"Samuel Warren" wrote in message ...
I bought a home in November 2003, grass was seeded and covered with a light
mulch, over a "construction grade topsoil". Now that spring is starting
here in Northern Virginia, the grass is growing well and has a good green
color do it. All the other yards in hood, have grass that is still brown.
I also bought a new lawn tractor with spreader attachment. I have never
done, any grass/yard work before. What should I put on the lawn, to keep it
going good, and at the same time keeping out some of the wire grass from the
yard next door?

Your grass is greener most likely because it got an extra doze of
fertilizer mixed with that mulch it was covered with. I think they
recommend that you wait to mow new grass until it grows to 2 -3
inches, after that mow it frequently, but keep it relatively long to
make the plants stronger and bushier. You can buy a summer fertilizer
and use it all summer long; there are also spring and fall fertilizers
(each package has very good instructions). You can buy a fertilizer
that also kills mosquito algae or with additional weed controller. You
can also buy weed controllers separately. The thing about weed
controllers for the lawn is that they can only control wide-leaved
grasses (like dandelions), not other kinds of grasses and will kill
all wide-leafed plants including the violets your wife planted. Also
don't spread them anywhere near your flower beds because most
flowering plants have wide leaves.
You mentioned that you bought a lawn tractor, which implies that the
lawn is big, if it does not have a sprinkler system, you could
consider investing in one. Another option is to let it go dormant
(really yellow) for the summer, it'll come back in the fall. You
should make up your mind about that though, because when you keep
watering the lawn through the summer, but only do it occasionally, the
grass gets all patchy and does not look good. Consistent watering –
weather you water or not – is better for the grass, too. For a new
lawn, it may be best to water it through the first summer.
I found Home Depoe folks very helpful, but you have to find the person
who really knows about their area.
-b