Fixing my lawn - Best Attachment

[Roxburyeric]

I have about a half acre of lawn that needs some help. There is current a mix of grass and weeds and not enough top soil. I currently have a Kioti CK20HST with loader and backhoe. I am trying to determine if I can fix the lawn and if so what attachment/method would be best. I was thinking a tiller could be used to till the yard and then replant new grass seed, while also adding in more top soil. Will a tiller chew up the current grass enough leaving a smooth soil base or will there be grass/root chunks everywhere? Also thought of just spreading alot of top soil on top and replanting the grass. I did this is another section and it worked ok but alot of hand raking was needed after spreading with the loader bucket. Maybe do it this way but get a landscape rake to spread the new top soil and rake it out? Any other thoughts or ideas. I can hire someone to do it, but I thought I could use the money to buy a new attachment (toy) instead. Help? Thanks in advance. Eric

 

[jenkinsph]

You might start by getting a good soil analysis to determine what is needed to grow a nice lawn. If you have rocks beneath the surface you may be better off spreading topsoil instead of tilling. I do till most of the lawns I rework and add amendments so that this is all mixed in. A chain harrow pulled behind your tractor should help smooth up your lawn area and feel it will do a better job than the more costly landscape rake. When adding top soil I typically back up dribbling out the dirt as evenly as I can then will pull forward again and back drag the dirt smooth. I also use landplane grader blades to smooth up lawn areas with very good results.

 

[furnone]

you may want to look at the "Super Turf Renovator" at D.H. Marvin in Colchester, CT. http://www.dhmarvin.com/dh-marvin-rentals.html. it rents for $160 for the 1st. day, and $120/day thereafter. I was going to rent it last fall, but they said my JD 2210 was too small to pull it. perhaps your Kioto will do it.

I top dressed and filled some low spots with topsoil and used a small overseeder, making two passes one lengthwise and one across. I fertilized with a starter fertilizer and with a fall blend fertilizer 3 weeks later. My lawn is still green! As soon as the Forsythias begin to bloom, I'll apply a pre-emergent weed & feed.

Fall is the best time to seed as the new grass doesn't have to compete with weeds and you can't apply weed killer for at least 4weeks after seeding or you kill the new grass.

 

[Roxburyeric]

Thanks for the advice. I will be getting the soil test done and will add what is needed. I looked at Chain Harows at Everything Attachments and the prices seem crazy high for what your are getting. Almost the same as a rake??? Looking at those rentals the tiller is the same rate, so wondering if that might be better?

 

[furnone]

Thanks for the advice. I will be getting the soil test done and will add what is needed. I looked at Chain Harows at Everything Attachments and the prices seem crazy high for what your are getting. Almost the same as a rake??? Looking at those rentals the tiller is the same rate, so wondering if that might be better?

I think of tilling as starting from scratch, only if the present lawn is unsalvageable. I think I would try the chain harrow and some added topsoil if the turf renovator is not adequate. I think Tractor Supply had a 4x4 harrow for around $200, I almost bought one but decided that it would tear up the lawn more than I wanted. I went with the overseeder which worked well, but was a backbreaker for a 69 year old like myself ( I did my neighbor's 1/2 acre yard also).

 

[Gary Fowler]

If your yard is as you say, full of weeds and some grass, I think a tiller would be the ticket. A tiller will tear up any thatch that is there quite well. It may require more than one pass, but you can add topsoil, lime, fertilizer etc and then till it all in to mix it well. The back gate on the tiller can be left down so it drags the dirt smooth.
Reseeding afterward then dragging a tined type drag over it to lightly cover the seeds might be required. Depending on the size of the yard, a light rake by hand may be all that is needed.

 

[tractchores]

I did this on a big section of scrubby brush and then also redid a section of grass. I tilled the scrub section after spraying it with roundup to kill the weeds. I then smoothed it out with a lawn roller and rake then seeded and it came back great, thick grass and level. It probably would have done better if I put loam with compost to add to the top soil (without compost it usually has weed seeds in it).

The other sections I did with spreading loam with the FEL over an existing grass / weed lawn. That only did so/so as the new soil and old soil were not well mixed and water did not go uniformly through both. I think the right way to do it is to probably spread the top soil with compost, then till it to mix it together with the top 6" of existing soil and then level it with a rake or FEL. If you can rent one a Harley rake will do the tilling, leveling and rock removal all at once and save a lot of labor.

 

[jenkinsph]

Knowing whether you have a lot of rocks near the surface would help us make the best suggestions. If the rocks are not a big issue then tilling and mixing in the right amendments can really help. If you can till it deep enough it does make it easier to wind up with a smooth lawn since you can move the dirt around as needed.

Tilling and smoothing with a landplane grader blade, harrowing and broadcasting the seed worked well for me in my lawn project.

 

[Rustywreck]

I would start the process by killing everything growing on the section you want to plant. I'm not a big fan of weed killers, but tilling alone won't get rid of the weeds and grasses, at least that has been my experience.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would start the process by killing everything growing on the section you want to plant. I'm not a big fan of weed killers, but tilling alone won't get rid of the weeds and grasses, at least that has been my experience.

The problem with this approach is that weedkiller only kills the growing weeds and not the seeds. THis is the same thing tilling does. Without some sort of pre-emergence application that prevents the weed seed from germinating, you will do the same thing by tilling only. Starting with dead vegetation will make it till up easier, but just making a few more passes with the tiller will accomplish the same thing as applying expensive weed killer

 

[Sportsman762]

I would start off by using a pre emergent / fertilizer in the early spring,after a week of 50 degree soil temperature this will kill the crab grass. Then in mid spring I would spray a broad leaf herbicide on the lawn to kill any weeds that had popped up. Two weeks later I would top dress the lawn with a compost mix. Advice For Top Dressing Lawns This will add organic material to your lawn. After this I would core aerate the lawn. Try to get at least 2-3" of penetration. A rented walk behind aerator will do a better job than a cheap one from a store. After aeration overseed the lawn. I would then top dress later that year. This is a routine I would use for a couple of years. You never have barren ground that could wash away.
Here is an attachment I used in a previous job to aerate and overseen lawns. It works great where people have walked over a lawn to the point of severe compaction. We had it on the back of a Kubota BX 1st Products Seed-A-VatorFirst Products

The other option is to do a major renovation. Spray the entire lawn with round up then wait 2 weeks. Make sure that everything is good and dead. It is critical to eliminate anything that might compete with the new seeds you will plant in the future. If you fail to kill everything then you are just fertilizing weeds. The waiting period is to make sure the roundup is gone and that everything is dead. Bring in compost and add a 1" layer then till everything up down at least 4" below original grade. Then drag the soil and plant grass. Make sure you cover the soil with straw to prevent erosion. Do not use hay as it will introduce weeds.

There is no single attachment that will get the lawn to look great. A good looking lawn is the result of hard work. A tiller or an overseeder will help make the job easier.

 

[tractchores]

The problem with this approach is that weedkiller only kills the growing weeds and not the seeds. THis is the same thing tilling does. Without some sort of pre-emergence application that prevents the weed seed from germinating, you will do the same thing by tilling only. Starting with dead vegetation will make it till up easier, but just making a few more passes with the tiller will accomplish the same thing as applying expensive weed killer

Depending where you are if you do it in the fall you can end up pretty weed free, you want to time it just before weeds drop seeds in the fall. Here i did the spraying in late august and the work in mid sept. then the grass was established before winter and able to outcompete any surviving weeds the next spring. That section is still amazingly weed free after 5 years.

 

[Roxburyeric]

Thanks for all the advice. It gives me alot to think about as the cold winter in CT continues. We do have many rocks in our soils here in CT. I don't plan on doing the major work until the fall as I have had too many issues with water, weeds and heat when trying to plant in the spring. My other big problem is my well. It is not good enough to do any major watering. I can water for only about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes before I really worry about running the well dry. It recovers, but only at 1/2 gallon per minute. I have 600 feet of well for reserve. Thanks Eric