Where in Ohio are you?.. I'm near Cleveland. I'm assuming this is new construction and a bare ground? Type of seed depends on the area, traffic, and how much attention you plan on giving it. KBB will need a little more work and regular watering. Fescue is a little more forgiving. There are also a lot of decent mixes containing a little of each and some perennial rye. Anyway, watering "sometime in the AM" is not going to cut it. Especially if we keep these temperatures going. Seed cannot dry out once it is saturated or it will be a loss. You need several light waterings a day to keep it going and germinate. It also needs the same treatment for a while after it's growing to establish. The hydrdoseed mix will help retain moisture, but once a day is not going to work in summer. Another option is to go with a basic rye grass for now as it will germinate in 5 days or so and give you grass (again will still need to continue to water until established), and then come fall overseed with a higher quality mix. KBB needs at least 21-28 days to germinate, and fescue somewhere in the middle, 10-20 days.

qman, I always have thoughts. A lot of times I wonder where people get their ideas for lawn installation and care. Many claim they read it here, but I've been here for 10 years and I'll practically guarantee you they did not read it here. Your basic problem was you seeded in the spring or early summer. New grass plants cannot tolerate the heat so that's what happened to you. Fall is the time for new seed. For your area that is probably in the next few weeks. Step1: Re-seed in the fall to get a good grass bed to crowd out the crab grass. Absolutely! Step2: Apply pre emergent + fertilizer in the spring and continue on a regular fertilizing schedule. Noooooo. No fertilizer in the early spring! If you feel like you did not get your lawn dense enough to resist weeds in the fall, then use a preemergent herbicide, but don't mix it with fertilizer. Once the grass awakens, it will grow like gangbusters. Extra fertilizer will have you out there mowing every other day. You don't want that with 3/4 acre. If by 'regular fertilizing schedule,' you mean once in the late spring, once in the early fall, and once in the late fall; then yes. Or you can apply organic fertilizer over and over any time of year - or on the same schedule as chemicals. For Step1: Rent: - Lawn aerator - Lawn roller Don't need the aerator. If you had a tractor and a pull behind aerator, then I would suggest you use it, but only because you already owned the thing. Aeration has a couple issues. One is that it brings up weed seeds that have been dormant for years. The other is that you don't need it. YES to the lawn roller. You have been doing homework!! Buy: - Grass seed from local agway that is meant for the north east climate - Starter fertilizer - Broadcast spreader You can get much better seed online. You really get what you pay for with seed. Look for something with 0.00% weed seed and 0.00 Other Crop. The fescues are good for shady areas. The Kentucky bluegrasses are good for bright sunny spots. Do: 1. Water lawn thoroughly 2 days prior 2. Mow lawn at lowest setting the day before aeration 3. Use aerator first in east west pattern and then in north south pattern 4. Spread grass seed 5. Spreak ferilizer 6. Use lawn roller to work seeds into dirt 7. Water for 10mins @ 3 times daily for 2-3 weeks Again, skip the aerator. If you tried to aerate 32,000 square feet of lawn you would be a broken man at the end. Plus skipping this saves a LOT of time. The rest looks good. If you get a seed mix with Kentucky bluegrass, you will not see any of that seed sprout until 3 weeks. That means you have to continue with the 3x per day watering until you get 80% of that germinated. So figure 4 weeks of watering. Don't go on vacation.

Your success will depend on the texture of the soil. Some soils liquify will saturated and will not be controlled with the plants suggested. My soil will not erode no matter how steep or how wet. When we bought this property 15 years ago I was concerned after having cleared the slope of a heavy juniper growth and planted it in coyote brush. I could have left it bare and not have erosion. Look at road cuts in your area and get an idea of how easy the local soil slips from a new cut. Al

You planted the grass at exactly the right time. The end of summer is THE best time of year for northern grass seed to go down. Reseeding fescue type lawns is a tradition and a ritual that you need to get used to. Fescue is a bunch grass that does not spread. Kentucky bluegrass is a sod forming type plant that spreads. With your shade fescue is going to be your only option, so just put that in your mind to reseed as necessary at the end of August. By doing it at the end of August that gives you time to evaluate the density of the grass coming in. If it's not dense enough you still have time at the end of Sept to put more down. By seeding this time of year you will sprout every summer annual weed there is. Crabgrass is one of those weeds. This, alone, is good enough reason to seed in the early fall. Crabgrass will never get a good hold on your lawn because it needs full sun. It might germinate, but it will suffer badly without enough sunlight. I realize Mother Nature has Her own thoughts about watering, but as much as you can you should follow the following guidelines. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. By following this guide you will minimize summer weeds and develop a deep rooted, drought resistant, turf. Also you should have your yard helper set his mower up to the highest setting. Tall fescue develops deeper roots (erosion control), helps shade the soil keeping it cooler, and shades out the weed seeds that do germinate.