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What do you prescribe for my lawn?
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What do you prescribe for my lawn?


Lawn noob here. I don't need a perfect lawn, just something less patchy and without weeds. I've included multiple pictures to give an idea of various areas, but the first picture shows the whole backyard. There's a also a front lawn with similar, but less severe, issues.

We moved into our first home in late April. The previous owner didn't do much caring for the yard, especially relative to the neighborhood which is nicely kept. Initially we had serious issues with dandelions, which was addressed by having a company apply "premium lawn fertilizer and complete weed control". This has been done twice, with 2 more scheduled this season (next one any day now).

I understand there are a lot of big weeds at the moment and I'm ready to manual pull them if that's what's needed. I also noticed like white, super dead areas which I don't understand what's causing that.

We were considering topsoil and/or seeding, but are unsure of timing or if that's the best approach.

Again, I don't need a perfect lawn, just something less patchy and without weeds. Appreciate any feedback from you pros 🙂

by kodak11111

39 Comments

  8. virii01

    Spray broadleaf herbicide on the weeds. Do nothing for a month and a half or so. Then, rake out any dead, aerate and seed. Water, lots. Enjoy something that closely resembles a lawn for the rest of the year. In the spring, put down a starter fertilizer with preemergent, seed any thin areas, water, and you’re golden. Water deep, mow high, cut sharp. That’s 95% of a nice lawn. 

  9. 4u2nv2019

    In autumn I would scarify, hollow time aerate, apply wetting agent (Johnson’s baby shampoo) rake in new top soil. Seed. Topdress with fine compost. Then roll it (lawnmower with roller will do) some people fleece the lawn thereafter. Then water multiple times a day to keep it moist but not drowning in water.

  12. JadedJagaur69

    You have a project on your hands! Your honestly probably better off starting from scratch.

  16. basement-thug

    Well thought and prayers won’t get results, so time to take action!

  22. cwebb401

    For now just water it and pull weeds up by hand. Then in late September-October I would rake in top soil and seed. I had a similar front and back lawn when I bought my house. It takes a couple seasons but you should be okay if you do that.

  23. GazelleFree7447

    Looks dormant (normal for grass in our NE area during the hot summer months). If I am correct, install a sprinkler system.

  24. ThatHamiltonGuy1

    Aeration will help allow the natural grass seed replant itself into the ground. After that the rule of thumb is that your lawn needs approximately 24 hours worth of watering per week. This can be spread out into 2-3 hour segments per night but typically the more you can water your lawn, the better. Cut at heights of 2.5-3inches between the months of april-june. July and August cut at approximately 3.5 inches to keep your lawn from drying out, and put it back down in the fall months until winter. Before winter snow hits, lay down a bunch of seed and allow the snow to cover it. In spring the seed will have compacted into the dirt, and the frosting will help germinate the new seeds. Your lawn next year if following these steps should look a worlds difference. Another note. Corn gluten can be spread on your lawn in the spring to prevent any annoying weeds from germinating.

  26. martybu141

    Technically this no longer qualifies as a lawn….

    It’s mostly dead and the weeds are taking up the free real estate. it should have been watered a long time ago so most water will just evaporate. Water what you have left, spray broadleaf, seed in fall, pre emergent next spring and seed. Then water regularly

  27. shmaltz_herring

    Glyphosate to kill everything.

    Then in a month, slice some good grass seed in, water it multiple times per day.

    Or spread the seed normally and top dress with a little bit of topsoil to keep it in place and keep it from getting dry. Fertilize it and then water it.

    Scott’s triple action for seeding would work well and would need applied when you seed and 1 month later. It’ll help keep some weeds from germinating.

    Then you need to have a fertilizing and water regiment set up for next year so that you can keep your grass alive and growing.

  28. cuntry-boy

    Sub moisture. Water the piss out of it. Long & slow sessions. Basically like a soaker hose spaced 12-18″ apart. If you have sprinklers, set them on hourly (longer) intervals. You want the ability to stick at least a foot long screw driver in the ground with ease. Sufficient sub moisture will allow the grass roots to go deeper. Not only making it more resilient and healthy, but also the dominant species. All but eliminating the need for any weed control in the future.
    In order to compete with deep rooted grass, the weed must have a Taproot. (Pigweed, kochia, etc). Simply mowing those will basically kill them and prevent them from “tapping” your soil. The only weeds of concern are those like bindweed and goat heads. Pull them bitches and make sure you get the entire Taproot even if you have to wet the ground soft. If it breaks off, they will return. Bindweed is nearly immortal. The roots can go 20′ deep so most chemical applications only make you think it’s dead. Herbicide is only really effective in the fall. They will then take it to their roots in preparation for dormancy.

    Mostly everything else (dandelions, etc) exist in the very top layer of soil. So they’re not really a concern as it pertains to the health of the deep rooted grass.

    Youre pretty much wasting your money on having weed n feed done. I’ve already mentioned the weed part. But (established) grass doesn’t really need fertilizer. The organic matter in soil tickles its fancy just fine. Most of which comes from the grass itself. Don’t bag when you mow and do it so the clippings are an inch or two long (not 6″). The shorter they are, the quicker they decompose and turn into soil. (Natural fertilizer).

    I’m not home at the moment. But if you want I can send you pictures and show you proof of what I’m saying. I was gone for the first few months of summer. It doesn’t rain much here so my yard looked much worse than yours. It’s about 30,000 sq ft so part of it still does. The other part looks like it should be in landscaper magazine.
    I haven’t used any fertilizer or weed killer in 10-15 years. I was gone the entire summer 2 or 3 years ago so it was in reeeeeallllyyy piss poor condition.
    I think I’ll be home tomorrow so I’ll take some pics

  29. Falcon674DR

    Just a shot in the dark, but, perhaps fertilizer and water?

  30. pretty_succinct

    you actually have a wonderful opportunity here.

    i don’t notice any sprinklers and you don’t mention any in your text, so i say: put in irrigation.

    i have a wonderful yard, but it’s also very low maintenence because i put in irrigation before the yard really started growing. my neighbors who have to water manually… they hate the constant obligation and their yards don’t look great in summer.

    since your yard looks basically raw, there’s nothing to stop you from using a trencher and putting down the piping.

    if you wait a year or two until AFTER you’ve revived your yard, then you’re going to be very reluctant to dig up a bunch of turf you’ve sweat and bled over the past few years.

    edit: grammar.

  33. v0nHahn

    Dont cut the grass that low will help it survive when its warm and dry

  34. Mr_Flash92

    Bold of you to describe what’s in these pictures as a “lawn”.

    But water. Water. And then try water. Probably need to do a reseed come fall. Get ahead of watering for next season to avoid this.

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