Yard Maintenance

[Sentrosi2121]

My backyard is a mess. I took a walk out there this past weekend and I see dirt mounds, holes in the ground and what appears to be frost heave from the winter. I'm a relative newbie when it comes to doing yard maintenance. I mean I mow/mulch my lawn and pull in the leaves from my backyard every year and I throw down lawn fertilizer around this time of the year. But my yard never looks like it's healthy. A friend of mine told me I need to aerate my lawn as my backyard is mostly made of clay with apparently little topsoil. If it rains 1/2" I have a small pond sitting at the low point in my yard. So I guess that means that my yard needs some drainage, thus aeration. But doing research should I go with a plug aerator or a spike aerator with a spreader integrated?

We also have a huge problem when it comes to bugs in the summer. When it gets to be about 4pm the bugs come out in droves and drive my kids and I inside. I've 'solved' this by buying some Cutter Backyard Bug Control Spray, but as I have a large backyard I'd like to find something that doesn't make me haul a hose out every month to lay down the spray. I've seen natural lawn care products that I can just use a spreader on, but that didn't seem to work as well as the Cutter stuff. So is there anything here that I can use?

I also have three magnolia trees that have exposed roots jutting out of the ground. I'm assuming that this is bad for the trees. Is there anything that I can do about this?

The frost heaving can be solved with a lawn roller, correct? But I've heard that this compacts the lawn making the grass harder to grow out of. And with the clay needing drainage, I'm sort of at an impass. So some help here would be appreciated.

Basically I'm looking to get a nice, lush yard that my family can enjoy this summer with. I'm not afraid of hard work, but I am afraid of braking the bank to keep my yard nice and healthy looking.

 

[lozina]

pics of lawn?

 

[NuclearNed]

Fix the drainage problem first as it may be the root cause of the other problems. Google "French well"

 

[Sentrosi2121]

pics of lawn?

I'll provide some tonight when I get home from work.

 

[Azraele]

Here's a site for tips on dealing with a clay based lawn.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5584296_fix-clay-soil-yard.html

And this is for your exposed magnolia roots.

http://www.ehow.com/info_10044948_covering-exposed-roots-magnolia-trees-damage.html

 

[TXHokie]

I went all out and rented a heavy duty tiller, dug up and graded the whole yard. Then laid down 3 pallets of bermuda grass. Looks nice now. That was a lot of work though.

 

[MichaelD]

No pics, no lawn.

 

[Sentrosi2121]

Ok, here are the pics.

My backyard.

An example of the heaving I'm talking about.

One of the mounds of dirt I have seen in the yard.

Some more heaving. From what I've read this is because of the frozen ground unthawing.

The exposed Magnolia roots. But thanks to the link provided I can just put mulch over these roots and it should be fine.

The backyard from in the back of the property. A project I have had wanted to do was to dig a firepit around the right side of the picture. Right around where the ground is discolored. That was a diseased cherry tree I cut down a season ago.

One of the things I'm considering is putting mulch around the two closer magnolia trees and sort of closing in that gap with the mulch. But I'm not sure if because of the grade of the backyard if the mulch will stay in place or if it will drift off after rains. Now I could put those barriers up for the ground cover, but again I'm not sure how to secure it among the magnolias as it seems their roots go very shallow.

 

[NuclearNed]

regarding the "heaving" ground... are you sure it's that and not moles? Those look more like mole-hills to me.

 

[Azraele]

If it's frost heave, here's some info.:

"Although frost heave cannot be completely eradicated, as it is simply an act of nature, it can be prevented. Most heaving problems begin in low-lying areas of the landscape. Dips or depressions in the ground hold water. With the right soil and freezing temperatures, frost heave is inevitable. Therefore, it often helps to rake or smooth out these areas in order to minimize frost heaving threats. Soil moisture can also be alleviated by amending the soil with compost. Not only will this improve drainage issues, but it can also help with soil structure. Well-draining soil also warms up faster, further lessening the occurrence of frost heave. Another way to warm the soil is by applying mulch where suitable. Mulch helps insulate the soil by regulating temperature fluctuations and reducing frost penetration."

Taken from here: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-frost-heave.htm

 

[Sentrosi2121]

So is it better to aerate/fertilize/seed/roll the lawn?