New Home... Existing Lawn

jsmolina

Sorry if I leave out some info, This is my first post. I just Purchased a home in Rochester, NY and the existing lawn does not impress me at all. This is my first home and I know nothing about keeping a Lawn and Im hoping I can get some guidance from someone here. I attached some photos and I'm wondering what I need to do (seeding, fertilizing, aerating)to get the lawn ready for fall, winter and have it in great shape for next spring. I guess what I am looking to find out is
1 what type of grass do I have
2 Fall is coming is there something I should be doing before winter?
3 How do I get it thick and green?

Thanks!/Users

Attached Thumbnails

     

downunder

Actually, it's not a bad looking lawn. Since the house has been on the market, I would guess that it has been a little neglected but nothing a normal fertilization and maintenance program wouldn't take care of. Personally, I would take some soil samples to my local extension service and get an analysis and go from there. And maybe consider having it aerated.

__________________
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. If you wouldn't put your name on it, it ain't done right!

missfixer

I agree... The lawn looks pretty good, no noticeable weeds and it looks relatively good... the previous owner must have had a lawn service or was diligent with some form of continuous lawn care. If you want to green it up quick, water it... two really good soakings a week in this weather (I'm local to you) should do the trick - 2-3" a pop (to guage that, put down like a coffee can to measure the water). If you have a sprinkler system, even better. Get a soil test, and see if there are any nutrients lacking. Hire a lawn service if you can afford it, if not, you can purchase soil test kits at home improvement stores such as Lowes and Home Depot. Put down a fall lawn fertilizer, weed control this time of year is not so urgent as the hot weather subsides) - there are specific fertilizers for this time of year. Actually, two applications can be put down, one now, one in November/early December. I'm not sure of the grass type. From this pic, it doesn't look like you need to re-seed, but this is the best time of year to do it. Aerating the lawn is also a very good idea. Good luck!

jsmolina

Sounds Good , Aerate, water 2-3" per week, put down fall fertilizer.
I do although have some probblems with weeds they seem to keep popping up in different places. I attached a picture. Should I get a fertilizer with weed killer or just fertilizer?

Attached Thumbnails

   

missfixer

The weeds seem to be on the edge of your lawn and in the beds only. The best defense against weeds is a thick, healthy lawn, but around the edges where the soil gets hotter and more sun, and where there is not a lot of grass roots can still be a problem with weeds. I would spot treat the weeds with Roundup and use a late summer or early fall fertilizer on the lawn now. Then you can use a "winterizer" blend in the late fall (this may come with a pre-emergent weed control in it for seeds that may overwinter). In the early spring, you can put down a fertilizer with Pre-Emergent weed control.

You can always get an estimate from a reputable lawn care service and follow the plan on your own. With the cooler months approaching and with appropriate watering and fall rain, I'll bet your lawn will look gorgeous this fall and in the spring!

jongordo8

doesnt roundup kill grass?

mrsjande

Killed my grass... I suggest pulling them by hand to save the grass. Or you can use the Ripper (google heart hoe).

missfixer

Round-Up will kill grass if you are not careful... if there are not too many, pull them up by hand (easiest when the lawn is saturated - after a good soaking rain or after watering)... in the beds, Round-Up is fine unless you plan to plant seeds...

I worked for a Landscape Design, Maintenance and Construction company for five years and used to design (graphically) and negotiate lawn care contracts... best learning experience I've ever had. I always save my designs. Here are some good guidelines from one of our proposals/contracts - this is for our Zone (I am in Ringwood, NJ):

3/01-4/30 - Fertilizer with pre-emergent crab-grass/weed control
5/01-6/15 - Ditto above plus insect control (grub control is most important - most products cover grubs, ticks, fleas, etc.)
6/15-7/30 - Fertilizer with weed control (weeds LOVE the heat - especially crabgrass.)
8/01-9/15 - Fertilizer (weed control if needed - depends on how hot it is in August and September)
9/15-10/31 - Fertilizer
10/31-12/15 - Fertilizer/Winterizer

We did a 6 application program (our customers were loaded and we figured, why not). Five fertilizer applications are plenty for the year as long as they include the weed and insect control. Store brands, like Scott's, have a five-step program I believe. You should always wait the recommended time between applications (average 6 weeks).

Lime and other mineral soil boosters can be put down any time of the year and in most cases can be put down at the same time as other applications (as long as they are watered in well).

If you have Rhodies and Azaleas I highly recommend an anti-desiccant at the least... this prevents the leaves from "wind/freeze burn". This gets applied in November.

As I said before, your lawn is going to look great this fall - you have an excellent foundation! I wish my lawn looked that good

Good luck!

jsmolina

Thank you everyone for the replies, I have a John Deere LA115 and im gonna be getting the aerator/spreader attachment from someone on craigslist for $100 on monday then the lawn care begins! Thanks again eveeryone.

chrisn

As I said before, your lawn is going to look great this fall - you have an excellent foundation! I wish my lawn looked that good

Me too! I have been working on mine foe 20 odd years and it does not look that good.

white29

I'm also in the Rochester area and it looks like the only thing wrong with your lawn is the same thing wrong with mine- they are thirsty. After a really wet late spring and first part of summer it simply won't rain quite a contrast. start watering and pick up some Scott's turf builder Winterizer Plus two.The Plus Two is weed control,you can also buy it without. Great deal right now,25 dollar rebate (you gotta spend 100 bucks).follow directions and good luck.

ccarlisle

Lots of good advice here...but one thing hasn't been mentioned that, to me, represents the singlemost underrated and overabused factor in the maintenance of a northern lawn: mowing.

It's the one piece of advice that solves most problems out there; it makes the biggest difference in the way a lawn 'lives' and looks. Or to put it another way, overdoing everything else will not compensate for a bad mowing job. And more than fertilizing, soil texture, pH, aerating, watering and weed control, mowing is the easiest to screw up.

More than likely you have a Kentucky bluegrass/ryegrass/fescue blend. Most people up here do in the northeast zone that extends from Chicago to Maine and from Kentucky to Canada. Given that, you should know the frequency at which mowing should be done and how high to mow it. You may go from mowing it every few days in the peak growing season to every few weeks in the quiet season, but the height of your mower from the grass is essential. It boils down to never cutting too much of the plant that it suffers. That means never cutting more than a third of the heigth of the plant at any one time. Up here, I leave our mower blade at about 3"-4" from the soil and have the blade sharpenend every year...

Now you have two choices: do it yourself or have a company do it. If you choose to have someone do it, let them know that frequency of mowing and mowing height are two parameters you would like to choose - not them. Not every Friday, or the shorter-the-better. That just suits their scheduling. Not your grass.

Good luck!