I moved in with my elderly disabled mother this fall and have been doing yard work. Her lawn is about half dirt which makes a mess with the dogs tracking mud into the house and just doesn’t look good. I’m thinking I should buy turf builder because building turf is my goal, but I’d like suggestions and tips from all of you smart lawn people. There is also a lot of dandelions and weeds. Plus, most of it is shaded. Five years ago it was beautiful sod and I don’t know why this has happened. Maybe not enough water, never fertilized, leaves staying on ground too long, or all of the above? TLDR; How can I fill in the sparse lawn and prevent this from happening in the future. Thanks a bunch! Y’all are the best!
by Ashbrains
17 Comments
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Also, I’m in hardiness zone 6, if that matters.
1. Kill the weeds
2. Overseed with a good quality seed
3. Fertilize and care for it as needed
These are the basics, there are more steps you can do such as aeration and topdressing with compost. More effort you put in will end up with better results but if you just want a good enough green lawn that’s all you need to do.
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Be careful. This sub will suck you in and cost you a lot of time and money, but you’ll end up with a great lawn.
Water and mow. Fertilizer if you want to start spending money.
My unprofessional opinion is that the soil needs fixed. I would try my luck out with over seeding lots of water maybe aerate it so that other grass canget it healthier.
If that doesn’t work seed, fertilizer and hay Next year.
Then a professional.
Aerate, fertilizer, water, mow
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Ok, so my game plan, pending everyone’s approval, is to:
1st, aerate the ground.
2nd, overseed with quality seed and before it gets too hot.
3rd, fertilize.
How long should I wait between each step? Can I do them all back-to-back?
I have the same problem with Bermuda in south US does the same apply? Aerate water mow?
Zones always matter, is the entire lawn like this
So I live in the transition zone so some advice may vary but for my fescue lawn customers asking for a mostly nice lawn on a budget I recommend these things
1. Spring pre-emergent and ~1lb of nitrogen in early spring
2. Second rate of pre-emergent and grub control (grub control optional but included in our program) in the late spring
3. (Optional) One visit through the summer to check in for weeds
4. Fescue seeding in the fall
5. Fall fertilizer ~6-8 weeks after seeding
6. (Optional) Winterizer fertilizer to help with faster green up in spring.
We have a total of 7 applications in our program and I usually see 3 as essential.
The fall seeding is going to be to recover from things like brown patch and other potential pests that happen with frequency in our region. If your lawn is spared one year then you can consider skipping seeding.
The fertilizer in the early spring, while maybe not essential, will make your lawn look amazing a couple weeks after applying.
Most common pre-emergent I recommend is prodiamine in the spring. It’s cheap and works well
You can try to use prodiamine to prevent poa in the fall but it’s tricky because timing can be tough. Mesotrione does a great job but is expensive. I usually recommend focusing on thick turf because the poa will be hard to see in maintained fescue until it starts to warm up and it starts putting out seed heads and yellowing in the warmer weather.
Quinclorac is your friend for grassy weeds but as always read the label
Still learning nuances of fescue maintenance after transitioning from a route that is mostly Bermuda so any more seasoned guys feel free to chime in with corrections if needed.
Wait until fall. Aerate, seed, fertilize. Most importantly, if you’re not going to keep up on watering in the summer don’t even bother. It’ll be a total waste of $.
Damn
Last season, on this sub, I read a reply from someone that had downloaded the Scott’s app and had been following it with great results. I decided to give it a go and the results have been quite favorable. Use the product at the times it recommends and keep up with the prescribed water amounts.
Run away, cry and don’t look back!