The Best Grass on AS

[Arbonaut]

put a fence around that and my sheep would love it:hmm3grin2orange:

Yup, sheep doo played a huge role. My doggie would like having 'em around.

 

[Stihl310]

I spend a little time on my yard, and enjoy seeing what comes out of what I put into it.... It's still a work in progress and not completely filled in, someday.

But i design lawnmowers for a living so I'm kinda partial

I

 

[rmcphearson]

Emerald Zoysia mowed at 3/4" with a 1939 Toro putting green mower. Zoysia goes dormant later in the fall and wakes up later in the spring than other grasses. It hasn't really gotten going yet this year. The damaged area is from my HVAC guy flushing the old freon out of the lines last summer.:msp_thumbup:

 

[Cpjlube]

And 2,4 D:msp_smile:

I like Triplet. 2,4D , Mecoprop-p and Dicamba. Much better than 2,4 D only, on turf.

Yeah. I like a nice lawn....... And gardens and saws and firewood and trees etc.

Chuck

 

[treedog54]

Goats

We've got 2 pet goats and 1 horse and I haven't mowed my lawn in 2 years,had ta build a tall fence around da garden ,but other than that it's all good. Lawns are a waste of time and money IMHO

 

[Arbonaut]

[video=youtube;yqj-wgT8CiI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqj-wgT8CiI&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[Arbonaut]

 

[forestryworks]

I'd like to know what he is burning off the Kentucky Bluegrass with, but he left.

The same thing you burn anything with, fire Which comes from a process called combustion via a fuel and air mixture from a wonderful and simple invention called a drip torch.

I left cause I had 10 acres of the K Bluegrass to burn. And speaking of your precious grass, those weak roots (photo below - numbers are in feet and your grass is the first on the left) couldn't compete in a true sod - the kind found in tallgrass prairies. Deep rooted perennial prairie plants create healthier soil biota, as well as growing tall above ground biomass which can intercept and store and filter more precipitation before it runs off - up to 53 tons per acre during one 1" per hour precipitation event - which is the main way in which we get clean water from overland flow.

A Kentucky Bluegrass lawn's (and any other short turfgrass) interception rate doesn't come anywhere remotely in the ballpark of that figure - most water applied to lawns runs right off because people apply too much at once. And the vegetation is too short. Consequently, all those chemicals from fertilizers and herbicides, as well as your dog's and cat's fecal bacteria get carried with the water and into municipal stormwater drains. And eventually into that glass you fill up. Oh and it plays a big role in why the Gulf of Mexico has such a huge dead zone.

To simplify: More prairie = cleaner water. More lawns and farms = low-oxygen water. I can live just fine without corn and turfgrass.

It's not about being an "environmental whacko", it's just common sense to not use a mundane lawn. But like I said, basic ecology and knowledge of one's natural heritage is sadly lost among most people. Not my fault you're insecure about that.

There's also the issue of soil carbon and water. Water quality always follows soil carbon levels. Turfgrass provides almost no soil carbon when compared to prairies. Grasslands as a whole store almost 1/3 of the world's carbon in the root systems - and that carbon is not lost during burning. It is lost, however, when prairies are plowed and converted to row crops and tame grazing pastures and lawns.

Oh, before I forget, if you've seen one square inch of non-native lawn, you've seen them all. If you've seen one square foot of prairie, you've got hundreds of billions more to see - and it changes every season!

Back to burning tomorrow!

 

[Cpjlube]

I spend a little time on my yard, and enjoy seeing what comes out of what I put into it.... It's still a work in progress and not completely filled in, someday.

But i design lawnmowers for a living so I'm kinda partial

I

I can appreciate a nice lawn and respect the prairie grass and forests. I'm not sure I'm willing to give up my lawn for prairie grass though. Guess I'm partial to non native species.
View attachment 293820

 

[Arbonaut]

Deep rooted perennial prairie plants create healthier soil biota, as well as growing tall above ground biomass which can intercept and store and filter more precipitation before it runs off - up to 53 tons per acre during one 1" per hour precipitation event - which is the main way in which we get clean water from overland flow.

A Kentucky Bluegrass lawn's (and any other short turfgrass) interception rate doesn't come anywhere remotely in the ballpark of that figure - most water applied to lawns runs right off because people apply too much at once. And the vegetation is too short. Oh and it plays a big role in why the Gulf of Mexico has such a huge dead zone.

To simplify: More prairie = cleaner water. More lawns and farms = low-oxygen water. I can live just fine without corn and turfgrass.

It's not about being an "environmental whacko", it's just common sense to not use a mundane lawn. But like I said, basic ecology and knowledge of one's natural heritage is sadly lost among most people. Not my fault you're insecure about that.

There's also the issue of soil carbon and water. Water quality always follows soil carbon levels. Turfgrass provides almost no soil carbon when compared to prairies. Grasslands as a whole store almost 1/3 of the world's carbon in the root systems - and that. It is lost, however, when prairies are plowed and converted to row crops and tame grazing pastures and lawns.

Oh, before I forget, if you've seen one square inch of non-native lawn, you've seen them all. If you've seen one square foot of prairie, you've got hundreds of billions more to see - and it changes every season!

Back to burning tomorrow!

Thanks ForestryWorks. I'm a little slow, but this is a good case. I like the pictures too.

Consequently, all those chemicals from fertilizers and herbicides, as well as your dog's and cat's fecal bacteria get carried with the water and into municipal stormwater drains. And eventually into that glass you fill up.

That's why I only drink out of sealed plastic bottles.

That having been said, in America, we have Football, Baseball, Children, NASCAR and Golf to name a few. How do they impact the Hypoxic Zone in the Gulf?

 

[Arbonaut]

One of the Turf-Type tall fescue cultivars I employ in lawns is called, "Survivor." If you look at the above chart, which I'm glad FW posted, you'll notice it is conspicuously omitted. Common sense is what we all have. What FW is referring to as "common sense" is reserved for the elite. Thus it is something else.

If you like field mouse, chiggers and ticks all over your kids and burning your lawn with a torch to enhance fauna and biota, that's out of my league. Just don't twist facts.

Here is some characteristic of some of the fescue types we recruit for home lawns and sports turf/parks.

Survivor/SR8650, etc.:

The extremely long root system is the secret to Survivor’s drought tolerance.
This means less frequent irrigation because the roots can reach as deep as six feet
in the soil to absorb water.

(Now that puts it in the top of the chart. And KBG can reach two feet not four inches.)

Tall fescues are best adapted to areas of the transitional zones,
between the cool humid and warm humid regions of the United
States. Tall fescue will also perform well in the arid regions of the
Western United States provided water is available. Increasingly,
the turf-types are being utilized in additional area where their
drought resistance is an advantage, alone or in combination with
Kentucky bluegrass. Tall fescues are adapted to a wide variety of
soil conditions, from droughty soils to wet. They even can tolerate
periods of submersion. Although they will grow on infertile soils,
tall fescue does respond to fertilization. Tall fescues can also
tolerate pH ranges from 4.6 to 8.5, but does best in soils with a pH
ranging from 5.5 to 6.5.

 

[Arbonaut]

For the Record, aside from lawn care's wide acceptance as a standard cultural practice, we are just gonna do it, period. But don't forget to have fun. I can't see how I overlooked it in starting a thread like this, except I was having too much fun. And we all know what happens then. Still, I didn't anticipate an assault on what we take for granted (the Yard?)

OK, but this is fun. (Guys that posted up some good lawns, appreciated, BTW). Those among yuns who is following this thread might like this here. The chart above showing the various root textures of different weeds was compiled by a woman named, "Heidi Natura." She represents the, "Conservation Research Institute." They are Chicago-based dandelion eaters, if that comforts you any. Don't take the propane drip to the sod, till ya read the mission statement/"Philosophy" of the "Conservation Research Institute." (Below.) They got a plan to store the carbon and reintegrate the children.

PHILOSOPHY
THE NATURAL WORLD:
A PROVEN SOURCE OF WISDOM

"Whether trying to solve soil erosion and carbon storage issues or finding ways to reintegrate our children into the natural world, Conservation Research Institute uses models discernable in nature as our guide. We believe that when our cultural behaviors are in harmony with land and the native plants and animals around us, we are in consilience with our place and ourselves. We always will ask, “Are we building on these relationships or are we mining them away?”

That makes me feel better.

 

[forestryworks]

One of the Turf-Type tall fescue cultivars I employ in lawns is called, "Survivor." If you look at the above chart, which I'm glad FW posted, you'll notice it is conspicuously omitted.

That's because native plants aren't modern human GMOs bred in fancy cultivar farms. They didn't show your "survivor" mutant because it doesn't compare to the natives. And therein lies the point that you've missed twice. Not that I suspected differently.

Common sense is what we all have.

... I'll assume that was a joke, otherwise that's an awfully ignorant statement. So, in the famous words of Dennis Cahoon - "Hahahahahahahahaha!"

What FW is referring to as "common sense" is reserved for the elite. Thus it is something else.

Now you've really been breathing too many chemicals Nice job of showing your insecurity once again. Keep it up!

If you like field mouse, chiggers and ticks all over your kids and burning your lawn with a torch to enhance fauna and biota, that's out of my league. Just don't twist facts.

I'm just telling it like it is. And you're a sissy if you can't handle the bugs and the animals. What a fancy European-influenced feller you are

because the roots can reach as deep as six feet in the soil to absorb water.
(Now that puts it in the top of the chart. And KBG can reach two feet not four inches.)

The roots of your shallow turfgrass can absorb water? Golly gee! I'd have never guessed!

I'll believe that root depth when I see it - and I'd highly doubt that is common root depth for that species as a whole. This all goes back to how the lawnly urbanites water their grass - too much at once, which creates shallow root systems.

And 6 feet isn't 16 feet. Nowhere near the top of the chart.

Still, I didn't anticipate an assault on what we take for granted (the Yard?)

Taking lawns for granted? Yeah, that's a great show of common sense

They are Chicago-based Dandelion eaters.

Typical ignoramus response from a fool who has no clue what they actually do. Good job! I expected nothing less.

They got a plan to store the carbon and reintegrate the children.

And...? Oh right, that makes you insecure because they don't tame nature with loads of chemicals, constant mowing, straight lines and right angles for your kids and domestic pets to frolic around in a "safe" and artificial environment. I'm glad you're pretty awesome at missing points, which is something people with common sense don't do. You must be the one with "elite" common sense. In other words, pretty damn out of touch, especially when you can't grasp the simple concept of soil carbon.

The farmer I spoke with today, after the meeting to restore half of his land to prairie (his request, not ours), he gets it:

"I tell ya, farming ain't what it used to be. It costs too damn much with all those inputs and not enough outputs - save for my corn. More and more most years, we all just break even or barely peek above that line, because, most everyone now days is owned by the big seed companies, Monsanto, Syngenta, puttin' out that GMO nonsense - and they want us to feed the world?! Ain't happenin', no sir. It's like them city slickers and their fancy lawn grasses and the mowing and all that fertilizer they put out, hell it's more than I put out on my land all year! But what the hell, they're so far gone from even knowing about the land and it's plants - the very thing that allowed their grandparents and their great-grandparents to make a living - that trying to get them to understand what I do and understand what you do just goes right over their head. Anyone can see that those prairie grasses, with their big root systems, are what made that rich prairie soil that allows me to farm today. Most people just don't want to believe that for some reason. I guess they think they're above all that. It's hard not to pity them poor fools."

 

[Arbonaut]

Don't be so sensitive.

 

[forestryworks]

Don't be so sensitive.

Whatever keeps your chin up, Sally

 

[Arbonaut]

... I'll assume that was a joke, otherwise that's an awfully ignorant statement. So, in the famous words of Dennis Cahoon - "Hahahahahahahahaha!"

*DING* good one.

What a fancy European-influenced feller you are

It's a Faller. I don't do seminars anymore, but the Stihls did influence me. You the first guy on here in a while to do much name calling at me, but get it right. OK.

In other words, pretty damn out of touch, especially when you can't grasp the simple concept of soil carbon.

I can grasp it. I was more interested in the large colonies of red wigglers in me chemical free stuff like my compost mountain and tons in my yard and night crawlers. That's why I was hopin' guys wouldn't get out the torch til they understood the implications of those actions. I got a heck of a one liner about whales, but I save it in case you stick around. Carbon is everywhere there is life, so I don't try to measure it.

 

[JHctRednek]

Hey now I think that I have some of the best grass on AS....

View attachment 294055

Thats 400+ bales of Orchard Grass/Timothey mix and the best part is I only have to mow it twice a year

 

[rmcphearson]

This all goes back to how the lawnly urbanites water their grass - too much at once, which creates shallow root systems.

For anyone who is still interested in destroying civilization as we know it by having a nice lawn the above statement is incorrect. Relatively shallow root systems are the result of frequent light watering. For the healthiest turf, deepest root system, irrigation should be withheld until the turf is on the verge of death, and then it should be applied to completely saturate the root zone. Spot watering only the areas in danger of dying is the most effecient method.

I think I've spent more time reading the last few post of this thread than I spent watering my lawn last year.

 

[Arbonaut]

Hey now I think that I have some of the best grass on AS....

View attachment 294055

Thats 400+ bales of Orchard Grass/Timothey mix and the best part is I only have to mow it twice a year

You do! Hahaha. We a site south of the Shelbyville Terminal Moraine from the Wisconsin Glacial Run. Thank god the thang didn't float down any more whactivists than it did. Any how the alluvial deposits here were still rich enough that we got to cut hay four times. That doesn't bother us, cause farming isn't really a chore when you love it.

For anyone who is still interested in destroying civilization as we know it by having a nice lawn the above statement is incorrect. Relatively shallow root systems are the result of frequent light watering. For the healthiest turf, deepest root system, irrigation should be withheld until the turf is on the verge of death, and then it should be applied to completely saturate the root zone. Spot watering only the areas in danger of dying is the most effecient method.

I think I've spent more time reading the last few post of this thread than I spent watering my lawn last year.

I posted a vid how I water mine. Love your Zoysia, Roland.

 

[rmcphearson]

I spend a little time on my yard, and enjoy seeing what comes out of what I put into it.... It's still a work in progress and not completely filled in, someday.

But i design lawnmowers for a living so I'm kinda partial

I

Good looking turf. What type of mowers do you design?