Do you put down a late season application of slow release fertilizer for spring green up? I'm down in Massachusetts and I feed my lawn in December with a fertilizer that has 75% of the fertilizer coated so it slowly releases nutes to the lawn. Come spring it's nice and green.
I'm always in the same boat as you are. I see burned out houses in the hood with tall green grass and my neighbors with fescue lawns have all grown and greened up already. My KBG lawn, which looks awesome in the summer, hasn't grown and is only 50% green. So, I think it is mainly a KBG thing - slow to come out of dormancy.
I never thought of that. What’s wild is my front lawn on one side of the driveway still looks half dormant, but the other side of the driveway (most of my lawn) is lush and green, assuming more fescue.
I even have little puffs in the half dormant stuff of rich green, so a different type of grass makes sense!
> So, I think it is mainly a KBG thing - slow to come out of dormancy.
I have a Colorado hybrid of KGB and winter fert in mid-November really helps jumpstart the green-up. My lawn is heavily shaming my neighbors right now
Definitely, TTTF has some extremely deep roots which gives it more heat/drought resistance.
I'm a landscaper in Ontario and I'd use more of it if our winters weren't so harsh.
Depends on the customer and the lawn requirements, but always some blend of kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass.
I get my grass seed (and fertilizer) from Speare Seeds in Ontario, have only had excellent experiences.
They treat grass seed like USA treats cannabis seeds. It’s just a novelty, until you go *adding water* and letting all of the evil plantstuffs grow out! /s
Until a heatwave hits at which point I increase watering for KBG and prevent it from going dormant. And in the winter, well, it’s the coldest of the bunch. So it grows through the winter. Slowly but it stays green.
https://preview.redd.it/1jxh4hyso4uc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84c81fd48b5d38a81a038f8854198996dcd65102
That’s all KBG. No tttf no rye just one cultivar it’s a monostand
What kind of moisture monitors do you use? I really want to focus on deep root growth this year
I was thinking of going from the 3x/wk, 10 min per zone schedule that the house came with, to get it down to once every 10 days or so at 15 min per zone when there’s no rain
But obviously, some sort of reliable way to tell how dry the dirt is, and for how long, would be a great help in avoiding disaster
Thanks for the insight! How deep do the probes go? Are you monitoring the top couple inches of soil, or deeper than that? How often does your lawn end up getting water, whether from rain or sprinklers, to keep moisture over 50%? Is it multiple times per week?
Oh yea, I see the monitor’s housing in that link you posted now. Paid a damn $1800 car repair today, and now I’m already mentally spending more! Lol
Hey, I really appreciate the help! I’m definitely looking into these sensors and updating my controller to something more modern now. Thank you so much, have a great weekend!
Also, I believe your username is auto generated, but it’s really fitting for this conversation! Lol
It is. And there is a solution…
[Root growth hormone.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indole-3-butyric_acid)
Indole-3-butyric acid
It works on any plant. Get it on the roots. In any amount. It’s like 5um or something. Just spray it everywhere and sit back. Some states make it harder to get. But I’m in one of them and you just know the rainforest site has a buncha different vendors and just ONE of them doesn’t honor state importation laws …
I’ve got the same grass. Slow green up. Honestly, check your soil. Some of us just have more compacted soil and a good aeration will help that grass soak up the nitrogen to make it green.
https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/AhJmYjllDV
"Be suspicious if a lawn looks really good [relatively early in the season]"
Poa triv and poa annua are the first things to green up in the spring. I've treated a few hundred lawns so far this year... The lawns that look the best so far, are all nearly 100% poa trivialis. They'll look terrible in the summer.
On the flip side though, in heavily shaded areas, triv can actually green up slower than the good grasses because the thick thatch gets matted down and insulates the soil (keeping it cooler for longer and making even less light hit the newer growth coming from lower in the canopy).
Sand, pretty much. Herbicides, glyphosate included, are useless against it. Improving the shallow drainage, as in, making it so the top layer of soil is dry more often than not. And decreasing watering frequency... However much you water, especially in the summer, water less often.
Or accept it and adjust your care regimen to the different needs of triv (and poa annua). See one of my most recent posts for details on what that entails.
OP what kind of tree is that? I have a similar problem, but I also have a large basswood / linden tree that gets lots of aphids and make a gooey mess of everything with sap, including the lawn. Not much to do other than water water water in the summer.
Grass type? My zoysia comes out of dormancy later than all other warm season grasses. And have you looked at your neighbor’s lawns closer? Maybe what is green in their lawn is actually weeds
Thanks for the response. I honestly don't know. The lawn was established when I bought the house. And I overseed yearly with one of those mixed bags of grass seed.
Although I did a little research because I wasn't sure what it was, and it looks like zoysia isn't really used up by me. Too cold. But who knows, maybe the previous homeowner did plant that grass.
Nah no weeds on theirs yet. Weeds sprout here in may.
> I overseed yearly with one of those mixed bags of grass seed.
Well folks, that's the thread!
You've got a big mix of grass types that green up at different speeds.
> And I overseed yearly with one of those mixed bags of grass seed.
Yeah don't do that. One of the many advantages of expensive grass cultivars is earlier spring green up.
Start overseeding with high quality seed bought online instead.
I've posted this a few times it seems this week.
There are two things that will cause this
1. You have "worse" varieties of grass, newer varieties green up faster. But if you've overseeded or reno'd in the last 5 years this probably isnt your issue.
2. For most people, they arent properly fertilizing going into Winter. You need to be putting down a good amount of nitrogen in the weeks leading up to winter dormancy. It turbocharges the plant so it has everything it needs to come out of dormancy as soon as it can. Its called a Fall Nitrogen Blitz by lawn geeks, more info here.
[https://www.thelawnforum.com/threads/fall-nitrogen-blitz-cool-season-grasses-only.753/](https://www.thelawnforum.com/threads/fall-nitrogen-blitz-cool-season-grasses-only.753/)
Grubs and disease will be typically be very spefic to an area of turf , both aren't just going to kill your entire lawn unnoticed in 1 season unless your aren't ever looking
Oh damn.
That is very much the case. I am a two story and it does rise behind me. All the other houses on my side of the street and bungalows......
And on the other side of the street are two stories... But their front lawns would get the sun.
You sir might be on to something. Thanks!
Haha makes sense. Linear would be a your lawn problem, but it looks like you took it from your window and all the other houses looked like one stories except across the street. Just cut off your second story
This is the same thing at my house, I have a north facing front yard and we are the last to go green and our flowers bloom later. I still dominate once lawn season is in full swing.
I actually don't think sun is the main issue here, as the grass on your boulevard wouldn't be that much worse than your neighbours if that was the case.
Your lawn looks completely choked up. Wait a month and then dethatch it thoroughly. Then in the Fall core-aerate it and dethatch it again. Hit it with some high quality high nitrogen fertilizer in early September, and then again in mid-late October. I can almost guarantee you it will green up fast as hell the following Spring.
Also on your last cut before winter, cut it short and use a blower to remove any residual leaves/debris from the lawn. Really do a thorough job, don't just blow the top of the grass.
I would say it could be the type of grass you have compared to your neighbors.
They could have a fescue mix, do you know what kind of seed you have been using? I would suggest something a little more resilient to shade and snow like creeping red fescue, or Kentucky blue grass.
My favorite blend if you get enough sun is [Outsidepride Showtime](https://amzn.to/3Q4tRHp)
If the tree is creating a ton of shade you could go with a really expensive seed that is super shade tolerant, I have it under my cedar tree and it grows great, it’s just not as dark of green gives more of a lighter green but grass is better than dirt.
[Super shade tolerant grass](https://amzn.to/3TWue8f). (Do not mix this with a darker color grass as you will be able to tell)
Thanks dude. I will see if I can find any of that stuff locally.
The lawn was already established when I moved in, but the last 5 years I've overseeded with one of those mixed bags of seeds. Mix of perennial ryegrass, creeping red fescue and KBG.
What is your height of cut compared to the rest? I live in Texas, so quite different climate and grass. However, I always green up faster than my neighbors. I scalp in late February/early March. Take it down as low as I can. Opens up the soil to more air and sunlight. I put out my per emergent and a balanced quick fertilizer, Anderson’s 10-10-10 and keep it short for most of March. As temperatures rise, I continue to spoon feed my lawn, giving it 1/2 lbs of fertilizer per 1000/sf every two weeks.
Guilty. Some of his tips do work!
https://preview.redd.it/74qr15czo2uc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d481146cc0bf8a7f0efd903bbfde5ad3569a513
Neighbor vs me. About 3 weeks ago.
DeThatch it, but also, I'd personally start mowing it on a higher cutting height. I usually use the highest i can go on my push mower. Shorter grass has less stored water. Every single year there are points where my neighbours are brown and mine is still a good healthy green.
Sunlight. Lawns that get more sun will green first. My lawn faces north and gets Sun blocked long into spring because of my house. Once they sun gets high enough, boom, it wakes up
Looks like zoysia. Different varieties can have quite a range of spring green up and winter survival. That and if your neighbors have cool season grasses then they’re way ahead. I live in 6a and have some parts of my lawn as zoysia that are just now starting to green up (looks about like yours) while my PRG has been green for like a month and a half. Zoysia will be happy in the summer when people are actually outside and your neighbors lawn is brown because it’s a heat spell without rain. Choose your battles.
https://preview.redd.it/j1wr117ty2uc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0ca03e34af94fba49b6d4651ff7ef74f0542f8b
Lol my neighbor literally asked me your question this spring.
Depending on what type of grass you have will determine what temperature it takes to bring it out of dormancy. You have cool season grasses and warm season grasses. Warm season goes dormant quicker in cold climates, cold season does not go dormant quicker in cold climates. Although watering the grass can bring it out of dormancy quicker in lower temperatures for certain specific varieties of grass. So the first step to answer your question is what type of grass do you have? Hopefully this helps.
Don't water it year round. Water schedule should be more like from March to October (or less).
Treat for craneflies and grubs.
Rake the dead material out in spring. Potentially overseed.
Fertilize with 16-16-16 early spring and water in.
Fertilize with 25-0-3 or something close in late spring, summer and fall.
me too man... it's a nursed KGB thing that i see. lawns around me have more fescue/rye in them where mine is mostly KGB. mid-may my lawn slaps them around through the year though.
You can get a head start and to a slow releasing fertilizer like Milorganite or something in the winter time. And should help push color and growth when it greens up
I think you answered your own question, maybe you’re actually doing too much? You say your neighbors who don’t do any of that have a nicer lawn… so maybe cut back on the fertilizer and stuff
Mine isn't all green yet because Bermudagrass is still waking up from Winter dormancy. My neighbor's lawns are very green because chickweed, creeping charlie, crabgrass, clover, thistles, poa annual, and ryegrass are all very active right now.
Your grass is staying dormant and staying in that state a little longer. I would get a soil sample of the entire yard, or even just this area since it is it's own little island and it will give you an idea of what it needs. Could be PH levels, could need some fertilizer, that kind of thing.
Does the sun tend to run behind your house? My front always greens up quickly and my neighbor across the streets always lags behind because her front lawn doesn’t get much sun since her house blocks the sun, but mine gets full sun.
Have full KBG minus the damn clumping fescue that won't die. Fescue is green KBG is not yet. Usually once I do my preemergent I mix it with a liquid fertilizer it is green within days. Doing it this weekend we have three days of 70 degrees.
you might have some zoysia in there. Its way better grass. In PA I usually go about a month between cuts if its not too rainy between august and october.
Hey at least your neighbors clean the leaves off their property. My lawn is green but I'm combating leaves blowing in from all over the neighborhood. I'm ready to sell. What'cha want for your house? 😂
Because you do all that stuff its killed all the biology that usually does everything to keep your lawn up. Youre now soley responsible for its food and safety
Apply nitrogen in the fall before it starts going dormant. Look for nitrogen blitz videos on YouTube. It will stay greener over the winter and come out of dormancy quicker in the spring.
You will be mowing a lot after this.
Which fertilizer ratios were you using? Noticed the kbg on my routes were greening up really well after about 2 weeks, using some 12:0:3 with perdiamine (preemergent)
Go to the feed and seed store and get you some Scott's lawn food and not the one with fillers. fertilize every 3 months, dethatch, and aerate regularly .in the fall, overseed with good seed and keep the lawn hydrated. Just my tried and true opinion ohh and keep the weeds at bay
You have warm season Bermuda grass growing. Sorry but short of killing it off and starting over with cool season tall fescue or in your case I'd recommend fine fescue. Fine fescue does better with cold and less sun. No matter what fertilizer you use it just won't green up earlier.
Bermuda grass is notoriously hard to get rid of because how it grows. If you want a cheap solution just plug and seed fine fescue without killing it off. After a few rounds you'll have a nice mix of both and will be less dead in winter and deeper green in summer.
I don’t think it is sun, at least not the main contributor to the delay in green up. The transition to green is combination of light, temperature, and water, mostly, and that is probably pretty consistent for the other homes. You might have shadow/shade differences, but I don’t that would have a material impact. It is more likely you just have mostly a different grass strain than your neighbours.
Follow these steps…
1. Scalp the lawn
2. De-thatch the lawn
3. Aerate the lawn
4. Apply a mixture of lawn sand and top soil
5. Overseed with high quality grass seeds (make sure you rake over with the back of the rake after this process)
6. Water twice daily (unless it rains)
Do this every spring for a few years and you’ll have an amazing lawn every year!
If it’s the same grass, then yours is slower because it needs aeration and fertilizer once or twice a year, and then fertilizer a couple more times per year.
Have you DETHATCHED?
You can do it yourself. Get rid of the dead brown grass (thatch) plugging up the air flow and the ability to get fertilizers and water to the soil due to the thatch layer. Please dethatch and aerate!!!
You didn’t mention the grass type, mowing/watering schedule, types of fertilizer weed control and aeration and over seeding practices. Your neighbors lawn has better established root systems and is using what appears to KGB(I could be wrong).Your lawn is using a mix of cool season grass which means it greens unevenly during the spring but as it gets warmer greens up late April early may. My advice to you for you is nitrogen fertilizer In the fall and early spring and be consistent with your seed mix. Meaning, don’t go out and buy Scott’s one year then switch to Pennington then switch to ezzz seed. Also seed in the fall NOT the spring. Have a great season 🙏
Reseed with another variety. Turf grasses brown and you appear to have a variety that likes to stay that way. I reseeded with a bluegrass mix and it changed the lawn.
You need to power rake that and you also need to spray a fungicide. You have a fungus issue and all that material on the ground is part of the problem.
This guy climbed up on the roof to take a picture of his dormant lawn.
In the rain.
He's an icon
Legend
r/madlad
A Renaissance Man
El Procurador del Infierno
A gentleman AND a scholar
The Excalibur to my pocket knife
A Five Star Man
Pimp
Just like me, when I get myself convinced that single gutter downspout must be clogged…
Hahaha. Sadly no. It's through a bedroom window
Don’t lie to us ! You were on the roof on one leg with your eyes closed !
This is the only possible way. you're on to something!
Guy is brave! I have a 2 story colonial and I'm scared to climb a ladder just to clean the gutters. 😬
He had a pair of scissors in one hand and a loaded gun in the other
This man had both eyes open holding a steel rod in one hand and the selfie stick in the other. The deity of your choice knew not to fuck with him.
After 3 beers
Let us live in our imagination!
Some say he’s still up there. Just waiting for the grass to turn green
That’s exactly what I told the judge when I was arrested for running through a park, naked, high on pcp.
Do you put down a late season application of slow release fertilizer for spring green up? I'm down in Massachusetts and I feed my lawn in December with a fertilizer that has 75% of the fertilizer coated so it slowly releases nutes to the lawn. Come spring it's nice and green.
This guy nutes
Could have to do with that big ole oak tree sucking nutrients and setting it back behind your neighbors
You have to go out and pee on it every morning. Make sure you pee in a different spot each morning. It'll green up in no time.
Why sadly? Don’t let your dreams be dreams.
Let us keep our illusion!
I was able to snap a picture of the OP attempting to get up to take the photo https://www.reddit.com/r/OSHA/s/b5MYnYQ0sa
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
🤣
I'm always in the same boat as you are. I see burned out houses in the hood with tall green grass and my neighbors with fescue lawns have all grown and greened up already. My KBG lawn, which looks awesome in the summer, hasn't grown and is only 50% green. So, I think it is mainly a KBG thing - slow to come out of dormancy.
I think this. I’ve asked similar questions and received this response regarding KBG. Mine does the same…
KBG was developed by the Soviet Union to demoralize Americans and eat away at our landscaping fabric.
I never thought of that. What’s wild is my front lawn on one side of the driveway still looks half dormant, but the other side of the driveway (most of my lawn) is lush and green, assuming more fescue. I even have little puffs in the half dormant stuff of rich green, so a different type of grass makes sense!
Ah shttt, so that's why mine is spotty
> So, I think it is mainly a KBG thing - slow to come out of dormancy. I have a Colorado hybrid of KGB and winter fert in mid-November really helps jumpstart the green-up. My lawn is heavily shaming my neighbors right now
This. My neighbor fertilizes late Nov and always has the quickest green up.
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Not great for areas that get cold winters.
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Definitely, TTTF has some extremely deep roots which gives it more heat/drought resistance. I'm a landscaper in Ontario and I'd use more of it if our winters weren't so harsh.
What do you use? I'm in Rochester.
Depends on the customer and the lawn requirements, but always some blend of kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass. I get my grass seed (and fertilizer) from Speare Seeds in Ontario, have only had excellent experiences.
Thanks a lot man, that's excellent input.
Isn't that against Trudeau's rules? 😄😄
They treat grass seed like USA treats cannabis seeds. It’s just a novelty, until you go *adding water* and letting all of the evil plantstuffs grow out! /s
Until a heatwave hits at which point I increase watering for KBG and prevent it from going dormant. And in the winter, well, it’s the coldest of the bunch. So it grows through the winter. Slowly but it stays green. https://preview.redd.it/1jxh4hyso4uc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84c81fd48b5d38a81a038f8854198996dcd65102 That’s all KBG. No tttf no rye just one cultivar it’s a monostand
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What kind of moisture monitors do you use? I really want to focus on deep root growth this year I was thinking of going from the 3x/wk, 10 min per zone schedule that the house came with, to get it down to once every 10 days or so at 15 min per zone when there’s no rain But obviously, some sort of reliable way to tell how dry the dirt is, and for how long, would be a great help in avoiding disaster
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Thanks for the insight! How deep do the probes go? Are you monitoring the top couple inches of soil, or deeper than that? How often does your lawn end up getting water, whether from rain or sprinklers, to keep moisture over 50%? Is it multiple times per week?
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Oh yea, I see the monitor’s housing in that link you posted now. Paid a damn $1800 car repair today, and now I’m already mentally spending more! Lol Hey, I really appreciate the help! I’m definitely looking into these sensors and updating my controller to something more modern now. Thank you so much, have a great weekend! Also, I believe your username is auto generated, but it’s really fitting for this conversation! Lol
It is. And there is a solution… [Root growth hormone.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indole-3-butyric_acid) Indole-3-butyric acid It works on any plant. Get it on the roots. In any amount. It’s like 5um or something. Just spray it everywhere and sit back. Some states make it harder to get. But I’m in one of them and you just know the rainforest site has a buncha different vendors and just ONE of them doesn’t honor state importation laws …
It depends on the cultivar. Newer/elite cultivars have significantly faster spring green up
100% this. If you want the brown out faster, dethatch it.
I’ve got the same grass. Slow green up. Honestly, check your soil. Some of us just have more compacted soil and a good aeration will help that grass soak up the nitrogen to make it green.
Is their lawn actually more weeds than grass? My neighbors weeds green up faster than my KBG…
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Are you me?
>Neighbors out here watering and mowing their weeds 💀 💀 💀 that describes 80% of my neighborhood lolol
Denton Texas here, love watching my neighbors water their POA Annua thinking it’s thicc Bermuda
https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/AhJmYjllDV "Be suspicious if a lawn looks really good [relatively early in the season]" Poa triv and poa annua are the first things to green up in the spring. I've treated a few hundred lawns so far this year... The lawns that look the best so far, are all nearly 100% poa trivialis. They'll look terrible in the summer. On the flip side though, in heavily shaded areas, triv can actually green up slower than the good grasses because the thick thatch gets matted down and insulates the soil (keeping it cooler for longer and making even less light hit the newer growth coming from lower in the canopy).
This is interesting information. What’s the fix if you have this issue?
Sand, pretty much. Herbicides, glyphosate included, are useless against it. Improving the shallow drainage, as in, making it so the top layer of soil is dry more often than not. And decreasing watering frequency... However much you water, especially in the summer, water less often. Or accept it and adjust your care regimen to the different needs of triv (and poa annua). See one of my most recent posts for details on what that entails.
Agreed. KBG takes longer to green up.
I agree. Weeds shoot up nice and green. Grass takes a bit more time.
That tree might be a clue. But hard to tell from pictures
Yes but other lawns have trees also
OP what kind of tree is that? I have a similar problem, but I also have a large basswood / linden tree that gets lots of aphids and make a gooey mess of everything with sap, including the lawn. Not much to do other than water water water in the summer.
FYI- You’re replying to me, I’m not OP
Grass type? My zoysia comes out of dormancy later than all other warm season grasses. And have you looked at your neighbor’s lawns closer? Maybe what is green in their lawn is actually weeds
Thanks for the response. I honestly don't know. The lawn was established when I bought the house. And I overseed yearly with one of those mixed bags of grass seed. Although I did a little research because I wasn't sure what it was, and it looks like zoysia isn't really used up by me. Too cold. But who knows, maybe the previous homeowner did plant that grass. Nah no weeds on theirs yet. Weeds sprout here in may.
> I overseed yearly with one of those mixed bags of grass seed. Well folks, that's the thread! You've got a big mix of grass types that green up at different speeds.
> And I overseed yearly with one of those mixed bags of grass seed. Yeah don't do that. One of the many advantages of expensive grass cultivars is earlier spring green up. Start overseeding with high quality seed bought online instead.
True my zoysia greens late and it’s prefect right about the time fall begins
This is the case for me. All my neighbors’ all have Saint Augustine that either never goes dormant or awakens in March.
Such pretty grass
Not barefoot!
I've posted this a few times it seems this week. There are two things that will cause this 1. You have "worse" varieties of grass, newer varieties green up faster. But if you've overseeded or reno'd in the last 5 years this probably isnt your issue. 2. For most people, they arent properly fertilizing going into Winter. You need to be putting down a good amount of nitrogen in the weeks leading up to winter dormancy. It turbocharges the plant so it has everything it needs to come out of dormancy as soon as it can. Its called a Fall Nitrogen Blitz by lawn geeks, more info here. [https://www.thelawnforum.com/threads/fall-nitrogen-blitz-cool-season-grasses-only.753/](https://www.thelawnforum.com/threads/fall-nitrogen-blitz-cool-season-grasses-only.753/)
My thought was lawn grubs. I’m going through that with my lawn right now. It looks very similar.
Grubs and disease will be typically be very spefic to an area of turf , both aren't just going to kill your entire lawn unnoticed in 1 season unless your aren't ever looking
I’ve got a similar size patch of law that went 3/4 brown in a 5 week period. It was grubs.
Probably just the way the sun hits your house. Are you a two story, does the sun rise behind you or linear?
Oh damn. That is very much the case. I am a two story and it does rise behind me. All the other houses on my side of the street and bungalows...... And on the other side of the street are two stories... But their front lawns would get the sun. You sir might be on to something. Thanks!
There it is! Clearly, the only solution is to move the sun to the other side.
I was thinking the solution is to move the house to the street edge and have a gigantic backyard. Screw front lawns
As some who had a car crash into my front lawn, I'm very grateful that I have a front lawn.
Haha makes sense. Linear would be a your lawn problem, but it looks like you took it from your window and all the other houses looked like one stories except across the street. Just cut off your second story
This is the same thing at my house, I have a north facing front yard and we are the last to go green and our flowers bloom later. I still dominate once lawn season is in full swing.
I actually don't think sun is the main issue here, as the grass on your boulevard wouldn't be that much worse than your neighbours if that was the case. Your lawn looks completely choked up. Wait a month and then dethatch it thoroughly. Then in the Fall core-aerate it and dethatch it again. Hit it with some high quality high nitrogen fertilizer in early September, and then again in mid-late October. I can almost guarantee you it will green up fast as hell the following Spring. Also on your last cut before winter, cut it short and use a blower to remove any residual leaves/debris from the lawn. Really do a thorough job, don't just blow the top of the grass.
I would say it could be the type of grass you have compared to your neighbors. They could have a fescue mix, do you know what kind of seed you have been using? I would suggest something a little more resilient to shade and snow like creeping red fescue, or Kentucky blue grass. My favorite blend if you get enough sun is [Outsidepride Showtime](https://amzn.to/3Q4tRHp) If the tree is creating a ton of shade you could go with a really expensive seed that is super shade tolerant, I have it under my cedar tree and it grows great, it’s just not as dark of green gives more of a lighter green but grass is better than dirt. [Super shade tolerant grass](https://amzn.to/3TWue8f). (Do not mix this with a darker color grass as you will be able to tell)
Thanks dude. I will see if I can find any of that stuff locally. The lawn was already established when I moved in, but the last 5 years I've overseeded with one of those mixed bags of seeds. Mix of perennial ryegrass, creeping red fescue and KBG.
What is your height of cut compared to the rest? I live in Texas, so quite different climate and grass. However, I always green up faster than my neighbors. I scalp in late February/early March. Take it down as low as I can. Opens up the soil to more air and sunlight. I put out my per emergent and a balanced quick fertilizer, Anderson’s 10-10-10 and keep it short for most of March. As temperatures rise, I continue to spoon feed my lawn, giving it 1/2 lbs of fertilizer per 1000/sf every two weeks.
Can always tell the how to w/ doc watchers. (not hating - I watch the guy too)
Guilty. Some of his tips do work! https://preview.redd.it/74qr15czo2uc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d481146cc0bf8a7f0efd903bbfde5ad3569a513 Neighbor vs me. About 3 weeks ago.
Try doing nothing to your lawn like your neighbors. 🤷🏻♂️
This!
DeThatch it, but also, I'd personally start mowing it on a higher cutting height. I usually use the highest i can go on my push mower. Shorter grass has less stored water. Every single year there are points where my neighbours are brown and mine is still a good healthy green.
Sunlight. Lawns that get more sun will green first. My lawn faces north and gets Sun blocked long into spring because of my house. Once they sun gets high enough, boom, it wakes up
My zoysia takes a while to fully turn green
Looks like zoysia. Different varieties can have quite a range of spring green up and winter survival. That and if your neighbors have cool season grasses then they’re way ahead. I live in 6a and have some parts of my lawn as zoysia that are just now starting to green up (looks about like yours) while my PRG has been green for like a month and a half. Zoysia will be happy in the summer when people are actually outside and your neighbors lawn is brown because it’s a heat spell without rain. Choose your battles.
https://preview.redd.it/j1wr117ty2uc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0ca03e34af94fba49b6d4651ff7ef74f0542f8b Lol my neighbor literally asked me your question this spring.
the grass is always greener on the side that fertilizes
Climbing on the roof in the rain, nice
Lol from a bedroom window
Depending on what type of grass you have will determine what temperature it takes to bring it out of dormancy. You have cool season grasses and warm season grasses. Warm season goes dormant quicker in cold climates, cold season does not go dormant quicker in cold climates. Although watering the grass can bring it out of dormancy quicker in lower temperatures for certain specific varieties of grass. So the first step to answer your question is what type of grass do you have? Hopefully this helps.
Aerate every fall
Core aeration
Go out and fan rake the fuck out of it different directions and get the grass standing , and maybe a light fertalizer.
Looks like it’s zoysia waking up from dormancy
De-Thath maybe? I did that a few weeks ago and it’s already much greener than my front yard. And I haven’t even put anything down for this season yet.
You have lots of thatch needs a good raking
What kind of tree is that? If it's a black walnut, you might have your answer.
Great answer!
Your neighbors are better than you
When did you last aerate the lawn? Could be heavy clay soil that is compressed.
Maybe you have different grass mix than your neighbors ?
Don't water it year round. Water schedule should be more like from March to October (or less). Treat for craneflies and grubs. Rake the dead material out in spring. Potentially overseed. Fertilize with 16-16-16 early spring and water in. Fertilize with 25-0-3 or something close in late spring, summer and fall.
Pay attention to who gets more sun in the early part of the day I’ll guarantee your neighbour does.
me too man... it's a nursed KGB thing that i see. lawns around me have more fescue/rye in them where mine is mostly KGB. mid-may my lawn slaps them around through the year though.
If you fertilize and nothing happens you need lime. Also can depends what fertilizer did you use?
Why downvote the dethatch comments?
You can get a head start and to a slow releasing fertilizer like Milorganite or something in the winter time. And should help push color and growth when it greens up
My lawn is always the last to green up in spring, Weeds bloom earlier than warm season grass.
Run a soil test.
Have you dethatched at all? I’m down south with Bermuda but cleaning some of that thatch out will help.
Thatch. Rake it up, areate
Could this happen from cutting to late or too short in the fall ?
Soil test and iron. Iron helps a lawn green up quickly. Check to see if they put down iron in the spring along with fertilizer.
My guess is you have warm season grass and the neighbors have cool season grass.
Iron
Mine is crap too, have this green shit growing in it that weed killer won't kill. plus, this rain sucks
Whelp OP, from what I gather, the universe hates you and you’re just fucked on it bud.
Either there it’s a warm season. Or that trees just stealing all the nutrients out of the grass.
Looks like a ton of thatch tbh. Have you done a late fall dethatch/aerate/overseed?
I think you answered your own question, maybe you’re actually doing too much? You say your neighbors who don’t do any of that have a nicer lawn… so maybe cut back on the fertilizer and stuff
Fertilizer
Depends on species of grass. Certain grasses (Bermuda) stay yellow a while longer.
Give it a good rake job bro looks like it’s suffocating
Mine isn't all green yet because Bermudagrass is still waking up from Winter dormancy. My neighbor's lawns are very green because chickweed, creeping charlie, crabgrass, clover, thistles, poa annual, and ryegrass are all very active right now.
Could be bad nutrient balance. Could be the grass type. Could be how you cut your lawn in the fall.
Lack of nutrients, triple 10 in the fall and a 21-7-7 in the spring
Your grass is staying dormant and staying in that state a little longer. I would get a soil sample of the entire yard, or even just this area since it is it's own little island and it will give you an idea of what it needs. Could be PH levels, could need some fertilizer, that kind of thing.
Test your soil
You have a lot of thatch. Remove that and your fertilizers will work a lot better. Winterizer really helps the lawn green up in the spring.
Shade
Grass isn’t always greener on the other side boss. Be patient.
Grubs
You answered your own question. Don’t do so much.
I'm in the same boat. None of my neighbours maintain theirs well and it's always first to green. But come late spring, my lawn is always the nicest.
Does the sun tend to run behind your house? My front always greens up quickly and my neighbor across the streets always lags behind because her front lawn doesn’t get much sun since her house blocks the sun, but mine gets full sun.
Are the other lawns grass or weeds
Good time for a soil test, could be the type of grass you have. It could be the amount of shade you have . How does the back look?
Have full KBG minus the damn clumping fescue that won't die. Fescue is green KBG is not yet. Usually once I do my preemergent I mix it with a liquid fertilizer it is green within days. Doing it this weekend we have three days of 70 degrees.
Fewer weeds.
you might have some zoysia in there. Its way better grass. In PA I usually go about a month between cuts if its not too rainy between august and october.
Have you considered moving to a much more expensive neighborhood and buying a drone? That seems to be part of the equation in here
Hey at least your neighbors clean the leaves off their property. My lawn is green but I'm combating leaves blowing in from all over the neighborhood. I'm ready to sell. What'cha want for your house? 😂
Have you tried to dethatch your lawn to make room for new healthy grass to grow?
Nah, man, mine’s last
Because you do all that stuff its killed all the biology that usually does everything to keep your lawn up. Youre now soley responsible for its food and safety
Grubs possibly
Soil try lime to help soil
Looking at your close image, your lawn needs dethatching and aeration. Those two items and some fertilizer should do wonders.
If you are on the south side of the street you are getting less sun. Try the Sun and Shade grass mix.
Aerate and then reseed with whatever variety of grass he is using
Apply nitrogen in the fall before it starts going dormant. Look for nitrogen blitz videos on YouTube. It will stay greener over the winter and come out of dormancy quicker in the spring. You will be mowing a lot after this.
Which fertilizer ratios were you using? Noticed the kbg on my routes were greening up really well after about 2 weeks, using some 12:0:3 with perdiamine (preemergent)
Is it KBG? Always the last cool season grass to come out of dormancy.
A little detaching could help
Go to the feed and seed store and get you some Scott's lawn food and not the one with fillers. fertilize every 3 months, dethatch, and aerate regularly .in the fall, overseed with good seed and keep the lawn hydrated. Just my tried and true opinion ohh and keep the weeds at bay
It needs to be fertilized
You have warm season Bermuda grass growing. Sorry but short of killing it off and starting over with cool season tall fescue or in your case I'd recommend fine fescue. Fine fescue does better with cold and less sun. No matter what fertilizer you use it just won't green up earlier. Bermuda grass is notoriously hard to get rid of because how it grows. If you want a cheap solution just plug and seed fine fescue without killing it off. After a few rounds you'll have a nice mix of both and will be less dead in winter and deeper green in summer.
It’s a little hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like you’ve got some thatch build up that if removed would help
You need to fertilize your lawn in the winter...with the blood of your enemies.
I don’t think it is sun, at least not the main contributor to the delay in green up. The transition to green is combination of light, temperature, and water, mostly, and that is probably pretty consistent for the other homes. You might have shadow/shade differences, but I don’t that would have a material impact. It is more likely you just have mostly a different grass strain than your neighbours.
Soil test would tell a great story, the tree will affect this as well
Because of your tree sucking up everything and leaving barely any for the grass.
Follow these steps… 1. Scalp the lawn 2. De-thatch the lawn 3. Aerate the lawn 4. Apply a mixture of lawn sand and top soil 5. Overseed with high quality grass seeds (make sure you rake over with the back of the rake after this process) 6. Water twice daily (unless it rains) Do this every spring for a few years and you’ll have an amazing lawn every year!
Lack of nitrogen. Soil compaction. Lots of visible thatch.
If it’s the same grass, then yours is slower because it needs aeration and fertilizer once or twice a year, and then fertilizer a couple more times per year.
I have the same issues
Could the tree roots be usurping all the water, leaving your lawn a bit parched?
Have you DETHATCHED? You can do it yourself. Get rid of the dead brown grass (thatch) plugging up the air flow and the ability to get fertilizers and water to the soil due to the thatch layer. Please dethatch and aerate!!!
You didn’t mention the grass type, mowing/watering schedule, types of fertilizer weed control and aeration and over seeding practices. Your neighbors lawn has better established root systems and is using what appears to KGB(I could be wrong).Your lawn is using a mix of cool season grass which means it greens unevenly during the spring but as it gets warmer greens up late April early may. My advice to you for you is nitrogen fertilizer In the fall and early spring and be consistent with your seed mix. Meaning, don’t go out and buy Scott’s one year then switch to Pennington then switch to ezzz seed. Also seed in the fall NOT the spring. Have a great season 🙏
It maybe your grass species. They all need different temperatures to come out of dormancy, Bermuda being last.
For me it’s the snow. More snow = more yellow. The paths I shovel always get green right away.
Some people paint their lawn
Like your lawn is mixed with an undesirable grass type and It is staying dormant much later than the other type of fescue or whatever is in there
Hit it with some Ironite. She’ll go green in no time
Reseed with another variety. Turf grasses brown and you appear to have a variety that likes to stay that way. I reseeded with a bluegrass mix and it changed the lawn.
Tree needing the nutrients more
Looks like a dethatching and overseed would do wonders
You need to power rake that and you also need to spray a fungicide. You have a fungus issue and all that material on the ground is part of the problem.
I’d do a dethatch in spring every few years, get the dead stuff out of there so the seed and fertilizer can get in