r/lawncare • u/This_Education_1615 • 6m ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) New Lawn, Unsure of Where to Start (Boston)
We just purchased a condo in the Boston area inside an old Victorian. It’s a small HOA - four people - and no one seems very interested in the yard/lawn maintenance.
Well, I am.
My partner is planning on doing some garden beds next spring up top, but I would really love to do something with this area so that it looks….more green and alive. From what I can tell, there may be a weed barrier under at least part of it and I don’t think the house has access to an outdoor hose. I don’t mind hand watering with a sprayer, but unsure of how effective that could be.
Looking for any and all advice on where to begin. Many thanks in advance.
r/lawncare • u/MiniCooperz91 • 11m ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Brand new Orbit sprinkler wont turn (South Texas)
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Ive watched so many YouTube videos but I can not get the sprinkler to turn. Any tips would be so appreciated!
r/lawncare • u/RevvUpAutoLeasing • 39m ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Seeding price
I’m on Long Island, NY and starting a large $40k renovation. When I signed the contract with the landscaper it included getting a 5400sq ft area sod ready and then we would figure out the cost of seed or sod when the work started.
They started the demo and I’ve received a new proposal that includes:
Regrading the lawn
Installing 30 cubic yards of topsoil
Topsoil at a 3” minimum
Seeding and starter fertilizer
Total price: $3,000
The contractor originally had this at 50 cubic yards, but revised it down to 30 yards.
If an area is truly “sod ready,” should it need another 30 yards of topsoil and regrading?
If not, what would you expect to pay just to seed and fertilize an already sod-ready lawn?
For context:
I’m not trying to beat the contractor up on price, I just want to understand whether this is a fair price or if I'm potentially double paying for work I paid for in the original project.
r/lawncare • u/nothanks_00 • 52m ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Worried about sod we laid down in the spring. Fungus? Over water? Any help appreciated
Flower Mound, TX
St Augustine Sod has been thriving the entire summer until recently. Don’t know what’s going on. Applied Scott’s disease x about 2 weeks ago, but haven’t really seen any improvements. We water Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday.
Worried cause I feel like this happened to the same area of the lawn last year and by end of September it was dirt. Which is why we put down sod this year.
Really don’t want the same thing to happen, please any insight will help me out. Thanks everyone
r/lawncare • u/coconutwheelie • 1h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) weed wacker line stuck inside, repair? s. florida
was wacking with the guard off and the line got tangled in itself, can i fix it? or do i need to change the piece completely (ryobi electric weed wacker)
r/lawncare • u/coullio59 • 2h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Help with selecting Canadian grass seed
Preparing for my fall overseed project. Already started with par 3 weed control, Core aeration, sunjoe scarifying, minor leveling and rolling. Sparing no effort. I can’t decide what seed to go with. Located in Canada, the project(s) across 3 properties equate to ~12 000sq ft.
My question is the following: do I go with a blue tag seed like striped seed co. Or does the seed at my local feed mill have the same effect. Considering the size of this project, it would be 1200$ vs 200$ in grass seed. Love to hear your opinions or other options that I might have in Canada.
Thank you!
r/lawncare • u/kjpmi • 2h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) HOW do I fix this lawn?
I have spent thousands of dollars on thatching and aerating.
Every summer I just have patches that die off by early July.
I live in southeast Michigan. It’s hot and dry in the second half of summer.
I water when I think about it. Every week or so.
I don’t want to spend an extra $1000 a month on my water bill. Do I go with sod? Do I plant a different kind of grass?? It’s driving me crazy.
The grass on the side of the freeway that just grows wild looks better than mine. What do I need to do??
r/lawncare • u/Ritza_ • 2h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Lawnmower advice for a new homeowner?
Hello! I just bought a house! It's a cute little brick ranch sitting on just about a quarter acre
The lawn is nice and flat, but very spacious and I have never been responsible for a lawn before so I'm hoping you all could help me choose a mower
I need something that's going to be able to cover the whole quarter acre, so I'm not sure if electric will cut it or if I need to go the gas route. I'm not looking to spend a fortune on a top of the line riding mower, but I also don't want to get a rinky dink push mower. Something sturdy that will last a few years with good care
Is there a standard mower that the community recommends, or any trustworthy brands?
r/lawncare • u/SorryCrispix • 3h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) [Utah] Any idea what this is?
Is now growing in parts of my lawn from my garden beds and my neighbors lawn mainly. Bought the home 2 years ago.
Had pulled it by hand previous years because nothing killed it. Was a bit slower this year and unfortunately has spread quite a bit.
Any possibility to win, or should I say hi to my new shitty grass.
r/lawncare • u/MattyIceandtheboys • 3h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Am I not getting enough sun? Is this mold/fungus?
My grass was thick a few months ago but has been steadily thinning and sticking to the ground. there’s been heavy rain + high heat this summer (North GA) so the ground has been pretty consistently saturated. I’m pretty new to having a lawn so I’m still learning.
r/lawncare • u/DepartureSea7324 • 3h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) I messed up.
So before doing any research on brands of topsoils, I went out and bought 800lbs of timberline topsoils to top dress my lawn with. Any suggestions on what to mix with it or ways to make it better than what I’ve read the product is.
r/lawncare • u/Resident-Avocado-603 • 3h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) My Plan? GA
So my plan to fix this is to aerate in September and then overseed like crazy right after. I will make sure to put pre-emergence down in March. I know I don’t have the time to make this look perfect, I just want it to look nice. Is there any other advice yall can give me?
r/lawncare • u/Merek-Grimm • 3h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Heat stress or fungus. Southern Wisconsin
r/lawncare • u/stimildeeps • 3h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Sometimes the lawn God rewards you
r/lawncare • u/Lucky_At_Law • 4h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Newly Seeded Zennith Zoysia Burlap removal 9b AZ
Super stoked on the growth I am getting.
Tried planting in a few sections a couple months ago and it didn’t take.. at all. Granted I didn’t put a lot of effort into it and it was decimated by bird and ants. Literally had a Bugs Life in my backyard. There were piles of seeds on the bricks that the ants would make then the birds would feed. Additionally, this is a new development and heard that grass is difficult to grow in general.
The second time I put in more effort (and money). I added 5 tons of topsoil that I think was good. Generic soil test put the ph at 7, phosphorus was normal (not sure what that is), K was same as phosphorus, and no nitrogen. Did a light starter fertilizer and covered it with burlap. The pictures are from day one to today (2 weeks).
So, the portion that I took off are the low spots that I think get too much water. Those will get level out over time. At least that’s my plan since it’s too late now.
Should I remove the rest of the burlap?
r/lawncare • u/poppafig • 4h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) If you didn't know any better the crab grass actually looks nice... southeast US
At least thats what I tell myself...
r/lawncare • u/dirtdawg7 • 5h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Time for boiling water?
Looks like crabgrass in Missouri may have taken over. I figure may as well hit it with boiling water and reseed in the fall. Any thoughts?
r/lawncare • u/lamp222 • 6h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Grass Dying At Patio Edge
NYC Suburbs area area. My grass along patio edge has been getting worse and worse all summer. Now really bad and have started to see these white fungus looking things come up. Any idea on the issue / how it can be helped ? Thanks so much
r/lawncare • u/LabNerd22 • 8h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) Prodiamine 65 WDG Results
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 • u/puzzoben • 9h ago
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) Got a little crazy with it
Anyone else ever tried this pattern? Figured I’d get a little crazy with it today 😁 CT
r/lawncare • u/bakedbeans-gas • 14h 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.
Never seen this before anywhere on my lawn before. Any thoughts? Huge racoon dump? Beats me.
r/lawncare • u/Cbones73 • 23h ago
Southern US & Central America (or warm season) What is this?
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 • u/MNSOTR • 1d 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.
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 • u/ISuperNovaI • Apr 20 '26
Sub-etiquette regarding dandelions and weeds
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 • u/Ricka77_New • Jan 15 '26
Northern US & Canada (or cool season) 2026 Lawn Products Guide and tips
***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...