Probably going to have to nuke it and seed this fall
inhaler_huffer
Now low moe-foe. It’ll look like thick luscious lawn. Everyone sees it from a distance anyways.
SandmanAwaits
Run the mower over it mate, then spray a pre-emergent, something like Spartan & then a couple days later spray a post-emergent, something like Bow and Arrow.
Not sure where you are in the word but if in Australia those two can be purchased easily online, just need a sprayer, don’t need anything expensive.
nb2288
Where are you located? It all depends on what you do and when.
Z16z10
Mow it really close.. as low as you can go..
Might take a couple cuts to do without bogging the mower.. but ..
Once it’s super short .. carpet bomb the weeds with a spray on weed killer either pre mix or self mix from a concentrate.
Wait a week..
Don’t water..
Mow again..
Run a dethather or mow really close again..
Spray again..
You could use roundup to nuke it all.. if you want..
I used ortho weed be gone on my back yard..
Which was this bad..
It’s all dirt now, with a few patches of PRG and brome.. which is not what I want but ..
It beats crabgrass, dandelions ant thistle and henbit and creeping Charlie.
It’s gonna take at least T more seasons for me because I have a fairly steep grade that need to be fixed and I can’t get my property lines surveyed until October 2024..
So for now, I throw down annual rye to stop the erosion.
It’s going to take time, but Treating weeds and doing soil amendment and eventually aerating and seeding is a less expensive way, but it takes time and a plan.
It took me two seasons to fix my front yard after renters.. never again.
I’m half way though the process on the empty lot side yard that was 80% crab and creeping Charlie..
But I’m retired.. so I have all day every day to do stuff one section at a time.
That’s another you can do.. section it off and test out different grass types unless you know what you want..
Your picture looks like a cool season grass zone like mine..
Use a shovel, skim off the top, put it in a pile, then burn it. Then spread some seed and cross your fingers 😉
SigSeikoSpyderco
Get some ranch dressing for that salad
johnnyg08
Nuke it and seed in the fall. You’ll probably want to nuke that twice about 3-4 weeks apart.
Only-11780-Votes
rawbit
Make a salad and toss it
madhaxx0r
I just bought my first home, and this is exactly what the yard looked like. I took it as a challenge, because my dog loves grass (never had a yard of her own though). Because she loves to eat the grass, I can’t use chemicals. I bought a couple bags of mulch, and a bag of contractor’s mix seed, and a trench spade. Each morning I choose a section and use the spade to dig down along the roots and pull the weeds. I then use the mulch to level out the craters, tossing the seed in (by hand) as I do. It’s been since February, and I’m starting to really see progress. I’m now weed-hunting, and only finding a handful of new ones each day. The lawn is really patchy still, but my dog LOVES it already. My ultimate goal is to be able to post a pic here by February of next year, and feel good about it! I chose Inch by inch, not yard by yard, since I spent all my money to buy the house
Kabrosif
If this were my yard I would nuke it all then rototill everything. Grade and Level any low spots/holes/lumps maybe even add a little sand/top soil mix in on top. Get a real nice fresh base thats nice and level loaded with fresh nutes. Seed in the fall and add some straw for moisture retention. Use a Pre-emergent after nuking and again in the fall. Will take a solid 1-2 full seasons but you’ll have an amazing lawn and will be worth the wait and effort you do now if doing it right from the start.
oxygenisnotfree
Just a note: if you are going to use a systemic herbicide, DO NOT MOW. You will get better results to kill the roots if the plant is actively growing and healthy. Also, be patient, some take weeks or a month to get all the way into the root system, and some may need to be watered in if there isn’t rain. Read the labels and follow all instructions.
The1stMedievalMe
I’m pretty sure you can make tea out of dandelion leaves 😁
OkLetsParty
Local wildflower seeds
Desperate_Set_7708
Blow it up in late summer and start anew in the fall. Lots of opportunity to “fix” all kinds of issues including low spots, regrading, etc.
silvermesh
You are in my neck of the woods.
Everyone is saying nuke and seed but since it’s too late to seed now I would probably blanket spray with fertilizer, preemergent, and broadleaf weed control. Honestly I almost never recommend nuke and seed. There’s usually more grass left than people think and you don’t seem to have a bunch of perennial grassy weeds(the only thing you really need non selective for). Cool season lawns can look great with multiple grass types so wouldn’t be the end of the world to just overseed on top of what you have.
There are bare areas but there is also grass left. Once you clear weeds you will have a better clue how much seed you actually need. If enough of what’s left is blue and we keep getting rain like we have been getting you could get a lot of coverage just from it stooling out. You have shade but if it was too much for bluegrass you probably wouldn’t have so many kinds of broadleaf weeds.
Edit: and don’t mow until a couple days after it’s been sprayed. The more leaf surface area the better weed control will work. It’s way easier to kill weeds this way then chopping them to the ground like lots of folk will recommend. None of these weeds are particularly difficult to control with broadleaf herbicide.
CalebD12
Spray it and seed it. Once seed sprouts and develops a decent grass, I’d use a weed and feed to kill remaining weeds and give the grass a good fertilization
Pit-Smoker
First, congrats.
Second, Baby steps. We almost bankrupted ourselves trying to do it all at once. Your neighbors are used to looking at that. You will improve it, but do it over time. Baby steps.
Start with a ph test. See what you need to bring the ph back into range and do that. Definitely core aerate. Then seed in fall. What I found is that the grass grew best out of the little holes the core left behind. Start there. Don’t stress the rest, quite yet.
Melodic-Classic391
You could buy a propane weed torch and start burning sections of this away, then seed. Depends on how big your lawn is.
CharlieBoxCutter
Sod is a waste of money anyway.
blazeronin
Call the Weedman.
pepskino
Kill it and start over mine was worse ..
SnooSuggestions8624
Embrace native ground cover. This looks beautiful and is thriving.
crazyfool2006
I literally rented a little tractor scraped the entire topsoil layer. Tilled entire yard. Overseeded, raked gently then straw and still watering, we on day 4
MinistryFolks
nuke scalp and seed
whaler76
Flame thrower
cozmicnoid
Burn it. Then make a parking lot.
phoonie98
Either nuke as others have suggested or embrace it and spread clover seeds all over and let them out compete and fill in all of the bare spots
Papapeta33
Nuke ‘em, Rico.
Sad_Strategy_7919
What’s wrong with it? It looks like it’s full of native foliage and things that pollinators will use. Pure grass is so…boring? I dunno I grew up in the countryside and we never minded the natural growth of things as long as it didn’t get so long as to harbor snakes or rats or spiders.
No_Classroom448
My opinion would be to drop clover seed and an annual ryegrass to get it through the summer. Clover should compete with most of the ugly weeds and win, and it fixes nitrogen into the soil.
In the fall dethatch heavily, and drop your tall fescue. In spring, pre-emergent in three waves: late winter, early spring, late spring.
Repeat for two years and you’ll be golden. I support clover/grass mix lawns as a naturalist so you won’t have a 1950’s lawn, but a 1950’s lawn isn’t good for the ecosystem.
TimeKiller1850
How much did the guys cost?
anonymouschev
Buy some par III or premium 3 way
Kevaroo83
The growing amount of people I see buying homes that they can’t afford the basics on right out of the gate is getting alarming. Godspeed and good luck.
BEER_G00D
There are many options of various levels of perfection, especially for this sub.
If you are ok with it just being green, mow often this year. If it works for you, then you are done.
Mow it often this year and really hit it hard with improvements in the fall… The best and easiest time for starting over or general dethatch, arate, reseed, etc.
If you want the best looking lawn on the block as quickly as possible …. Well that is more than ambitious. Gotta go sod(which won’t reach that level quickly) or do the steps in option 2 now and prepare to water like crazy all summer.
38 Comments
Probably going to have to nuke it and seed this fall
Now low moe-foe. It’ll look like thick luscious lawn. Everyone sees it from a distance anyways.
Run the mower over it mate, then spray a pre-emergent, something like Spartan & then a couple days later spray a post-emergent, something like Bow and Arrow.
Not sure where you are in the word but if in Australia those two can be purchased easily online, just need a sprayer, don’t need anything expensive.
Where are you located? It all depends on what you do and when.
Mow it really close.. as low as you can go..
Might take a couple cuts to do without bogging the mower.. but ..
Once it’s super short .. carpet bomb the weeds with a spray on weed killer either pre mix or self mix from a concentrate.
Wait a week..
Don’t water..
Mow again..
Run a dethather or mow really close again..
Spray again..
You could use roundup to nuke it all.. if you want..
I used ortho weed be gone on my back yard..
Which was this bad..
It’s all dirt now, with a few patches of PRG and brome.. which is not what I want but ..
It beats crabgrass, dandelions ant thistle and henbit and creeping Charlie.
It’s gonna take at least T more seasons for me because I have a fairly steep grade that need to be fixed and I can’t get my property lines surveyed until October 2024..
So for now, I throw down annual rye to stop the erosion.
It’s going to take time, but Treating weeds and doing soil amendment and eventually aerating and seeding is a less expensive way, but it takes time and a plan.
It took me two seasons to fix my front yard after renters.. never again.
I’m half way though the process on the empty lot side yard that was 80% crab and creeping Charlie..
But I’m retired.. so I have all day every day to do stuff one section at a time.
That’s another you can do.. section it off and test out different grass types unless you know what you want..
Your picture looks like a cool season grass zone like mine..
5b Nebraska
My 90% done front fix
https://preview.redd.it/smp5muk0cazc1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7214828051d9720a9dd564c21d5f6599416686ec
Just spread seeds dude
Use a shovel, skim off the top, put it in a pile, then burn it. Then spread some seed and cross your fingers 😉
Get some ranch dressing for that salad
Nuke it and seed in the fall. You’ll probably want to nuke that twice about 3-4 weeks apart.
Make a salad and toss it
I just bought my first home, and this is exactly what the yard looked like. I took it as a challenge, because my dog loves grass (never had a yard of her own though). Because she loves to eat the grass, I can’t use chemicals. I bought a couple bags of mulch, and a bag of contractor’s mix seed, and a trench spade. Each morning I choose a section and use the spade to dig down along the roots and pull the weeds. I then use the mulch to level out the craters, tossing the seed in (by hand) as I do. It’s been since February, and I’m starting to really see progress. I’m now weed-hunting, and only finding a handful of new ones each day. The lawn is really patchy still, but my dog LOVES it already. My ultimate goal is to be able to post a pic here by February of next year, and feel good about it! I chose Inch by inch, not yard by yard, since I spent all my money to buy the house
If this were my yard I would nuke it all then rototill everything. Grade and Level any low spots/holes/lumps maybe even add a little sand/top soil mix in on top. Get a real nice fresh base thats nice and level loaded with fresh nutes. Seed in the fall and add some straw for moisture retention. Use a Pre-emergent after nuking and again in the fall. Will take a solid 1-2 full seasons but you’ll have an amazing lawn and will be worth the wait and effort you do now if doing it right from the start.
Just a note: if you are going to use a systemic herbicide, DO NOT MOW. You will get better results to kill the roots if the plant is actively growing and healthy. Also, be patient, some take weeks or a month to get all the way into the root system, and some may need to be watered in if there isn’t rain. Read the labels and follow all instructions.
I’m pretty sure you can make tea out of dandelion leaves 😁
Local wildflower seeds
Blow it up in late summer and start anew in the fall. Lots of opportunity to “fix” all kinds of issues including low spots, regrading, etc.
You are in my neck of the woods.
Everyone is saying nuke and seed but since it’s too late to seed now I would probably blanket spray with fertilizer, preemergent, and broadleaf weed control. Honestly I almost never recommend nuke and seed. There’s usually more grass left than people think and you don’t seem to have a bunch of perennial grassy weeds(the only thing you really need non selective for). Cool season lawns can look great with multiple grass types so wouldn’t be the end of the world to just overseed on top of what you have.
There are bare areas but there is also grass left. Once you clear weeds you will have a better clue how much seed you actually need. If enough of what’s left is blue and we keep getting rain like we have been getting you could get a lot of coverage just from it stooling out. You have shade but if it was too much for bluegrass you probably wouldn’t have so many kinds of broadleaf weeds.
Edit: and don’t mow until a couple days after it’s been sprayed. The more leaf surface area the better weed control will work. It’s way easier to kill weeds this way then chopping them to the ground like lots of folk will recommend. None of these weeds are particularly difficult to control with broadleaf herbicide.
Spray it and seed it. Once seed sprouts and develops a decent grass, I’d use a weed and feed to kill remaining weeds and give the grass a good fertilization
First, congrats.
Second, Baby steps. We almost bankrupted ourselves trying to do it all at once. Your neighbors are used to looking at that. You will improve it, but do it over time. Baby steps.
Start with a ph test. See what you need to bring the ph back into range and do that. Definitely core aerate. Then seed in fall. What I found is that the grass grew best out of the little holes the core left behind. Start there. Don’t stress the rest, quite yet.
You could buy a propane weed torch and start burning sections of this away, then seed. Depends on how big your lawn is.
Sod is a waste of money anyway.
Call the Weedman.
Kill it and start over mine was worse ..
Embrace native ground cover. This looks beautiful and is thriving.
I literally rented a little tractor scraped the entire topsoil layer. Tilled entire yard. Overseeded, raked gently then straw and still watering, we on day 4
nuke scalp and seed
Flame thrower
Burn it. Then make a parking lot.
Either nuke as others have suggested or embrace it and spread clover seeds all over and let them out compete and fill in all of the bare spots
Nuke ‘em, Rico.
What’s wrong with it? It looks like it’s full of native foliage and things that pollinators will use. Pure grass is so…boring? I dunno I grew up in the countryside and we never minded the natural growth of things as long as it didn’t get so long as to harbor snakes or rats or spiders.
My opinion would be to drop clover seed and an annual ryegrass to get it through the summer. Clover should compete with most of the ugly weeds and win, and it fixes nitrogen into the soil.
In the fall dethatch heavily, and drop your tall fescue. In spring, pre-emergent in three waves: late winter, early spring, late spring.
Repeat for two years and you’ll be golden. I support clover/grass mix lawns as a naturalist so you won’t have a 1950’s lawn, but a 1950’s lawn isn’t good for the ecosystem.
How much did the guys cost?
Buy some par III or premium 3 way
The growing amount of people I see buying homes that they can’t afford the basics on right out of the gate is getting alarming. Godspeed and good luck.
There are many options of various levels of perfection, especially for this sub.
If you are ok with it just being green, mow often this year. If it works for you, then you are done.
Mow it often this year and really hit it hard with improvements in the fall… The best and easiest time for starting over or general dethatch, arate, reseed, etc.
If you want the best looking lawn on the block as quickly as possible …. Well that is more than ambitious. Gotta go sod(which won’t reach that level quickly) or do the steps in option 2 now and prepare to water like crazy all summer.
Good luck just making improvements over time.