NFT: Lawn Care - anyone till your lawn and start over?

Brought in 40 yards of topsoil and mixed in some gypsum. One thing I didn't do that I regret was putting in a sprinkler system, but the grass came up like a carpet. Starter fertilizer and water... Better to do in the fall though.
BTW- Still looks great

I'm in 7b, and Bermuda grass does great here, very tolerant of heat.
Maybe give your local SiteOne Landscape Supplies a call and ask what they recommend.

Good luck.

Plus at this point you can't really start over until Fall.

For the most part you dont need to do much to an established lawn and I doubt you’ve experienced a drought - what do you think is causing it to struggle?

If your lawn is small then starting over in the fall isn’t a big deal but if it’s 1/4 acre or larger that’s a big job. It will come in nice, but getting there is either going to be a ton of work or cost a nice chunk for someone else to do it.

I had a really bad crab grass infestation in a large section of my lawn...other weeds have been making there way in as well...dandelions, clover, and some spaghetti looking shit that I have no idea what it is.

I went through my yard early spring and pulled up all the dead crabgrass plants by hand, then de-thatched the section of the lawn with an electric dethatcher. I filled 10 commercial bags of shit, dead & alive, on about a 2K SF section of lawn!. I threw down tall fescue which seemed to be the best choice based on my research. The grass has been slow to come up and had been patchy. Its bee a very cool and wet spring in NW NJ so I was probably a bit early in my seeding.

Ill give it another week or two and if nothing I will dethatch again and reseed. I wanted to airate but the whole pandemic thing has fucked everything up. If this doesn't work I may try something more drastic (tilling) after labor day. I have always had better success growing grass late summer early fall. I wanted to put down turf builder to help what grass I have and help with the weeds but I had so many bald patches after dethatching I had to wait...its been frustrating.

Doubt this helps your situation but with regards to clover, I started using Scott’s clover and dandelion weed and feed at this time (late May) for the past few years. It is the best thing I’ve found for my lawn since I’ve owned my house. You have to apply it correctly (on a wet lawn, then leave it for 24 hours, then water it in) and only use once a year. Maybe twice if it’s a bad outbreak. It kills off the clover, which I’ve never been able to do, and really keeps the lawn thick and green until August when I fertilize again.

The triple action doesn’t work for me. It’s this product that I use...

Link - ( New Window )

I struggled for years with a below avg looking lawn, and it was getting worse every year especially clover, ragweed, crabgrass, and violet. I have about 1 1/4 acres of grass, some good quality grass, some cheaper commercial fast growing grass. Spent about $400 per year on weed killers, fertilizers, then trying to get the timing of the season right. Fail.

Hired a lawn care company, they make four trips per year for $800. In one year, the lawn looked much better, second year, one of the best lawns around. It's all in the strength and quality of the chemicals. The crap you get at garden centers and box stores is not cheap, and also not very effective unless you put tons of it on.

As far as OP question...I have never started over, but would you consider "over seeding" by seeding in the fall after the lawn has thinned out a bit? It would take a few seasons to get a good variety or changeover. I think it depends on how big of a yard you have, therefore, how much work you want to put into it. I am sure you would get good results, but tilling, raking, etc sounds like a lot of work.

In comment 14909734 UConn4523 said:

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For the most part you dont need to do much to an established lawn and I doubt you’ve experienced a drought - what do you think is causing it to struggle? If your lawn is small then starting over in the fall isn’t a big deal but if it’s 1/4 acre or larger that’s a big job. It will come in nice, but getting there is either going to be a ton of work or cost a nice chunk for someone else to do it.

I’ve got about 1/4 acre. I’d imagine I have a nitrogen deficient lawn which is causing the clover to grow and spread.

And seeding every fall for the last three OT four years. I have also been using Scott’s four step. I have seen my lawn gradually develop into one of the best in the neighborhood. Sucks because I need to mow 5he lawn every six days but damn it looks good. I am having a bout of dandelions and clover and hope step 2 takes care of it. If not, poster above with Scotts weed and feed is appreciated.

on BBI a year ago recommended gardensalive.com for lawn care products. There are very specific times when you need to apply their product (i.e., the spring application must be when the forsythia start to bloom). I don't know if it is the product or the product combined with the cooler, wetter spring, but my yard has never looked better. And I'm actually saving money.

Feed your soul your grass will thrive as will all the microorganisms that support the structures that enable nutrients to be available.

That being said, I hate zoysia and Bermuda grass. First hint of cold weather and you're looking at a brown boring mess.

Don't rototill, it seems counterintuitive but it's actually not good for the soul structure and will just stir up dormant weed seeds.

I'm in 7a as well, and inherited a yard that was a total mess. Had a huge weed garden in the front and ground ivy everywhere. Last June, I dumped an entire truckload of wood chips (free at chipdrop.com or check with local arborists) and let it sit and smoke and cook all summer. ( I advised my neighbors they were cool). In the heat of August, soaked the other half of the lawn and then covered it with 5 mil plastic for two weeks to cook. (Google solarizing soil)

Rented a backhoe for $300 in September, scooped up all the remaining chips and spread them in the back yard for next fall. Dumped 10 yards of topsoil that I then regraded, then I put down sod because last fall was hot and it was late but I seeded other spots and they came across fine.

Sounds extreme but the part that is done is awesome. And all in was under $1000.

Fescue is the way to go, green all year, suffers a bit in the heat so you'll need to water in the summer, keep it long and it will self shade its roots.i cut it twice a week with my mower at the highest setting.

At my last house I just sprayed roundup all over my lawn in August and reseeded in September with a rented powerseeder that will also work. Just buy a fescue rated for this area. Gardens alive does have good seed.

In comment 14909808 oghwga said:

Quote:

Feed your soul your grass will thrive as will all the microorganisms that support the structures that enable nutrients to be available. That being said, I hate zoysia and Bermuda grass. First hint of cold weather and you're looking at a brown boring mess. Don't rototill, it seems counterintuitive but it's actually not good for the soul structure and will just stir up dormant weed seeds. I'm in 7a as well, and inherited a yard that was a total mess. Had a huge weed garden in the front and ground ivy everywhere. Last June, I dumped an entire truckload of wood chips (free at chipdrop.com or check with local arborists) and let it sit and smoke and cook all summer. ( I advised my neighbors they were cool). In the heat of August, soaked the other half of the lawn and then covered it with 5 mil plastic for two weeks to cook. (Google solarizing soil) Rented a backhoe for $300 in September, scooped up all the remaining chips and spread them in the back yard for next fall. Dumped 10 yards of topsoil that I then regraded, then I put down sod because last fall was hot and it was late but I seeded other spots and they came across fine. Sounds extreme but the part that is done is awesome. And all in was under $1000. Fescue is the way to go, green all year, suffers a bit in the heat so you'll need to water in the summer, keep it long and it will self shade its roots.i cut it twice a week with my mower at the highest setting. At my last house I just sprayed roundup all over my lawn in August and reseeded in September with a rented powerseeder that will also work. Just buy a fescue rated for this area. Gardens alive does have good seed.

I owe you a huge thanks with GardensAlive... so far I'm thrilled. And I saved a ton of money.

I'm not a fan of zoysia either. My neighbor has it and I had to plant a barrier to keep it from taking over my lawn.

I put down fescue seed last year from tractor supply, got the bag that was ten cheaper than I normally get which was a huge mistake. I got this weed from it that is kind of like crab grass but grows straight up. It sprouted in early March/feb. it’s more of a neon green and gross at about 2x the clip of my fescue. Anyone have any idea what kind of weed that is? It’s too large a patch to pick by hand and it’s a little tough to get out of grass regardless. I have a fertilizer service and clearly nothing they have treated has done anything.

and it's beautiful, weed-free and deep green from early May to September. That said, it's brown and looks dead in the fall and winter.

My side and backyards are a fescue, KBG mix, and those have to be hit hard with spot treatments and weed preventer often in order to look good.

I dethatched and aerated with a core aerator last fall and will do it again. It's a lot of work, but there's nothing like the satisfaction of a deep green lawn and knowing you did it yourself.

In comment 14909854 bhill410 said:

Quote:

I put down fescue seed last year from tractor supply, got the bag that was ten cheaper than I normally get which was a huge mistake. I got this weed from it that is kind of like crab grass but grows straight up. It sprouted in early March/feb. it’s more of a neon green and gross at about 2x the clip of my fescue. Anyone have any idea what kind of weed that is? It’s too large a patch to pick by hand and it’s a little tough to get out of grass regardless. I have a fertilizer service and clearly nothing they have treated has done anything.

Sounds like nutsedge... is this what it looks like
Nutsedge - ( New Window )

In comment 14909854 bhill410 said:

Quote:

I put down fescue seed last year from tractor supply, got the bag that was ten cheaper than I normally get which was a huge mistake. I got this weed from it that is kind of like crab grass but grows straight up. It sprouted in early March/feb. it’s more of a neon green and gross at about 2x the clip of my fescue. Anyone have any idea what kind of weed that is? It’s too large a patch to pick by hand and it’s a little tough to get out of grass regardless. I have a fertilizer service and clearly nothing they have treated has done anything.

First thought was nutsedge but that generally doesn't appear until summer. That early in the season it might be either barnyard grass, quackgrass or roughstalk bluegrass. Quackgrass and rough stalk bluegrass do not respond to selective herbicides and need to be killed with round up or something similar.

Beautiful in the summer but looks like garbage the rest of the year.

I've successfully tilled and reseeded. Just go nice and deep. You'll get weeds regardless but weed killer will eventually take care of them.

before tilling the lawn...

Ongoing right now. Finally got tired of fighting Mother Nature. Where I live in NoCal it goes bone dry after April. Going with no maintenance stone & planters.

If you till the without killing the zoysia, it’s just going to come back and take over your new lawn. You need multiple applications of roundup & mowing until it’s 100% dead. Make sure you do it during the growing season so it takes up the chemical well and so you can see anyplace it’s not dying. Alternatively you can cover with plastic to kill, but it takes a long time.

In comment 14909981 Jim in Fairfax said:

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If you till the without killing the zoysia, it’s just going to come back and take over your new lawn. You need multiple applications of roundup & mowing until it’s 100% dead. Make sure you do it during the growing season so it takes up the chemical well and so you can see anyplace it’s not dying. Alternatively you can cover with plastic to kill, but it takes a long time.

Yikes! Sounds like a helluva project. Might just put down some turf builder and keep the Zoysia.

Do you use Garden Alive's Wow Supreme?

If so, any recommendations on timing in the Fall? Their directions were more vague:

Quote:

For dandelions and other fall germinating weeds, apply following the hot, dry stress period of mid-summer. In most regions, application time would be from mid-August until you begin to get hard freezes.

(they were backordered in the spring)
In NJ I would have put it down in April but here in Nashville I'm thinking late August maybe.

Learning curve for me still.