Lawn Care Questions

11 years ago

Hello,

I am looking for some tips on how I should care for my lawn. I want to make it weed free and thick, green, and lush.

I laid new Kentucky Bluegrass sod in my backyard last June. I have some dead spots from a dog but the dog is now gone. I want to repair these spots and make sure I fertilize at the right times. I also have some dandelions and weeds in my lawn I want to get rid of. What fertilizer should I use and when? Should I aerate? Should I overseed?

Thank you!

Comments (2)

ianna
11 years ago
trevor,

My method of weeding is rather strenous but I'm afraid there's no other way around it. Weed killers can kill off a portion of the dandelions but any remaining bits will grow back. So instead I took my handy garden fork, sunk it into the ground and loosened things up so I can remove the entire plant by hand. I did this in small jobs so eventually all the dandelions were removed from my lawn. Lots of work but it did the job.

Alternately of course, you can use weedkillers. I'm just wary of them given that they do linger on and there are those things about cancers and such. And weedkillers can kill off grass too so you won't be able to grow grass there for some time.

As for the rest of your lawn care -- do a bit of detaching using your rake, It's also great to aerate it. There are services that remove plugs of earth. Usually I would then top dress the yard with fresh new topsoil, with manure, some brick sand. (techniques I've learned from golf course maintenance) Then I sprinkle the seeds. After 2 more weeks, I would sprinkle another set of seeds. I continue doing this until the end of spring.

by summer, expect your grass to go into a form of hibernation.. This is why it's important to use a seed mix rather than have one kind of seed. Some grass thrive in spring and then there the summer ones.

hope these all helps.
thirsty_dirt_77
11 years ago
Hey Trevor,

If the dead spots in your lawn are from the dog going to the bathroom the quickest way to get something growing there is to actually dig out the spots and replace it with fresh dirt - you'll be amazed how much the old dirt will stink.

My Dad has a landscaping company and swears by fertilizing three times a year - spring, summer and fall (something slow release is good). Scotts is expensive but it works great and you can usually get it at Costco if you watch for it, they also have special blends for different times of the year.

If the sod was put down last year I don't think you'd need to aerate it yet. If you do decide to reseed wait until the spring birds have passed through otherwise you'll just be feeding them. :)

The most important thing though is water. If you aren't willing to take the time or spend the money on your water bill the reseeding, fertilizing, etc will be mute.