On 8 May 2005 19:25:28 -0700, Mitko wrote:
Thank you so much for your reply. I try to do my best and water and mow
on a regular bases - mow (1 per week) and watering (1 per 2 weeks if
there is no rain).

Most northern lawns, which is what I guess I'm seeing with your photos,
require an inch of rainfall a week (or supplemental water to that) to
keep growing. Established lawns can be allowed to go dormant for several
weeks in the summer with no harm, but I suspect you may be seriously
underwatering right now. Water needs to soak in to the depth of the
root zone. Generally, 1" all at once is better than 1/8" or so every
day, but that's partially dependent on soil texture.

Mowing frequency should be matched to lawn growth. For a bluegrass
lawn, I like to mow about 3" in the spring and fall, 4" in the summer.
Don't remove more than 1/3 the blade length at any one mowing. Don't
scalp the lawn (mow too short in hopes of mowing less frequently.)


The problem is with the weeds and specifically the blue ones. They seem
to be taking over the grass slowly but surely. I would prefer not to
replace the grass because it will be quite costly. This is why I was
looking for chemical solutions to fight the weeds. Still the ones I've
used so far are not help at all.

Good weed control starts with identifying the species involved. You had
two blue flowered weeds I noticed in your photos when I glanced at them.
One was a violet, and the other creeping charlie, Glechoma hederacea
(google for an image of it). Control of that species gets a little tricky,
and timing is everything.

And it's not especially expensive to replace a lawn from seed. If you
don't want to put much work into your lawn, and you're in the upper midwest
or the great plains states, you might consider replacing your present
lawn with something much more drought tolerant, like Buchloe dactyloides,
buffalo grass. Be sure to read up on the pros and cons before doing it,
however, and talk to your local extension service about how this does in
your area.

Kay