I know diddly squat about lawns. What I know can be written in grease pencil in big letters on the inside of a match book. Those that have done drivebys would agree as BH&G will only stop at my house for directions.

What is a basic plan to get decent grass? I have fair coverage on my lawn and will need to overseed (that's the word for the matchbook).

I'm looking to go with natural products as I live near the bay and want to put my money where my mouth is. I don't want to liquify my soil with water.

Just basic, sure fire principals for a Nyucknyuck such as myself in lawn care - thanks....

Airate early spring and fall every year. Slice seed if you need to. Have to kill the grubs in July. There are some organic fertilizers on the market but I don't know how effective they are, I use Scott's 4 step, works great. Water, Water , Water.

You have lots of oak trees in the area.

Lime, Lime, Lime

You can rent a machine to overseed with, it basicly plants the seeds amongst what is already there. Go up to Lesco, they are one or two streets south of ABCO Welding on Jefferson and they can probably help you out with seed and fertilizer. They sell to golf courses and lanscape contractors and such, so probably can advise you on what to use. I'm not sure if they sell to the public or not, but it is worth a try. You should water the $hit out of it once you plant. Keep what you do have mowed.

Find a different place to park the 23' grass killer.

What is a basic plan to get decent grass?

Wrap the closet in tinfoil, Don't skimp on a Heat lamp and don't forget to Pinch the Buds...:smokin:


I'm pretty much in the Same boat when it comes to lawn care...If it weren't for weeds my lawn wouldn't be green.

How bad is it now? Might pay to have someone come in a nd get it going good and then you can just worry about cutting it. BTW- did you get me e-mails and PMs?

organic matter (also called humus holds ten time its weight in water)
is the "key to a good lawn"... a rentable aerator has these i little tubes that (they are like a bank of fingers that go up and down)
get plunged into the soil and it pops out thousands of plugs which you rake up and spread around onthe low spots.

then you spread compost which you have delivered from dairy farms for $25.00 per yard and you rake it back into the holes the dirt plugs came out of .This method enriches the lawn's soil in a way that NO
store bought granular fertilizer ever could. Sure, a granular fertilizer can supply the N.P.K. but not the water retention capabilities that organic matter can.

a healthy lawn has a huge population (10,000) of earthworms of several varieties....a lawn with little organic matter
has -> none. Before you spread your compost you re-seed first and try to time it so you have several days of rain before a full moon to increase the germination rate of the grass seed.

water 3 times a day until you see new grass emerging then water once a day. Use a timer to do this if necessary mid day. otherwise water before and after work....if the grass seed "dries out" you killed it ,and lost the battle and will have to try several seedings.
i have seen signs for " take home" sprayable grass seed mixtures.

if you take a spade shovel and dig up a full shovel of dirt and not see earthworms in the soil (5-10) no matter where you try it....then thats your problem.the little balls of earth (called castings) the earth worms
deposit on the surface of your soil each night have the perfect PH for growing grass and is the "pure definition" of what humus is....

if you have good humus and good watering going on its impossible
not to have a LUSH lawn ....without it ..or when your over shaded
with "oaks" that excrete grass inhibitors, its a difficult environment.

once your lawn is growing the "rule of thumb" is to only cut it prior to a signifigant rain approaching usually within hours.... if your crafty you can pre-soak grass seed yourself then spread it out on an old window screen to SLIGHTY dry it again (so its just dry enough to spread) and then it's....
pre -germinated . again! do this before a week of rain and it should be covered with at least a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of pressed soil
because the pressure (read firm contact with the soil) increases the
germination ratio of the seed.... it doesn't germinate well if on top.

John,skip step 1 in the Scotts program and immediately have someone hydroseed it.Keep it wet and fertilize regularly.Aeration is done to compacted soil to provide oxygen to the roots of the plant,typically at a residential account once every few years is enough.This will give you what you want but it's easy to go overboard.A good fertilizer to use is Scotts turf builder.Crabgras control will prevent ANY seed from germinating so don't use it this year

If you are willing to do the work once every couple of years, Raven's suggestion of a natural compost will produce a lawn that will require less maintenence in the longrun. I prefer this method because I hate dumping chemicals into the earth.

You want help with the lawn, give me a pm!!!
Mine was so good one year, I couldn't fish!!!
Seriously!!!
Later,
Rick

Milky Spore distributed three time over a two year period gets rid of the grubs for up to 20 years, and it organic.

Wish I had the resources for Ravens ariation program, sounds good.

Their are organic fertilizers that come from Maine for the lawn. If you can't do them the 4 step works great.

One more thing, if you have crabgrass, LESCO has this stuff called aclaim. Mix one half ounze to one ounze to a gallon of water and spray on the crab grass and say good bye. Might have to hit it every two to three years, but its awesome. No screwing around with bags of Halts.

You're just going to have to mow it more..

..

Looks like you got alot of good advice there John,want more? why not...
Thatch and or rake your lawn. Get all the dead stuff out. cutting realy low before you get started helps big time, apply lime, and fertilizer w/ crabgrass control,, haveing a decent lawn requires alota elbow grease the more time you spend the better the results....sorry John your to far away.

Wood chips solve all your problems.