was: new home instant lawn, is now: what the heck?

MikeC · Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 16 Location: Keller,TX

So much for the "pre-emergent" properties of cornmeal gluten. Kate and I put it down in Feb at the recommended rate and the weeds just LOVE that stuff. I got weeds coming up where there weren't any before. We spread the Texas Green sand today and the dried molasses will go down on Thursday. So I'm hoping that as the bermuda TIF 419 comes out of dormancy it'll crowd out the weeds and junk grasses that are leaping out of the ground.

OH!!! by the way, Howard, if you see this: I uncovered the flair on our new trees according to your advice and darned if I didn't find circling and girdling roots. Cut them out and I'm waiting to see how they do.
Mike

Sleeper · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 52

Mike,

You will have to give it some time. For the weeds that are up and coming up now, you should have put the CGM down in September. The CGM you are putting down now (Feb) is for the weeds that will come up in June and July, but is a great fertilizer for the weeds that are already up. The best thing to do is pull them and throw them on the compost pile. It took us two seasons before we noticed a marked difference, now it is great. We have a few weeds, but not near what we have had. The few we do have get pulled by our weedpopper and composted. Hang in there. I have found organics to be a slower process, but the results once it gets started are amazing.

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

I agree with sleeper. Hang in there. When you convert from synthics to being organics it will take a little time to see the results. It is not a race but rather an adventure. (quoted from another poster on this forum).

MikeC · Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 16 Location: Keller,TX

What is this weedpopper of which you speak? Sounds a lot easier than down on my knees with a root cutter and claw. Grin.
Seriously. I wasn't surprised by the weed growth just a bit frustrated. As it turned out the developers overseeded the properties with some sort of rye grass and that is the biggest problem. I am hoping that it dies out with the heat and that the bermuda crowds out everything else.
Mike

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

Mike, Try this link, it has a picture and description of the weedpopper:
http://store.yahoo.com/hectors876/weedpopper.html
It works really good. I bought one about 5 years ago.

pmcconahy · Joined: 12 Mar 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Arlington,TEXAS

As a wise sage once said; "Timing is everything." Additionally, patience is required. As a second to what others have posted, stay with the program and you will see dramatic results.

It took me two years to rid my yard of wild violets after starting with Corn Gluten Meal.

jrosto · Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 241 Location: Arlington

A posative note about pulling weeds:

The more weeds you have to pull, the more aereated you lawn becomes :)

Scott-in-Texas · Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:47 am Post subject:

Mike,

I have been at my program for 3 years on this property; I have seen great results from it. Living in the same general area and having similar soil I am sure, I can attest to the fact that Lava Sand spread over the entire property will help greatly. I have already spread upwards of 400 lbs by this point. And my clay is breaking down well. I also have sprayed molasses and liquid seaweed monthly during the growing season and fertilized with Bioform Dry mixed with Alfalfa and Corn Meals 3 times a year. This is on top of CGM in both the fall and early spring/late winter.

Also, this year I think CGM had a different window than what we are use to. Meaning it opened and closed much sooner than normal. :mrgreen:

MikeC · Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 16 Location: Keller,TX

I hope that no one got the idea that I was abandoning the program. Kate and I are dedicated to it. I've gotten the CMG, dried molasses and Texas Green sand down. The mulch pile is in place and growing nicely. One of our neighbor's Mom offered us all the leaves we wanted and we've been adding the coffee grounds, orange peel, apple cores and pulled weeds. The neatest part was that they had a mulch pile that was well established and gave us about 40 pounds or so of well developed mulch to help ours get started. We also dug up a whole bunch of earth worms on that property and placed them in the mulch pile so I'm expecting great things here.
Scott-in-Texas, I would like to meet with you if you have the time and compare notes.
Thanks to all. God Bless,
Mike

Sleeper · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 52

Mike,

I just used my weedpopper again this weekend. It removes the tap roots and also aerates the yard. I spent about $20 at one of the big box stores a couple of years ago. Still works well. Took about 15 minutes in the front and 15 minutes in the back to get everything pulled. Three years ago when we started it was an hour in each place.

MikeC · Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 16 Location: Keller,TX

Ordered on on Saturday from the link so graciously supplied by Gar. It should be here this week. The neat thing here is that the ground, I think, has not been treated with the synthetic stuff any time in the recent past. This area was a working farm/cattle ranch for decades. So I'm starting out right with the organic program.
Mike

Tricky Grama · Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2005 5:00 pm Post subject: weeds

I ordered the weed popper the instant the link appeared here & it came today-both my husband & I have some sort of stomach virus (it's been awful so stay away from anyone who has it!!) but even tho we were not feeling good we took it out & popped some weeds! WOW! It's good!
Patty

kbrew · Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 358 Location: Midlothian,TEXAS

Gar deserves a commission. I bought one at Elliot's Hardware last week.

Gar · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 533 Location: Lavon,Texas

Thanks kbrew. Just sent it my way. I'll be waiting for it.
Glad that you were able to locate one. You will find that they work great. It beats trying to pull those weeds out of black clay. I break them off so I just use the popper and they come out in one piece including the root.
Since I bought mine about five years ago. I wasn't sure if they still sold them.

kbrew · Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 358 Location: Midlothian,TEXAS

Gar, the checks in the mail...
My wife is not a yard person, really, but she can't wait to get out there and start poppin' those weeds. I feel like Tom Sawyer and the white wash fence. :lol: