If you can, it is well worth it to turn in a soil sample and wait 10
days for the results, check out http://agronomy.agr.state.nc.us/. I
turned in a soil sample last spring. We were ready to work a bunch of
lime into our soil, b/c our area is notorious for acidity. It is a good
thing we didn't put down lime, the soil sample came back and it turns
out our soil is alkaline! The service is free, and the division will
tell you how much and what nutrients your soil needs.

We have fescue germinating right now. My DH over seeded the bare spots
in our yard and I very carefully spread a 1/4 inch of top soil over most
of the spots (I ran out of soil and did not do this to a few spots) I
spread the top soil by hand to prevent the seeds from being pushed
around. It was tedious, but I think it really helped. The spots where
I did not spread top soil have not shown signs of germination. We
applied fertilizer while seeding.

Good luck!
Heidi
Raleigh, NC



John F wrote:

Recently I had to use Roundup in a very big area of my yard in order
to get rid of crabgrass (I needed to do it early enough before the
cold weather so I can seed the area now). I have read somewhere that
after killing the crabgrass is important to till the soil to get rid
of the roots. But some people have mentioned that if I aerate several
times that will be enough to prepare the soil for seeding tall fescue.
This is my first lawn and obviously my experience is limited. I will
appreciate any thoughts you may have. Thanks!