On 29 Feb 2004 15:06:50 -0800, JeffLaw wrote:
We started having weed problems (mostly dandelion) in our lawn last
summer I & was hoping to get some tips for better control this year.

Start out with a good soil test. Your local extension service
will either be able to provide you with a soil test, or provide
addresses of labs that offer soil testing. You'll need to take
a proper sample from several areas of the yard and then mix them
together if the soils appear pretty much the same, or do several
samples if the soils appear different.
http://soiltest.coafes.umn.edu/howtosam.htm

While you're at it, cut a chunk of sod out and take a good look
at it.. are the roots all in the top inch of soil? Is there
a heavy layer of thatch? Is there something different about
soil in the top inch than down a bit further? These are all
cues that you've got work to do on a lawn.

Tell the people doing the soil test that it's a lawn sample, and
you'll probably need recommendations for potassium and phosphorous
and lime for lawns in your area, along with an estimation of soil
texture (my guess is, given lots of dandelions, your soil is probably
pretty compacted and low in organic matter).

Follow the recommendations you'll get back for fertilizing and for
lime (which will require repeated applications, most likely).

Read up on lawn grasses that are useful in your area (again, Extension
Service probably has good pamphlets on this) and with your sun and shade
conditions.

Based on your reading, on the soil analysis, and on how much work you
want to do and when, you may want to zorch the entire lawn, work in
organic matter and/or sand to a goodly depth (and install underground
watering lines, change the drainage around your house, install french
drains, etc.) and start from scratch, or you may want to renovate the
lawn over time. Or you may choose to reduce or eliminate the lawn entirely.

If you do choose lawn, learn to mow properly. You can't let it get
up to the eaves, and then scalp it down to the ground so you only
have to do it once a month or so... for most lawn grasses, you need
to mow fairly high (2-3"), and never remove more than 1/3 of the height
at each mowing. Trust me, mowing more often is much easier than fighting
the battle of the lawn weeds constantly.

The real secret to weed control is "canopy closure"... weeds grow
in open soil. Give your lawn grasses the soil and water and mowing
they need, and they'll crowd out the weeds.

IMHO, a really good book for beginning lawn and garden renovaters is
Anna Carr's Rodale Press book, "Rodale's Chemical-Free Yard and Garden".
They do a nice job of starting with soil and amending it as needed,
then choosing plants suited to your soil and climate - which means a
whole lot less work and expense in the long run. I'm not an organic
gardener (I garden on the LISA model (low-input, sustainable
agriculture)), but the information in this book is pretty solid and
there's nothing in it that can really hurt your community, in contrast
to many of the other lawn care books. And it's readable and doable.

Kay Lancaster