The Grass Doctor

Hello How do i get a green lush lawn from a horrible weeded yard? Please help!?

Just got a new home & the yard is full of many different kinds of weeds. I have never done any gardening but my dream is to have a yard that my girls can play in. As far as I can tell grass used to grow there but now there are bald spots and dried up remnants of grass. The area is very cold in the winter is that why? Need to know if I should start from scratch or what I could do to have an actual green lawn. Thanks in advance!

Public Comments

1. It depends on your budget, time available, and where you live. You said a cold climate? You need to find the grass that will grow in your zone. http://www.american-lawns.com/lawns/best_lawns.html Kentucky Bluegrass is a cold weather standby. Next is the big one, budget. If you have the budget and time, you should wipe the slate clean. This is what I did. Start with lawn / weed killer. Spray it everywhere. Your goal here is to kill the weeds and seeds that are left over. Do until all weeds are dead, and then once more. Wait seven days between applications. Then for the next two weeks water it to flush. Next you will lay down a good starter fertilizer. Then lay the sod. Then There are proper ways to lay sod, you can read about it on the web, but mostly a stitch pattern, with edges offset. Also at this time you may want to think about a sprinkler system, before you lay the sod. Make sure you roll the sod with a roller to force it into the soil. The cheap way is to spot kill the weeds and put seed or plug in. Just make sure you water the new grass every day for a week, and make sure you use a good starter fertilizer. Then keep the soil moist and start a lawn maintenance program (check scott's web site). Good luck!
2. Hi: I am a landscaper and designer. There are three methods you go do. The first is to start over, take a weed and grass killer and apply it to the entire lawn. Wait one week to make sure all their root system is dead. You can till the entire area and rake it out. Apply your seed, and yes, I agree with the other answer, know what seeds do best in your area first, before planting any new seed. You can put down hay or straw, as this will help retain moisture in the ground. Get on a good watering schedule and maintenance schedule. The second thing you could do is to put down a weed killer, and wait the week before planting. You can rent an aerator which puts tiny holes in the ground. Apply your seeds and put the hay down. The other option you can do is to start from scratch and put down sod. I will link you to the outdoor section of my website. There is a page on sod versus seed that you might be interested in. I will also link you to the site map, as this page has everything that is on the website. Browse through and see if you can find any other information that may be helpful to you. Good luck to you and have a great day! Kimberly http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com/Outdoor.html http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com/Site.html