LSU Topdressing Publication www.lsuagcenter.com/articles/connected/layering-in-soils Soil pH, sunlight, moisture and temperature meter on Amazon amzn.to/3XJvO03 Yard sand leveler. If you are leveling on a large area this is an option. www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZMXK6YL/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_dl_PYGT2K271TP5CSAYS05W?linkCode=ml2&tag=gregphil22-20 I am an Amazon affiliate. Pd ads.
Definitely needed this video right about now. I am about 4-5 days behind you and need to do this to a few areas. Just found your channel a few weeks ago. I have learned a lot!
Is it okay to level low spots in the lawn with sand if you have red clay soil (in New Jersey)? Or will it just further compact the soil in those areas?
Hello good job I need to get a ph meter and get soil tested at Texas coop extension before my over seeding. Question can I put my old rake grass onto of new grass send this is the first time I heard of that cheaper than peat moss.
As a mulch you can, but if you are looking for a soil amendment wound go with the peat moss. Will say the Scott's soil I used in the video was a good product and only $3 bucks a bag at my local wal mart.
how do you get prodiamine out of your lawn? i put it down in march and still can't seed. obviously my season over as its too late. what should i do for next time?
You would have to use an extremely high rate for prodiamine to be around that long. Did you happen to also use a post emergent herbicide? Also, it's been warm this last summer. Likely have well into October before you are too late to seed. Just so soil is above 60 degrees you should be fine.
@@GregPhillips.22 I never do measurements so yeah i probably used to much. i also did put down a joanthan green post emergent weed preventer. it says wait 2 months but its been much longer than that. i do agree though that you can seed well into October. I've seeded in November with success. Sucks that i lost most of this season tho
I got the Scotts product I used in the video from was mart. As far as sand I looked at different particle sizes of sand in comparison the USGA specifications for greens mix years ago. I found that many "play sand" products are within those particle specifications. I would not go with a masonry sand or a sand with a fine particle size. Those can set up and lead to a complication issue.
I have not heard that one. May be a "rule of thumb" kind of thing. There are so many b variables with soil properties it's hard to come up with a universal recommendation.
@GregPhillips.22 That makes sense. Maybe I'll experiment on a small scale and find out using some plastic cups. Maybe see what has the best drainage and water retention.
Hi Greg, I’m in central NY, I’ve got a patch of grass that’s 8ft. By 8ft. Approx where it has turned yellowish. Is this an indication of low nitrogen or something else? It seems to happen every fall in the same area.
I doubt it is low nitrogen. Is there a tree near by? Could be the feeder roots taking water from the grass. Decent possibility it's a soil issue. Preventing the roots developing then. It shows up during the dry hot stress of late summer.
@@GregPhillips.22 the area is located about 25ft. From a wood line. Hickory nut trees and maple trees. The lawn is mostly shaded this time of year , only morning sun, plus the soil mostly clay. I’ve checked the ph and it is 6-6.5.
I mentioned this in my video of finding problems with your yard. Likely that grass is in the "drip line" of the tree. What is going on is...the dirpline is at the outermost leaves of the tree. That is where the feeder roots are for the tree. During dry summer months the tree absorbs the water from the soil and the grass looses that battle in most soil types. I actually pruned roots with a ditch witch along the perimeter of the green where I had tree roots enter the green's soil. That is something you could do in that specific area. You can not prune more than 1/3 of the roots of the tree though so keep that in mind. A less invasive and cost effective option is to amend the soil in that area to a depth of 4 to 6 inches with organic matter to try to get the water holding capacity of the soil up. Make is a more ideal soil for the grass in that specific area. In summers when you are getting dry hand the area to help it make it through the summer.
I have an expensive ph/moisture meter I bought. The past few times it was used it shows my ph is good, but looking at my lawn it can’t be true. My soil has big cracks in it from being so dry, lots of bare spots, and I keep fighting off weeds. Last year I actually sent my soil to state college and their results said my soil was good too. I just can’t figure out why my lawn is struggling so bad. Maybe it’s just from lack of water.
It is. Depending on the type of soil some have a shrink/swell potential. The cracks appear when it is dry and shrinks. I am getting the first rain today in over 20 days. Ifs been a brutal late summer.
I have the same meter and it has been useless the PH ranges from 6.5-7.0 I have soil tests done they averaged a PH of 5.2-5.4. The meter does best when the soil is wet it is easier to put in the ground and the meter measures conductivity of the hydrogen in the soil
I have been happy with mine so far. I have it in solids as low as 5 that I later tested and it was close. It's why I advocated to get a soil test just to check and have a recommendation on lime/sulphur needs.
LSU Topdressing Publication
www.lsuagcenter.com/articles/connected/layering-in-soils
Soil pH, sunlight, moisture and temperature meter on Amazon
amzn.to/3XJvO03
Yard sand leveler. If you are leveling on a large area this is an option.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZMXK6YL/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_dl_PYGT2K271TP5CSAYS05W?linkCode=ml2&tag=gregphil22-20
I am an Amazon affiliate. Pd ads.
very very informative! Thank you. I'm a big follower of your videos now!
Thanks. Glad I can help!
Definitely needed this video right about now. I am about 4-5 days behind you and need to do this to a few areas. Just found your channel a few weeks ago. I have learned a lot!
Thanks! Hopefully get some rain this week!!
Looks great!
Going to get some rain in the Mid Atlantic this week!
FINALLY!!! it's been really frustrating!
What are your thoughts on compost top dressing when seeding?
You need to mix it into the soil so it does not form a layer on the soil surface. Blend it with the existing soil 2 to 4 inches deep.
Is it okay to level low spots in the lawn with sand if you have red clay soil (in New Jersey)? Or will it just further compact the soil in those areas?
If you do not mix it with the native soil you will be fine. Mix/blend organic matter. Sand is a top coat.
Hello good job I need to get a ph meter and get soil tested at Texas coop extension before my over seeding. Question can I put my old rake grass onto of new grass send this is the first time I heard of that cheaper than peat moss.
As a mulch you can, but if you are looking for a soil amendment wound go with the peat moss. Will say the Scott's soil I used in the video was a good product and only $3 bucks a bag at my local wal mart.
Good stuff, I’ve been looking for one of these. What’s your thoughts on seeds to get??
Have a seed video. 😀 Go over species, and give recommendations. ua-cam.com/video/f8eDZDvYBhQ/v-deo.htmlsi=COZQKEVgaNMl2p9d
how do you get prodiamine out of your lawn? i put it down in march and still can't seed. obviously my season over as its too late. what should i do for next time?
You would have to use an extremely high rate for prodiamine to be around that long. Did you happen to also use a post emergent herbicide? Also, it's been warm this last summer. Likely have well into October before you are too late to seed. Just so soil is above 60 degrees you should be fine.
@@GregPhillips.22 I never do measurements so yeah i probably used to much. i also did put down a joanthan green post emergent weed preventer. it says wait 2 months but its been much longer than that. i do agree though that you can seed well into October. I've seeded in November with success. Sucks that i lost most of this season tho
What sand would you recommend for spot top dressing if you were to go to a big box store?
I got the Scotts product I used in the video from was mart. As far as sand I looked at different particle sizes of sand in comparison the USGA specifications for greens mix years ago. I found that many "play sand" products are within those particle specifications. I would not go with a masonry sand or a sand with a fine particle size. Those can set up and lead to a complication issue.
Thank you.@@GregPhillips.22
Thanks 👍🏽
Appreciate the feedback!
I heard that the ideal soil makeup for grass to thrive is 2 parts topsoil to 1 part sand. Is this correct?
I have not heard that one. May be a "rule of thumb" kind of thing. There are so many b variables with soil properties it's hard to come up with a universal recommendation.
@GregPhillips.22 That makes sense. Maybe I'll experiment on a small scale and find out using some plastic cups. Maybe see what has the best drainage and water retention.
Hi Greg, I’m in central NY, I’ve got a patch of grass that’s 8ft. By 8ft. Approx where it has turned yellowish. Is this an indication of low nitrogen or something else? It seems to happen every fall in the same area.
I doubt it is low nitrogen. Is there a tree near by? Could be the feeder roots taking water from the grass. Decent possibility it's a soil issue. Preventing the roots developing then. It shows up during the dry hot stress of late summer.
@@GregPhillips.22 the area is located about 25ft. From a wood line. Hickory nut trees and maple trees. The lawn is mostly shaded this time of year , only morning sun, plus the soil mostly clay. I’ve checked the ph and it is 6-6.5.
I mentioned this in my video of finding problems with your yard. Likely that grass is in the "drip line" of the tree. What is going on is...the dirpline is at the outermost leaves of the tree. That is where the feeder roots are for the tree. During dry summer months the tree absorbs the water from the soil and the grass looses that battle in most soil types. I actually pruned roots with a ditch witch along the perimeter of the green where I had tree roots enter the green's soil. That is something you could do in that specific area. You can not prune more than 1/3 of the roots of the tree though so keep that in mind. A less invasive and cost effective option is to amend the soil in that area to a depth of 4 to 6 inches with organic matter to try to get the water holding capacity of the soil up. Make is a more ideal soil for the grass in that specific area. In summers when you are getting dry hand the area to help it make it through the summer.
I have an expensive ph/moisture meter I bought. The past few times it was used it shows my ph is good, but looking at my lawn it can’t be true. My soil has big cracks in it from being so dry, lots of bare spots, and I keep fighting off weeds. Last year I actually sent my soil to state college and their results said my soil was good too. I just can’t figure out why my lawn is struggling so bad. Maybe it’s just from lack of water.
It is. Depending on the type of soil some have a shrink/swell potential. The cracks appear when it is dry and shrinks. I am getting the first rain today in over 20 days. Ifs been a brutal late summer.
I have the same meter and it has been useless the PH ranges from 6.5-7.0 I have soil tests done they averaged a PH of 5.2-5.4. The meter does best when the soil is wet it is easier to put in the ground and the meter measures conductivity of the hydrogen in the soil
I have been happy with mine so far. I have it in solids as low as 5 that I later tested and it was close. It's why I advocated to get a soil test just to check and have a recommendation on lime/sulphur needs.