"Peter H" wrote in message ers.com...
"FGreen" wrote in message
om...
My lawn is ~6 years old, was new when I bought the place. It looked
pretty good initially, but later I realized that the ground where the
sod was placed didn't have good soil at all. Pretty rocky, and had a
heck of time planting a small tree (which looks sickly and isn't
blooming much flowers at all).

The lawn now has a lot of dandelions, I mean, a lot. I used one of
those extraction tools from Home Depot. It does a decent job, but the
roots are rarely taken out completely, and there are just too many.
Too many to even use weed-b-gone selectively.

So, I'm thinking of redoing the lawn, probably in the fall, and need
your help. I'm thinking I need to
- Till up the ground
- Kill the existing dandelions/weeds with...?
- Put in good soil
- Put in new grass (hydroseed? sod?)
(I know I need to do more studying on it, but need to discuss it with
a neighbor that shares the lawn in this 2-family home, so basics would
be sufficient for now.)

My questions are...
- What tools do I need, if I do it myself? I only have basic
gardening tools. Rent a rototiller?
- Is there a way to get rid of existing weeds without using chemicals,
once the lawn is dug up? Cover it up to choke it? We've got dogs and
young children.
- If not, how long would it take for it to be 'safe' for dogs and
children? It'd still be a dug up ground, but you know how kids are...
they love dirt!
- Would I be better off hiring someone? (I know that's a very
subjective question...)

I'm in New England and the lawn get a lot of sun. I don't think I'd
need the soil analyzed, since whatever is there is just almost rocks,
and I'd be putting in new soil.

I'd appreciate any help.

You go crazy and put in a new lawn, but I'd try just spraying the weeds and
fertilizing first. If you're worried about the spray hire someone and have
everyone stay off the lawn for a couple of days.

Peter H

Thanks for your response. Either I wasn't clear or you only noticed
the subject and a few lines of description, but we're trying to stay
as much away from chemicals as possible. It involves the neighbors,
so I don't have complete say in the matter. Of course your idea was
considered at first, but is a no-go at this point, until we understand
all other options.

So, back to my original questions - if you or anyone else can help,
that'd be much appreciated.