The Grass Doctor

I have a kentucky bluegrass lawn (midnight) and I am having problems with it? growing to two inches and then dying on me. Now I have fescue and bemuda and zoysia and all kinds of other crap coming up. Anyone know of a bluegrass keeper only everything else killer??? Desperate need to get lawn done for anniv. party in aug!!

Why do church lawns in arid climates have kentucky bluegrass instead of native plants? Would Christ waste water? Father Onesimus: Wow, you don't think it's possible to waste water? You just lost all credibility in anything you could ever say.

Have Kentucky Bluegrass seed to use on bare spots on lawn. Will it have a bluish color when it germinates? Had stonework done in our yard and have some Kentucky Bluegrass seed to fill in bare spots along new walkway. Will it come in green like the rest of our lawn or will it have a bluish color to it? Don't know if I should use or get something else. Thanks for any info.

Desert Turf or Kentucky Bluegrass? I live in Utah and am having all of my lawn replaced. Do any of you have any experience with Desert Turf or should I just go with the Kentucky Bluegrass which seems to be the "turf du jour" of most landscapers?

Can Kentucky Bluegrass grow among weeds? We got a good price on a house whose yard was mostly weeds, such as crabgrass, dandelions, bindweed, foxtails, etc. When we mow it, it looks almost like a real lawn, but the weeds grow back fast. We don't have the proper equipment to do a new lawn. We're thinking of mowing it very low, doing some dethatching, aerating, etc., and then planting lots of Kentucky Bluegrass seeds. Our theory is that the KBG will eventually grow well enough to choke out the weeds. We plan to keep mowing the weeds low while waiting for the KBG to sprout, and then keep mowing slightly higher than the sprouts, so the weeds will have a hard time outcompeting the KBG. Part of the problem is a slope where heavy rains would wash the dirt if no weeds held it in place. Does this plan have a chance in hell to succeed?

When is the latest I can plant Aries Kentucky Bluegrass in Marysville, WA. ? I just took down my temporary pool and I want to re-seed the area where the grass had died. Ihave decided on Aries Kentucky Bluegrass becaure the germination percentage is the highest. My lawn does not have any trees and is over 10 years old!

How to Control and get rid of Canada Bluegrass in Home Lawn? Home lawn consists mostly of desirebale Kentucky Bluegrass, perennial Ryegrass and hard fescue, A very great quality grass seed that had produced a thick dense turf

What kind of grass will grow in a drought? Most of the homes around here have lawns of Kentucky Bluegrass and they end up dying because of a low water supply and hot summers here in Colorado. If I were to start over and plant grass by seed, what is a good kind of seed to buy that will produce grass that grows well in low-water conditions and direct sunlight?

Will Kentucky bluegrass grow in the south? I was in the beautiful backwoods of Kentucky last week and got my first close look at Kentucky bluegrass [the grass, not the music]. It was love at first sight. I saw cows grazing in grass up to their bellies; a hay field where it was raked up knee deep; grown into a beautiful lawn. It is surely the most beautiful grass I have ever seen. We bought some property in the southern part of Georgia and I would love to plant the bluegrass there but from what I read, it will not do well there. It is for a cooler climate. Can anyone tell me anything helpful about this?

What is the best way to get your grass as green as it can be? I am in competiion with mu neighbors fot the best lawn....what are the secrets for green grass. By the way,,,my lawn seed is Kentucky Bluegrass.

Is Scotts Pure Premium Kentucky Bluegrass seed any good? They say it is their best seed, but do not list the seed varieties on the bag. I am skeptical, and have heard that Scotts products suck generally. Can anyone prove me wrong? I'm starting a lawn from scratch (i.e. not overseeding). Here's a link to an image of the bag (as we have it in Canada): http://www.scotts.ca/media/media/_PDFs/Labels/Canada/Scotts_PurePremium_KentuckyBluegrass_1kg.pdf There are no varieties listed, which usually means the quality isn't very high. By varieties, I mean strains of Kentucky Bluegrass. An example would be Blue Sapphire. Newer strains are developed to perform better against diseases, etc. I have heard that Scotts and other brands (Vigoro, etc.) use older strains developed years ago that do not perform as well as the new ones. I know it may sound like I'm being anal, but I live in a jurisdiction (Quebec) where lawn care products common in other areas (Roundup, Grub X) are illegal and cannot be purchased. I want state of the art seed to minimize the problems I might have.

Home Grown Biofuel? Is there a way to turn Kentucky Bluegrass (lawn) into biofuel? Is it as simple as a home ethanol brewery or would it need to be undertaken at the city level with the option of everyone else providing their lawn waste to the communal vat?

How to get rid of bent grass ? My front lawn looks great except for these patches of lighter colored grass my landscaper says is "bent grass". He claims that it comes from using cheap seed (which is entirely possible, as our builder was fairly notorious for taking shortcuts with landscaping) and there really isn't much you can do about it short of tearing it out and reseeding in the fall. Its widespread enough that I cant see tearing it out...it would mean tearing up almost the entire lawn if we wanted to get it all. Any other options ? I'm not against chemical herbicides but I'd rather avoid using them if possible. For reference...we live in New England and the lawn is a mix of Kentucky Bluegrass and fescue.

when is the best time to seed my lawn and keep Voles out? I live in Colorado and have Kentucky Bluegrass. The last time I seeded my lawn with a seed spreader, I noticed it had attracted several meadow voles. Any tips on how to keep these guys away when I seed? Also, when is a good time to seed?

What kind of weed control should I use on my newly-seeded lawn? I just re-seeded a section of yard, which was bare, with Kentucky bluegrass seed. It is coming up nicely, except for the broadleaf weeds! Is there anything I can treat the new lawn with, that will kill the weeds and not the grass? I'm finding Bishops Weed, Dandelion, Sorrell, Lambsquarters, and Thistle coming up with my Kentucky Bluegrass.

What type of grass is used in commercial locations in Northern California? If you go to commercial locations like office parks and restaurants in Northern California, all the grass seems to be a certain type with hardy, lush blades. I want this grass for my lawn. What type of grass is it? E.g. kentucky bluegrass? Thanks.

Growing a new lawn from seed? Okay i wanted to make sure I seeded and did everything in order to my lawn. First I turned over the old lawn with a shovel then i broke up all the big clumps and raked it out and leveled it. I then put down scotts grubex once i have grubs and i also put down the scotts kentucky bluegrass seed with it. Then i put about a half inch layer of decent cheap top soil over the the seeds and grubex then i put scotts starter fertilizer over the top soil and watered it. Did i do everything right?

Why is patches of my Lawn STILL Yellow After doing all these things?!? I live in the North (in Ontario, Canada) and my grass type is a mixture of Kentucky Bluegrass, Fescue, and something else... My lawn looks green but once i cut my lawn back to its 2.5 inch height it reveals several spots of yellowing on the lawn. It seems the green part of my grass HIDES the yellowing parts when it grows (like a canopy). The yellowing seems to have been caused by winter damage (is my guess) or maybe something else (?). So far i've tried: 1. Aerrating 2. Fertilizing using Scotts' Turf Builder (29-3-4) 3. Raking out dead grass 4. Mowing the lawn to 2.5 inches 5. Watered: 1 inch per week We have been receiving lots of rain here in SouthWestern Ontario region (near Toronto). And i have an extension sprinkler system in place. My lawn has definitely received its required 1 inch of water per week but still those yellow spots dont change. It seems like they are DEAD! Is there ANYTHING i can do to repair the yellowing or must i dig it up and reseed those areas

What can I use to Kill Weeds in my lawn, and not the Grass? I have recently began renting a new house, and the lawn in the back yard was a jungle, with weeds about 3 feet high throughout. I weed wacked the entire yard, raked them up and then mowed it. The lawn consists of mostly weeds now, but there is still quite a bit of grass growing also. I am wondering what I can do to kill the weeds and not the grass, I believe that the grass is Kentucky Bluegrass if that helps. Me and my Wife are renting from a relative who gave us a deal(a REALLY GOOD deal!) and Im just trying to get the little things fixed to make it look better. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance

What type of grass is better for full sun? Kentucky Bluegrass, Rye grass, or Bermuda grass. I have a high traffic area lawn with full sun exposure. I want a nice soft grass that is not really itchy. I need a fine grass that can look full and look nice

How can I tell if my grass seed will grow based on the fact that top soil used was poor quality.? I recently had a landscaper put a layer of top soil over my yard and seed/fertilize it. After 10 days, the kentucky Bluegrass seed is starting to germinate (in patches). Since I had the top soil laid out, I've had many people tell me it looks more like fill than topsoil. It has a lot of small rocks (slightly larger than pebbles). My question is, should I have the entire thing skimmed and re coated with quality top soil, re seeded/fertilized, or should I just wait and see how the seed I planted does? Will I really get a decent lawn with poor topsoil?

Lawn cut no shorter than 2.5", 3", 3.5" or 4"? My lawn is Kentucky bluegrass, and I have been the above various height, and want to know which one is correct.

NEW LAWN question what grass seeds will hold up and not get killed when it freezes and gets ice & snow covered I live in Northwest Missouri winter temps get to -15 wind chill New lawns need lots of work and i will be pis.sed next spring if the lawns totally dead and needs complete re-seeding. I have some Scotts Kentucky bluegrass seed and Earl May Ryegrass blend Scotts is short but looks and feels great the Earl May seed is way taller but not as green looks ok which would survive winters cold or would neither lol

Ok to use grub X newly germinated grass? Hi. I seeded my lawn a couple of weeks ago with Kentucky Bluegrass. It finally started to germinate. Now my landscaper neighbor says he thinks I definitely have grubs. Is it ok to de grub with grub X (or similar treatment) with newly germinated grass?

when is the right time to overseed my lawn? i live in toronto canada. i dont like my lawn since its a warm season type. it "greens up" a month later than everyone elses. i inherited this from the previous owner. i want to overseed my lawn so the new grass (kentucky bluegrass) will grow over the existing lawn. here is my weather. http://www.theweathernetwork.com/gardening/caon0696

New reel lawnmower won't cut? Last year I bought a new reel lawnmover to cut the grass at my house. The only problem is that it won't cut the grass hardly at all. It wouldn't hardly cut the grass when the grass was even short. I even put it on the highest setting when the grass was short and it didn't cut well. And I also tried it at every setting in bettween. It only cut about half the grass blades. I've seen other people use reel mowers and theirs just cuts it easy as you please. I have Kentucky Bluegrass for my lawn, so it's not a tough grass either. Why is it not working? I'm wondering if it might be the paint or something on the cutting blades. Is there a good tool to professionally sharpen the blades or ways of setting it so that it works better?

Reseeding a lawn? I live in southern Illinois, I have Kentucky bluegrass planted under all my shade trees and around the house, but our side lot (2.3 acres-no shade) needs to be reseeded. What type of grass will blend with the bluegrass in full sun? I can't use any type of fescue, because I have horses.

lawn care problems? we recently spent alot of money for sod" kentucky bluegrass" it looked beautifull for a while , we got all sorts of comments. Now crabgrass and what i think is bermuda grass is making it look like crap. I have a few bear spots from spreader accidents, but my question is what to do, i hate to lose the lawn after we paid all this money for it, should i put down scotts turfbuilder now or put seed in bear spots, im not sure pleeeeeeeeeeze help

When and how to plant grass seed.? I live just south of Kansas City, and currently I have Fescue and possibly Kentucky Bluegrass in my yard. The grass is popping up in some places but overall my yard is still pretty much brown, I am wondering if I need new grass seed or it will turn back to green as it starts to warm up a little bit more. Other houses in the same neighborhood have completely green lawns and it appears to be the same grass. Should I plant new grass seed? When planting, do I need to remove the current brown/dead grass? We are suppose to get rain/snow tomorrow, would it be a good time to plant? Thanks

Annual Ryegrass Mistake? Hello, I completely replanted my front lawn using a seed mixture. 68% Gulf Annual Ryegrass, 25% Cinderella Perennial Ryegrass and 4% Kentucky Bluegrass. I made the mistake of planting 68% Annual Grass. Now the lawn is completely full of annual grass. I live in Northern Ohio, what should I do so that I will have grass next Spring? Thanks for any advice!

Should current (dying) SOD be killed and tilled along with fertilized for resseding or cut and hauled away? When renovating a previously sodded lawn that was done improperly to begin with (kentucky bluegrass in a shaded backyard) - receiving guidance frmo landscapers that they will kill the current sod and weeds, fertalize add lime, till and reseed witha blended seed mixture to grow in a shady and sunny environment. Does this seem correct. Or should the previous sod be scraped off and hauled away. Proposed professional was adament that this organic material (sod) should not be wasted. Please advise if this is the best approach.

Replanting front yard in NE Ohio? This past winter we had a young man lose control of his car in icy roads and end up in the middle of our front yard. We have two very large ruts and are planning to replant the entire front yard this spring. Area is approximately 30' wide and 20' long. We like the look of Kentucky Bluegrass but are not sure about what to plant and when to do it in order to have the best success. 1. Is Kentucky Bluegrass suitable for out area (Zone 5a) and for a lawn that gets direct sun from sunrise to about 3 pm (east facing)? 2. When would be the best time to plant in the spring, since we often can have frost as late as mid-May? 3. What should we add to the soil after rototiling, if anything? 4. Would sod be a costly alternative? We do have a sod farm a few miles away with Kentucky Blueglass. Thanks for any help.

Mixing grass seed mixes? I got a new lawn in my backyard last year. Part of it sank over the winter (about 10ft by 10ft area). I put top soil over the sunk part yesterday. When seeding this new part, do I have to use the exact same mix as the landscaper used for the rest of the lawn? If I use a similar mix but not exactly the same, will it look bad? For example, if the landscaper used a mix with 20% Goldrush Kentucky Bluegrass, what if I use a mix with a different variety of Kentucky Bluegrass? Will it make a difference in the way it looks?

Overseeding, another question...? I had planned to aerate my lawn this fall, but when I went to rent the aerator, it was too large to get in the car and too heavy to have my wife help me with. With no other weekends to work on the yard for the next month, I decided to bag the idea. So instead I went home, mowed my lawn at the lowest setting, raked all the thatch and mowed again (bagging all the clippings). I then used a broadcast spreader to overseed (kentucky bluegrass/perennial ryegrass mix). Lastly, I took about 5 bags of Scotts Starter topsoil with starter fertilizer mixed in, and tried to throw it over the area. Here's my question. I found that spreading topsoil is not as easy as I thought it would be. I had to crumble it by hand over as much surface area as I could. But I'm quite sure (100% positive) that I did not cover all the seed (maybe 50% of the seed). The seed that was not covered still has soil contact, but is not top dressed. This was last Sunday. Should I do anything more? I may have some time tomorrow night to put some finishing touches on it, but now this is 5 days later. I doubt the 5 days later matters since I doubt either seed has germinated yet... but wanted all your thoughts... I could buy more bags of dirt and just keep covering the area, but it seems like I would need another 10+ bags and its a pain because I literally have to grab couple handfuls and crumple over the lawn as I walk. What do you guys think? Am I good as is or do I need to do a little more?

Overseeding and Crabgrass...? Hi everyone. I live in Westchester County NY. Last year I had a terrible crabgrass problem and completely burnt out my lawn and started from scratch. Problem was, I started too late (mid-Oct) and I go decent but not spectacular germination (some spots were 65-70% and others close to 100%). This spring I had to chose between overseeding or putting down pre-emergent. I chose to overseed in mid-April. After I had some germination (by late April), I put down pre-emergent (early May). Around the same time, I had a ton of chickweed growing (mainly in the area that was 65%-70% covered) and so I spayed to kill it. Fast forward to today. The chickweed was successfully killed, but the pre-emergent was applied too late and I now have crabgrass again (not enough to warrant burning out, but enough where its a problem. In some spots, I would guess its 1/3 crabgrass, 2/3 grass). Perhaps more troubling is that much of that new grass I planted last fall and this spring is not looking so hot . Much of it is brown and dead (I used Scotts premium grass seed, Perrennial Rye/Kentucky Bluegrass mix). Even in the areas that were 100% lush and full in the early spring, its not looking nearly as good now (those area seem to have thinned throughout the spring and summer... almost as if it was so dense that the grass couldn't compete with itself.) In the spot that was 65-70% covered, I'm not sure if what I am seeing is the dead chickweed in between my healthy grass? And in the area that was 100% covered and very thick and lush in the spring, I don't know if I seeded too much and the grass couldn't compete with itself? Its strange. Anyway you slice it, I need to overseed again this fall, hope that it fills in nicely because I do it at the right time, and then do my pre-emergent early early next year (at least I think this is the best route). Now my questions... What are your thoughts on the brown, relatively thin, grass (in both areas)? When should I overseed (Was thinking making it a project the weekend of 9/5? What should I do with the crabgrass (overseed around it)? I tried using a crabgrass killer, but it didn't do much. I tried pulling it, but there is too much. I spend maybe 10:00 a day pulling up clumps here and there. When the crabgrass dies this winter, will my grass overtake the bare spots in the spring? And last but not least, I also have cicada killer wasps who are tearing up the lawn with their Burroughs. Any suggestion here? Why would applying the pre-emergent hurt my grass next year? Won't all my seed germinate this fall if I do it correctly? Thanks for your help! Another add-on. I just fertilized (this past weekend), with a normal fertilizer. Can I really use a weed and feed in 2 weeks and then a starter fertilizer 2 weeks after that? Wouldn't that be overkill?

Can anyone help me with a few math problems? 1. Find the cost per square meter of hardy grass seed if the cost per bag is $9.99 and coverage per bag is 450 square meters. a. $0.02 b. $0.05 c. $0.08 d. $0.10 2. Find the cost per square meter of Kentucky Bluegrass seed if the cost per bag is $10.49 and coverage per bag is 400 square meters. a. $0.06 b. $0.05 c. $0.04 d. $0.03 3. Find the cost of seed for the following. Area of Lot: 1,000 square meters Area of House and Driveway: 100 square meters Variety of Seed: Shady Seed; coverage per bag 275 square meters; $11.79/bag a. Approximately $47.16. b. Approximately $50.23. c. Approximately $62.35. d. Approximately $71.45. 4. Mia wants to reseed her lawn. She selects Show Seed. Show Seed is $7.59 per bag, and the coverage per bag is 200 square meters. The total area of Mia's property is 600 square meters. Her house and driveway cover 150 square meters. What does the seed cost? a. $22.77 b. $59.68 c. $75.23 d. $82.60 The first person to answer it right gets ez 10 points.:]

I recently seeded my yard with Scott's sun mix grass seed. Now the whole back yard is weeds. What do I do? I seeded my yard with scotts turf builder sun mix it contains a 50 50 Perennial ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass. I did everything I was supposed to do according to the directions now 10 weeks later I have patchy grass drowned out by thousands of weeds. When I planted it was bare dirt. What I have read is you not supposed to use weed killer until you have mowed the grass 2-4 times. It's not even close for it's first mow. At this point I am worried the weeds are completely drowning out the grass. I want a nice thick lawn with no bare spotts and as is sits right now it doesn't look like I'm going to get that. What should I do to thicken it up and get rid of the weeds? Any suggestions? When I applied the seed I was very generous so it's not due to the lack of seed and I have been watering it consistently. Online I was unable to find anything that talks about weeds and seeding. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Has anyone else expierenced this?

Is there anything I can do with my lawn if part of it seems... to be diseased? It is dying off completely in strange patches in one main area of the yard. I water it plenty and it does not see too much traffic, so I can only guess that is diseased. It is sod (Kentucky bluegrass) that was put down in the spring, this problem started about 2 months ago and watering enough (I don't think I over water, they said you pretty much can't) and fertilizing has not helped any. Is there anything that can be done to cure/bring it back. Or do I have to pull it up and start over? Thanks for helping : ) I asked in this section because I have already asked in the appropriate section to no avail so I was hoping that my LGBT brothers and sisters could be of more assistance : ) I have dogs but they all take grass tabs to balance ph I really don't think it is pee spots (I knopw what those look like) the patches are larger non uniform and they don't just yellow, they die off to nothing but dirt. Plus they are spreading.

How can I make my west Texas "lawn" look decent? I have some sparse grass. If you're from any sandy areas, I'm sure you're familiar with the yellow, seemingly dead grass that sprouts randomly, but leaves huge spots of sand. I'm not expecting the Kentucky bluegrass I grew so fond of up north, but I'd like something that looks nice. This yard once had grass, but I seem to have a yellow thumb (where things grow, but nothing turns green)! Any ideas? I've come to terms with our huge backyard being so sandy and patchy (dogs running), but the front yard could use some TLC.