaded areas in my front. (ex: front patio awning, Bradford pear tree and the front of the house faces northwest) Although I do get plenty of sun on the majority. I'm just not sure at this point what type of grass I have the most of to nurture. Sucks having a mixed bag of 3 grass types and 100 weed types in my front yard. I haven't given it any REAL tlc in the 4 years I've owned the home. This is my spring/summer to dominate the cul de sac with my lawn


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Keep in mind, that once you put down post emergent (weeds that are already growing) and even moreso, pre emergent (prevents weed seeds from germinating), you aren't going to be able to really put any seed down for a few months.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Keep in mind, that once you put down post emergent (weeds that are already growing) and even moreso, pre emergent (prevents weed seeds from germinating), you aren't going to be able to really put any seed down for a few months.


I have not put any pre or post emergent down yet. We're supposed to get some rain tomorrow. I'm trying to get together a plan of action for when I get off of work tonight before the rain tomorrow. Any idea's?? or directions I should take?


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Keep in mind, that once you put down post emergent (weeds that are already growing) and even moreso, pre emergent (prevents weed seeds from germinating), you aren't going to be able to really put any seed down for a few months.
> ...


What is your budget, what is your timeframe for your finished result, and what is your expectations?

e.g., do you just want to get rid of the weeds, have the grass be greener, and have it fill in the bare patches over the next couple of years, or do you want a lawn like @Ware that looks like a golf course?


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

@SCGrassMan 
Probably something in between there. I'd like to have something nice to enjoy for summer and kill the weeds/ fill in bare spots. But I do not have unlimited time or funds to sink in to a golf course looking lawn. None of my neighbors have a clue about how to have nice lawns or they just don't care. I figure trying to get some added knowledge and some advice is already a leg up on the competition for lawn domination. Good to see another person from the Charleston area.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> @SCGrassMan
> Probably something in between there. I'd like to have something nice to enjoy for summer and kill the weeds/ fill in bare spots. But I do not have unlimited time or funds to sink in to a golf course looking lawn. None of my neighbors have a clue about how to have nice lawns or they just don't care. I figure trying to get some added knowledge and some advice is already a leg up on the competition for lawn domination. Good to see another person from the Charleston area.


There's a few of us here! More and more reasons for a get together.

What I would do, if it were me... Get you a product called Celsius (search around here theres tons of threads about it), and kill all of the weeds off. Wait a couple of weeks, and see what areas are bare patches - then go to Home Despot or Lowes and get you some St. Augustine sod. It's pretty cheap. And then just patch in the areas where its really bare. Water and fertilize, and water and water and water  Early in the AM.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

@SCGrassMan 
Indeed all the lowcountry folks should get together!!! I'll look into that Celsius stuff and as far as the sod it might be worth it also to plant sprigs (plugs) and watch them spread over the summer. I have a feeling I have mostly centipede though.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

My experience with St Aug is that it will spread, but is slower than Bermuda. If you decide to use plugs, you can make your own from sod. Just be ready to water it - a lot.

I'd use the approach that SCGrassMan laid out.

I was at Possum Landscape Supply recently, and they have all the herbicides you can imagine available for purchase. I wish I had known that a year ago when I went out and bought all the herbicides I ordered on line. Being able to buy over the counter provides that instant gratification of getting the stuff down asap.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Keep in mind, that once you put down post emergent (weeds that are already growing) and even moreso, pre emergent (prevents weed seeds from germinating), you aren't going to be able to really put any seed down for a few months.
> ...


Get your PreM down ASAP, otherwise you're going to be fighting more weeds than you can mow. That just makes your lawn care task much easier when you don't have as many weeds to contend with. If you've got established grass, work with what you've got unless it's over 60-75% crap, then you should consider a renovation. Once the PreM is down, then go with a WeedBGon until you've read up on some of the more expensive herbicide choices to handle the warm season weeds. Winter weeds are on their way out.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

+1 to the Colonel, but with the caveat that if you do pre-emergent (Prodiamine is the popular one, available at Possums) you can't plant seed any time soon.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Here's some picks of the little grass I could find and I'd say it's like these pics in about 65% of the front yard. There is one spot by the front porch that gets no sun and it is literally all weeds. Probably a 200sf section. Can y'all tell me what kind of grass I'm workin with? Like I said before, pretty sure it's centipede and st. Aug


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Dollarweed, St Augustine, and crabgrass.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> Dollarweed, St Augustine, and crabgrass.


+1 on weeds, I think you have carpet grass. That stolon in the last picture has a purplish hue at the node, which is what I would identify as carpet grass. All of the carpet grass that survived my renovation and has come up was purple, until I sprayed it with Celsus. Now it's dead.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Can anyone recommend something less expensive than Celsius? I just saw the price of that stuff on amazon! Holy crap!!! Also, just rained yesterday but sunny today and I have some bayer advanced weed killer for lawns. Should I wait til things dry a little bit before I apply? And or should I mow before or after I put it down?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Confederate Lawn said:


> Can anyone recommend something less expensive than Celsius? I just saw the price of that stuff on amazon! Holy crap!!! Also, just rained yesterday but sunny today and I have some bayer advanced weed killer for lawns. Should I wait til things dry a little bit before I apply? And or should I mow before or after I put it down?


I'm not caught up on which specific weeds you are addressing, but I know Celsius is little cheaper at Lawn & Pest Control Supply.

Also keep in mind the high rate is only 0.113 oz per thousand square feet, so your application cost is only $1.20 per thousand (plus whatever adjuvant you are using). I know a bottle is expensive, but it will treat over 2 acres - so it is actually one of the more cost effective herbicides you can buy.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@Confederate Lawn When I recommended Celsius, it was with the idea that you had St Augustine/Centipede as you suggested. However, my initial thoughts about carpetgrass (along with @Colonel K0rn's agreement and pictures online showing carpetgrass) make that suggestion risky. Celsius will kill carpetgrass and could leave you with a yard full of nothing but dirt if there isn't another grass growing. CK found this out the hard way and ended up having to do a full renovation with bermuda seed.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Ware said:


> Confederate Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > Can anyone recommend something less expensive than Celsius? I just saw the price of that stuff on amazon! Holy crap!!! Also, just rained yesterday but sunny today and I have some bayer advanced weed killer for lawns. Should I wait til things dry a little bit before I apply? And or should I mow before or after I put it down?
> ...


Trying to kill everything other than the centipede or st Augustine that I actually have. Not sure if it's carpet grass guess I'll do a little more digging before I put down any weed killer.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

@Confederate Lawn I have some Blindside that will work and will donate to the cause - Blindside might not be as effective as Celsius, but with the cooler weather we are having right now would do the trick for you. If you bring a a spray tank to me we can mix up a dose for you.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Wow! Sounds great! I've heard good things about blindside too! I'll shoot you a pm to set something up. Do you know where they sell blindside or Celsius type stuff locally and not online?


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Possum's Landscape Supply has it available for purchase over the counter.

http://www.possumsupply.com/storeloc.html


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## Lawnhunter (Mar 22, 2018)

If you have a Siteone nearby they have Celsius for $100


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Topcat said:


> Possum's Landscape Supply has it available for purchase over the counter.
> 
> http://www.possumsupply.com/storeloc.html


Only in the South can you get by with a store chain named like this. Wouldn't be surprised if it's next door to Cooter's Garage. :lol:


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

You can try Scott's weed and feed - purple bag for southern lawns. It's cheaper. Not as effective but still good.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Topcat said:


> @Confederate Lawn I have some Blindside that will work and will donate to the cause - Blindside might not be as effective as Celsius, but with the cooler weather we are having right now would do the trick for you. If you bring a a spray tank to me we can mix up a dose for you.


Blindside destroys Carpet grass too. There is something about the SU type herbicides that makes them very effective on Carpet.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> Topcat said:
> 
> 
> > @Confederate Lawn I have some Blindside that will work and will donate to the cause - Blindside might not be as effective as Celsius, but with the cooler weather we are having right now would do the trick for you. If you bring a a spray tank to me we can mix up a dose for you.
> ...


@Greendoc Odds on this becoming a reno thread?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Very good. Carpet grass and the similar Paspalum conjugatum(Sour grass) are not desirable as a lawn. There is nothing you can apply for weed control. Lawns that are made of these species devolve into mowed down weed patches.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> Very good. Carpet grass and the similar Paspalum conjugatum(Sour grass) are not desirable as a lawn. There is nothing you can apply for weed control. Lawns that are made of these species devolve into *mowed down weed patches*.


Perfect description of what my yard was going into late 2017.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

@Colonel K0rn Hahahahhahaha!! Yeah I have a bad feeling I'm gonna have to do the reno. I'm going to wait a little longer after the weather warms up a bit to see what I'm dealing with. I was hoping to salvage what I have but seems like I have mostly carpet grass. never heard of that before it was mentioned above.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Greendoc said:


> Very good. Carpet grass and the similar Paspalum conjugatum(Sour grass) are not desirable as a lawn. There is nothing you can apply for weed control. Lawns that are made of these species devolve into mowed down weed patches.


Fingers crossed that's not all I have in the yard. but I have a feeling it might reno time. The wife is giving me crap for being obsessed with the front yard.


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## WBrown999 (Apr 3, 2018)

Confederate Lawn said:


> The wife is giving me crap for being obsessed with the front yard.


Meh... there are worse obsessions to have. At least your home value increases with a nice lawn :thumbup:


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

WBrown999 said:


> Confederate Lawn said:
> 
> 
> > The wife is giving me crap for being obsessed with the front yard.
> ...


Amen! I have a friend and neighbor who does no weed control. I finally talked him into letting me put some weed killer down yesterday. He keeps saying "I don't want it to kill my grass a lot of my grass is just weeds!" But it's like dude, the longer you let it go the worse it will be.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Hahaha! yeah, she only cares if it's green. I like green too but I want real grass green. The feeling of knowing your grass is the best grass on the block. Well, I guess even with all the weeds n stuff, my grass has historically been the best on the street. But that's not good enough dammit!!!


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

The best advice I can give you in this thread is that you need to A:determine what your budget is B: what your time allowance is C: what grass type do you want to have. Remember, this is a marathon, not a race, and your lawn didn't get this way overnight. It's going to take a while to get it to be the lawn that you envision. This seasonal cool Spring isn't really helping much either.

Take your time, and read through some of the various lawn journals that are in the Warm Season subsection, and look at the different grass types. Bermuda does have the "golf course" look, and it requires a lot of inputs :water, fert, mowing time, chemicals. There's a LOT of varieties of Bermuda.

St. Aug works great because you can mow it high, doesn't require as many inputs, and can handle the shade better than bermuda. It has a deep green color that doesn't require a lot of maintenance. You're going to have to go the sod route with this grass type.

Centipede is aptly named the "Lazy Man's Grass" because it requires very little fert, you don't have to mow as often as the first two and it's pretty much an easy lawn to take care of. If you consider seeding it, be prepared to spend about $37/lb which will get you a few thousand feet of coverage. Sod is the better choice.

Zoysia has some great looking cultivars, is tough with foot traffic, and does alright in some shade. You can go with plugs, and then there's sod. I'd opt to go with sod on Zoysia, and be prepared to water it often until it's established. It's a great looking grass.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

Thanks @Colonel K0rn I really like the look and feel of st aug. centipede is ok and seems like zoysia takes a lot of work. I have not been a fan of Bermuda types. I don't want to spend thousands unless I do a whole reno and even if that happens, I have a full time job as an industrial mechanic so time is not something I have a ton of. My two kids (6 and 8) take up a lot of my time too but at least when I'm tending to my yard they're out there with me playing. And you made a very good point that this is a marathon not a race. I keep wanting instant results but know that is a fantasy. I have weekends and evenings to work on the front yard which I'd say is close to 10k sf. there is about a 1200sf section on one side of the driveway that is "carpet grass" which you identified. I'm assuming that is a undesirable grass type? and how would one go about transitioning that into st aug? I'll take your advice and look around at the warm season grass journals you speak of. You also hit the nail on the head when you talk about the cooler weather we've been having. I think that is a another reason I am not seeing any of the st aug and centipede I had in years past. It needs to warm up pronto!!! It's very discouraging to see all those weeds even though everything is nice and trimmed up. I enjoy cutting my grass and find happiness in some good ol fashioned manual labor. The back yard is a garden salad and its about .77 of an acre. That is why I will focus on the front 10kish sf and let the backyard do whatever it wants. (keeping it nice and trim of course)


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

@Confederate Lawn What is your budget? A specific dollar amount you are willing to spend. Not just a general statement like "as cheap as possible". Without that information it is incredibly hard to point you on the right path. If you want to transition a 1200sf section from carpetgrass to St. Augustine, the "best" way, would be to nuke the section a couple times over the course of approximately 1 month, then lay 3 pallets of St. Augustine sod. You'd even have about 150sf let over, you could turn into plugs to put in starting on the 10k area.


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## Confederate Lawn (Apr 4, 2018)

I think $500 total for everything is a good amount. I don't wanna go much higher than that. I do need to get a plugging tool of some kind, an aerator and roller. Once I kill everything how log should I wait to start putting down sod or plugs and prepping soil ?


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