On 9 May 2005 08:20:02 -0700, Mitko wrote:

You gave me some great starting points. From your links I can see that
there is a lot to be learned, but know I know when to start.

I am located in Glenview Illinois and since I bough my house 3 years
ago, there hasn't been any soil pH analysis or root structure check.
This is now on my check list - at least I know when to start now.

While you've got the sods up, take a look at the structure of the soil
in several spots (do at least a shake test), and get some samples submitted
to Extension for standard soil analysis. (And if Illinois extension won't
do home soil testing any more, try the lab at Iowa State University).
Shake test: Lift some sods and get about a cup of soil from 6" down.
Place the soil in a straight sided quart jar and add water till the
jar is about 2/3 full.
Shake well, then let the soil fall out of suspension. First layer will be
sand -- it'll settle within a minute. Mark it on the jar. Next layer
to settle will be silt, and mark that at two hours. Most of the clay
will come out overnight, and the organic matter will float. "Ideal"
soil texture is equal parts of sand, clay and loam... but you can work
with any soil texture and a lawn... it's just much harder with some textures
than another. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07723.html

I suspect your lawn is compacted, and lacking in organic matter, just from
the little I know about the lawns around Glenview. I suspect you'll be
told to add gypsum or lime as well as NPK. And at the moment, it's definitely
underwatered. I'd probably also start topdressing with compost if there
is an easy and cheap source around. It's pretty hard to overdo compost
when you apply it 1/4" at a time. Gets boring really quickly. g

I suspect your biggest challenges will be Convallaria majalis, lily of
the valley, and Glechoma hederacea, ground ivy/creeping charlie. Lily of
the valley is a pretty good shade groundcover, especially for moderately dry
shade, which is tough conditions for grass. Glechoma is generally best
tackled in the early fall or late spring (but from the looks of your photos
it's too dry to try this spring); it prefers shady, moist soil. If you're using
chemical treatments of one sort or another, they need to be used when the
plant is actively growing. Otherwise you're just wasting money and polluting
groundwater. See:
web.extension.uiuc.edu/Fulton/groundivy.pdf+glechoma+control+illinois&hl=en

When you water, put out some cans or jars on the lawn to catch the water,
so you can measure how much is actually hitting the soil. My guess is that
even when you watered, you weren't watering enough.

Anyhow, if you get some basic testing done, and some reading on lawn biology,
I think you'll be able to have a nice (not perfect, but very nice) lawn
without driving yourself bananas or bankrupting yourself with brand name
"solutions" that may not be appropriate for you.

And if you start thinking your lawn is too crummy after you've fixed the
basic cultural problems, book a ticket to England and look at the lawns
of the various botanical gardens, stately homes, famous golf courses...
all those lovely green lawns are made of multiple species, including a
heck of a lot of dandelion. g

Kay