| MoogieBoogie |
Hi everyone.
This year I'm going to make my lawn green with thick grass, even if I have to take out a home equity loan to do it.
I've contacted Scotts Lawn Service and they agreed to do a scheduled treatment, but told me that I needed to have my lawn thatched before the treatment starts. So I started calling all the local landscape contractors/professionals in my area. After calling about 15 places with no answers and no return calls to my messages, I finally got in contact with one place that will take a look at my lawn tomorrow.
My property is about half an acre, but with the driveway and building, the lawn area is much less (quarter acre maybe?). Does anyone have any idea what the general costs of thatching is?
Does anyone have any experience with Scotts Lawn Service? I'm wondering how they compare with TruGreen Chemlawn and other companies in that field of expertise.
Also, not related to the lawn, but has anyone refinished their driveway with paverblocks? My driveway isn't huge, but I received a quote of $10,000 to refinish it. I'm not sure if I should get it done in pavers, or just have it refinished with asphalt. Any personal opinions based upon experience with this?
Thanks,
-Brian. |
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| laborlitigator |
In regards to the Scott's lawn service, I would suggest that you simply buy their 4 step process at your local Home Depot. I tried the service with Chemlawn a couple years ago but found it to be unnecessary since all I had to do was purchase it myself. In fact, in their estimate, they state which treatments you need to do and when. Save the money and place it somewhere else in your landscaping.
As for the pavers, I'd get at least 3 estimates before I make the decision. Good luck to you and take some pics along the way. |
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| G. COLTON |
What kind of grass do you have in New Jersey that requires dethatched? This is generally a problem with heavy running lawns such as centipede and St Augustine.
Know nothing about Scott's but the local Chem Lawn is a bunch of idiots. They keep leaving little notes on my door telling me what is wrong with my lawn and how they will treat it. The problem was that what they were saying was incorrect.
After I retired from the Air Force I purchases a Feed & Seed store. During my 18 years as a Feed &Seed owner I also sold the full line of lawn and garden products as well as agricultural products. I attended many seminars on lawn care so I became quite knowledgable in the area. Of course that knowledge is for local soils and conditions and may not apply to New Jersey
I do not know this as a fact but I suspect that many of these large lawn care companies hire minimum wage employees that have no training.
I would strongly recommend that you find a local Lawn Care person to maintain your lawn and landscape. To become more knowledgable yourself contact yourlocal state agricultural office.
Good luck.
G |
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| nightguy |
I highly recommend installing an automatic sprinkler system if you haven't already. I got mine installed 2 years ago and have absolutely loved it. No more moving sprinklers around at 9 pm being eaten by mosquitos. And the lawn looked better immediately. I only wish I would have installed it before I laid sod. My lawn's not perfect but I don't do much to it.
I have had pretty good success with the Scott's 4 (or 5) step program. I've put on some rather heavy applications and never had a problem with burnout. Follow the directions on the bag. Never fill the spreader while it's on the lawn. I use the Scott's SpeedyGreen spreader which has an easy to use on/off handle. Just make sure you get the pre-emergent crabgrass stuff on as early as possible.
I do sometimes see the Chemlawn trucks and they look to be doing pretty much the same thing as I do with the spreader. I don't see a lot of liquid being sprayed.
I think it's interesting they told you to dethatch so you'd have success with them. That's actually important to any program. But you could also core aerate and if you don't have a buildup of thatch (if you bag grass it's unlikely) then I'd probably aerate. I actually haven't done either of these but probably should this year. The key is that your grass needs water, air, and light. If you remember that, you can probably figure out what to do without the help of an expensive company.
Not sure what to tell you about pavers. I wanted to do a patio under my deck with pavers and my neighbor talked me out of it as we're in a cold, wet climate. A driveway would look great but even in warm climates they tend to shift. See what their guarantee is. My next driveway will be sealed concrete - with a snowmelt system. :) |
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| DaleB |
I've read the books, and I heard the stories. You need an experienced gardner who has been working in your area (read that as 'climate') for a long time and comes with a long list of happy customers.
I hired a gardner/landscaper to take a pile of dirt (my backyard) and make it green, right after moving into new construction.
He has given me invaluable info regarding lawn care. I know when I can boost the lawn with ammonia sulfate, when to reseed as needed, when to use the house brand of Scotts for normal fertilzing and/or weed treatment, how much water it needs, etc. etc.
After 2 years I can look at my lawn and know exactly what it needs at any given time. But if I saw YOURS, I would not have a clue. |
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| ByeByeChrysler |
no matter what you put on your lawn, the main thing for a healthy green lawn is WATER.
early in the morning before the sun comes up, put your money towards an underground sprinkler system with a timer. |
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| G. COLTON |
An automatic sprinkler system is a very good thing if you use it correctly. I have well and underground system.
An incorrect watering schedule can damage your lawn as much as not watering. I have seen far too many sprinkler companies that do not know the proper settings for the timer. Most important is not to water too often with too little water. Ideally you wound not water until you see that your lawn is telling you that it need water.
Depending upon your soil you can water on a 3, 4, , or 6 day cycle. Each time you water put down approximately 3/4 in. of water.
Even is the driest of times in my sandy soil I only water every 3rd day.
I used to have customers come into the store and ask what was wrong with their lawn. After many questions I frequently found that their problem was watering. The irrigation company had set their timer for 20 minutes every day. This frequent light watering prevents the grass from forming a good root system.
Water deep so that the water penetrates 12 inches. Water infrequently so that the roots chase the water deep.
Use a fertilizer that is formulated for your area and the type of grass that you are growing.
Your county/local agricultural extension agent can tell you what you need for your specific soil conditions, climate and type of grass.
G |
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| MoogieBoogie |
Thanks guys for the advice and suggestions.
The guy took a look at my lawn and said thatching would not be effective. I have a lot of crabgrass that needs to be removed, he needs to put on 1" layer of soil, since the soil level is low, seed mulch fertilize. Total for 10,000 square feet of lawn is about $1900. Guess this is what I'm going to do.
I really hope this works.
-Brian. |
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| laborlitigator |
quote:
Originally posted by MoogieBoogie
Thanks guys for the advice and suggestions.
The guy took a look at my lawn and said thatching would not be effective. I have a lot of crabgrass that needs to be removed, he needs to put on 1" layer of soil, since the soil level is low, seed mulch fertilize. Total for 10,000 square feet of lawn is about $1900. Guess this is what I'm going to do.
I really hope this works.
-Brian.
$1,900 for 10,000 sq feet?! I think that's too much. Having someone bring in about 10 yards of topsoil should cost your roughly $500-$600. Seeds around $100.
Do it yourself. It's not that difficult. |
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| rghouz01 |
I can't hardly believe your questions. I went thru this exact chain of events about 10 years ago. Here's what I did...
Since my yard was a total disaster, I decided to tear out my concrete drive and put in pavers. If you plan on doing this, don't worry about your plot of crabgrass just yet. Putting in a new driveway will destroy it anyway.
I did most of the work myself with a bunch of buddies from the neighborhood. It's amazing how much help you can get with free pizza and some suds.
Old drive was about 720 sq ft. To tear it out and have the new driveway roughed out with a 'dozer cost $400. New drive is about 2100 sq ft.
If you are interested, I will give you details of how I put this driveway in. It's not as hard as you might expect. Just requires some patience, a bit of sweat and a bunch of friends that owe you.
The cost was:
$ 400 Remove old driveway
80 Rent Plate compactor
50 Rent masonry saw
240 Dense grade gravel delivered
80 River sand delivered
250 PVC flexible paver border and spikes
4,725 10,500 pavers (about 5 per sq ft at $.45 a piece)
100 Pizza and beer
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5,925 Total cost
It took about 3 days to prepare the borders, spread the gravel and pack it with a lawn roller. Then I let nature settle it all for about 2 weeks with a good soaking mixed in. Use plate compactor to really pack it down good. Then, laying the sand (leveling agent) and the brick only took 2 days. The trim work and finishing out took another 2 days.
The quote to have someone do this was $12000 !!!
At the same time, I had a sprinkler system put in (which tore up the yard some more). This cost me $900.
Now for the yard...
Since it was toast, I sprayed roundup on it to kill it all off. Because my base has alot of construction debris (gravel, sand, etc), I had a truckload of topsoil brought in and I spread this about 1 or 2 inches over the entire yard. At this point, you can put down seed. I chose to use fescue sod. I can't remember the prices but seems like 3000 sq ft was about $600. Instant grass.
Since then, I have used the Scott's 4 step system myself. The key is the first treatment in the spring. Be sure to get the crab grass control laid down in Late Feb or early March. If the crab grass germinates, you'll never kill it until next year.
I have had one season where I didn't catch it and got crab grass. I pulled what I could and sprayed roundup on the rest (about 10 sq ft). When the grass and weeds were visibly stressed, I put down some grass seed and simply kept it watered. In about 3 or 4 weeks, you couldn't even tell there was a problem.
The only other problem I've had is clover. There are products out there for clover that work quite well if you're not opposed to spraying chemicals.
Lastly,
You will want to keep a spay bottle of roundup handy all during the growing season to kill the grass/weeds that pop up around your pavers.
Don't over water your lawn. Once a week, a good soaking should be plenty. If you water too much, the roots don't run deep into the soil but stay close to the surface.
Hope this helps. I've noticed that most everyone in my neighborhood has abandoned the lawn care companies and are doing it themselves. It's much more cost effective and it's a piece of cake to do.
Robin |
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| ByeByeChrysler |
quote:
Originally posted by laborlitigator
$1,900 for 10,000 sq feet?! I think that's too much. Having someone bring in about 10 yards of topsoil should cost your roughly $500-$600. Seeds around $100.
Do it yourself. It's not that difficult.
I think spreading 10 yards of top soil is back-breaking. |
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| laborlitigator |
quote:
Originally posted by ByeByeChrysler
I think spreading 10 yards of top soil is back-breaking.
Then hire a couple of guys for the day. Add another $200. Either way, he'll still save about a grand. |
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| nightguy |
A grading company with a Bobcat will do the trick. My sod company did my second final grade with 14 yards of black dirt for $200. The dirt was a little extra...don't remember how much. Either way you want a skilled person with a Bobcat because there's no way you can evenly spread 10 yards yourself in a reasonable amount of time.
Crabgrass is usually an annual weed in cold climates - it dies when winter hits. If you've got weeds now they probably aren't crabgrass unless you've had a lot of warm weather already. But do get a pre-emergent product of some kind going right away.
If you're going to be spreading dirt and seeding, I recommend sprinklers even more. You'll have a much easier time getting the cuts to heal. |
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| MoogieBoogie |
Thanks again guys.
I already signed the contract, so the lawn work is a done deal. I'm going to talk to them about how much more it would be to install sprinklers.
I've labored over this for the past few years, so I'm just calling it quits. I can't even comparison shop because none of the local landscape contractors return my phone calls. Either way, the labor is about $1000; the soil is $500, the other stuff is about $400. I realize I'm paying a premium on labor, but at this point, as long as it gets results, I'm happy.
I'm going to look into the paver driveway some more. Rghouz01, do you have any of the typical problems with paver driveways, such as weeds growing between the cracks, sand coming up during heavy rains, etc? I'm considering hiring someone to do the rip-up and laying down the gravel and base. This is of course, only if laying down pavers is as simple as doing a puzzle.
I'm surprised it only cost $900 to install the sprinkler systems. I would imagine it would be more labor intensive, since it requires plumbing work, and digging underground.
In any case, thanks again everyone.
-Brian. |
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| nightguy |
| What kind of heads are they using on the sprinkler system ? |
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| f1hondafan |
| Should have skipped the sprinkler system and planted Zoysia. It needs very little water and chokes out the weeds. |
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| crmsnidol |
quote:
Originally posted by MoogieBoogie
Thanks again guys.
I'm surprised it only cost $900 to install the sprinkler systems. I would imagine it would be more labor intensive, since it requires plumbing work, and digging underground.
If you are in South Jersey I can recommend American Lawn Irrigation in Atco. Figure on approx $2000 for a 1/4 acre 6 zone system. |
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| G. COLTON |
quote:
Originally posted by crmsnidol
If you are in South Jersey I can recommend American Lawn Irrigation in Atco. Figure on approx $2000 for a 1/4 acre 6 zone system.
You should not need 6 zones for only 1/4 acre unless you are running low water pressure.
G |
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| nightguy |
quote:
Originally posted by G. COLTON
You should not need 6 zones for only 1/4 acre unless you are running low water pressure.
G
It depends on how the yard is laid out and the type of lot --flat vs. walkout. I'm on a little less than 1/4 acre and I only have 5 zones but my neighbor has almost exactly the same layout and 6 zones. |
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| G. COLTON |
quote:
Originally posted by nightguy
It depends on how the yard is laid out and the type of lot --flat vs. walkout. I'm on a little less than 1/4 acre and I only have 5 zones but my neighbor has almost exactly the same layout and 6 zones.
What is a "walkout?" If your lot is broken into several little independent sections than it could be more efficient to add sprinkler sections. However, as I said just having 1/4 acre is not very large and shoult not recquire over 4 to give good coverage. You may be dealing with a city water system that only provides 30psi and a lot flow rate. My pump will provide 50 to 60 psi and 7 to 8 gallons per minute.
G |
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| rghouz01 |
Hey Moogieboogie,
In response to your question a week or so ago about paver driveways...
In the spring, I have to spot-spray roundup between the pavers where grass and weeds have sprung up. This takes about 20 minutes and I'm done. I may have to do it again around June to catch the stragglers that I missed in April. That's it.
I have never lost any sand from heavy rains and have not noticed any erosion problems in the 10 years I've had the brick driveway.
The biggest problem is tree roots.
Placing the bricks is just like working a puzzle. It's fun and is the easy part of the project. Your leveling agent is a 1 or 2 inch spread of sand that you screed with a 2x4. Then, gently place the bricks on the sand and snug to the border or previous paver just laid.
The whole project will settle over time so make your finished height about 1/2 inch higher than the desired finished level. You can use a plate compactor directly on the pavers after spreading sand in the cracks to speed this process. It also makes it extremely tight.
Over the years, you may have a spot or two that sinks. Simply lift up the bricks, level some sand in the spot and replace the bricks.
Hope this helps... |
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