My "Make it Clean & Green" Project

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flako

New Member
Hello everyone,

I have just recently posted on the welcome section and decided to keep threads in their respective areas so I opened a new one.

Some of the history,

New home owner with a young family, back and front yard need work. As I promised in my previous thread I got some pictures to share and Im hoping the experts can provide some guidence as to what I need to do.

As I was taking pictures yesterdy I realized I cannot tell apart whats weed and what is an actual plant....... (I know I need A LOT of help hehehe). Anyhow, on to the pictures.

I guess I would like to have the front yard done first ( if one needs to be picked) So that my house isnt the ugly one on the block. These are the ugly spots in the front yard, the other side of the front yard is actually pretty thick and it seems to just be watered more often.

Along the side of the driveway

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Along the walkway to the front door

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These are the weeds I was talking about in my intro thread... Do I need to kill them with some kind of solution or can I just pull them out?

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Close up to the weeds

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Now lets move onto the Backyard, like I had mentioned there are lots of shrubs and trees that i really have no ideas as to what to do with them.

South view of the back yard (Not sure what the previous owner had in mind with that wooden/brick structer in the middle of the yard but thats going down.

MakeitgreenProject2012005.png


North view o the back yard (My friend Sal hanging out..... lol)

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I dont even know what Im going to do about this......

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And here are some of the trees/shrubs in the back

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Now the side yard is something that has me very excited, and im hoping to have some nice flower planted after a good clean up.

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Anyhow, I know its a lot of work but im willing to do it. I would like to get my lawn green, trim down the shrubs and trees to give it a nice clean look and hopefully not break the bank in the process. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Alan
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
WOW!
You have your work cut out!
We'll try our best to help!

Take photos of each type of shrub for identification and proper pruning for the species.

Picking the front lawn first is a good idea and then work from there!
You can spot treat the weeds on the lawn with vinegar....you will need a sprayer for that! Yes, vinegar! It is acidic and does the weeds in quickly. You will still need to pull the larger weeds
A few good "organic' weed killer are available if you would like to go that way instead of using vinegar, since vinegar is non-specific and will kill everything including the grass.

You have a lot of shrubs! I noticed some interesting ones here and there that you might like to keep and free up from other shrubs close by.
Pick the ones that are realy out of bound and work on them first. As I mentioned in the other thread you can limb the trees to get them cleaned up so you will have more head space........

Don't want to overwhelm you.....
 

lynpenny

Super Moderator
Staff member
All that Ron has said and don't forget to water once a week but leave the sprinkler on for a period of time to soak it up. Grass can come back to make a great yard. Mine did.
 

flako

New Member
Ohhh Im so sorry I forgot to mention and I guess its really important.... the house does not have a sprinkler system. So how do you guys recommend I water my lawns. I have been hitting it with the hose a couple of times a week but havent seen any imporvements. Is there a better way to do this?
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Hi Flako

Welcome! Ron has a lot of great advice for starters.
In respect to your watering, You might not see much improvement if you have very little grass. I suggest pulling the weeds in a section of lawn no bigger than you can keep watered twice a day , and putting some seed down. Now keep in mind you will need to keep it watered and prevent it from totally drying out until it is about 2" high. Most people find this too much work but in the long run it pays off in a better lawn. Check with local garden shops to see which grass is best for your area and weather conditions. They usually can advise you best. If seed sounds like too much , try grass plugs. You will not need to water them as much and they provide a quicker lawn, require less water and you can do a larger section easier.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
You can actually do this now, and yes Fescue to the rescue. I have a mix mostly of native grasses, but have bought the same type mix for bare spots and it works well. I suggest throughly weeding first, then water so the ground is moist, broadcast your seed and then water in. If you put the seed on dry ground and then water, the water can "pile" the seed up in places as it flows across the dry ground. Making sure the ground is wet first makes for a more even seeding. ;) Remember do not let it dry out or it can kill the seed or new grass sprouts.
 


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