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Jaded Burnout posted:Is there some useful tool for clearing what is effectively meadow/brush in my yard now? I do own a strimmer (though the shed is currently held hostage by nettles and brambles) but even when I was just clearing thick grass with it it was having a lot of trouble. Current plan is a lot of manual effort with a sharp machete. A brush axe will save your back. They’ve got to be razor sharp (your machete should be too. Get a good file and an axe stone). Surveyors use them here for making perfectly straight lines through the woods and this guys knows his trade: https://youtu.be/Ib3_p1W1Bb8 If it’s more grassy and less woody, a sling blade will work too.
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Aug 9, 2019 13:47
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Jaded Burnout posted:On initial investigation, both of these tools appear to be near impossible to find (online?) in the UK. For sharpening, normal stones will work fine. Axe stones are like hockey pucks made of oilstone that fit in a pocket and are easier to hold in the hand since sharpening axes etc. you are bringing the stone to the tool, not the tool to the stone. They’re cheap too, and it keeps whatever sap or dirt might be on an axe off the good stones. The steel on most yard kind of tools is soft enough to sharpen with a file, but the extra sharp from a stone makes a difference.
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Aug 9, 2019 15:04
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driptorch I’d get what grassy stuff you can with a string trimmer and then just start hacking away with a machete. It’ll go faster than you think and I think it’s very satisfying, stress-relieving, instant gratification sort of work.
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Aug 9, 2019 16:02
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mastershakeman posted:is this the lawn thread. please help me my lawn is dying. i'm in chicago so probably too late to even plant more grass but I did that last year and it didn't do poo poo
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May 14, 2020 02:27
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To echo what Hubis said, raise your mower to the highest setting for St. Augustine, and mow every single week when it rains (really every 5 days is best). The utility co. patch looks like zoysia maybe, but more likely bermuda or bahia or some poo poo. I'd zap it and start over with st. Augustine sod, but if you have healthy st. augustine around it and keep it wet, the st. augustine may take over. It is aggressive and it likes it wet. Your erosion area under the tree is likely to be tough. It is really hard to get new grass established in shade, and I think Hubis is right that you have some soil compaction issues (if you are on red clay this can be a big problem). Your soil also looks kind of low in organic matter, but that's pretty normal in much of the south. Fertilize and don't bag/remove the clippings and the soil will improve over time. "Crusty area with weed" looks like it may be compacted as well, and could use some fertilizer and water. That weed is spurge I think and at least in my yard it seems to mostly take over in hot, dry parts of the yard. Fertilize to get the grass up, cut it high so it can shade its own roots (and shade out the weeds) and preserve moisture, and water deeply but infrequently to encourage deeper root growth. It's a little late but not too late to fertilize. I would go with just a high nitrogen fertilizer this year to help get the grass in better shape, and then maybe next spring get on it early with a pre-emergent and then a weed and feed with atrazine to start to fight the weeds once the grass is happy.
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May 30, 2020 04:52
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They are usually like $12 so I just get a new one every year or three when I remember.
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May 31, 2020 14:10
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You can cut the woody thing coming out of the liriope/lily turf and IMMEDIATELY! paint the cut end with undiluted roundup/glyphosate and it should kill the woody thing and not the liriope. Your roses all look like Knockouts, and the thing you think and azalea is.
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Jun 4, 2020 02:08
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Irritated Goat posted:Goons, help me kill this bastard once and for all. The stump in the middle is less of an issue than the stuff growing around it. Spray that new growth with a very strong roundup solution. When/if they come back, do it again. It probably won't take more than twice. Crepe myrtles are tough but not like wisteria tough.
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Jul 6, 2020 00:50
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A 50S RAYGUN posted:how many rocks are you talking about? while sod is obviously temperamental i think you would need to to have some REALLY bad underlying conditions to be causing that. can you pull up the sod or has it rooted in? if it's rooted in well but still stressed, you might be having a water retention issue. What do you grow? Trees or shrubs or what? If trees, do you start from seed or buy liners/seedlings? Are they in pots or in ground? The nursery business is pretty big around here and I've always been curious how it works. How did you get your job-horticulture/agriculture school or hands on experience or what?
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Jul 15, 2020 23:54
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PCjr sidecar posted:Good pesticides for creeping charlie?
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Sep 12, 2020 00:14
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Could you put in a waterbar or three across the road? That’s commonly done here on forest roads where they have go straight down hill. Shoots the water off into a ditch so it’s not the all the water racing down the hill top to bottom. Maybe a pain to drive over very day though?
Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Sep 13, 2020 |
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Sep 13, 2020 04:41
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Motronic posted:(and if you're picking up on a theme, yes, my go-to source for a lot of gardening and turfgrass information is always ag schools. I'll listen to other sources but they don't get nearly the weight of a consensus of ag school research/papers)  Once you find the ones that are great for your area, it opens up a ton. Everything from forest and tree management to grafting tomatoes to fight weird local conditions. For me it's LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, Florida State and Clemson are my heroes.
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Sep 14, 2020 18:17
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I keep a narrowish rectangular spade very sharp for this kind of thing. Great for transplanting and removing grass too. I have very little use for round nose shovels.
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Sep 15, 2020 15:01
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This is an odd post and I'm not quite sure where to ask it (hunting thread? IDK) but this seems like the most appropriate DIY thread. What's going to be the best way to get rid of a beaver dam? It's fairly inaccassible to any kind of heavy equipment, so it's probably going to be me with a some waders and a tool of some sort. It looks like it is mostly mud, not sticks, but I'm sure there are sticks under the mud. Should I just chop a small hole in it with a mattock and let water/erosion do the rest? I remember my grandfather saying they used to get someone to dynamite them, but I don't think you can just walk into the hardware store and buy a stick of TNT anymore. It's on private land, and from what I can tell my state considers beavers damaging timber to be a nuisance/vermin and there's no regulation protecting them/their dam as long as I'm not trapping them for fur (which is a post for a different thread). They're cute and all and the pond is kind of nice at the moment, but my parents' also don't want them hanging around forever and eating every sapling and killing every tree in a 200 yard radius.
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Sep 27, 2020 14:29
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Thanks for all the options! The drain pipe things sounds like a good idea here. Now off to find the official TFR Beaver Hunting thread or w/e.
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Sep 28, 2020 13:07
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Hello DIYers! We have a new forum/mod feedback thread and would love to hear your thoughts! https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3944213 Get ready to read this message 15 more times in every thread you read!
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Oct 16, 2020 01:31
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devicenull posted:Thanks for the suggestions! You're going to have a hard time getting much going in all that shade (and with all those walnut seedlings). I hate to say it and I know it's invasive, but this might one of those places where English ivy is actually the right choice.
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Oct 28, 2020 23:36
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It’s....not like cars? There aren’t especially huge leaps being made in gasoline powered mower technology, so I wouldn’t wait for the newest model to come out. I have a Honda mower and it’s great and I think they are pretty bulletproof and fairly fully featured. Mine has the thumb paddle speed control and I love that and it mulches really well. They’re not cheap, but they are good.
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Nov 2, 2020 04:12
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Bioshuffle posted:Any tips for pulling out really tiny leaf weeds like bittercress and ? I have a hard time getting them by the root because they just tear right off. I bought some spray weed killer from Home Depot to spray in November, and it didn't do jack squat. What kind of weed killer? Roundup/glyphosate should kill about anything (including your grass/shrubs-be careful)
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Jan 21, 2021 19:01
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Bioshuffle posted:I used this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Roundup-1-Gallon-Lawn-Weed-Killer/1000182245, which is safe for my lawn. What kind of lawn and what kind of weeds do you have and approximately where are you? At least here in the deep south, we get alot of winter weeds that die off pretty quickly and aren't that big of a deal in the summer lawn. I had good luck last yr controlling my creeping charlie with weed and feed fertilizer, but it's usually better to apply the herbicide component before the fertilizer. Sprays hadn't given me good results-2,4D would kill the creeping charlie but also hurt my St. Augustine (it's very sensitive to herbicides). It's about time to put out a granular pre-emergent herbicide here to keep the spring/summer weeds from sprouting.
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Jan 21, 2021 19:20
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kicks forts posted:I'm thinking about putting together a general low-impact/sustainable housing/living thread. Building methods like lime mortar, papercrete or recycling glass bottles as floor insulation. Maybe some stuff about permaculture, specifically methods to reduce reliance on pesticide. I don't know if there's a ton of interest; haven't found anything similar apart from the closed Sustainable Agriculture thread. E: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3865561
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Feb 7, 2021 04:41
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Bloody posted:I live in the greater seattle area. how do I get rid of all of these dang blackberries and ivy. I have a kind of unimpressive corded weedwhacker should I just get something beefier and go hog wild
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Feb 13, 2021 03:18
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Inzombiac posted:So I'm gonna get rid of the grass and replace it with white clover. I'll also need to level out some portions of the soil between steps. You can just seed clover in the grass you have without killing it. I get clover coming up in my grass all the time, and if I didn't mow it it would probably start expanding. I think the easier way to convert from grass/lawn->meadow is just quit mowing and see what comes up. Your yard is gonna look really bad if you kill all the grass, and I don't know that a clover mono-crop is a ton better than whatever will come up through your grass bees. Plus its a whole lot easier than spraying a quarter acre of grass. See what wants to grow there when you quit mowing-you'll probably get a bigger variety of wildflowers with blooms in all seasons. Depending on your neighbors/municipal code, they may not let you have a meadow lawn, so definitely research that before you nuke your grass. You can probably get around that by having some well maintained grass/lawn, and turning the rest of it into 'flower beds' that just so happen to be full of meadow flowers. Natural meadow stuff does tend to look a whole lot better if you mow some paths and through it and have some little lawn-like sitting areas. Just mow what grows-don't warry about it being grass or whatever. If you keep the open/mowed areas maintained it will look intentional rather than abandoned. If you do want to kill your grass, I'd use glyphosate instead of vinegar. I don't think household vinegar will kill grass easily.
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Apr 11, 2021 19:19
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The Wonder Weapon posted:What is the best way to accomplish this effect? Is it: Step 0.5: Ask yourself if you really want to edge that once a week all summer to keep it looking like the picture.
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Apr 13, 2021 02:21
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Yooper posted:I just hired a guy to do 2 acres of lilac / tag alder removal with a skidsteer chipper. 3 hours of work at $175 an hour. It's all inside of a 100 year old orchard that has the most monstrous apple and cherry trees I've ever seen. Should look pretty cool when he's all done. We've got a bunch of hawthorn, mountain ash and crab apple we'll be planting in a few weeks. The trick is going to be to keep the deer off of them. I haven't personally but I plan to when I plant a bunch of hardwood seedlings. I think if you use them on small 1-2' seedlings, by the time they are growing out the top of a 5' tree tube they're going to have enough roots and other leaves to survive a little bit of deer browsing, but it probably depends just how many deer you have. A forester friend highly recommends them, especially in an old field situation where the trees are much more visible and accessible. No to mention the rabbits that like old fields. Deer also REALLY like new, fresh and fertilized from the nursery stuff, so protecting them that first year or two when they are adjusting to the native dirt (and start putting out leaves that are no tastier than the leaves in the woods) is really important. I've definitely noticed it where I've planted new 3gal plants. If I don't fence them they'll strip them bare in a year, but if I fence them for 2-3 years, they leave them mostly alone when the fence comes off and the plants are well established. They would rather eat tender, well fertilized new growth off fresh from the nursery a holly that is supposedly 'deer resistant' than the new growth of an oak in red clay. Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Apr 23, 2021 |
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Apr 23, 2021 17:54
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devmd01 posted:Something with a Honda engine. Next question! I really, really, love my Honda mower. Even with old gas after all winter it starts on the first or second pull every time.
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May 12, 2021 04:23
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Leon Sumbitches posted:Quick question for the lawn-havers. The grass under the tent will be fine for a long time. A week, at least. The grass under the dance floor is like, a day tops. Make sure the tent is up and shading things before you put the floor down. Covered grass in sun can be killed in hours down here. Depending on the soil, all the foot traffic may make a mess of the grass but it should recover fairly quickly.
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Aug 13, 2021 18:10
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PCjr sidecar posted:Trying to cut a trail through an overgrown area; went through with a brush hog but now have a lot of foot-high 1/2" - 1 1/2" diameter woody spikes and stumps. I want to maintain as much grassy cover and topology as possible, so I don't want to scrape or plow. I think trail builders would tell me to use a mattock or a weed wrench (https://www.ecolandscaping.org/07/resources/product-reviews/product-review-weed-wrench/), but I'd really like to have something I could hook up to a tractor. Any thoughts on if I have a lot of these to deal with? You need to mow it at least once a year in fall in perpetuity, but if you also mow once in early summer after stuff has put out it's new growth it will kill the little trees pretty quickly as they will exhaust their energy reserves in a hurry.
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Aug 19, 2021 19:06
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Bioshuffle posted:I'm half tempted to give up learning how to edge with a weed whacker and getting an edger. I keep scalping the gently caress out of the grass. Is there just a steeper than normal learning curve for this? Getting a strap has helped control it better, but I still don't feel like I can trim in a straight line. You have to walk backwards/left to right if you're doing it with a weedeater. It's impossible to do while walking forwards. IME it's easier with a straight shaft weedeater than a curved shaft one.
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Aug 23, 2021 14:14
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I know they're quite pricey when they're this size, which is why I thought to ask. I've also got no clue what species they are. Moving them can be an option which may or may not be a)economical or b) successful. To help make it successful, the trees will need pretty good care for a year or two afterwards (watering, mostly), and they probably won't grow much at all in that time as they recover from being transplanted. Depending on species, with good soil and aggressive fertilization/watering, you could grow a $30 3-gallon tree up to that size in ~5 years around here, and it will probably be a healthier, happier tree long-term. I know an arborist here who makes alot of money moving fairly large trees and says if you plant a 10 gallon ~1.5" caliper tree and a 3" caliper dug tree, in 10 years you won't be able to tell the difference because the bigger tree gets slowed down so much more by transplant shock. But you can get a big tree, where you want it, Tomorrow, and that's worth a lot.
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Oct 13, 2021 17:47
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The Saucer Hovers posted:nothings broken so i take your point. i just love it and want it to eventually envelop my bones.
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Oct 26, 2021 18:35
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Wallet posted:I'd be interested to see/hear how they work out for you when you get them. Do they make them in stake shape? I like poking the labels in the ground.
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Nov 1, 2021 00:55
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eddiewalker posted:What’s the best way to pick up “gum ball” spikeys? I have a lot and bribing the kids isn’t working. Something likee on of these miiight work, but i dunno if the sweetgum balls will fit in there or no. The spikey bits might get caught on the wires? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Corona-MAX-48-in-QuickCOLLECTOR-Nut-Gatherer-with-Carbon-Steel-Handle-LG13695/314032777 Otherwise they are just kind of a fact of life of living under a sweetgum.
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Nov 14, 2021 20:37
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unlimited shrimp posted:If a t-post is listed online as "8 ft" is that the above-ground height or the total length of the post? Total length
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Mar 21, 2022 13:32
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SpartanIvy posted:gently caress crape myrtles forever. They're a god drat cancer. They are beautiful and I love them 
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Jun 9, 2022 01:25
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Given the small size of your yard and all the trees/cover around, I don't think you're going to solve your mosquito problem with landscaping. Mosquitos do best in still air, and that's probably a big part of your problem. With all the tree cover I doubt you get much of a breeze. E: you don't really have much plant cover to remove. I doubt a ton of mosquitos are hiding out in those scrawny little azaleas/ It's definitely possible there's a big mosquito breeding puddle under you deck or something. You might ask in the pest control thread for mosquito control/repellant options-I know there are some. Do you want to do the rock garden primarily for the mosquitos, or do you just like that look? Whereabouts in the south are you, at least as far as USDA zone? What's your soil like? With all the hardwoods around I assume it is half decent.
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Jul 15, 2022 17:37
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I was gonna say it looks like your neighbor has a sharp mower blade and you have a dull one, but same guy cutting both rules that out. Have you fertilized? His has that almost blue kind of green that well fertilized vegetation has. I know talking to other humans is not a goony thing to do, but have you considered asking your neighbor what he has/what he does?
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Jul 19, 2022 23:42
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A Wizard of Goatse posted:The previous owner of my house let a grove of ailanthus get out of hand behind my workshop, to the point it was caving in the walls. I've taken out the ones that were literally growing into the roof but now I have to contend with this:
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Jul 21, 2022 01:30
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Ubiquitus posted:Can anyone give me the skinny on pre-emergent? Is it safe to use in areas I never expect to make a garden? My understanding is that it changes the ph of the soil, is that correct? Or is it some heinous concoction that’s the equivalent of salting the earth?
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Aug 26, 2022 00:58
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I like grass, it's fine. I don't want my whole yard to be grass, but I like grass. I don't do anything to my grass but weed and feed once in spring and mow it in the summer. If we have a real long dry spell I'll turn a sprinkler on it for an hour or two. It's pretty easy. I could skip the weed and feed and it would be fine too. Grass is pretty tough.
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Oct 13, 2022 02:46
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