Anyone have a green thumb?

[blondemoment123]

H and I are looking at a house that we love, but the yard needs a lot of work. I'm in a hot and humid climate if that makes a difference. Any suggestions on how to fix this yard?

[sapphire bou]

I don't have a green thumb, but if you're looking for a quick solution, sod it. If you have patience and don't mind working on it, you could probably seed it for cheaper. Ask your local nursery (or hire a landscape company) for suggestions on the best grass for your region. And add some flowers to that spot at the corner of the house where those grass bunches are. 

[darkling_glory]

I agree with sapphire. You're not in a drought area, right? Sod would be your best bet.

[blondemoment123]

Thanks! I have a call into my landscaper to see if he can help me out if we move forward (plus he's nice to look at lol!) but I'd rather save money and do it myself.

[darkling_glory]

Mar 3, 2015 18:06:03 GMT -5 blondemoment123 said:

Thanks! I have a call into my landscaper to see if he can help me out if we move forward (plus he's nice to look at lol!) but I'd rather save money and do it myself.

It's not hard. Most hardware stores sell sod come spring time! Good luck!

[honeydew1894]

I will say that growing grass is HARD! We had to replant a small area when we had our water converted to public water, and 3 years later, you can still see some bald patches. Some companies will do that hydro seeding, but i believe the seeds only last for a year.

[glw]

A layer of good topsoil and then sod-- growing grass from seeds is hard!

[jennynumbers]

I would use a sturdy rake and get up all the debris and loosen the dirt up a bit. If the dirt is very compacted you may need to rent an aerator. It will poke tiny holes all through the soil allowing air, nutrients and water pass through and alleviates the soil compaction. After that you want to over-seed, water and fertilize. We did this when we bought out house because our lawn was also in very bad condition.

[alabasterangel]

And yank out all the pine looking crap.

[blondemoment123]

Mar 5, 2015 9:29:43 GMT -5 alabasterangel said:

And yank out all the pine looking crap.

Totally. The yard makes me sad, but it seems fixable so that's a plus.

[treedimensional]

Mar 3, 2015 16:37:42 GMT -5 blondemoment123 said:

H and I are looking at a house that we love, but the yard needs a lot of work. I'm in a hot and humid climate if that makes a difference. Any suggestions on how to fix this yard?

The climate does make a big difference.

From this picture, I think this tree has issues. There appear to be girdling roots at the base. This tree should have a health and risk evaluation.

Aside from that, I agree that you need major landscape work, but it should NOT be grass-based. No landscape should EVER be grass-based, unless it's a golf course. You need more plants. They should come in a variety of sizes and species and should provide lots of food for native pollinators. You need canopy, understory, and groundcover. The lawn area shoud be small, and well-defined, as turf grass is a very high maintenance groundcover.

Decompaction does not require an aerator. A 3" mulch layer, kept evenly moist, will have a very significant positive impact on soil quality in just 2 years. The decompaction will be done by earthworms, fungi, and soil-dwelling insects, you just need to create good conditions for them to do the job (and DON'T kill them, they don't hurt plants).

Hire someone QUALIFIED (well educated), NOT the cheapest guy with the cheapest plants.

[blondemoment123]

Mar 10, 2015 7:34:19 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

Mar 3, 2015 16:37:42 GMT -5 blondemoment123 said:

H and I are looking at a house that we love, but the yard needs a lot of work. I'm in a hot and humid climate if that makes a difference. Any suggestions on how to fix this yard?

The climate does make a big difference.

From this picture, I think this tree has issues. There appear to be girdling roots at the base. This tree should have a health and risk evaluation.

Aside from that, I agree that you need major landscape work, but it should NOT be grass-based. No landscape should EVER be grass-based, unless it's a golf course. You need more plants. They should come in a variety of sizes and species and should provide lots of food for native pollinators. You need canopy, understory, and groundcover. The lawn area shoud be small, and well-defined, as turf grass is a very high maintenance groundcover.

Decompaction does not require an aerator. A 3" mulch layer, kept evenly moist, will have a very significant positive impact on soil quality in just 2 years. The decompaction will be done by earthworms, fungi, and soil-dwelling insects, you just need to create good conditions for them to do the job (and DON'T kill them, they don't hurt plants).

Hire someone QUALIFIED (well educated), NOT the cheapest guy with the cheapest plants.

This is awesome information, thank you!