The Grass Doctor

Lawn Care Help For Beginner?

my lawn is pretty thin and yellowish. i just got some patch up seeds, and scotts turf builder, but it never seems to help. it says not to do if expected to rain within 24 hours but to do in the morning or when grass is damp. i also have a BIG patch from an old garden in which i want to put lawn seed. whats the best way to plant grass seed that is blue cause its the mulch combo, do i still cover it with dirt or just leave it out.

Public Comments

1. well you can do a few things, if your lawn is mossy put some lime down to change the ph of your soil. Sounds like you also could put some gypsum down that will help hold the nutrients into the soil. About that blue stuff, first loosen the top couple of inches of the soil with a metal rake, then put that down evenly!!! make sure you do it evenly that's really important. After its all down water it until its moist and keep up on the watering, probably at least once a day. Do not use turf builder until the grass has sprouted, unless it is the starter fertilizer, the other stuff will not let the seed germinate, and that will not let your grass grow.
2. Sprinkle manure, I swear. It is nature's fertilizer. My father would always evenly sprinkle a few bags of manure on our grass, and every year we would have the greenist, thickest grass on the block. And it's the cheapest way to go too!! Also, don't water your grass for twenty minutes once a day. Water 2 times a day for about ten minutes or so each cycle/section of grass. Good luck!
3. scotts has this product called patch master that works wonderful to fill your ball spots and Ironite is a product that you can put down and it greens your lawn up. It works great!!!
4. Be sure to use only straight Turf Builder, not the type with any weed preventer ingredients. Weed preventer will prevent grass seed from germinating. The reason that the directions say to apply when the grass is damp and no rain within 24 hours is likely because what you have is a weed-and-feed product. Those products stick to broadleaf weeds when they are damp. Rain or sprinklers may wash the product off of the weeds before it has time to be effective. The "blue" mulch grass patch products can be laid on top of loosened soil. Don't cover it with soil. For best results, it's very important to keep the seeded areas damp at all times until the grass sprouts, even if you have to water it several times daily.