"Phisherman" wrote in message
...

"trax" wrote
All reasonable advice would be appreciated.
I have a big amount of lawn approximately 10,000 square feet. Location
Northern California. The lawn was established when I purchased the
house. It is a thin blade grass. I use the 'Scotts' fertilizer plan
and water regularly. The lawn was absolutely beautiful a few months
ago (April & May) but recently it has turned brown in spots and looks
dry and has lots of crabgrass. Please advice, what can I do to get my
beautiful lawn back. I also aerote twice a year.
Thanks,


Hmmm. If you had a beautful lawn then but not now, what are you
doing differently?

Crabgrass needs lost of sun and will quickly establish itself if there
is any bare gorund. Crabgrass produces seeds that will remain
dormant for 10 years or more, waiting for the right conditions. There
are some (new) products out there that will kill crabgrass in lawns or
you can pull the crabgrass out by hand. At the minimum, do not allow
it to go to seed. Make your lawn thick by overseeding and patching
the bare areas. Use a "Starter" fertilizer when you plant.
Since you have a crabgrass issue, apply a pre-emergent at the right
time of year for the next two years,


Pre-emergent crabgrass killer needs to be applied *every* year.... and no
matter how diligent you will still have some crabgrass, and if you have
neighbors who don't treat their lawns you will have a lot of crabgrass...
whatever is in your neighbor's lawn will end up in your lawn. Once
crabgrass is growing in your lawn the best way to remove it is to dig it up
with as much root as possible, spot killers will also prevent lawn grasses
from growing and in fact the crab grass will return first.


No need to aerate unless you are sure your ground is compacted. I
have a beautiful lawn, and have never aerated. But I do have plenty
of earthworms to do the job.

How often to aerate is mostly determined on soil composition, how much
traffic, and lastly earthworms.

A mulching mower adds organic matter to
your lawn and will encourage worms.

Earthorms don't eat grass clippings, earthworms eat the organisms that break
down organic matter. The earthworm population will remain constant in a
particular patch of soil regardless how you mow, if you mow, if you don't
mow. When you sprinkle bread crumbs on your soil earthworms will arrive,
but they are not attracted to the crumbs, they are attracted to the
organisms that arrive to feed on the crumbs. Most earthworms live deeply in
the soil, many feet down, very few earthworms are damaged from digging in
soil... earthworms multiply much faster than one can chop them up by tilling
their garden... birds and other creatures consume far more earthworms than
one can kill with a rototiller. The earthworm population has been constant
on the planet from millions of years past. The earthworms on the planet
weigh more than all other living creatures combined, including all those in
the seas.

Mulching mowers do not cause
thatch (amazing how many folks believe otherwise).

All mowers create some thatch. But mostly thatch is composed of the grass
plant itself that dies naturally as part of its life cycle. All lawns
benefit from regular de-thatching, at least once a year.