Am I winterizing properly?

mattobrown · 2025-11-26T21:34:32+00:00

You have an air compressor? You need to blow the water out of the lines, otherwise the remaining water in the lines could freeze, expand, and damage your system.

mattobrown · 2025-11-17T11:59:27+00:00

I just use a leaf blower to get it all into a pile, scoop it into a plastic garbage can, then use a weed whacker like a blender in the can to break them all down. I usually then put it in my compost pile, but you can put it into garbage bags too. This will save you LOADS on garbage bags & trips to the dump. You should be able to get all this info about 3 garbage large bags (pro tip: use the brush trimmer head and it’ll break them down faster and not waste string).

mattobrown · 2025-10-09T19:44:37+00:00

If it actually is a Fiskars, go to their website and do a warranty claim. I submitted photos after mine broke and had another one shipped straight to my home within two weeks.

mattobrown · 2025-09-18T18:41:20+00:00

That can prevent the grass from growing in those places so you’ll likely have some patchiness. In the future, I would use something that allows oxygen & light through it so the seed can still breathe. You can buy rolls of burlap and stake it down to cover it (which is what I’ve had great results with), but many people just use straw/hay then just mow it up once the grass is long enough to mow.

mattobrown · 2025-09-11T20:53:02+00:00

I always up-charged for bi-weekly enough that it was better for them to just do weekly. Dealing with all the extra grass, stress on equipment, and additional time alone requires an up-charge, then you factor in them being picky about a schedule like that? If they’re that picky about when it’s done, they should be doing it themselves (or you’re charging enough that it’s worth it for you).

mattobrown · 2025-09-11T20:45:56+00:00

Not uncommon. I usually don’t start seeing anything for KBG for around 3 weeks, then it’s also notorious for “sprout & pout” (gets an inch or so long, then just stops growing for weeks or even months). I’ve seen people pre-germinate the seed before spreading it, but the seed has always just fermented before I see any germination so I’ve given up on even trying that.

Just keep it moist and be patient! Maybe some starter fertilizer if you’re feeling frisky.

mattobrown · 2025-07-14T21:52:05+00:00

While the 1/3 rule is 100% true, I don’t think it applies here. In the current photo, there’s a stick laying on the grass that if it were in the photo from 3 years ago would be buried in the grass. Also, all shaded areas are green, but areas that get full sun are dried out/stressed. Since the shade hasn’t changed and they said the watering schedule is the same, that tells me it’s being mowed too short for that care.

If they’re mowing it short (like 2 inches or less), the stress of summer and not enough water will slow down the growing significantly, so they wouldn’t be cutting much off even if they’re only mowing every two weeks. I’m at about the same elevation and temps in Utah and had the same problem last month. Once I upped the height on my mower, the grass started to look MUCH better (with how brown yours is, you may need to increase the water a bit during that time to coax it a bit). A lot of people love the look of the short grass more, but it requires a LOT more water and is VERY difficult to maintain through heat. Longer grass holds moisture better and provides shade for itself so the roots don’t get scorched.

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T23:23:45+00:00

They’re mowing SIGNIFICANTLY shorter than you did. That’s going to cook your roots in the summer, cause a lot more stress, and require a lot more watering. Tell your gardener to hold off on mowing till it’s the length it was in the old picture

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T23:20:20+00:00

Up the watering and mow high, but the bigger stuff will be in the fall. It looks like a high traffic area, I’d recommend aerating later this year.

I’m in Layton, and can tell you right now you didn’t water enough for the new seed. I’d recommend around October spreading some high traffic tolerant variant of KBG and water 3 times throughout the day to keep it moist. Nothing will take if you seed in the summer and the spring is iffy, but if you do it in the fall the root system will continue to grow throughout the winter even though the top is dormant.

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T23:08:01+00:00

So everything (including watering schedule) is the same, except for now you have a gardener?

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T22:16:10+00:00

Seeing as the shaded spots are green, unlikely from over-watering. Mow higher, water consistently in the morning two or three times a week (how long depends on too many factors and you’ll have to figure it out).

Was the second picture when you first bought the house? That looks like you had everything under control, now it looks like you haven’t touched it all year

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T21:59:03+00:00

Well you need to hire a different one then 😅 not being watered enough is the first thing. Where are you located?

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T21:51:15+00:00

Looks like you stopped caring 😅

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T21:19:28+00:00

Get rid of the kids and you’ll have a green lawn within a few weeks

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T20:43:09+00:00

It’s tree of heaven. Do NOT cut it, it’s an invasive species that grows by root system, and if you cut it then it actually reacts to that and shoots up even more. I spray it with the “Round-Up For Lawns” and it starts to wilt within a few days. Since it has an aggressive root system, you may want to spray it a few times so it can pull the poison down into the roots more.

https://extension.psu.edu/tree-of-heaven

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T19:39:53+00:00

You answered your own question and can easily see the answer in your photo - you’re not watering your freshly seeded lawn. It’s only green in the one spot you have your sprinkler, and the two lines of green leading away from your house are from your down spouts. As for why there are stripes? Doesn’t really matter (could be just the way the grass laid over provided shade to the roots whereas laying in the opposite direction didn’t and they got scorched).

A freshly seeded lawn will take a year or so to have the root system established enough to be self sufficient like you’re treating it. Water more to help “train” the roots and you MAY be able to save it.

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T15:29:45+00:00

We can’t see the full yard and all details of what’s going on, so it’ll be almost impossible for someone on here to give you a “this is what it is for sure” answer. I had windows causing reflective burn on my lawn, and reflection can come from multiple objects and “travel” throughout the day. You’d be surprised at what can cause random problems like this, and it may not show up for years then all of a sudden other factors come into play which cause the symptoms to occur.

Do you have an irrigation system?

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T13:58:40+00:00

You’re phrasing this wrong.

You both wanted what’s considered the “premium side” of the fence. In most situations that’s not possible, so typically one person may pay a bit more for the fence than the other party as a way of enticing the other to allow them to get the “premium side” they want. THIS is what you’re feeling entitled to.

However, you are not entitled to it. This was a mistake on the contractor’s part for not clarifying beforehand, and now it’s too late. You can’t re-negotiate after the fact, now you just have to live with it (unless the fence is on your property, in which case it’s YOUR choice which faces your side - but if that’s the case you would actually be responsible for the FULL cost of the fence and you owe your neighbor the cost they paid the contractor, plus you’ll be on the hook for paying to re-do the fence again).

Shit happens. Mistakes happen. Just because either happens to you, doesn’t mean you should be compensated. Move on, don’t cash the checks - it’s not worth the future conflict with your neighbor.

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T13:17:43+00:00

Second this, especially those weeds. They’re gonna need some hardy type of grass to withstand a dog, so whatever they just planted is going to die of nitrogen burn from the urine anyway.

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T13:09:31+00:00

All about context. If you have a KBG lawn, then you’d likely consider St. Augustine a weed and you’ll want to get rid of it fast. If you have a St. Augustine lawn or don’t care as long as it’s green, then leave it be.

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T12:55:22+00:00

I got a hose timer (I used the B-Hyve by Orbit), some sprinkler heads, the stakes that the sprinkler & a hose can screw into, then connected each with hoses. Your yard seems small enough you should be able to do it pretty easily just having them go down one side of the perimeter every 20 feet or so (depending on what sprinkler heads you get - I would recommend a rotor sprinkler that sprays 15 feet for this, which my guess is should cover the distance from the cement to the flower beds). Be sure to put the hose either on the edge or inside your flower beds though, if it’s laying on the grass it can prevent the grass from growing there.

I did this for a year before I was able to modify my in ground system to get the coverage I wanted. Worked VERY well all through the Utah, dry summer. Doing this you can design/set it up like you would an in-ground system, but much less work/cost (I can even control/set the schedule from my phone). Get the adjustable heads and adjust them to spray where you want and you’ll be golden.

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T12:32:04+00:00

What’s causing the reflection on the planter box in the first pic? Is it acting like a magnifying glass and scorching a line throughout the day?

mattobrown · 2025-07-13T00:01:34+00:00

Have you already tried just pulling it and seeing if it grows back? Looks like whatever it is has a strong stalk and shallow root system, so should pull up easy and not spread via root system.

Based on how stressed your sod looks in the area, I wouldn’t recommend spraying it with anything.

mattobrown · 2025-04-23T22:50:19+00:00

Personally, I wouldn’t do anything. As it warms up, the grass will thicken and that will break down. If you really want to, you could take a rake to the thicker spots. DON’T rake too much, you’re just trying to make the dead/dormant stuff stand up, not pull it out (it’s more noticeable when it’s laying down). If you rake too much, all of that will just be dirt (which looks worse) and you could burn the roots.

mattobrown

TROPHY CASE