My wife and I bought our first home in New Hampshire a couple months ago. We don't really have much in the way of grass. It's a lot of weeds, clover, mossy patches in the heavy shade, etc. I also can't take two steps without stepping on 2-3 ant hills. I've read conflicting opinions about leaving vs eradicating, mostly coming down to whether they're fire ants (they're not).
I'd like to avoid using a ton of chemicals if we can as we have two dogs who love to roam the yard. We're also on a well system, so I'm not sure if that could potentially be hazardous with chemicals leaching into the soil and contaminating the water?
Appreciate any advice y'all can offer. We're learning a lot very quickly but there's still so much we don't know.
by Only_Positive_Vibes
15 Comments
Check out the [Cool Season Beginners Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/comments/fb1gjj/a_beginners_guide_to_improving_your_lawn_this/).
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Reading the automod with the cool season guide… but the flair of the post is that it contains major errors. So… is it even relevant? The post itself seems to have been deleted but the FAQs posted in the comments remain.
There are people in this sub more knowledgeable than me but this appears to be a nuke and start over. There is very little grass at all, it’s basically just a natural area.
If I were you, I’d do sod with whatever grass you’d prefer and start from scratch. If that’s out of budget, I’d spend some time reading about growing from seed.
How deep is the well?
Is your goal to have a monoculture? Or are you okay with diversity and “weeds” in your lawn?
Also are you comfortable irrigating the property? Or will you be relying on rainfall?
Congratulations on the new house. I’m at the line of Pelham in Massachusetts also on a well and I had nuked my grass in 2020. I used Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra seed and cover it with hydro-seed pellets. I also have an irrigation system not sure if you do or not. That would be the determining factor as to how to approach this. Starting from seed you need lots of water and the best time to start is the 2nd week in August.
https://preview.redd.it/v7144rj6pfcf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6759720fd04b1b107c8cb308ddbe7449e3d0f160
Till it all, core aerate and dormant seed in fall. Use a broadleaf weed killer after cutting the grass 6 times next year then use a preemergent the year after. Just what I would personally do
Congrats to you and the wife! The lawn is definitely salvageable. When applied properly a lot of modern herbicides are pretty safe if used properly and you follow the REI (Restricted Entry Interval). Applying at the proper rate will minimize the risk of contaminating any ground water. I’ve been treating my properties for years and have never had an issue with dogs enjoying the lawn. I would smack the whole lawn with a bifenthrin insecticide treatment. This should take care of the ants and any other surface feeding insects. This will also control fleas and ticks for the pups as well. Once the ants are gone, attack the weeds. Seeing a lots of wild violet and white clover in the picture. These are a bit stubborn and can often take two sprays to knock back fully. You’ll need a standard three way weed control with Tryclopyr to control those. If you want to speed up the process, the bifenthrin can be added to the three way triclopyr mix and be done in one treatment. Then this fall, aerate and overseed the lawn. This will help decompact your soil, allowing more water and nutrients down to the root zone of grass. It will also introduce healthy grass varieties to help fill in the thin areas of the lawn. That would be my attack plan on this property personally. Heavy shade may hinder the results of the overseeding in areas, but using a shade tolerant grass type when overseeding can help. Best of luck!
I’ve had great luck with Jonathan green shade blend for areas that don’t get a ton of sun and are thin and weedy. Overseed this fall and probably next year as well, then maybe every other year but see how it goes. No need for lots of chemicals, just good grass seed
If ur looking for a natural way to off the ants, used coffee grounds work, otherwise it’s chemicals, and even that is spotty
Don’t worry about it until the Fall. There’s no point in trying to eliminate weeds now because there’s not enough grass to “fight” the weeds.
Expensive option: Sod with Kentukucky Bluegrass this Fall.
Cheaper option: Seed with Tall Fescue.
overseed now with creeping red fescue—mowing regularly will reduce the broadleaf weeds and next spring you can spray for weeds if the problems reappear
Thatch, aerate, seed and some good grade top soil. And spread out. Water
Looks good for a forest lawn. I would t worry too much about making it uniform with where you are at unless you want it purely for the aesthetic reasons.
Otherwise just mow high and often.
Nuke or let it be. I’d be tempted to not touch it. It’s next to a wooded area so fighting weeds long term is going to be expensive. You have a nice home and this type of yard adds to the charm.
I would approach it from the side