KR wrote:
Is this okay to do if you are cutting down weeds also? We just bought
a house with grass peeking through the weed patches. The ladies we
bought it from didn't have a clue, they stapled the fence together for
goodnes sakes... I thatched, mowed, limed and fertilized a couple
days ago and am waiting for some miracle!

I was going to give it a month, then start digging weeks and
re-seeding empty spots. Would another application of fertilizer in a
couple weeks help to "drown" out any weeds?

If I mow weed tips, I just leave these on the ground along with the
grass clippings?


You didn't just fertilize the grass. You fertilized the weeds, too.

The number one thing you want to do for the summer is not let the weeds
form seeds. If it's all as bad as you're describing, I would be tempted
to cut everything as low as you can go. Then cover the lawn with
plastic. Not landscaping fabric. Not those porous weed blocks. Plastic.
Let the heat of the summer kill everything that's left after you mow it
down. Cook that baby.

Then in the fall, pull it all off around the same time the temperatures
drop and "fall" begins where you are. This would be the time to do any
grading, or any major changes you want to make. Check-out the soil. The
mowed cuttings you left under the plastic should have composted by now.
Bring in some more compost (and some nice loamy soil if needed), and
work it in.

Then put down a grass seed mix appropriate for your area, and the
sun/shade characteristics of the lawn. Check with your Extension office
for their recommendations. Seed heavy, and put on a "winterizer"
fertilizer between 1/2 and 3/4 what the package says.Cover with straw,
and if the rains haven't started, water the heck out of it until it
starts to germinate.

In the spring, over-seed (especially the bare areas), and put down some
spring fertilizer. Cover with straw again, and water it heavy until the
new grass starts to germinate. Once it's germinated, change your
watering schedule to put down 1 in to 1 1/2 inches of water at one time
once a week. (If it starts to run-off, stop watering just long enough
for it to soak in.) Do NOT be tempted to water a little every day.

Pull any weeds that you can next summer. If you have some very deeply
rooted weeds, spray some RoundUp on them, being careful not to
overspray. (Don't do this step if children or pets will be using the
lawn.)

Then the following fall, serrate, over-seed again, and fertilize. Then
the next spring, over-seed again, and fertilize. Hopefully after that
your lawn will be healthy enough that you'll only need to fertilize each
fall, but not in the spring. By the way.... Leave the clippings on the
lawn. Never mow more than 1/3 the length of the blade, and try to
maintain a height on shorter than about 2-inches.

Next year your neighbors will marvel at how much progress you've made,
and by year three, you could be in a position to win the best lawn in
the neighborhood award.

My position is that in general, you will be the most successful if you
use the least amount of chemicals. Fertilizer directions and those
"programs" you'll see are designed to sell more fertilizer. In general,
you don't need as much as they say, and if you use more, you'll run the
risk of doing more damage. As for weed killing chemicals, well, there
are always risks involved even if you use the "safe" chemicals, and
follow directions. If you use chemicals, you should be getting more
benefits than the risk they impose.

I also think you'll get more satisfaction when you have success without
massive use of chemicals, including fertilizers. You'll have that "I
helped save the Earth" buzz, along with a lot of rest because you aren't
applying chemicals all the time. Your neighbors will wonder how you make
it look so easy!

I consider chemical use on the lawn and when gardening to be similar to
the use of laxatives. Sometimes you need it, but if you become dependant
on laxatives, eventually you'll develop even more problems.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.