Posted: 3/28/2017 7:09:04 PM EDT
My yard is pathetic and it's bad and I feel bad. Three weeks ago I used a weed and feed over the yard, well it definitely killed most of the weeds but there's no grass. 
I believe that the soil is mostly clay or chert fill, I believe that's the main culprit into my barren field of wild onions, What do I need to do for a lush green lawn? 
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Winner
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or green paint?  Seriously, op the advice about new soil and reseeding or laying carpet grass seems to be the way to go at this point.
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Quoted:
Winner Quoted:
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It's not a one year fix.
In the fall you should aerate, or till the soil. Seed, lime and fertilizer and straw. Hopefully you will get enough winter moisture to get the grass growing. Hire a law service to spray your lawn 4 times a year with fertilizer and week killer. Mow wekly and water when necessary. In maybe 3 years you will have a nice lawn. |
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I have revived yards worse than that before. You need to wait about 10 weeks from Pre-M application. I am not a fan of adding additional soil due to settling. Once you are in the clear with chemicals:
1. Rent a dingo with a harley rake and prep the ground. I don't bother spraying/killing off what's there, but you can with Glycophosphate. 2. Applt 18-24-12 starter fert and your seed of choice. For Fescue, I shoot for 10lbs/1000sf. 3. Straw over top. I get 250sf per bale. 4. Water the piss out of it until you see germination, then back off a little. Water is 50% of the key to success. |
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Nailed it.
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Do not straw. Straw is what builders put down over "grass" when they are trying to spend as little as possible and tell prospective buyers that they will have a beautiful lawn by summer or fall.
You're in Bama, so I'm not sure if most lawns are a bermuda or zoysia type lawn, or fescue. If fescue, and you don't want to wait until mid- September, kill everything right now. Till it and work in a 1"-2" layer of mushroom much, seed, fertilize with starter fertilizer, cover very lightly with peat moss, and keep it moist. You will have grass very quickly in these temps...but...you will lose a fair amount in the summer heat, so you will want to keep it watered to preserve as much as possible. Aerate again in the fall, over seed, and cover with peat moss...next summer will be awesome. If bermuda/zoysia, kill everything, wait until mid-May, till it, work in mushroom mulch, sprig your yard, fertilize, and keep it moist. It will grow quickly, and you will hear it growing by the time July rolls around.
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Do this, do that, do this...
Call a pro.. I did the math and i found out that i spent just as much to try and do it my self and get shitty results vs paying a pro who makes my lawn look fucking beautiful. From where you are at, its probably going to take a couple of seasons worth of work but call a pro.. Save your self the time and wasted money. All i do is water and cut.. They do the rest and it cost me zero more dollars and i save on labor. just my .02 |
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Whatever you put in you're going to have to water at least a little.
And if you have trees every four feet, you won't have a nice yard. "Nice wooded lot" is a joke to make you pay more. I see people all the time with 20-30 massive oak trees in a small yard wondering why their grass looks like shit. Meanwhile every last nutrient and drop of water has been sucked dry by these massive trees and you're tripping over sticks and leaf clippings. Give me a break. |
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Quoted:
Since my yard is mostly clay, would gypsum help? Google 'Soil Labs' in your area. Â Send a sample of your soil to the lab. Â They will analyze it and tell you what and how much to add to your soil. Â Go with sod if you can. Â If you use seed, any weeds that come up have to be removed by hand. Â No weed killers on a newly seeded lawn. |
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Weed and feed, more is not always better.
Clay SUCKS. I laid sod and all the dirt washed away. My only saving grace is I mulch and do not bag. Tagging for suggestions. I've had luck with a yearly aeration and fertilizer immediately after. I literally use a pickaxe when digging holes for shrubs/trees. |
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Not my dogwood
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