Adding organic material to the lawn

[OKRuss]

@Deer Slayer this guy probably knows!

 

[jakeman]

^^ what he said. My lawn is also mostly Bermuda, though the soil is sandy loam. It’s too big of a yard to fuss with, so I just leave it be. The funny thing is, my neighbor has some kind of grass growing that looks a lot like fescue, but it’s out in the sun, and it’s starting to spread to my yard. I don’t mind, as it looks better than the Bermuda, but I need to ask him what it is that can survive the brutal summers in OK without any watering.

It might be Buffalo grass. Lot of people have yards of that. If you don’t mind the little white flowers it makes a pretty nice yard. I have some in my pasture and there is a small spot of it in my yard.

 

[Perplexed]

It might be Buffalo grass. Lot of people have yards of that. If you don’t mind the little white flowers it makes a pretty nice yard. I have some in my pasture and there is a small spot of it in my yard.

I looked up the various grasses that can survive in OK; I actually think it might be Zoysia. His lawn looks closer to that than Buffalo grass.

 

[HillsideDesolate]

A farmer told me one time that a good hard freeze will aerate the soil.

Yea when we get that hard freeze where ice crystals are sticking out of the soil, that's natures aeration. And worms

 

[HillsideDesolate]

Obligatory song explaining soil health around urbanized areas

 

[Forgalspop]

Average and add compost. If you wanna go all the way overseed with dutch white clover

Lawns lead to poor soil structure, more so when "maintained" using herbacides, chemical fertilizer etc. Nature does not exist in a vacuume. Prior to the 50s grass seed contained clover seed for nitrogen fixing, weed suppression and soil structure. It was removed so they could sell you a weed killer, a fertilizer and a lawn service employing illegal immigrants.

I have an area we refer to as the back field that I never tended to much (about 1 acre). This area got infested with sand burrs so I sprayed everything with MSMA that kills sand burrs and weeds, but does not kill Bermuda grass. I then pretty much vacuumed the area, then borrowed my neighbors tractor with a tiller and tilled the whole area.

I planted one section with Bermuda mixed with Dutch White Clover and it is doing great. I am getting ready to do another section with rye grass and Bermuda. Next year I am going to planted the remaining areas with a mix of Bermuda, Buffalo Grass, Clover and Blue Grama.

I have spread Dutch White Clover in our yard where the Bermuda had got thin and died out. These areas came back. Clover is a nitrogen fixing legume that improves the soil in many ways.

As the other poster noted, Dutch White Clover chokes out weeds.

 

[Forgalspop]

More on the subject of Dutch White Clover:

I grew up in Northeast Kansas and almost every yard was a mix of grass and clover. I don't recall anyone ever having their yard sprayed with chemicals or fertilizing.

Our yard when I was a kid, had been at one time been the old homestead of a German farmer who had planted grape vines, peach trees, apple trees, cherry trees, raspberries, asparagus, rhubarb, etc. etc. I would imagine they had bee hives at one time. The clover attracted the honey bees that pollinated all the fruit trees, etc. We had lots of honey bees in our yard and us kids got stung a few times. It only hurt for short while.

If you like bees............plant clover in your yard..........the bees will find it.

 

[Gunbuffer]

Shallow graves is my preferred method.

Those tranny hookers ain’t just gonna bury themselves

 

[HiredHand]

You can run a plug aerator over the lawn, the plugs that come out should be at least 2 inches long. Adding an inch of fine compost over the lawn can also help. Increased mowing height will also help. Should improve your soil drainage.

 

[Bocephus123]

It ain't fast, it's a multi-year deal, but using milorganite fertilizer will create a bumper crop of earthworms which will aerate and putting some organic top dressing as has been mentioned each year will eventually work its way into the soil and create a good bed. It takes time but you can grow about anything after a few years of that practice.

Milorganite is some the best fertilizer out there used to sell it.