Home Care 101

[Free For All]

In light of Jim and Dan's recent threads regarding new home topics, I thought I'd start a new thread regarding related issues.

I'll start with a question for my knowledgable brethren. I've got a fairly BROWN backyard, which from what I've seen is fairly common here in KC. What I'm wondering is, is there something I can put on the grass that isn't TOTALLY TOXIC and IS pet-friendly (I'd rather have a brown yard than a sick dog)? And don't ask me what kind of grass it is, I don't know. And it's not that it's just dry- I do water it in season. I'm not interested in competing in the neighborhood vanity scene, I just would like a reasonably green yard. My neighbor puts some hard-core smelly crap on his grass, and there is a definite abrupt change of color (from GREEN to b r o w n ) where his yard ends and mine begins. I just don't want to use some carcinogenic chemical shit.

Help! Educate me!

BTW, I've got some more DIY projects coming up this spring and summer, so I'll be getting some use from this thread.

[couw]

try verticuting first: cutting the grass roots of badly growing grass allows more air to penetrate. This gets rid of the mosses as well as they are not only raked up by the thing, but are outcompeted by the grass afterwards. And you don't need no machine for this, there's hand power-driven versions as well. Remove whatever you have lying on the grass after you're done though, that's the whole point.

[catesta]

Let me take a stab at this.

Verticutting is always a good thing to do at least once per year, as is aeration.

However without knowing what type of grass it is, it's hard to say exactly what your problem is. I'm not real familiar with the turf varieties in KC, so I don't know what to expect. If your grass is bermuda, it is supposed to be brown this time of year, as it is dormant. The only way you could make it green is to actually overseed it in the fall before the temps get too cool.

Is it possible that your neighbor is overseeding in the fall, or is he making regular fertilizer applications and you are not? If the ground is dry, that is a definite sign you are not giving it enough water.

I can't imagine what he would be using chemical wise that has an odor, none of the growth regulators give off much of a scent, and I doubt he would know how to use and apply correctly.

I'm guessing it is some kind of fertilizer or conditioner, and just about any of them are going to be harmless to pets. Just stay away from the ones coated with pendimethalin or any other weed control.

Check with a local nursery, bring them a sample of the grass so you can get it indentified. They should be able to help.

[couw]

I can't imagine what he would be using chemical wise that has an odor

Tide detergent?

[catesta]

Not so good for the skin, I hear.

[Free For All]

I've only been a home owner (and yard proprietor) for a few months, so forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is "verticutting"?

I haven't put ANY fertilizer on the grass yet (not sure what to use that's pet friendly). I realize it's early in the season, but I'm just wondering what to do this spring.

As far as what my neighbor is using, I'm going to ask him- maybe it's not fertilizer, but whatever it is, there's a pretty hefty chemical "waft" to our house.

Thanks guys....

[JSngry]

In my experience, the key to a good lawn is developing a healthy root system, which means not cutting too close in the heat of summer (up to a point, the taller your grass is the deeper the roots run, which means healtheir, heartier grass), slow & deep watering (as opposed to the daily quickies - once a week is adequate if you do it long and slow, and I know that sounds blatantly sexual, but we are talking about life here, ya'know?), and application of a sane fertilizer. In our part of Texas, a 4-1-2 ratio is best, but you see all the "quick green" stuff that's front loaded with nitrogen to get MAXIMUM GREEN as quickly as possible, and that's just stupid.

Soil conditioning is important too. Take a week or so and weed the yard by hand. Yeah, get out there, plop your ass down in the dirt, and pull all that shit up by the roots. It's only work at first, because you get into the whole symbiotic dirt/vegetation/etc harmony thing after a while, and it gets pretty cool, really. Besides, if you do it right, you're doing de facto aereation, as well as freeing up space in the dirt for the grass' roots.

And create a favorqable soil environment for earthworms. Too much chemicalization kills/runs 'em off. Earthworms RULE!

I used to do all this stuff religiously every year and I always had nice grass. Then I hit middle age and lost interest. Now my grass looks like crap. You get out of it what you put into it, if you get good info from jumpstreet.

Edited March 3, 2004 by JSngry

[connoisseur series500]

I've only been a home owner (and yard proprietor) for a few months, so forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is "verticutting"?

Why don't you know?

It's the process of distributing trombone spittle on your back lawn.

[connoisseur series500]

Hey look, Paul,

Why doncha just pay a company to weed-and-feed it? The directions you are getting on this thread seem awfully detailed and complcated.

I pay a lawn company around $200-300/year to weed and feed. Is this extravagant?

[Free For All]

Hey look, Paul,

Why doncha just pay a company to weed-and-feed it?  The directions you are getting on this thread seem awfully detailed and complcated. 

I pay a lawn company around $200-300/year to weed and feed.  Is this extravagant?

I'd be fine with that , Paul, but my main concern is what they'd be putting down and would it hurt the dog. Sometimes they say "Oh, it won't hurt 'em" without really knowing what they're talking about. Sounds like I need to do some research.

.........and Jim, thanks for the advice, but I don't realistically see weeding the lawn by hand in my future. I must find other ways to nurture my Mother Earth side, if I even have such a thing.

.........and Paul- FYI, I reserve the bulk of my trombone spittle for distribution on the sax section at big band gigs. The remainder goes into my world famous chili recipe.

[connoisseur series500]

I'd be fine with that , Paul, but my main concern is what they'd be putting down and would it hurt the dog.

I hope the stuff they put on my lawn hurts my neighbor's dog who likes to leave his souvenirs on my lawn.

The company just leaves a note saying keep all pets off the grass for a couple hours after application. Again, I don't know how accurate it all is. My cat's still alive.

[JSngry]

I reserve the bulk of my trombone spittle for distribution on the sax section at big band gigs. The remainder goes into my world famous chili recipe.

You should see what ELSE goes into your world famous chili recipe when the sax section is around and you're not looking...

[ralphie_boy]

I'd be fine with that , Paul, but my main concern is what they'd be putting down and would it hurt the dog.

I hope the stuff they put on my lawn hurts my neighbor's dog who likes to leave his souvenirs on my lawn.

The company just leaves a note saying keep all pets off the grass for a couple hours after application. Again, I don't know how accurate it all is. My cat's still alive.

That's my concern too. I stopped fertilizing a few years ago because of the dog. I'd rather have a brown lawn with weeds than a sick pooch.

[catesta]

Nice advice JS.

Free For All this is the definition of verticutting.

Vertical mowing - Vertical mowing or verticutting is a method of reducing thatch by cutting it up with a blade which runs perpendicular to the ground. Blades should be space about 4.0 cm and set shallowly to just cut through the top most portion of the thatch. Often several passes in several directions are necessary. Verticutting should not be done too late in the fall. Turf needs 30 days of good growing weather to repair itself before winter. The other time when verticutting is recommended is in spring. Again turf need 30 days to fill in before the hot summer weather comes. Crowns that are exposed during the heat of the summer are more prone to high temperature stress. Vertical mowing can be followed by a light topdressing to protect the exposed crowns and a light fertilizer application to stimulate regrowth.

And aeration.

Core aeration - Core aeration involves cutting and removing cores of soil/thatch/turf. It physically breaks up the thatch as well as bringing soil which is laden with microorganisms to the surface where they can work to breakdown thatch. Core aeration also improves soil aeration making more air available for soil microorganisms. It is best to core aerate in several directions to get good coverage. Timing for core aeration is the same as for vertical mowing.

[catesta]

The company just leaves a note saying keep all pets off the grass for a couple hours after application. Again, I don't know how accurate it all is. My cat's still alive.

Are you using TruGreen/Chemlawn?

The warning is normal practice if they use liquid fertilizers whice are fast release, and or weed control chemicals. Chemlawn had a major problem years ago in Ohio when using 2,4,-D weed killer, many lawsuits came as a result of someone claiming a dog got cancer.

Normal dry fertilizer will not harm the animals. Like I said before just stay away with anything coated with weed control products, look for smaller granuals, or go with the poly coated slow release.

[Free For All]

OK, up for a new problem.

After a recent bout with a wet basement, we tore up some trashed carpet only to discover tiles underneath. These are obviously OLD tiles, the 9X9 type, and since the house was built in the 50s we are afraid of ASBESTOS content. We're going to get them tested to be sure.

I got on the EPA website and it said that if the tiles aren't trashed (which these aren't) you might want to just leave them as is (and cover them with something like new tiles). Apparently the cost of having them removed is MAJOR, requiring the guys in space suits, like in ET. They are only in the basement, BTW. My jazz cave.

My questions are:

What should we do?

How much does it cost to have the official removal? My first inclination is to get that shit out of the house, but what if it costs THOUSANDS to do it? Are we at a huge risk?

Shouldn't the guy who did the house inspection before we bought it have caught this? Or the former owner's disclosure?

If we did decide to leave them, should we apply some kind of sealant (before laying the new tiles on top) to further inhibit dispersion?

We don't have kids, so that's not a concern.

This just sucks to holy hell. Please send good news....

[couw]

we don't call it asbestos, we call it etonite (gives you less trouble with some officials).

the danger/problem lies with dust fibers. If you are not going to scrape the stuff or drill holes in it, you don't need to remove it. Sealing it with a simple layer of new tiles is gonna do the trick.

still, get some expert to judge the situation is my best advice.

[Sundog]

As long as the floor is totally intact you have no worries. Have a liscensed professional come out and take some measurements just to be sure. If you want to put something over the old tile that's cool. Just remember do not compromise the old tile in any way.

Not to be an alarmist, but you might want to consider testing your basement for radon levels since you spend a lot of time down there. Anything over 4 picocuries per million should be mitigated. A radon test should cost you between $175-250 depending on the layout of your house, which effects the number of monitors needed to perform a valid test. If you do need to mitigate, a "typical" cost would be $1500-2000.

FYI- As a point of reference, I'm no expert on these matters. My brother however, has been in the environmental business for 20 years.

[Free For All]

Thanks for the advice guys.

We did have a radon test done when we bought the house last October, so that's not a problem.

[Jim Alfredson]

We found a heating duct that was in the wall of the bathroom I'm re-doing. It runs to the bathroom on the second floor and it's coated with abestos. I'm not worried about it. Yes, I could've called someone, but it's more pain than it's worth. Like couw said, the danger is breathing the dust or fibers in. Static abestos isn't going to do anything.

Myself? I'd just tear the shit up and throw it out. Wear a mask. It won't kill you. But that was before I had a kid coming... now I'd probably leave it and put something over it.

[Soulstation1]

i always thought aric was our resident weed expert.......

Edited March 16, 2004 by Soulstation1

[Free For All]

Myself?  I'd just tear the shit up and throw it out.  Wear a mask.  It won't kill you.  But that was before I had a kid coming... now I'd probably leave it and put something over it.

That's what I was going to do 'til I started to read about it. Check out the EPA website. It's not a big problem until you pulverize the tiles and they get into the air- I just saw a lawyer's ad on TV soliciting people who have health problems related to asbestos inhalation. Kind of an ambulance-chaser thing, but I think the health threat is real- you don't want those little buggers floating around the house. I'm going to talk to an expert about it, but it seems the likely solution will be to leave it, maybe seal it with something and cover it with new tile.

I still think the inspector should have caught this. Lame.

Jim, if it's in a heating duct, doesn't that mean it could circulate? Make sure it's OK to leave it.

BTW, they finished the work on the outside of our house today. They took a dump truck load of dirt (which was deposited in our front yard- I'm sure the neighbors just loved looking at THAT) and put it around the foundation and also beefed up our downspouts. I hope to hell that takes care of the water problem- I guess the next step would be to install a sump. I'm NOT going to have a wet basement dammit!

Next up.....tiling the basement floor. I had to move all my CDs to a temporary place and I want to get my hang happening again.

[Jim Alfredson]

The heating duct has abestos on the outside, to insulate the duct from getting the wall too hot. It won't go anywhere. I'm not worried about it.

I just got eaves put on the north and south side of our house finally so I'm hoping that will solve our wet basement problems as well. I have to move this computer and the rest of my office down there this week because my wife's sister is coming from Florida to help her paint and decorate this room and turn it into the nursery. So I hope to high heaven that the eaves solved the water problem I had!!

I spent all day hanging drywall. Fun.

[Jim Alfredson]

Just finished two days of intense work on our soon-to-be nursery. We had to strip off 6-8 layers of wallpaper. The only thing that helped taking it off was steam, so we rented one of those wallpaper steamers. It still was a ton of work. It would not come off in sheets... only in little chunks. But I got it off all the walls.

Now to do the ceiling, which has three layers.... yuk. I will post some pics later.

[Free For All]

Just finished two days of intense work on our soon-to-be nursery.  We had to strip off 6-8 layers of wallpaper.  The only thing that helped taking it off was steam, so we rented one of those wallpaper steamers.  It still was a ton of work.  It would not come off in sheets... only in little chunks.  But I got it off all the walls.

Now to do the ceiling, which has three layers.... yuk.  I will post some pics later.

Yeah, we've got some old wallpaper to deal with when we get ready to do some painting.

Well, I just finished tiling the basement floor. The new tile covered the old scary stuff very well. We also had a bunch of drainage-type work done around the outside of the house and on the eaves so this basement should be bone-fucking-dry forEVER! I need to get my cave back to normal soon.

I'm rapidly gaining DIY skills, whether I want to or not!

Edited March 25, 2004 by Free For All