Jon's Home Blog » Fill

Lawn Watch 2009 – First Scott’s PatchMaster Update

JonC — Mon, 25 May 2009 21:18:03 +0000

A couple of days ago we posted pictures of the lawn where we had done the Scott’s PatchMaster patch mix over some new topsoil we put down when we were trying to level a large low spot in the lawn. There was no grass to be seen, but I said it would pop up any day now.

Well we went out today and and behold there are now grass chutes popping up all over the place in that area. Within a week it should be looking pretty green and grassy as long as it is kept wet. The area has been getting water twice a day, but it could probably use it at least 3 times a day, I’m just always running short on time in the mornings. So even with less than perfect attention, it’s sprouting! Check out the photos. I’ll continue updating as things progress. Total time from Scotts PatchMaster mix to sprouting was ~7.5 days.

If you’re looking for Scott’s PatchMaster information please see all my PatchMaster Related Posts

Leveling the Uneven Yard

JonC — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:45:37 +0000

I spent some time preparing the other (left) side yard for more leveling out. When I say leveling I just mean I’m trying to get the humps and dips out of the terrain that make it difficult to mow and maintain. The sunken areas also tend to pool water and just don’t look appealing in general. In these yards around the house the average dips have been around 3-6 feet in diameter and anywhere from a few inches to almost a foot deep in extreme cases.

The yard itself continues to maintain it’s overall terrain following shape due to the fact the house sits on a blue stone ridge, and short of borrowing an excavator for a week, it will not become flat. Although that IS a project for another year or two down the road! If you look at the panorama photo a post down you will see the whole wooded area on the left which we want to excavate and push into the valley behind the house. This will result in a flatter yard, at the first floor level of the house all around the house with the bonus of using the removed material to build up a nice slope into the valley area behind the house. Currently if you stand on the hill which is RIGHT BEHIND the house, you’re standing at a second story height.

I’ve also been adding soil and raising/smoothing the yard in areas where large veins or pieces of bluestone from the bluestone ridge are poking up through the surface just a little. Removal, at this time, is not possible without an excavator or backhoe.

Some of the prep for leveling out the area was using some of the remaining 5 cubic yards of topsoil I had delivered for filling in one hole. I also went out and laid down some weed and feed since that side of the yard is covered in clover, broad leaf weeds and other things that don’t belong in a lawn. I figured I might as well disfigure the ‘decent’ look of the lawn now, rather than just letting it grow wild, it will give me a better idea of the turf areas we may want to save, and other areas which are so engulfed in weeds they’re better off mowed short and covered in topsoil if needed.

From past experience ( a couple of weeks ago ), I decided to put the top soil down and then give it a little time and a few rain showers to settle. If settles back into the shape of the original dip/sunken area, we’ll add more topsoil and let it settle again before finally planting the grass. We may hold off until September to plant any seed in that area as we’re quickly approaching June, July and August, the hot months for us in the NE US.

Leveling the Yard a Bit

JonC — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:39:52 +0000

In the back yard there were some HUGE dips and sags in the soil which made the area look like a small association of rolling hills. Additionally the blue stone which the property sits on was poking up through certain areas. This last weekend I ordered 5 cubic yards of topsoil and we filled in the holes quite a bit and planted new grass for that area. We tried something different with this area, getting seed germinating mats made out of some kind of wood fiber. We’re going to see how those work out for their intended purpose. The mats are biodegradable so you don’t have to rake them out of the lawn, and the stakes are also biodegradable.

Here’s the view from ‘street side’ look back into the back yard.

New topsoil on the back yard areas that had huge huge dips in them.

Here’s a view of the same area looking from the barn towards the planter.

Shot from the back yard by the barn to the planter.

Here’s how it looks with the mat installed.

Back yard fill with seed germination mat