Half of my backyard lawn is been takin over by nut-grass. I cant get rid of the damn stuff to save my life. Is there some miricle potion that gets rid of this crap? I was thinking diesel, but that might be a bad idea if I want to get my lawn back.
Also its in pretty bad shape, the ground is pretty compacted and I figure I should get one of those machines that pull plugs out of the soil and de-thatch it. What do golf courses use on the tee-boxes?Seems like a truck full of that worked into the ground should be ideal. This seems to be the biggest problem.
 I need to bring in some more fill dirt to level off some areas also. The corners of the lawn are pretty low and water pools up and nothing is growing in the corners right now. Does clean sand help break up the hard soil and work for fill?
Should I just nuke it and start over in the spring?

Nuke it.

What's but-grass???  Diesel will kill anything.  Also, total vegetation killer will kill everything for about a year.

Hire the Pros - doesn't cost much, and they will whip it into shape pretty quick

Quoted: Nuke it. What's but-grass???  Diesel will kill anything.  Also, total vegetation killer will kill everything for about a year.

Nut-grass

Quoted: Half of my backyard lawn is been takin over by nut-grass. I cant get rid of the damn stuff to save my life. Is there some miricle potion that gets rid of this crap? I was thinking diesel, but that might be a bad idea if I want to get my lawn back. Also its in pretty bad shape, the ground is pretty compacted and I figure I should get one of those machines that pull plugs out of the soil and de-thatch it. What do golf courses use on the tee-boxes?Seems like a truck full of that worked into the ground should be ideal. This seems to be the biggest problem.  I need to bring in some more fill dirt to level off some areas also. The corners of the lawn are pretty low and water pools up and nothing is growing in the corners right now. Does clean sand help break up the hard soil and work for fill? Should I just nuke it and start over in the spring?

What kind of grass do you have?

I have used a product called Image.  It will brown out the yard a bit, but it will zap the nutgrass.

Also, when my backyard had crabgrass I used Round Up very carefully to kill it.  It left me with dead patches, but 3 months later with careful fertalizer and judicious watering and mowing the dead spots are gone.

image website

Quoted: Quoted: Half of my backyard lawn is been takin over by nut-grass. I cant get rid of the damn stuff to save my life. Is there some miricle potion that gets rid of this crap? I was thinking diesel, but that might be a bad idea if I want to get my lawn back. Also its in pretty bad shape, the ground is pretty compacted and I figure I should get one of those machines that pull plugs out of the soil and de-thatch it. What do golf courses use on the tee-boxes?Seems like a truck full of that worked into the ground should be ideal. This seems to be the biggest problem.  I need to bring in some more fill dirt to level off some areas also. The corners of the lawn are pretty low and water pools up and nothing is growing in the corners right now. Does clean sand help break up the hard soil and work for fill? Should I just nuke it and start over in the spring? What kind of grass do you have? I have used a product called Image.  It will brown out the yard a bit, but it will zap the nutgrass. Also, when my backyard had crabgrass I used Round Up very carefully to kill it.  It left me with dead patches, but 3 months later with careful fertalizer and judicious watering and mowing the dead spots are gone. image website www.ew.govt.nz/enviroinfo/pests/plants/images/nutgrass2.jpg

+1 on Image.

The stuff ain't cheap, you have to measure just right, and it takes a while to work. But as far as I know, it's the only thing that will work without nuking your other grass.

Image now has a hose-end sprayer.  

IMAGE is THE SHIZZLE!

NUTSEDGE is a tuber, and you can pull that shit until you're blue in the face. It'll just come right back from the network of roots below the ground. Image doesn't work fast like Roundup does, but it's the best only thing that'll take care of nutsedge (I assume that's what you meant).

It sounds like your yard is in bad shape otherwise too though. Make sure the drainage issues are adressed and all that. The compaction may not be your only problem. Is it getting sufficient sun and water?

But it's late in the season. The cooler months are good if you're going to sod the lawn. Gives it more time to develop the roots below rgound before the leaves above ground start growing. So if you're going to re-sod, then do it in the winter. If you're going to seed, do it in early spring and get a sprinkler system.

Also depends on the grass variety...