This may sound like a silly question but have to ask it. Does raking stimulate grass to grow? I'm aware that a gentle raking is good because it may remove thatch buildup. I'm considering using bonemeal this season, for the first time. Will it do any good to lightly apply it without disturbing the ground? Lastly, is there a natural inhibitor for dandelions? I'd rather avoid chemicals. I screwed up my lawn last year big time and don't want a repeat.
I don't think that lawn care is off-topic. I bought a Honda lawnmower. It was slightly less expensive than a Civic.
LOL 'slightly'
Natalie
Years ago, friends told me of a year when they clear-picked the dandelions in the field behind their house for wine. That year, it was thick with flowers. The next, numbers were well down.
So, er, make dandelion wine? Do it, year by year... You don't actually have to _drink_ the stuff, understand. ;-)
I am certainly not an expert on lawn care but I'll share what I know:
Some thatch is good because it helps retain moisture in the soil. Too much thatch is bad because it can prevent moisture from reaching the soil.
If the ground is very hard, moisture may not penetrate the hard crust so raking it may help.
My guess on the bonemeal would be to thoroughly wet the ground so it doesn't blow away when applied. Of course, you can just follow the directions on the package ;-)
A friend used to say that his father-in-law placed manure in a spreader and that he always had a very green lawn and it also kept neighbors and visitors away for a few weeks.
I am not aware of a natural inhibitor for dandelions. Many weed killers work only on broadleaf plants and are most effective when applied early in the season. You can also try a commercial lawn treatment service but if you ever decide to discontinue the service, they are pretty bad about hounding you to get your business back.
The grandmother of one of the dealers I used to call on used to make salads from dandelion greens. None of the stores in the town where they lived sold dandelion greens, so she would always go out in the back yard and blow the seeds around, until the entire half-acre back yard was a giant dandelion patch. In a neighborhood of very exclusive homes, the neighborhoods were not very happy ;-)
A little is good, a lot is bad. Talk to someone at your local Home Improvement store or gardening center, they know the soil in the area.
See above - amendments will help a lot if they are the right ones. My recommendations from San Fernando Valley somewhat alkali and mostly adobe clay soil isn't going to help at all if you have sandy or peat soil.
One thing that often helps is aeration - a big drum with plug cutters that you tow around with a lawn tractor. It looks like you are cutting hair plugs for a giant, but allows the amendments to get down below the surface a few inches, and encourages grass root growth.
Just don't run over anyone's foot - I bet it would leave a mark...
See first response - they have several miracle products to kill weeds and leave wanted grasses untouched - even fertilize them.
But I don't use them, considering that our lawns are just watered and nicely manicured weeds. ;-) Yup, except for one section that a big patch of Dichondra is taking hold nicely (we distributed the contents of a 20-year-old can of Dichondra Seed we found, and whaddya know...) it's mostly crabgrass and misc. broadleaf turf grasses that refused to die.
And it looks good, so who cares.
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