On Thu, 13 May 2004 22:05:01 -0700, FGreen wrote:

mowing height depends - where there is grass, ~2-3", on bare spots, 0", on
dandelion spots, 8+"... ha... sorry for being a smartmouth. I try to
keep it high enough to block the weeds, but the situation has reversed
itself.

Good mowing hight....

We put fertilizers in the fall, once a year. We water infrequently in the
summer (to let it go dormant..?) aeration hasn't been done since it was
sodded (I know, a mistake) Yes, we use mulching mower.
We haven't been very deligent about keeping it up, I have to say.


I would tend to fertilize twice a year. I would use half in the spring and
half in the fall. It's good to boost the grass in the spring when the
nitrogen is low in the soil. Nitrogen is a non-fixed element that moves
with water. After the run off of winter, nitrogen is at it's lowest.

Yes, I have read that post from you before posting my question. It was
probably the closest to what I was looking for and most helpful post I
found in search. The only difference would be, we already have a lawn
(weed lawn). Do I till it up, or just put new soil on top? Do I need to
use chemicals to kill the existing weeds?

My situation is, we're planning on selling the place, and want to make the
lawn look good in short timeframe. Don't have the time to wait for seed
to germinate, etc., because I need to act quickly once . I don't want to
spend too much money, but then I don't want do a non-even-a-half-ass job
like the builder did, either.

With the short time frame, non-chemical requirements and price range,
your situation is a bit difficult. No matter how you spin it, sod isn't
cheap. If you were to do sod, you could just over lay the native soil
after letting a non-selective herbicide do it's work. You would be able to
spray and lay with in two weeks. While others rave over Round-up.. I
personaly won't touch the stuff. It's a rather toxic chemical and there's
lots of proof via the net for those who wish to look for it. I use Finale
(product name) or any product with glufosinate ammonium as the main active
ingredient. Here's the spec sheet on it:
http://www.horizononline.com/msds_sh...f/finale25.pdf
Page 8 and onward you'll find the toxic's report. Looks rather good to me
and the enviroment and that's why I use it in my business.


Is it ok to till up the existing lawn, add some soil, till up some more,
and lay down the sod, without adding any weed killers? Again, there's
quite a bit of weeds, but I'm trying not to use chemicals if at all
possible.

My lawn is ~1000-1100 sq.ft, by the way.

So here are your options... (imho)
1 herbicide the lawn and re-sod it. Possibly add new top soil before hand.
This will cost the most. Up to $200.00 for dirt (10 yards), $20.00 for
fertilizer, $20.00 for herbicide, $20.00 for a sprayer (if needed), Roller
rental $?.00 and sod $???.00 (price varies)

2 all of above but seed instead of sod. Perennial rye generaly sprouts
faster (1 week), but is not as nice (imho). Tall Fescue takes longer (2/3
weeks) and is a bit nicer. 2 weeks for spray and 2or 3 weeks for seed.
First mowing in 6 weeks and looks great in 8 weeks 80)

3 least favorite would be to lay weed & feed and re-seed in 3 weeks. Your
milage may vary.

Any way you look at it, there really isn't too many ways to get things
done in under two weeks. 6 weeks is a bit more workable