Seeking lawn care advice

Any lawn experts out there?? I've got about a 1/2 acre of grass and live in the Pacific Northwest where we inevitably end up with large sections of moss due to lack of sun and/or shade, also have lots of bare spots.

Currently I fertilize in Spring and Fall (also use moss out), have a full irrigation system and mow at about 3.5". The best I usually get is "50 yard grass" where is looks ok from a long distance, but up close not so much. I know it should also be de-thached, aerated and over seeded at some point.

Does anyone have a tried and true timed routine that can help grow and maintain thick healthy grass throughout the year?

Thanks for any advice!

 

I’ve tried to fertilize on the correct schedule. Keep the grass the correct different lengths throughout the year and still never had the lawn I wanted until I paid Living Water to come treat it. The liquid fertilizer is just so much better. It was worth the 43 a month to have the greenest and fullest lawn on the block. I just redid our front and back yard so the sod and hydroseed is new as of last September. This reminds me that I’ll have to get on their schedule again.

 

I'm also in the PNW but over on the sunny side. I worked in agriculture for over 30 years and always found the public university to be the best source of information and they like to give it away! I would try UW. Good luck!

 

Never heard of Living Water, must be local to your area. We do however have similar companies that will come out to treat lawns and of course look to get you set-up on a recurring "plan". Not sure how big your lawn is, but $43 a month isn't too bad.

 

They are on the east side of Washington. But I’ve seen the vast difference in them vs senski and they are the clear winners.

 

Yeah, I'm on the west side, so not within their service area. I think one of the main lawn care companies over here is TruGreen.

 

one thing I have discovered throughout my life..

one can have that perfect lawn if...

you throw enough.. time, sweat, chemicals, water & money at it.

what I do is...
pull the weeds in spring & then just let the grass do it's thing & let it go dormant in summer.

..Slayer

 

If you have a moss issue, add some lime

 

There really is a lot of reading you can do and you can send samples of your soil to see it’s ph level and it’s needs.
1. Fertilizing on major holidays keeps you on a good schedule throughout the year.
(Easter, Memorial, Labor Day & Halloween)
2. Spending some time Dethatching and aerating.
3. Cut the grass more at 2-2.5” in the spring and fall and then closer to 3-3.5” in the heat of the summer to protect it.
4. Water every other or 3rd day. Longer watering times spread apart will ensure deeper roots and stronger grass.
5. Keep lawn mower blades sharp to keep them from tearing roots
6. Mow in different directions

that’s about most of what I’ve learned but there are a bunch of sites out there to gleam knowledge from. The lawnsite.com thelawnforum.com etc

hope some of that is new info for you

 

i'm a pretty DIY guy, but after mowing commercially and working with different fertilizer companies, i have to agree that there's no way you can get the same results. Find someone nearby with a great lawn and ask who they use (i'll bet big money they dont try to do it themselves). Also, cut down some trees!