I have a pitiful lawn that is full of weeds and bare spots. I would like to "take dominion" over my lawn, but don't know where to start. What is the best time of year to kill weeds and re-seed? Anything I can do now, in the short term, to improve the condition of my existing grass?

Any advice is appreciated.

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~James Helbert~, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

$$ Lawn Care Service.

__________________
Jim
1689 LBCF
Independent Bible Church
North Texas, USA

I don't consider myself an expert but I do lawn care for a living now.

It is amazing how different things are depending on what part of the country or what zone you are in. I could tell you something that is true for west Texas that might not be true at all where you are so some internet info may be all wrong. It is a joy to talk to old timers who have good lawns as well as guys who have run nurserys for years and just pick their brain. They love to find people who listen more than they talk.

Some generalities...ideally you would want to apply a pre-emergent weed killer way earlier in the year. At this point you are just going to battle them all year.

When I see bare or brown spots on turf here it usually indicates grub worms.
I don't know if that is true in your area.

__________________
Richard H. King
Providence PCA
Lubbock, Texas
"No matter how far a man goes, he eventually finds out God's already there." John Wayne - the last line in "Chisum"

Can I send the bill to you?

__________________
~James Helbert~, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

I, personally, am not a lawn-care expert, but... My pastor's family lives in a duplex built on land that was abandoned by our local farmers for a reason (plus it's a flood plain [plane?]). Nonetheless, he has the best looking lawn because my dad fixed it for him -- he's not a lawn-care expert either, but he is an expert in soil nutrition. I can pass questions on to him. (Though there's only so much that can be done over the internet without soil samples.)

I do know that the first thing he'd want to know is what kind of soil you've got. So... what kind of soil have you got?

__________________
Jennifer
Member, Grace Reformation Church
Attending, Escondido Reformed Baptist Church
Student, Westminster Seminary California (M.A.H.T.)
Woodland/Escondido, CA

I don't know if this makes sense or not, but it's fill dirt. Our neighborhood is built on top of what used to be the town dump in the early 1900s. The area was filled in with all different kinds of soil from the surrounding country side. However, it does have a thin layer of "organic top soil" that the previous owner had put down.

I'm not necessarily looking for the greatest lawn in town, but would like to reduce the grass to weed ratio at the very least. Right now, due to a dry spell, all I'm mowing each week is the weeds, that seem to grow regardless on the amount of rain we get.

So you think the first step would be getting the soil tested?

__________________
~James Helbert~, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

Soil tests normally can't tell you much. I've put in thousands of lawns, and I've never done one. Here's the kind of work we do

and a few others
work Photo Gallery by Dan at pbase.com

almost entirely with Christian homeschooled young men.

As has been said, there are so many variables it's hard to know where to begin, as Richard said. Jen is right to ask the kind of soil, though, and you answered with fill dirt.

So, if the irrigation system is right, we need to know what type of grass it is. Fertilizer should be a good lawn fertilizer once per month during the growing season. And since it's fill dirt, use the expensive kind with iron. Proper mowing its the best way to keep down weeds, but we need to know what type of grass you have to advice on how high and how often to mow.

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Tim Vaughan, 48 years old, member Redeemer OPC, Santa Maria CA.

I stink at lawns. I can never seem to figure out how to set my sprinklers correctly or fertilize it right. It's not just a saying that the "...grass is greener on the other side...." In my case it's always true.

__________________
Rich
Northern VA
OPC

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At least you have a real excuse, then, unlike myself. The lawns we put in are beautiful, but there's a axiom about the lawns of landscapers, and let's just say that in my case it's true....

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Tim Vaughan, 48 years old, member Redeemer OPC, Santa Maria CA.

I make my living as a Master Gardener...don't get to excited yet -theres a whole lot I don't know. The brother who posted that a lot depends on where you live in the country is absolutely correct. I am in Michigan and cold weather species of grasses are a bit differn't than the southern varieties. Where do you live? If it's in the North I could give you some tips, but if its the South, it's out of my element.
As to testing, it would help to know what the nutrient make-up of your soil is...but the report is going be limited to nutrient info and recommendations on how to make it more "balanced". What won't be in there is what else may be in your soil that is causing your seed not to germinate. Your local county extension has these tests (here they are $8 per test). They also probably will have tips and suggestions on growing a healthy lawn.
Pre-emergents are a great way to get a hold on weeds. But be aware that they stop everything from growing (that includes grass seed). Most of them work 6-8 months. the reason for this is that crab grass, for example, germinates in the spring but does not emerge until late summer, generally speaking. If your pre-emergent is down and you try to grow grass -it won't grow.
It is normally to hot in summer to grow seed. It is hard to keep wet. Spring is the best since it is normally rainy and fall is good because it cool (the water does not burn off rapidly).
If you live in the North let me know and I will give a you a plan of attack for the rest of the year. But at any rate, use your local extension. Your taxes are paying for it.

__________________
J. Sterling Jones
Bethel Baptist Church (North American Baptist -NAB)St.Clair Shores, MI
http://bethelbaptistscs.org
"What am I the better if I can dispute that Christ is God, but have no sense of sweetness in my heart from hence that he is a God in covenant with my soul?" -John Owen Works Vol. 12

Oh I second that brother.
I live in fear that one of my customers will discover where I live and see how uninspired and often neglected the landscaping is.

Just for fun I will throw this tip out there for those who don't know.
Nearly every day I stop by Starbucks and get a huge bag of USED coffee grounds FREE!!.
I like that it is sort of recycling or repurposing something that would just end up in the dump otherwise.
Not only does it smell awesome in my truck but it has applications in the gardening and lawn care world. Some blooming bushes like azaleas love it.
I have seen a remarkable change in lawn color when someone sprayed a solution of old coffee grounds and water. Some of my customers mix it in a compost mix. It ofcourse depends if your soil needs to be more acidic or not so as they say on TV commercials...results may vary.
Snails and slugs are repelled by it and there are other suggestions as well:

http://www.sustainableenterprises.co...coffeefert.htm

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Richard H. King
Providence PCA
Lubbock, Texas
"No matter how far a man goes, he eventually finds out God's already there." John Wayne - the last line in "Chisum"

This is a great thread!

I have the same problems - bare patches that seem to be getting larger.

Here is my profile:

Region: Southern MS Gulf Coast - 30 miles from the beach
Soil: Thin white sand layered on top of sandy clay
Sun exposure: Limited - many spreading oak trees
Moisture: spotty - mostly from naturally occurring rain
Grass type: St. Augustine, mostly

Help!

__________________
-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

My links: ChristianSkepticism.org | personal | facebook | Prescriptive Psalmody

Shade from oak trees plus sandy soil plus no regular irrigation....Not good. St. Augustine is very aggresive, though, and will respond to regular water plus fertilizer, but irrigating the lawn may be expensive.

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Tim Vaughan, 48 years old, member Redeemer OPC, Santa Maria CA.

So, if I irrigate and fertilize, it should get better despite the shade?

What fertilizer mix? 8 8 8?

Is it too late to start now?

__________________
-JD
1Thess5:21
Ordained Deacon, PCA
Serving in the SBC
MS

My links: ChristianSkepticism.org | personal | facebook | Prescriptive Psalmody

Yes, yes and no. The fertilizer and water will show results in a week.

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Tim Vaughan, 48 years old, member Redeemer OPC, Santa Maria CA.

I live in Southwestern Virginia, in the New River Valley area. Google Wytheville, VA, if you like. I believe we're on the borderline between zones 6 and 7. Does that help?

__________________
~James Helbert~, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2