Thanks for these videos. I live in Southern New York State and we had an extremely wet spring which went into June as well and now we're heading into the head and the lawn going into dormancy. Anyway, I neglected my lawn for about 10 years and this spring I started to take care of it again...I seeded with the Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra for sun and shade back around late April when the weather started to be steadily warm. The seed is the usual northeast mix of Kentucky Bluegrass, rye, and fescue and I used a starter fert along with it. The great thing is that the grass really started filling in and my neighbors were saying how green my lawn is and that's a great thing. I am also cutting at 3 inches but here's what I'm noticing, at 3 inches the grass in some spots seems to flop over itself and lay flat and I think it is causing shallow roots. Where there is a lot of sun, the grass is actually perfect, nice and thick but where its shady and most likely holding too much water, that's where the flopping occurs. I tried to rake it and when I did, you can see the grass come up and look tall and then looking closing its green on top and yellow on the bottom. I looked for grubs or insects and nothing, I put on some fungus control and that didn't seem to help so I'm guess shallow roots. Here's the question, even though its heading into July and the hot and humid weather is here (its been in the high 80s and low 90's the last few days) should I mow lower and will that fix the problem?
It's a tough situation. The flopping will thin out new blade growth. I personally would mow a notch lower and deal with the needing to water more. Checkout products like granular hydretain to help retain water.
@@pestandlawnginja thanks, I will mow it at 2.5 inches and get some granular hydretain to retain the water. I know they say mow at 3 inches or a touch more but I will see if cutting a touch lower is going to help. Its tough when you see all these gains and then you get those bad spots that flop over. The heat is coming so I will overseed in the fall to see if it thickens those areas up further so that next spring the grass will come is stronger.
John here like the steps you go thru to tell what's going on with the lawn learning as I go when it comes down to a super lawn many tricks of the trade.
Thanks for the problem solving step videos. This helps me more than the usual “throw down fungicide and see, throw down Fert.” I like the analytical procedure you show and go through. Now I need a soil probe and that rake you use. Need to do this on my lawn. Have any links for those products? Thanks and keep these type of videos coming.
I feel I have shallow shallow roots for my tttf. I’m in Northern California. Sandy soil with like 2 inch roots. It seems like I have a problem with the lawn debris and that keeps the moisture up top and the roots don’t grow down. Have irrigation and do a water audit every two weeks. Definitely getting over 1.5 inches a week. the roots don’t seem deep and in this heat I have a lot of heat stress. Gonna buy these tools and go through the steps and see what I come up with. Thanks again
I would love for you to come and do this same video on my lawn! I’m in Utah County. I feel like I have a lot of the same issues. My lawn has lots of potential but I think it needs that extra “umph” of care to get it there.
This is a great walk thru analysis of a lawn. I think it is probably the first I've seen on UA-cam with a start to finish walk thru with diagnosis and prognosis. Wonderful stuff! Thanks Ginja! Highly recommend more of these.
What precautions should I take when power raking in hot summer ? My lawn has this exact same issue and I pull up similar spots, if not worse in my lawn with my thatch rake
fighting fungus in my yard as well due to the rainy spring we have had...can't get disease X up here in Canada so I laid down some gypsum...thought at least that would help the soil deal with the amount of water..any other ideas?
Love the videos. I'd like to know if u can water your grass if you have fungas on your lawn? I'm not sure if it is a fungas but it seems to get thatchy in July and August. I have a huge oak tree on the sidewalk grass and I think the tree roots are taking all the nutrients away from my grass. I know its hard to determine without seeing my lawn but any feedback would be appreciated. 😉
If I use the Greenworks power rake, do you think there's any risk of damaging my pre-emergent barrier? I put down prodiamine back in the beginning of April, which has worked great so far. I have similar issues to this lawn, so I'm trying to figure out if I can get rid of the debris without causing other issues. As always, great video!
yes you will disrupt your pre emergent barrier anytime you scuff the soil surface. If you did it at the beginning of april chances are it's either wearing down or it's done. Most people apply a 60 day and not a 90 to 120 day application.
@@pestandlawnginja Most people probably know what they're doing, but I just started my recovery from a pretty bad 4 Step Program addiction. I went with the full .5 per 1000 rate not knowing any better. Thanks for the confirmation!
Good vid. Currently diagnosing my lawn which is browning out under a tree. It's not watering, so I'm thinking either soil compaction, pest, or a fungus. Midwest clay :(
Heya, Ginja! Thanks for the great vid taking us back to the diagnosing steps. I have to admit that while I use that awesome probe twice a week when I water, I got lazy about the other steps. Know when a joke turns into a "dad joke"? When the punchline becomes apparent.
I dont know of any other person on UA-cam that has created a methodical approach in diagnosing turf issues..or at least shows it on their channel. Major respect man, great content I just subscribed.
For use of bifenthrin, when is the best time of year to spray?? Is September/October too late? Assuming multiple applications is ok, spaced out of course. Any special instructions, i.e. cut lower first and spray so has better chance of getting to soil level??
bifenthrin doesn't last long in most regions. if your region gets above 85 or below 60 degrees it lasts days. within that spectrum it can last a few months. If you're doing a curative measure for grubs or turf insects you may need to consider every 2 to 4 week applications for eradication measures. be sure to read the label and follow the guidelines. I spray then immediately water it in for about 10 min.
Depends on the lawn really. The time dethatchers act more like a comb. They remove debris. If you dont scuff the soil surface you could do it whenever. It's a fun little device. I wouldn't use a flail based power rake more than once or twice a season because it's too invasive on the soil surface.
What kind of a fungicide would you use? You said it was optional, but never gave any specific fungicide recommendations. I ask because I'm pretty sure I could benefit from some fungicide, even though I am in Utah. My lawn care co suggested a broad spectrum from a nursery here in Davis County, or from IFA, but I have also seen videos suggesting Scotts DiseaseEx. What say you?
I like to use propiconazole for most of my issues. Keep in mind I stay true to the label. I recommend using a fungicide that has the targeted fungus on the label.
Hmmm...scratching my head! I thought sparse watering caused roots to remain shallow, as they’re searching for water, while more aggressive watering less frequently allowed roots to travel deeper, because more water travels deeper. What’s the straight skinny on the science? Thanks again...and another awesome video! I have a guest room if you’d like to use my yard as a project...LOL But you seem to have plenty to focus on as it is. 😜
I have this ascochyta issue as well. Problem is I dethatched twice already, few weeks ago and there is still debris left, sigh. Also a thick thatch layer is there. Lawn hasnt really recovered yet from that and is now beginning to recover. Do you think I can use the scarifier again? KBG sure needs lots of attention.
Haters gon’ hate, ginja gon’ rake. Good stuff in this one ginja. You going to oversee the pee spots or let the bluegrass fill it in? Also, suggest to the customer he get an edger, need those tight edges. But maybe he’s a buckwheat on a bad hair day kinda edge guy, who knows?
😂😂😂 Jake the rapper. Love it. The dog spots here used to be double in size. The dog has a tendency to go in the same spot over and over. The homeowner currently gives the dog distilled water and the pill if you can believe that. But yes, I scuffed the area in Hope's the edges will creep in a bit.
WE just have been using a Simple Steel Rake to remove our Debi-Dead Grass.. then Reseed, cover it with some of that Debri and water .. Like new in a Few Weeks..Special expensive Rakes? We don't Need them! We use our Extra $ saved to pay for a Better Pontoon Boat and go Fishing and swiming with our Grandkids.. We now have over 50% of our Former Lawn,,Landscaped with Bushes and shade Trees.. Don't Cost us $1,000 but we saved that in just 1 hr of not needed Landscaper service anymore
Hello. I was wondering if you could help me with an issue I’m having. I have a front yard that has full sun. About a month and a half ago I put down a slow release fertilizer with iron and my grass came in full and healthy and turned a nice dark green. Then a month later it started to lighten back up to a light green. The grass blades in parts of the grass seemed to get very thin. I should add that every year the grass blades seem to get very thin as the summer progresses. And threwout the grass I started seeing more and more dead grass blades. Not patches. Just 1 in about ever 3 or 5 was a dead blade. We had a couple weeks where it was non stop rain and the grass got very tall before I could get out to mow it. Work was very busy at the time also. I was cutting it once a week when I should have cut it every other day. It was growing fairly fast. When I finally got out to cut it I was taking off 2 to 3 inches. Which I know is hard on the grass. But life just got to busy. Would the tall grass and the stress of cutting it so high be causing my problem of the dead blades? I still can’t figure out why the blades seemed to go from thick to thin. We got plenty of rain so it shouldn’t be from drought. I wanted to have a nice green thick lawn. But now I have all the dead blades everywhere. Do you know if my problem is fixable? Thank you.
so.... I would start by looking at your watering habits. I would do a water output test and see if you're hitting the recommended amount of water per week. Call your local agricultural department extensions to find out how many inches per week you need.
I've been watching your videos pretty religiously as I am getting ready to start a new lawn. Problem is I live on the big island of Hawaii where it can rain pretty frequently one week, then be blazing hot the following week. I was pretty set on starting a bermuda hybrid bermuda lawn but now I'm reconsidering. Any suggestions?? I cant decide what grass type to go with!
I LOVE THE BIG ISLAND!!!! Beach 69 is my spot. Be awesome to get back out there on the lawns. Thanks for watching. Check out ntep.org . I think you're right for being very picky on the type of grass. There are so many varieties to choose from. So with that in mind I suggest two things. Decide if color is better or overall health. Second decide if you care how heat or cool sensitive it can become. I would also recommend you call barenbrug and ask them there opinion as well. Ultimately go with the one that best suits your needs.
Niceeee! That whole side of the island is just lined with nice beaches, not as crowded as oahu beaches too! Thanks for the suggestion, I'll study the ntep site for the comparisons. I'm pretty set on bermuda but dont know which variety to go with. What's the typical bermuda you see here or do you have any suggestions? Thanks!!
really depends on how you look at it. If you purchase the correct cord ie. 14 gauge 50ft or 12 gauge 100ft the motor will last a long while. The tines won't. I'm going to do a followup video about this. but you can always replace the tines. Eventually the scarifier will wear down. IMO it will be a long while. I'm sure if you called sun Joe they have replacements for sale. It's a solid investment for what you get out of it.
@@pestandlawnginja I'm probably wrong, but i think rap freak was inquiring about the frequency of use on your lawn. Can you dethatch and scarify your lawn too much? I was going to ask the same question. Great video!!
@@pestandlawnginja Thanks for the feedback. I have the greenlawn version and if I run it too long the motor will overheat and trip the device - nice that it protects itself. My original question was asking more about from the perspective of lawn health - is it possible to use it too frequently. At my old house I used my "dethatcher" in the fall and spring and I never noticed any negative impacts but that lawn was 15 years old and not well cared for before I owned it. My new house was sodded less than 2 years ago so it's not established super well.
@rap freak it is true you can over do it. I wouldn't scarify more than twice, spring and fall unless you're fixing an area. The dethatcher can be used as many times as you want assuming you're not scuffing the soil. If you leave the soil alone there isn't much of an impact.
Being In Utah? Surprised you don't show by example of having so Shade Trees stratedically in your Yard.. 1 for East shade, 2 for South and 3rd for shade for the West sun.. We did that after our 5th year and made a world of difference-all of our shade trees are Hydranga-Pee Gees and a Crab-apple with beautifull bloom colors..
I really wish you can come to my lawn and tell me what's going on with my lawn. This is the first year I deal with my lawn. I've been through almost all your videos and still have a lot of questions. One particularly annoying problem is that after killing all the crabgrass on the edge of the lawn with quinclorac, having tilted the soil and planted new seeds, the new grass grew find in the beginning but then some of those newly grown grass turn brown and die. It's 64F to 84F in my area and I haven't changed my watering schedule.
If you are in the south east and haven’t seeded yet slightly adjust watering. I’ve found sometimes shaking things up slightly won’t hurt. But if you decide to go that route keep a very close eye on it
Yes that happens and it can be very frustrating. usually fungal related to too much water as zachary is saying. Making mistakes and trying again is all part of the process. sounds like you're on the right track.
I had a tech from a national company tell my client she had a fungus and after talking to said client she told me she hadn't watered in 5 days. Total lack of water lol I'm there weekly and knew she hadn't watered. Tech tried saying it was because I'm probably not bagging and spreading the fungus. 🤣🤣
It's a little of All of the Above. I haven't done the proper certifications necessary to be a sprinkler specialist. I can do the small things like adjust the heads. It's outside our lane and business model so we refer it out.
Ginja ninja I’ve got problems! Front lawn was looking good most of the summer, noticed some spots were shorter and not growing as much as rest but never thought much of it. Now those same spots died off were pale yellow and kinda moldy looking. Put the thatch on it and it literally pulled right out! Did a grab test by hand it pulled it soo easily and looked like it had no roots. What’s wrong with my lawn!
Great to hear you're going through the steps. So do the water saturation test. It's going to come down to too much water, or too little water as the primary issue. Secondary issues are fungus and bugs. Just need to narrow it down. If its slimy or moldy fungus. If it was or is bugs you'll find evidence
Pest and Lawn Ginja I was unable to do water test, but I always hand water the lawn so I’m sure I put it down evenly. When I pulled the grass up the soil underneath was very wet. And I would find slime or mold underneath the ripped grass or the dead grass itself would be? Thanks!
Pest and Lawn Ginja I found a weird looking worm, small was curled up and had what looked like 4 front legs. Put it on the concrete and when I squirmed away it left a goey trail! Anyway I could share a pic of it?
Would it have been better to have been mowing with a grass catcher attachment? It seems that everyone is no longer bagging grass clippings, but it seems to make a lot of sense to bag it and keep the dead grass and litter to a minimum, rather than to have to go back and use a de-thatcher, which is a lot of extra work, time and effort.
From what the home owner told me the company they hire uses one. This is years of buildup. Pretty common when people don't do a spring or fall cleanup.
From watching all these lawn channels, mulching is the way to go but many are doing it wrong. The clippings need to be small enough to be processed by the lawn, so you're either going to need to invest in a higher end mulch mower or you're going to have to mow more often with a regular mower to keep the clippings small. The average home depot mower (like I bought) that has mulching blades but just a "mulch flap door" can't properly mulch longer grass, I've been mowing 6-8 times a month and my trash thatch has been lot better. Pulled a ton of dead grass out with the SunJoe previously, great buy.
Speaking of Bluegrass, you don’t happen to know of any product that’s not $280+ (pylex) that will kill Buffalo grass in Bluegrass do you? I have a beautiful new Midnight bluegrass lawn and now that it’s hot, the buffalo grass is coming back with a vengeance.
I’ve read in a University of Nebraska study that 2-4-D and Dicamba can stunt or temporarily damage Buffalo, maybe that will give BG time to catch up? Or we can find about 5 other people to share the cost of Pylex with. 😉
Listen to you and we have to hire several "Specialist" to take care of our Lawns for a 300k home and a $1k lawn.. We let Let the wealthy , who can afford those kinds of costs with their Much Bigger yards( 5-10k sq ft or more) while we Poorer People can do most of all this on ur own or as many are wising up and Landscaping their Yards and reducing their Lawns and have alot more Time to spend with Family and Friends on the Golf Course and Lake... and we even go Camping More now too.
Thanks for watching today's video. Check out the description to see the products I used today. If you're looking for the best treatments for your lawn, check out my favorite products:
Fertilizer
🛒 Propeat Fertilizer
(Home Depot): tinyurl.com/vfmrs480
Yard Equipment
🛒 Sun Joe Scarifier and dethatcher (REQUIRES 12Gaugae Extension Cord)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2MPTHQG
🛒 12gauge 100ft extension cord
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2MQ7hn3
🛒 Thatch Rake
Amazon (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/rimz6luc
🛒 Spyker hand held spreader
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/3jAMP6V
🛒 Levelawn
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/31Ry6e9
🛒 Rain Gauge 10 pack
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/3dWEoQU
🛒 Thermometer (Taylor digital thermometer)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/30fvZ7v
🛒 FlowZone Typhoon 2V
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/3rH6ncR
DoMyOwn (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/423najqv
🛒 FlowZone Storm Backpack Sprayer
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/3aTOeSt
DoMyOwn (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/53g8qmog
🛒 Solo Handheld Sprayer 2 Gallon w/ fan nozzle
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2O2ApHy
Herbicides for Cool Season Grass
🛒 Speedzone (For hard to kill weeds)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2UkBVpC
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/y3emhy5a
🛒 T-Zone Herbicide (For hard to do weeds)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2ZWLy3L
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/y4tqhy3o
🛒 Tenacity (Crabgrass and annual grass control)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2L9xzP0
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/y2go983a
🛒 Non-ionic Surfactant (to be purchased with Tenacity)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2LduNIk
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/y653upkf
🛒 Methylated Seed Oil Duo Stick (Purchase with quinclorac products like drive xlr8)
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/yxt5q2zo
🛒 Drive XLR8 Quinclorac (annual grass killer / crabgrass killer)
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/48b8jssy
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2ZWZI4N
🛒 Quinclorac 1.5L (annual grass killer / crabgrass killer)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/31ywx53
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/m48nud7m
Herbicides Warm Season grass types (READ LABEL FOR GRASS TYPE / WEED TARGET)
🛒 Weed Free Zone (general weed killer)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/3aPRdeB
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/4tlraqeq
🛒 Dismiss NXT (annual grass killer)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/3qbtBaB
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/10xoaovn
🛒 Certainty (annual grass killer/crabgrass killer)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/3d0Lt4c
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/14o52u3i
Bug Sprays
🛒 Demand CS (Great to control most pests inside and out)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2muP9Ue
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/v133017a
🛒 Transport mikron (Great for ant control and general pest)
Amazon (PAID LINK): amzn.to/2ntfDW8
Domyown (PAID LINK): tinyurl.com/2de4vs6f
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links marked as “PAID LINK” are affiliated.
Thanks for these videos. I live in Southern New York State and we had an extremely wet spring which went into June as well and now we're heading into the head and the lawn going into dormancy. Anyway, I neglected my lawn for about 10 years and this spring I started to take care of it again...I seeded with the Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra for sun and shade back around late April when the weather started to be steadily warm. The seed is the usual northeast mix of Kentucky Bluegrass, rye, and fescue and I used a starter fert along with it. The great thing is that the grass really started filling in and my neighbors were saying how green my lawn is and that's a great thing. I am also cutting at 3 inches but here's what I'm noticing, at 3 inches the grass in some spots seems to flop over itself and lay flat and I think it is causing shallow roots. Where there is a lot of sun, the grass is actually perfect, nice and thick but where its shady and most likely holding too much water, that's where the flopping occurs. I tried to rake it and when I did, you can see the grass come up and look tall and then looking closing its green on top and yellow on the bottom. I looked for grubs or insects and nothing, I put on some fungus control and that didn't seem to help so I'm guess shallow roots. Here's the question, even though its heading into July and the hot and humid weather is here (its been in the high 80s and low 90's the last few days) should I mow lower and will that fix the problem?
It's a tough situation. The flopping will thin out new blade growth. I personally would mow a notch lower and deal with the needing to water more.
Checkout products like granular hydretain to help retain water.
@@pestandlawnginja thanks, I will mow it at 2.5 inches and get some granular hydretain to retain the water. I know they say mow at 3 inches or a touch more but I will see if cutting a touch lower is going to help. Its tough when you see all these gains and then you get those bad spots that flop over. The heat is coming so I will overseed in the fall to see if it thickens those areas up further so that next spring the grass will come is stronger.
You can always try to track down some silica to get those blades to stand tall. Help harden the grass blades and retain water.
Good job. Your five step systematic approach makes finding and correcting the problem spot on. Love your videos !! Thanks
Thanks trapper Wayne! Glad it's helping
You are a lawn care master!
Thanks!!!
John here like the steps you go thru to tell what's going on with the lawn learning as I go when it comes down to a super lawn many tricks of the trade.
Right on! Thanks for watching. appreciate the feedback
Great video, enjoyed it. Would be interesting to see you do a a total revamp of a lawn from spraying it all to reseeding.
Great feedback! Thank you
Thanks for the problem solving step videos. This helps me more than the usual “throw down fungicide and see, throw down Fert.” I like the analytical procedure you show and go through. Now I need a soil probe and that rake you use. Need to do this on my lawn. Have any links for those products? Thanks and keep these type of videos coming.
Thanks Joe! All links are in the description of the video
I feel I have shallow shallow roots for my tttf. I’m in Northern California. Sandy soil with like 2 inch roots. It seems like I have a problem with the lawn debris and that keeps the moisture up top and the roots don’t grow down. Have irrigation and do a water audit every two weeks. Definitely getting over 1.5 inches a week. the roots don’t seem deep and in this heat I have a lot of heat stress. Gonna buy these tools and go through the steps and see what I come up with. Thanks again
You're welcome Joe. Shallow roots for tttf is super odd. Especially in sand.
Hey Soil Probe Jesus!
That was an interesting yard!
Great video, as always.
Thanks Wayne 😂
Awesome videos and great way to evaluate instead of going bonkers,or stressed out
Putting sense back into the non sense.
Great video Mr. Ginja!
Thanks glenna!
For a job well-done Ginja....I am giving you an A+++ and two High Five...great video chock full of information once again !!!
Thanks Denis!!!
Love them funky tunes in the beginning and end of the video. Keep em coming brotha ✌️😎
Thanks Jack 🎉😂🎉
Many thanks for teaching these diagnostics! Very helpful...
You're welcome Gordon
First Aussie 😁 Process of deduction my dear Watson, 😎👍🏼👍🏼
Lol cool!
I would love for you to come and do this same video on my lawn! I’m in Utah County. I feel like I have a lot of the same issues. My lawn has lots of potential but I think it needs that extra “umph” of care to get it there.
Hey Grifff!!! watch and learn 😉 . If you give up call All Green to schedule a lawn assessment 801.477.1289
This is a great walk thru analysis of a lawn. I think it is probably the first I've seen on UA-cam with a start to finish walk thru with diagnosis and prognosis. Wonderful stuff! Thanks Ginja! Highly recommend more of these.
Thanks Jonathan. Checkout my playlist series "what's wrong with my lawn"
You're awesome dude! Thank you for all your help!
Anytime!!!!
You are the best!!!! Thank you for all the info. Happy 4th of July!!!!
Thanks Ali!
Any examples of a great lawn? Like what we're trying to achieve and what was done to get it? Love your vids dude!!!
That is a fantastic question. It's all in the eye of the beholder. Golf courses carry the highest standard imo.
What precautions should I take when power raking in hot summer ? My lawn has this exact same issue and I pull up similar spots, if not worse in my lawn with my thatch rake
Just be sure to dial in the watering and hit it with a good post power rake recovery service.
Clean it up then throw down and grow it out bag clippings ...Nice job Ginja
Thanks Darren!
Great Video!! I Love Learning more and more
Thanks for watching!
fighting fungus in my yard as well due to the rainy spring we have had...can't get disease X up here in Canada so I laid down some gypsum...thought at least that would help the soil deal with the amount of water..any other ideas?
Email humagro. They sell a product called promax and it's an organic oil base as the active ingredient.
Love the videos. I'd like to know if u can water your grass if you have fungas on your lawn? I'm not sure if it is a fungas but it seems to get thatchy in July and August. I have a huge oak tree on the sidewalk grass and I think the tree roots are taking all the nutrients away from my grass. I know its hard to determine without seeing my lawn but any feedback would be appreciated. 😉
I'd start off doing my 5 step diagnostics approach and get some hard info.
I just ordered a lawn probe from the home depot. I'll get back to you. after I do your five step diagnostic approach. Thanks.
ok sounds good
If I use the Greenworks power rake, do you think there's any risk of damaging my pre-emergent barrier? I put down prodiamine back in the beginning of April, which has worked great so far. I have similar issues to this lawn, so I'm trying to figure out if I can get rid of the debris without causing other issues.
As always, great video!
yes you will disrupt your pre emergent barrier anytime you scuff the soil surface. If you did it at the beginning of april chances are it's either wearing down or it's done. Most people apply a 60 day and not a 90 to 120 day application.
@@pestandlawnginja Most people probably know what they're doing, but I just started my recovery from a pretty bad 4 Step Program addiction. I went with the full .5 per 1000 rate not knowing any better. Thanks for the confirmation!
@@michaelturck8410 sure thing. I'm not familiar with the product but rumor has it it's a 60 day rate.
Moving on forward with this particular lawn would you recommend to the owner to bag the grass clippings when mowing from time to time?
well...... Here's my 2c. If they will mow multiple times per week they can mulch. but if they're not willing to do that they should mulch.
Pest and Lawn Ginja what? You said mulch both times lol
Good vid. Currently diagnosing my lawn which is browning out under a tree. It's not watering, so I'm thinking either soil compaction, pest, or a fungus. Midwest clay :(
Sounds like you're close to finding the primary issue! Keep going!
Heya, Ginja!
Thanks for the great vid taking us back to the diagnosing steps. I have to admit that while I use that awesome probe twice a week when I water, I got lazy about the other steps.
Know when a joke turns into a "dad joke"? When the punchline becomes apparent.
👊😂 love the joke bro.
Can’t get enough tips and input
Just bought a house here in Manitoba, Canada and the lawn ginja has been chopping his ways into my brain
👊😂
Good video!
Thank you!
I dont know of any other person on UA-cam that has created a methodical approach in diagnosing turf issues..or at least shows it on their channel. Major respect man, great content I just subscribed.
Thanks for noticing. Appreciate the support.
It’s true
Super info 👍
Thanks for commenting!
Will mulching cause the debris cause those debris are kinda big compared to what mine looks like?
Yes. Great observation. Commonly the debris is improper mulching.
For use of bifenthrin, when is the best time of year to spray?? Is September/October too late? Assuming multiple applications is ok, spaced out of course. Any special instructions, i.e. cut lower first and spray so has better chance of getting to soil level??
bifenthrin doesn't last long in most regions. if your region gets above 85 or below 60 degrees it lasts days. within that spectrum it can last a few months. If you're doing a curative measure for grubs or turf insects you may need to consider every 2 to 4 week applications for eradication measures. be sure to read the label and follow the guidelines. I spray then immediately water it in for about 10 min.
Great info! Thanks!
Thanks for watching jay!
How often should one use a dethatcher? Is there ever a need to do it multiple times a year?
Depends on the lawn really. The time dethatchers act more like a comb. They remove debris. If you dont scuff the soil surface you could do it whenever. It's a fun little device. I wouldn't use a flail based power rake more than once or twice a season because it's too invasive on the soil surface.
Can you use herbicide after applying seeds to shady spots?
I wouldn't. Too much salt and it will damage the new roots. I wait for 90 days or longer.
What kind of a fungicide would you use? You said it was optional, but never gave any specific fungicide recommendations. I ask because I'm pretty sure I could benefit from some fungicide, even though I am in Utah. My lawn care co suggested a broad spectrum from a nursery here in Davis County, or from IFA, but I have also seen videos suggesting Scotts DiseaseEx. What say you?
I like to use propiconazole for most of my issues. Keep in mind I stay true to the label. I recommend using a fungicide that has the targeted fungus on the label.
Hmmm...scratching my head! I thought sparse watering caused roots to remain shallow, as they’re searching for water, while more aggressive watering less frequently allowed roots to travel deeper, because more water travels deeper. What’s the straight skinny on the science? Thanks again...and another awesome video! I have a guest room if you’d like to use my yard as a project...LOL But you seem to have plenty to focus on as it is. 😜
Hey Danny! You're on the right track. Shallow watering can cause rooting issues. In this case the shade was the culprit.
Overwatering depletes the soil from oxygen, causing the roots to stay at the surface.
@@ren7sp25 great comment
I have this ascochyta issue as well. Problem is I dethatched twice already, few weeks ago and there is still debris left, sigh. Also a thick thatch layer is there. Lawn hasnt really recovered yet from that and is now beginning to recover. Do you think I can use the scarifier again? KBG sure needs lots of attention.
If i were in your position I would hit it with some fertilizer and let it recover for as few more weeks then hit it again.
@@pestandlawnginja i am going to do exactly that. This type of grass together with very sandy soil, in full sun... It's not a good mix 😶
crazy! sandy soil and still getting fungus like that. i'm sorry that's frustrating.
Haters gon’ hate, ginja gon’ rake. Good stuff in this one ginja. You going to oversee the pee spots or let the bluegrass fill it in?
Also, suggest to the customer he get an edger, need those tight edges. But maybe he’s a buckwheat on a bad hair day kinda edge guy, who knows?
😂😂😂 Jake the rapper. Love it.
The dog spots here used to be double in size. The dog has a tendency to go in the same spot over and over. The homeowner currently gives the dog distilled water and the pill if you can believe that. But yes, I scuffed the area in Hope's the edges will creep in a bit.
WE just have been using a Simple Steel Rake to remove our Debi-Dead Grass.. then Reseed, cover it with some of that Debri and water .. Like new in a Few Weeks..Special expensive Rakes? We don't Need them! We use our Extra $ saved to pay for a Better Pontoon Boat and go Fishing and swiming with our Grandkids.. We now have over 50% of our Former Lawn,,Landscaped with Bushes and shade Trees.. Don't Cost us $1,000 but we saved that in just 1 hr of not needed Landscaper service anymore
😂 that special rake was $30 and cheaper on Amazon.
Hello. I was wondering if you could help me with an issue I’m having. I have a front yard that has full sun. About a month and a half ago I put down a slow release fertilizer with iron and my grass came in full and healthy and turned a nice dark green. Then a month later it started to lighten back up to a light green. The grass blades in parts of the grass seemed to get very thin. I should add that every year the grass blades seem to get very thin as the summer progresses. And threwout the grass I started seeing more and more dead grass blades. Not patches. Just 1 in about ever 3 or 5 was a dead blade. We had a couple weeks where it was non stop rain and the grass got very tall before I could get out to mow it. Work was very busy at the time also. I was cutting it once a week when I should have cut it every other day. It was growing fairly fast. When I finally got out to cut it I was taking off 2 to 3 inches. Which I know is hard on the grass. But life just got to busy. Would the tall grass and the stress of cutting it so high be causing my problem of the dead blades? I still can’t figure out why the blades seemed to go from thick to thin. We got plenty of rain so it shouldn’t be from drought.
I wanted to have a nice green thick lawn. But now I have all the dead blades everywhere. Do you know if my problem is fixable? Thank you.
so.... I would start by looking at your watering habits. I would do a water output test and see if you're hitting the recommended amount of water per week. Call your local agricultural department extensions to find out how many inches per week you need.
I've been watching your videos pretty religiously as I am getting ready to start a new lawn. Problem is I live on the big island of Hawaii where it can rain pretty frequently one week, then be blazing hot the following week. I was pretty set on starting a bermuda hybrid bermuda lawn but now I'm reconsidering. Any suggestions?? I cant decide what grass type to go with!
I LOVE THE BIG ISLAND!!!! Beach 69 is my spot. Be awesome to get back out there on the lawns. Thanks for watching. Check out ntep.org . I think you're right for being very picky on the type of grass. There are so many varieties to choose from. So with that in mind I suggest two things. Decide if color is better or overall health. Second decide if you care how heat or cool sensitive it can become. I would also recommend you call barenbrug and ask them there opinion as well. Ultimately go with the one that best suits your needs.
Niceeee! That whole side of the island is just lined with nice beaches, not as crowded as oahu beaches too!
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll study the ntep site for the comparisons. I'm pretty set on bermuda but dont know which variety to go with. What's the typical bermuda you see here or do you have any suggestions? Thanks!!
Pan am by barenbrug is good. Barenbrug isn't commonly known for dark colors though
I have zoysia and dethatching pulls up the aggressive runners. Any ideas ?
Try using a flail based Thatcher like a power rake.
Can you overuse the sun joe dethatcher? What about the scarifier portion?
really depends on how you look at it. If you purchase the correct cord ie. 14 gauge 50ft or 12 gauge 100ft the motor will last a long while. The tines won't. I'm going to do a followup video about this. but you can always replace the tines. Eventually the scarifier will wear down. IMO it will be a long while. I'm sure if you called sun Joe they have replacements for sale. It's a solid investment for what you get out of it.
@@pestandlawnginja I'm probably wrong, but i think rap freak was inquiring about the frequency of use on your lawn. Can you dethatch and scarify your lawn too much? I was going to ask the same question. Great video!!
@@pestandlawnginja Thanks for the feedback. I have the greenlawn version and if I run it too long the motor will overheat and trip the device - nice that it protects itself.
My original question was asking more about from the perspective of lawn health - is it possible to use it too frequently. At my old house I used my "dethatcher" in the fall and spring and I never noticed any negative impacts but that lawn was 15 years old and not well cared for before I owned it. My new house was sodded less than 2 years ago so it's not established super well.
@@brucesaurer7534 ahh... thank you. I didn't understand
@rap freak it is true you can over do it. I wouldn't scarify more than twice, spring and fall unless you're fixing an area. The dethatcher can be used as many times as you want assuming you're not scuffing the soil. If you leave the soil alone there isn't much of an impact.
That lawn got it's Ascochyta kicked!
😂😂😂 too good!
Being In Utah? Surprised you don't show by example of having so Shade Trees stratedically in your Yard.. 1 for East shade, 2 for South and 3rd for shade for the West sun.. We did that after our 5th year and made a world of difference-all of our shade trees are Hydranga-Pee Gees and a Crab-apple with beautifull bloom colors..
Great feedback
I really wish you can come to my lawn and tell me what's going on with my lawn. This is the first year I deal with my lawn. I've been through almost all your videos and still have a lot of questions.
One particularly annoying problem is that after killing all the crabgrass on the edge of the lawn with quinclorac, having tilted the soil and planted new seeds, the new grass grew find in the beginning but then some of those newly grown grass turn brown and die. It's 64F to 84F in my area and I haven't changed my watering schedule.
If you are in the south east and haven’t seeded yet slightly adjust watering. I’ve found sometimes shaking things up slightly won’t hurt. But if you decide to go that route keep a very close eye on it
Yes that happens and it can be very frustrating. usually fungal related to too much water as zachary is saying. Making mistakes and trying again is all part of the process. sounds like you're on the right track.
I had a tech from a national company tell my client she had a fungus and after talking to said client she told me she hadn't watered in 5 days. Total lack of water lol I'm there weekly and knew she hadn't watered. Tech tried saying it was because I'm probably not bagging and spreading the fungus. 🤣🤣
😂😂😂🤦♂️ happens when people dont apply all the steps. It's easy to look and assume
@@pestandlawnginja do you recommend bagging the clipping or not...? +? -?
@@Kupermanishaii depends on if they're mulching properly or not
Why is it you often call for a water sprinkler specialist? Outside your wheelhouse or too busy with pests and lawns?
It's a little of All of the Above. I haven't done the proper certifications necessary to be a sprinkler specialist. I can do the small things like adjust the heads. It's outside our lane and business model so we refer it out.
Ginja ninja I’ve got problems! Front lawn was looking good most of the summer, noticed some spots were shorter and not growing as much as rest but never thought much of it. Now those same spots died off were pale yellow and kinda moldy looking. Put the thatch on it and it literally pulled right out! Did a grab test by hand it pulled it soo easily and looked like it had no roots. What’s wrong with my lawn!
Great to hear you're going through the steps. So do the water saturation test. It's going to come down to too much water, or too little water as the primary issue. Secondary issues are fungus and bugs. Just need to narrow it down. If its slimy or moldy fungus. If it was or is bugs you'll find evidence
Pest and Lawn Ginja I was unable to do water test, but I always hand water the lawn so I’m sure I put it down evenly. When I pulled the grass up the soil underneath was very wet. And I would find slime or mold underneath the ripped grass or the dead grass itself would be? Thanks!
Pest and Lawn Ginja I found a weird looking worm, small was curled up and had what looked like 4 front legs. Put it on the concrete and when I squirmed away it left a goey trail! Anyway I could share a pic of it?
Pest and Lawn Ginja just googled grub worm and compared it to my little critter, def the same thing!
Facebook is best for pics
So what is the cause for all the junk in the lawn? Is it improper mowing? Dull blades or something else?
Its many factors that range from improper watering, poor mowing schedule, improper mulching, winter die out, to natural occurence over the years
Did I see mildew on the fence? The same conditions that promote mildew can promote fungus.
very true
Would it have been better to have been mowing with a grass catcher attachment? It seems that everyone is no longer bagging grass clippings, but it seems to make a lot of sense to bag it and keep the dead grass and litter to a minimum, rather than to have to go back and use a de-thatcher, which is a lot of extra work, time and effort.
From what the home owner told me the company they hire uses one. This is years of buildup. Pretty common when people don't do a spring or fall cleanup.
@@pestandlawnginja Thanks
@@YOUGOTIT210 you're welcome
From watching all these lawn channels, mulching is the way to go but many are doing it wrong. The clippings need to be small enough to be processed by the lawn, so you're either going to need to invest in a higher end mulch mower or you're going to have to mow more often with a regular mower to keep the clippings small. The average home depot mower (like I bought) that has mulching blades but just a "mulch flap door" can't properly mulch longer grass, I've been mowing 6-8 times a month and my trash thatch has been lot better. Pulled a ton of dead grass out with the SunJoe previously, great buy.
@@Pills161 amen
Hey man,. I see a lot of regular black crickets. Do they harm my Bermuda grass
not super common from my experience
What can I buy from Home Depot for sod webworms? 🤔
Triazicide for lawns
Pest and Lawn Ginja thank you! Another informative video as always! 🤗
You're welcome tammy
Speaking of Bluegrass, you don’t happen to know of any product that’s not $280+ (pylex) that will kill Buffalo grass in Bluegrass do you?
I have a beautiful new Midnight bluegrass lawn and now that it’s hot, the buffalo grass is coming back with a vengeance.
Ugh..... NO!!! I've been searching high and low for this exact issue. Pylex is ridiculous in price
I’ve read in a University of Nebraska study that 2-4-D and Dicamba can stunt or temporarily damage Buffalo, maybe that will give BG time to catch up? Or we can find about 5 other people to share the cost of Pylex with. 😉
Aaaarrgh first the red thread, now this!
Lots of #lawnproblems out there.
@@pestandlawnginja and I'm collecting them all 😎. I need to dethatch.
Love it!
Listen to you and we have to hire several "Specialist" to take care of our Lawns for a 300k home and a $1k lawn.. We let Let the wealthy , who can afford those kinds of costs with their Much Bigger yards( 5-10k sq ft or more) while we Poorer People can do most of all this on ur own or as many are wising up and Landscaping their Yards and reducing their Lawns and have alot more Time to spend with Family and Friends on the Golf Course and Lake... and we even go Camping More now too.
Listen to me and you will be the specialist
Yo😎👊
Morning!
u r indeed thé Ginja
Yes!
wished I had half of the knowledge u have
And you will. Keep watching
then am watching and waiting