What do to about my 13 year old lawn ? Compacted soil ? Fungus ? Old age ?

Buckeye10 said:

That is good news. Did you ever try putting a heavy dose of lime on the yard?

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MowerMark said:

No, I did not. I wanted to make just one change at a time. If the grass gets to 100% of its former self, should I sprinkle it with lime ? Will that make water "wetter" ?

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Buckeye10 said:

Lime will not hurt it at all and lime is very cheap. Here in Ohio I can get a 40 lb bag for around 6 dollars. Do you have a spreader? If so get however much you need and put a decent amount on. I do it like this, I spread it slightly heavier than I do traditional granule fertilizers because it not supposed to burn the yard. However I wont spread it if it is to dry or there is no rain predicted in the future. If you water your lawn than put it on whenever you want. I took out a row of pine trees the previous owner of my house planted right in the middle of the back yard. I never thought grass would grow. I limed the crap out of the area and the grass is deeper green than any other part of my yard.

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MowerMark said:

Yes, I have a drop spreader and found THREE large unopened bags of "Cal-Sul"ｮ. The ingredients are listed as calcium sulfate dehydrate 86%, 21% calcium, and 16% sulfur. Yes, it strangely totals more than 100% ! Don't remember why I obtained Cal-Sul.

Is this what you suggest, or should I get something else ?

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Buckeye10 said:

This is a photo of my grass 2 years after I removed a row of 50ft tall pine trees. I used heavy lime to get good growing soil. All the tire tracks you see are from my application of Gordan's liquid weed and feed I put on Sunday. I am going to stripe it this weekend.

Now I am not saying soil is your problem. But lime is so damn cheap its worth a try.

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Buckeye10 said:

That picture is just a small portion where the trees used to be. I have around 2 acres of grass so fertilizing gets expensive and watering isnt really an option. About the lime, I honestly don't think it matters what brand you get. I get mine from Lowes which is a competitor of Home Depot. I would spread some lime then spread some of that cal-sul stuff you mentioned. Good luck. I hope the spots end up going away. Its gotta be frustrating.

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MowerMark said:

Do you have a link (URL) to the Lime you use ? Many times manufacturers make products which produce fine particles which one is forced to inhale. Appropriate-sized solid granules work best. What does Lime accomplish ? Can too much be applied ? What are the consequences ? What improvement should be noted when using Lime ? How long will the effects persist ? When to reapply ?

Is there a wetting agent which can safely be applied to enhance water penetration ?

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