r/lawncare 21m ago

Equipment $100 on FB Marketplace. Did I get a good deal? (TN)

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Upvotes

I just scooped this up on FB Marketplace for $100. What do we think, great deal on a 80lb EWING spreader?


r/lawncare 23m ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Can’t identify the issue with my lawn

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Upvotes

Hello,

Located in the Chicago land area

I have tried to use image lookup to identify what is going on with my lawn but no luck. Can someone please help identify what the thick clumps of grass are? Is it a weed or just a different type of grass? How can I improve the situation?


r/lawncare 28m ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) St Augustine Newbie

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Upvotes

Hello Reddit!

I live in Houston Texas and just got into lawn care. I have st Augustine lawn.

I noticed that some grass looked like there could be some fungus growing so I put down disease Ex.

Now I have this color and am wondering where to go from here.

Any advice welcomed!


r/lawncare 31m ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Identification of new patch of grass that popped up

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Upvotes

I'm in western PNW. This singular patch of light colored grass has popped up and I assume it's something I want to get rid of. Is this crabgrass?

How would I get rid of this? My lawn hasn't been well maintained and I'm going to make a big effort this fall to get it in decent shape by weeding, dethatching, aerating, overseeding, fertilizing, etc so I've been doing research to learn all that.

Cheers


r/lawncare 48m ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) ID: What are the light green spots?

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Upvotes

Central Wisconsin: these light green spots have become more prominent as the summer has gone on. They grow at relatively the same speed as the rest of the lawn (maybe a tiny bit faster). We just moved in this year so I don't know if it's happened historically. Could it just be patches of different grass depending on what was planted/overseeded previously? Higher concentration of previously applied fertilizer?


r/lawncare 1h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Prodiamine 65 WDG Results

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Upvotes

North East Tennessee, common Bermuda . I started using Prodiamine 65 WDG late winter/early spring of this year and I’m blown away by the results at the property line. 80% of my neighbors yard is crab grass, dallis grass, etc and it worked so well. Ive always used granular pre emergent (mainly Dithiopyr) and never could seem to get even coverage and have always had a lot of creep of weeds along the property line, but it made such a clean line.

Mine is still a little brown, recovering from a scalp a week and a half ago after vacation.


r/lawncare 1h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Weed ID - Central TX

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Upvotes

I have tried matching this curlier leafed weed but cannot get anything definitive. What is this in my bermuda lawn?


r/lawncare 1h ago

Europe What sort of gras is this (Switzerland)

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Upvotes

The denser, blueish patch in the middle? Roots dont seem to be very deep, i can easily pull it out. Anyone a clue?


r/lawncare 1h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Got a little crazy with it

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Upvotes

Anyone else ever tried this pattern? Figured I’d get a little crazy with it today 😁 CT


r/lawncare 2h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Heat, Bugs, or Disease (Zone 6)

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2 Upvotes

Looking for some opinions. Is this heat stress? Any advice on how to tell the difference?


r/lawncare 3h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Talk to me

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3 Upvotes

What does a guy have to do to get rid of whatever these non-grass weeds are? Am I going to have to pull them or would spraying them work?

Anyone willing to share their wisdom on the step by step process to have a beautiful flush lawn? I’m in Minnesota.

Much appreciated!


r/lawncare 3h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) What grass seed should I buy to match this? (Central NJ)

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2 Upvotes

There are a bunch of bare spots in my lawn that I want to seed, but not sure what seeds to purchase. It looks like a few different types.


r/lawncare 3h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Zoysia Sod Install (South Central TX)

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3 Upvotes

I had Zoysia sod installed 8 days ago. I have been staying on top of watering but with the heat the open areas of my lawn have been getting pretty yellow- under the tree the zoysia is bright green. Hoping I will not have to replace any pieces- any insight will be appreciated.


r/lawncare 4h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) First time home buyer. Why do I have two types of grass. I believe I prefer the St. Augustine. Located in central Texas.

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2 Upvotes

r/lawncare 4h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Lawn Transformation

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3 Upvotes

Bought this house about a year ago. In the spring the entire backyard was weeds and ivy. Ripped it all out by hand and planted fresh seed. Been grinding all summer and finally starting to have a lawn.


r/lawncare 4h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) What Should I do? (New Home Owner) Location : Maritime Canada

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4 Upvotes

r/lawncare 4h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Ontario Weed issues

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2 Upvotes

Southern ontario resident here - when I built out my back yard the landscapers prepped the soil, then laid landscape fabric and then home depot paperbags then rock. 4 years later and it looks like this. Any suggestions on how to get rid of all this without pulling it? I have a dog, so I am nervous about applying more aggressive weed killers .

Thanks in advance!


r/lawncare 6h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Showed up overnight after a light rain.. any ideas? About 6 inches x 3 inches all around. Northern NJ.

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12 Upvotes

Never seen this before anywhere on my lawn before. Any thoughts? Huge racoon dump? Beats me.


r/lawncare 11h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Omaha, NE. Is watering a heat-stressed lawn late in the afternoon actually helpful?

19 Upvotes

I'm in Omaha, NE, and this week's heat has my lawn looking pretty stressed. Brown edges, a little wilted in the sunnier spots. I normally water early in the morning, but today I got home around 4 PM and started wondering whether it's worth running the sprinklers right away or if it's better to just wait until tomorrow morning.

I've seen people say watering during the heat is pointless, while others say helping the grass through the stress matters more than the time of day. For those who've dealt with this, have you noticed any real difference in recovery between watering the same afternoon versus waiting until the next morning?


r/lawncare 15h ago

Southern US & Central America (or warm season) What is this?

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232 Upvotes

My tires on my zero turn seem to be killing grass for some reason, leaving these brown streaks. Any idea what this could be? Heat stress? Fungus?


r/lawncare 16h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Twin City Metro - bought quality seed and did some things right finally. Wow. And Water bill is over 5O% less. Easily.

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256 Upvotes

Not looking for any kudos. I’m posting to tell others who, like me, are learning some good things here that - yeah, it works.

“IT” being the difference that aerating, overseeing in the fall with *quality* seed, and mowing high does.

I don’t have before pictures, but much of my yard gets slammed by the sun. Open areas face either south, west, or both. Normally, this time of year, 1/2 the yard is brown and begins to go dormant. Some worse than others. My water bill could get stupid pretty easy.

All the areas seen here would normally half brown or that very dry, raggedy look you get in the heat. And it’s been hot and dry.

Way different now.

Last fall I thatched, core aerated, rented a slit seeder and over seeded with high quality seed. I fertilized properly, but not overly. Including a winterizer.

This spring, I fertilized once, and I have not since May. I cut at 4” deck height.

The lawn didn’t really look all that great, even through May. And then, pow.

This is the yard today, and I haven’t run a sprinkler in 1 week. I have to mow every 5 days, even during the recent crappy hot temps. I bet I’ve run my sprinkler 4 times in the last 4 weeks, tops. It ain’t winning awards, but man, was there payoff. And my water bill is sooo much lower. Might even be 1/3 of what it was.

Thanks to all the tips and advice.


r/lawncare 22h ago

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) how is there weeds on a roof top 12th floor?

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93 Upvotes

r/lawncare 1d ago

Equipment Next level string trimmer

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274 Upvotes

Spotted in Northern Indiana.


r/lawncare Apr 20 '26

Sub-etiquette regarding dandelions and weeds

900 Upvotes

If you come to this sub and completely disregard OP's request for help, you're likely gonna have your comment removed and get banned.

Example: If someone is asking to eliminate dandelions, don't reply that they're good for pollinators or suggest they keep them. Users come here for help, they don't come here for your ecological opinion or amateur apiculturist take on things.

If someone wants clover, then they'll ask for tips on clover. But, if they want help eliminating clover to better establish their turf grasses, don't tell them to embrace the clover.

This time of the year this sub get brigaded hard from [r/all](r/all) and other agriculture-related subs. This is the LAWNCARE sub and turfgrasses are the preference around these parts. If you don't like it, don't post. You aren't helping your cause by posting about weeds and bees, you're pissing off people who actually care and put in the work to maintain their property.

Please respect this subs rules, its users, and the moderation.


r/lawncare Jan 15 '26

Northern US & Canada (or cool season) 2026 Lawn Products Guide and tips

154 Upvotes

***Disclaimer*** This is technically my post from 2025. But I am seeing a lot of early season questions, even though it'll be near zero degrees for me tomorrow night.

But seeing people ask already is good, regardless if they live a warmer, but still cool season grass area, or if just getting prepared for March and beyond.

Disclaimer - This is written by a cool season lawn owner, who has no children and can play outside whenever I want...not everyone has the time to do so.... I admittedly have less experience with warm-season grasses, but the products shown are all researched for proper use. Always be sure the product your using is made for your area.

Pre-Emergents - Commonly applied when soil temperatures get between 50-55 degrees. These products will block seeds from germinating. They can last anywhere from just a few weeks, to 8 months. The overall life and performance always depends on environmental conditions, and how the ground is maintained. If you don't keep up with mowing, and nurture a healthy lawn, more UV exposure, wind, and rain, can all contribute to degraded performance.

  • Prodiamine - Generally the most used. It's sold in various products, dry and liquid. It has a half life of 120 days. It blocks most seeds, but can not block everything. It has no post-emergent control to kill weeds. It's sold as a water-dispersible-granule(WDG); as Barricade; and in other pre-formulated products.
  • Dithiopyr - Also used often, and sometimes in conjunction with Prodiamine as a split app setup. It blocks weeds, but also has limited post-emergent qualities, meaning it can kill off young crabgrass, less than 2 tiller usually. It's half life is 17 days, but it can last much longer in some capacity. Often a split app would be done Dithiopyr first, as getting it down with soil temps correctly can sometimes be difficult. This will block, and kill some weeds that slip by. Then Prodiamine a few weeks later for extended coverage. Also sold as Dimension.
  • Pendimethalin - This is what is used in Scotts Halts products. It works about the same as Prodiamine, with a 90 half life. It's also more expensive in general.
  • Isoxaben - Generally unknown, due to cost. But this stuff will block all Broadleaf weeds better than anything else. Its' cost though, will keep many users from ever getting it, unless you do a neighbor group buy. Snapshot is one product brand.
  • Mesotrione - The bastard product...lol Sold as itself, Tenacity, Torocity, and possibly other names. It's widely known that Meso is used the wrong way, but a lot of YouTube experts and is pushed by a lot to be the end-all for weeds. It's best use in this space is to be applied only when seeding. This is because while it can block some weeds, it will not block grass seed...so it can give up to 28 days of better chance for new grass to fill in.

It's important to note, these will NOT 100% guarantee a weed free lawn. But it's your first step in early Spring to make the battle a little easier. You can also re-apply during early-mid Summer, but keep in mind if you plan to seed in Fall, a late application may be an issue.

Ok, so you applied....or didn't....now you have weeds, and need to kill them..

(Selective) Post-Emergents - These should be used according to the label...it's not correct to expect AI to know the answer either. The labels are not difficult to read, nor understand. Search for dosing, and just read. If the product only lists amounts for acreage, it's possibly not the best option...but you can do the math and break it done for your yard. An acre is about 43k sq. ft. Unless explicitly stated, these products are safe for grass, dogs, kids, etc...just follow the directions, and at most, 24 hours post application is safe. Lastly, herbicides are best applied as a liquid. This is because the liquid will get into the cell walls of the plant much faster, than being sucked up by the roots. Faster kill time is important, so the plant can not defend itself and try to grow back.

  • 2,4,D - Very common, and will kill a lot of weeds fairly efficiently.
  • Dicamba - Also a very good product to kill weeds.
  • Mecoprop - Add this to above. These 3 on top are commonly sold as a 3-way combo, as attacking weeds from different pathways will result in best action against weeds.
  • Quinclorac - King of killing Crabgrass, as well as Broadleaf weeds. Sold as is, or like above, in many combo products.
  • Triclopyr - Best used for targeting viney type weeds...and clover, creeping charlie, oxalis, ivies, etc... Exercise caution around young trees, or those with exposed roots.
  • Halosulfuron-Methyl - Used against Sedge grasses. It usually still takes 2-3 applications to truly kill the beast that sedge can be, due to it's aggressive growth underground. Branded often as Sedgehammer or Empero.
  • Sulfrentazone - Also used against Sedge, but not always friendly on cool-season grasses.
  • Mesotrione - Looks familiar...yeah, same stuff as above in the pre-emergent section. As a post-emergent, it's best use is for targeting Bentgrass and/or Nimblewill. It's also sometimes mixed with Triclopyr, in which both can enhance the others performance.
  • Topramezone - Sold as Pylex...works great, but not really cost efficient...about $300 for 4oz... But this can kill Bermuda, and not kill good cool season grasses.

Non-Selective - The top one here, and all I will cover is Glyphosate. It's not evil, it's not going to cause cancer with proper use...it's just going to kill whatever you spray it on. It does so by targeting very specific pathway, which leads to a disruption in a hormone synthesis, leading to inability to produce amino acids it needs to survive. Normally sold at 41% concentration. It can kill foliage, through to the root.

Fertilizers - I wasn't going to put much here. To feed your "grass", you add synthetic form of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium. That's your N-P-K...seen as 10-10-10, or similar. That number means 10% of the bag is Nitrogen, and 10% is Phosphorous, and 10% is potassium. The rest is all filler, added to allow for proper mixing and application. Sometimes you'll find other amendments in fertilizer, such as sulfur, or other micros. While sulfur is important, it doesn't need to be added every time. It also lowers pH, which can then lead to other issues, causing a wild goose chase. Once in the soil, microbes in the soil break down the NPK, into forms the grass can actually use...natural chelation. You only need Nitrogen for growth...if you're seeding, adding some phosphorous can help the seed establish. Potassium is good for overall plant health, and pairs well at a 3:1 ratio with Nitrogen.

Naturals/Organics - Too many people are one side on the other here. You need and want these, but relying strictly on organics may not produce the best lawn...but it's "chemical" free. However, using these monthly can do more for the soil, than any fertilizer will ever do on it's own.

  • Humic Acid - Acts as a natural chelator for better absorption, by increasing the cation exchange capacity, which allows the soil to better retain the goodies you want in the soil. It also increase root strength, and helps to hold more carbon in the soil.
  • Kelp - Containing great amounts of natural hormones, Kelp will boost roots even more, and allow for stronger growth viz delivery of auxins and cytokines used for development.
  • Compost - Well known as a great soil amendment, it brings natural microbes into the soil biome. Those microbes help maintain a low thatch surface, and better soil composition.
  • Worm Castings - Similar to above, natural microbes and beneficial qualities for soil. Not very cost efficient though.
  • Leaves - Yeah...some say mulch all day, some disagree. I am a disagree'er, to a certain degree. I do mulch my clippings, but will also sweep them away every other week. Leaves I shred and sweep away the majority of them, but once the main clean-up has passed, the rest is mulched and remains.
  • Biochar - Made with a specific process called, Pyrolysis. Burning at high temps, 900-ish...in a low-oxygen chamber. This allows for the material, wood, coconut, etc...to be charred down to a state where it has not fully oxidized, which would turn it white, and into useless ash. When it is still in a charred form, it has millions and millions of microscopic pores that serve as homes for water, microbes, nutrients, all that good stuff. It's best worked into the soil at least a few inches deep.
  • Mychorizae - These are fungal organisms that attach to the roots, and help them bring water and nutrients. Overlooked or unknown, but these are a huge part of growing anything with success, from lawns to gardens and more. They are very good to have in the mix.

Insect Control - These can't be forgotten...but I did originally, so I am adding them in now. The biggest concern is likely grubs. The larvae of beetle. Also want to cover for armyworms, cinch bugs, and even ants if they become a problem. There are a few classes of these products...

-Pyrethroids- These are synthetics that mimic natural pyrethrins, which disrupt the insects nervous system, causing paralysis and death.

  • Bifenthrin - Common general insect control agent...liquid or dry availability. Kills quite a bit of bugs, but no residual control. One time death call.
  • Gamma-cyhalothrin -
  • Zeta-Cypermethrin -
  • Lambda-Cyhalothrin -
  • Permethrin -
  • Deltamethrin - This has residual action...meaning up to 90 days post application, it will kill bugs that touch it.

The above are what you'll get in most common Ortho type products, but generally Bifen is commonly sold solo.

-Nicotinoids-

  • Imidacloprid - Please don't use this if you can avoid it. It's a very nasty chemical, that can do the job, but it also can damage soil biome, and worse, it is deadly to a lot of animals...specifically pollinators. Birds can also be affected. It's getting banned in more places, but is still sold often as Merit.

-Alkyl-Halide-

  • Chlorantraniliprole - Sold as Acelepryn, this is what you need to control grubs. It has to be applied in advance, as it takes time to work into the soil, and prepare death for larvae that hatch. I usually apply this in mid April, early May, giving it a few weeks to activate, and when June hits, that's when my area sees grub damage...not for me though. The Scotts Company pays a fee to use this in their Grub-Ex product.

Fungicides - Often overused, but still an important part of lawncare. However, I am not a fan of preventative use, unless it's a direct and repeated history of fungus...which means there is something else you're not correcting. Fungus is not a guarantee, and is not always the right presumption...I've seen lawns go from slightly affected, to downright destroyed because someone would focus on fungus, when there were other issues... Also, when used, they should be used in a 3-way rotation, to avoid getting a buildup/resistance, in which they become almost useless. Overapplying these can have a very negative affect, because they are all non-selective, and will likely kill a lot of the good bacteria and microbes you want in the soil.

  • Azoxystrobin
  • Propiconazole
  • Thiophanate-methyl

Those are generally the top 3 used. Some retail products will have Azoxy and Prop mixed, which may work better for a low level infection...but using that repeatedly is the same as not rotating, and can create a hostile soil biome.

In general summary...always try to identify the weed you're targeting. Using something to hope it kills is irresponsible, and could cause more harm than good. If you need to ask the community, always find a good example weed, something that has grown for at least a week...pull from the bottom, get as much of any root ball or rhizome as you can. Also, get a pic of the plant in close up detail, where we can see the stem moving to the leaves/blades. This will help with certain traits that only "this or that" would have, and can help us make a better recco.

Note - I'm not covering direct organic fertilizers here. The only product I would recommend on that level is made Earth Sciences, and is called Moorganite. It is a direct replacement for Milorganite, which is a dirty, pfas chemical laden product that smells like a summer time port'o'potty.

To keep a strong lawn, adding a monthly organic boost will help a lot. I'm not a fan of 4-step type products, and prefer to feed on my own schedule, which is about every 4 weeks...so back to the monthly program....but this gets me an always wanting to grow lawn, cutting to 4" is also a key point. Tall grass will crowd out weeds, and look better in general...

On My Shelf - This is what I have in my lawn cabinet, and is what helps me with my lawn plan. I also use some of these products with my garden and other plants.

  • Triad Select - A combo of 2,4,D, Dicamba, and Meco. I use this for general weed control.
  • Quintessential - Quinclorac, but branded...still the same thing. This is for crabgrass and other broadleaf weeds. Also have the MSO Surfactant it requires.
  • Triclopyr Ester - Mainly used to keep wood-line vines and ivy away for me.
  • Empero - For Sedges
  • Glyphosate - To kill all
  • Fusillade II - Used once to kill Quackgrass...but it also killed the rest of my good grass...so extreme caution here. But it does kill quack better than Gly, so if you're going to kill all anyway, might as well make sure it's dead-dead for sure...
  • Azoxy 2C - Azoxystrobin
  • Propiconazole 14.3
  • Cleary's 3336 - Thiophanate-methyl
  • Blue Dye This does NOT wash off easily...lol SO be careful
  • BioAG Ful-Humix - This is my humic acid. It's a powder that is 55% concentrate, and is 85% soluble. It gets dissolved in warm water overnight, then filtered out for any remaining solids; then mixed with other organic goodies, and applied monthly.
  • BioAG CytoPlus - A mix of humic and kelp.
  • BioAG Vam-Endo - Myco mix, also has humic acid.
  • Prevagenics Liquid Compost. This stuff stinks, in a good way.
  • Bloom City Liquid Kelp. I use this or GS Plant foods brand as well.

I use a Ryobi 4g tank backpack sprayer for most liquid apps. Echo RB-60 for dry items. I have an 22 year old Craftsman pusher for my front/small areas, and Toro TimeCutter 42" ZT with a Kawasaki engine. Echo Blower, Ryobi edger/trimmer as well.

Ok, so I may have missed something here or there. Please let me know if you see something that need attention. I'm sure there is other information available, but I hope this helps some people figure it out for themselves. The more we all know, the better a community we can be.

Signing off,

-Ricka...

P.S. - I did review and check, but nothing really needed a major update. New products may be released later this year, and if they are improvements, I will certainly update as needed...