On Mon, 02 May 2005 03:36:58 GMT, Barry Andrews wrote:
Right! Currently I am mowing at 4". I have tall fescue. Problem is, I
don't yet have a dense turf to crowd out the weeds. But you are probably
right, I am being impatient.

Patience, fortitude, and a sharp mower blade. Remember you shouldn't
remove more than 1/3 the height of the grass at any one mowing. 4" is a
good summer height... it's typically cut a bit shorter spring and fall, but
I wouldn't do that to seedlings.

Have you done a soil analysis? That's another factor you want to explore
for maximum lawn quality for minimum cost and labor.

Mumble years ago, two friends and I reseeded my mom's heavy clay soil
after some foundation work that had made a total mess of the yard. We
brought in truckloads of municipal compost (I'd love to have some of that
now!), and spread it about 4" thick on the newly graded soil, then planted
Kentucky bluegrass, red fescue, tall fescue, and some buckwheat (which
was a marker for seed density for us) -- this was early October in the
midwest. Watered it in and then I had to leave for my home in Oregon,
but I got reports: "The buckwheat's up, but the grass seed is dead".
"Nope, there's some grass seed up, but it'll never survive the winter,
it's too puny, and there's too much soil between the seedlings."
Mid-December, I heard about how the grass seemed to be thickening up,
but it'd be a pity when it all died when the snows came. April of
the following year (it was a long snowy winter) I heard that the grass
seedlings had made it just fine and the buckwheat was dead (yes, I'd
planned it that way!). By June I was hearing complaints that the grass
was too thick to mow easily. g

Patience. Good things come to those who wait. g

If you have some truly nasty perennial weeds in your yard -- on the order
of Canada thistle, quackgrass, johnsongrass -- as opposed to dandelions
and crabgrass, then consider spot treating this year with a systemic
herbicide like glyphosate or gluofsinate, and spot seeding this fall.
But personally, I'd leave the weed and feed on the shelf at the store.

Kay