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New to lawn care, need guidance/help

3K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  LawnCare 
#1 · (Edited)
This will be our third summer in our home and i'd like to do some work on my yard to get it up to par.
It is looking better then it did before we bought the house but there is a lot more room for improvement.

I did not get a chance to check the PH levels but will do it this week.

Right now my front lawn is full of rocks and patches. I went through it this morning with my cousin and we got most of the big ones out, there are only little ones that remain.

There are patches all over my lawn including it being very uneven with some dips and some high sections. My neighbor suggested i place a thin layer of top soil on top of my current lawn, drop down some grass seeds and then add another layer of top soil.

I also have a few feet of lawn beside my house that does not get much sunlight. Don't know if i should just drop down some sod instead of using seeds.

I've attached a couple of what i am working with.




 
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#5 ·
I can go through my lawn a few more times and get most of the rocks out. If not what other options do i have?
I'll take a look at the scotts website and try to get some basics down.

Still don't know what to do about the front yard being uneven/patches... Should i just use a rototiller and start from scratch with some grass seeds or can i recover what i have?
 
#6 ·
Simple answer-"Topsoil"
You need to open up the strip of dirt along your house and rake the rocks and other stuff out of it.
Then add some topsoil seed and starter fertilizer and you sould have a nice yard in a few weeks.
Where ever you have bare spots add some soil and seed,Scotts makes an All-in-One product for this but you need topsoil.
 
#8 ·
Thanks. I went to my local garden house/lawn care specialist and he suggested i do just what you said. Thin layer of topsoil + level it out -> Grass Seeds -> Another thin layer of topsoil. What do you mean open up the strip of dirt along my house? You mean around the edge of the house?

Evstarr8 said:
You should think about filling in the dips and gullies too while your at it.
Also don't seed if you've recently put down a pre emergent weed treatment recently. (don't ask lol)
Take the opportunity to make solute the lawn is graded away from the house. Don't skimp on the soil and add plenty of compost as a top dressing. Get the kids to clomping around in cleats to poke holes in the surface. If your soil drains poorly, fork in some compost or some coarse builders sand a couple times a year. It'll look like hell a bit longer but after a good dose of top soil and compost it will be worth it in the long run.
I was thinking of putting down some weed treatment before doing all this. If i put down weed treatment and then do what i said above would that still hurt the grass seeds?
Thanks for the suggestions.
 
#7 ·
You should think about filling in the dips and gullies too while your at it.
Also don't seed if you've recently put down a pre emergent weed treatment recently. (don't ask lol)
Take the opportunity to make solute the lawn is graded away from the house. Don't skimp on the soil and add plenty of compost as a top dressing. Get the kids to clomping around in cleats to poke holes in the surface. If your soil drains poorly, fork in some compost or some coarse builders sand a couple times a year. It'll look like hell a bit longer but after a good dose of top soil and compost it will be worth it in the long run.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Ok great, thanks for the advice.

gregzoll said:
The best solution is to remove all of the grass, and then get the soil fertilized, etc, then put down sod. One it will look finished, and two, you do not have to worry about looking at a yard of dirt for the rest of the year. If you do not want to go with the sod route, talk to some lawn care companies in your area that can give you an estimate to fix it for you. At this point, it is too late to put down pre-emergent, but you can still use Fertilizer any time, and same with bug control & weed & feed. I put down pre-emergent on our lawn back in Jan. since we had such a warm Winter, and then in early March, put down Weed & feed, and no weeds or Crab grass, and the yard looks fuller & greener, because I hit it earlier than normal.
This would probably be best but instead of sod i'd start from scratch with seed or hydroseed BUT my budget won't allow me to do such a big job. There are many other things i'd need to do around my house before i spend the big bucks on my lawn.

Just my two cents here. Good thinking to get the ph checked. In my opinion, you end up shooting in the dark without knowing at least the ph level. If you haven't done that already, be sure to get a sample from the areas of your lawn including where grass is and isn't growing and mix them together. That gives you a good overall reading.

That area in the first pic looks like a very-traveled section. The ground is most likely compacted and you'd need to aerate it and maybe think of some strategy to keep the traffic down... possibly create a walkway to encourage people to stay off the grass and on the stones more.

Are there dogs or heavy shade where those patches are? If so, just as a heads up, grass won't live where dogs do and you'd need to use some grass that's tolerant of shade. You probably knew that but I thought I'd toss that in ;)
You'd think i have constant party's on my lawn with all those patches lol. To be honest, i have no dogs, barely any traffic as there is a walkway beside to the entrance of my house and it gets a whole bunch of sunlight (Apart from the strip at the side of my house). Going to take your advice and others and aerate my current soil a bit so it mixes well with the new soil.

I'll post a few new pics once i get things rolling.
 
#10 ·
The best solution is to remove all of the grass, and then get the soil fertilized, etc, then put down sod. One it will look finished, and two, you do not have to worry about looking at a yard of dirt for the rest of the year. If you do not want to go with the sod route, talk to some lawn care companies in your area that can give you an estimate to fix it for you. At this point, it is too late to put down pre-emergent, but you can still use Fertilizer any time, and same with bug control & weed & feed. I put down pre-emergent on our lawn back in Jan. since we had such a warm Winter, and then in early March, put down Weed & feed, and no weeds or Crab grass, and the yard looks fuller & greener, because I hit it earlier than normal.
 
#11 ·
The best solution is to remove all of the grass, and then get the soil fertilized, etc, then put down sod. One it will look finished, and two, you do not have to worry about looking at a yard of dirt for the rest of the year.
.
I put my yard (300' x 150') in with seed in one day with a harley rake and had grass to cut in two weeks. Ripping everything out and putting sod down is expensive!
 
#14 ·
Yeah, you're right, it does. A lot of variables.

My first aversion to sod is the cost of it, versus the cost of just seeding. But I've also been on too many sodded lawns that, 4-5 years after being laid, still haven't rooted down into the topsoil well. I'm not sure what the problem was.
 
#16 ·
Just my two cents here. Good thinking to get the ph checked. In my opinion, you end up shooting in the dark without knowing at least the ph level. If you haven't done that already, be sure to get a sample from the areas of your lawn including where grass is and isn't growing and mix them together. That gives you a good overall reading.

That area in the first pic looks like a very-traveled section. The ground is most likely compacted and you'd need to aerate it and maybe think of some strategy to keep the traffic down... possibly create a walkway to encourage people to stay off the grass and on the stones more.

Are there dogs or heavy shade where those patches are? If so, just as a heads up, grass won't live where dogs do and you'd need to use some grass that's tolerant of shade. You probably knew that but I thought I'd toss that in ;)
 
#18 ·
Building a Lawn

After you get rid of the rocks here are some steps you can take to plating a new lawn:
1. Decide between seed/Sod your bare lawn
2. Prepare the soil (get rid of weeds, add in essential nutrients)
3. Install the seed or sod

There are several online resources for lawn care that will give you more detailed instructions for building a new lawn!

Good luck!!
 
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