calling all lawn experts

[Horseshoes]

My backyard is a disaster. I have mostly weeds, some grass and alot of bare spots, and I mean ALOT of bare spots.

We called Scotts Lawn service and they told us we really cant grow grass in the spring, that we need to treat the weeds first. I understand that but I really need a nice yard, we just got a pool and plan on spending most of our summer in the yard.

Plus they wanted too much money, something we just couldnt afford after the expense of the pool.

My DH put down Grub killer and Lyme to at least keep what little grass we have.

My question is this, has anyone used that spray stuff that looks almost like a blue-green in color. And does it work. I've seen commericial properties use it. How long before the grass will grow?

Any other suggestions would be greatly apprecitated.
Thanks

 

[Disney Doll]

Put down some weed killer. Build up the bare spots with some nice rich soil. Throw down some grass seed and fertilizer and see what happens.

We have used that blue/green stuff, and it doesn't seem any better than regular grass seed.

Water it to death.

 

[Laz]

You can grow grass anytime. However, in the hot summer, you will have water your lawn quite a bit.

The best time to grow a lawn is in the fall, but you can start preparing the area now. Git rid of the weeds. Lyme is good, but consider plugging the lawn so that the lyme really gets in the soil. There are machines that you can rent that will insert the seed in the ground.

 

[Lisa L from MI]

Put down some weed killer. Build up the bare spots with some nice rich soil. Throw down some grass seed and fertilizer and see what happens.

We have used that blue/green stuff, and it doesn't seem any better than regular grass seed.

Water it to death.

Just to add....you can't seed after weed killer is put on.....you have to wait a period of time.....

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sure you can have a great yard if you put in some blood, sweat, & tears.
We are also getting a pool. We are going to lay sod down.
Yes you cannot grow grass seed now, too late. It would be a waste of $$$.

1) Prep your area.
2) Lay sod.
3) Baby sod till it takes.

Here is a site that is pretty good. Just google sod installation. It is alot of hard work, but is very doable.

http://www.sodsolutions.com/installation/index.shtml

 

[Horseshoes]

Sure you can have a great yard if you put in some blood, sweat, & tears.
We are also getting a pool. We are going to lay sod down.
Yes you cannot grow grass seed now, too late. It would be a waste of $$$.

1) Prep your area.
2) Lay sod.
3) Baby sod till it takes.

Here is a site that is pretty good. Just google sod installation. It is alot of hard work, but is very doable.

http://www.sodsolutions.com/installation/index.shtml

Thank you but I am afraid sod would be too expensive. And we have probably too much to cover anyway. And we have areas where there is patchy grass. Do you know how much it costs?

My DH is very handy but he definately doesnt have a green thumb

 

[monkeyboy]

pave it

paint it green

 

[The Mystery Machine]

pave it

paint it green

Yes, I think more concrete is the answer here.

You will have to call around for your area, but we have our repair and landscaping money set at 3,000. (Sod, auto sprinkler repair, & landscaping.)
We are hoping to only chuck up $600. for a sod install or if we do it, it is around 150-200 per pallet, we est. 400 sq ft.
We are not sure on the costs 100%, we have not ordered it yet.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

My DH put down Grub killer and Lyme to at least keep what little grass we have.

That won't hurt, but generally I do not put down lime unless I know I need it, and normally it is put down in the fall. Lime balances the pH in the soil, and you would need to do a soil test first to see if lime is even necessary. If the soil is acidic, then lime would help. It's not really a fertilizer - it's a soil conditioner.

My question is this, has anyone used that spray stuff that looks almost like a blue-green in color. And does it work. I've seen commericial properties use it. How long before the grass will grow?

I think you are referring to hydroseeding.

The thing with seeding is that the seeds need to have good soil contact - spreading the seeds over hard unbroken dirt and thatch isn't going to allow the seeds to grow.

Usually when you see hydroseeding done, they've already gone through with a "rock hound" and broken up the soil. I don't know how well it would work on a partially established lawn.

If you really wanted to start over, you could rent or hire someone to blow away the existing lawn with a rock hound (an attachment that goes on the front of a Bobcat. It breaks up the soil and has a cage that catches the rocks.) Then you can either hydroseed or spread the seed with a lawn spreader and use the back of a rake to cover the seeds. Then fertilize, cover with straw, and water, water, water.

Another way would be to (optionally) topdress the lawn with compost, which you can buy in bulk from a nusery. It's a lot of work - you are basically going to throw it around with a shovel and spread it out with a rake.

Then rent a power seeder (sometimes called a slit seeder) from a rental center. These machines look a little like lawn mowers, but have tines underneath that cut slits into the soil. Then there is a hopper in the back that you fill with seeds and as the tines cut slits, the seeds drop out of the hopper and some fall into the slits and get good soil contact.

You should make a few passes over the whole lawn.

First like this: ---->

Then like this:
^
|
|

Then if you aren't too pooped, do a pass at a diagonal.

Fertilize lightly with a starter fertilizer.

Since you are getting close to the summer, I would spread a light layer of straw over the lawn to keep in the moisture.

Then water, water, water.

Once you have a lawn established, mow at the highest setting always. This makes it more difficult for weeds to get established.

Another good place for info is the Lawn forum at Gardenweb.com: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/

 

[Horseshoes]

LOL I think the pavement idea sounds the best

Thank you to everyone who replied,

Last year we had a guy come out and he roto-tilled and seeded the whole thing, hayed it and told us he was using seed that is for golf courses. We were so happy to hear that. We watered, and watered and watered for 4 weeks, and what did we get---some grass but mostly weeds, and the grass that grew died by mid-August. The hardest part of it was keeping the dog inside for 4 weeks, she loves being outside.

I thought the hydroseed took in a few days, so even if we prepped the area, how long would it take to have grass that we could walk on?

I now realized we should have seeded in the fall and I probably wouldnt be asking all these questions. And I also realize how much work it takes. But we've been at this house for the past 17 years and the last 3 years has been the problem.

I was hoping it wasnt getting too late in the season, we live in the Northeast so it still is cool, especially at night.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

Last year we had a guy come out and he roto-tilled and seeded the whole thing, hayed it and told us he was using seed that is for golf courses. We were so happy to hear that. We watered, and watered and watered for 4 weeks, and what did we get---some grass but mostly weeds, and the grass that grew died by mid-August.

When did they seed (what month)? What type of seed was it? If it was too close to the summer and it got hot and the grass was too young, that probably killed it.

I thought the hydroseed took in a few days, so even if we prepped the area, how long would it take to have grass that we could walk on?

Good perennial grass won't germinate for about 7 days. I don't think hydroseeding will change that much. It's just a method for evenly and quickly applying a mixture of seed, fertilizer, and a mulch (like shredded newspaper) to keep the moisture in. The rules of mother nature still apply.

Annual ryegrass will germinate quickly, but usually only lasts one season. Sometimes areas will be seeded with a mixture that includes a lot of annual ryegrass to get the grass growing quickly, but it doesn't last. It's expected that the perennial grass will grow in during the season (such as bluegrass and fescue) and by the next season, it will fill in where the ryegrass doesn't grow any more.

I was hoping it wasnt getting too late in the season, we live in the Northeast so it still is cool, especially at night.

The biggest issue is soil temperature. As it gets closer to summer, the days are longer and the sun is stronger. Grasses like bluegrass and fescue germinate in soil temps between 50 and 65 degrees (daytime air temps between 60 and 75). If the soil heats up higher than that, the grass can go dormant and stop growing.

I'm in PA and my neighbor just planted some grass about a week or two ago and it's actively growing, so if you are going to try it this year, I'd do it sooner rather than later.