need some advice for my own lawn...hopefully i word this right...

[blakerugg]

i live in RI and have the regular bluegrass/rye/fescue mix. every time i try and start a thread about this i end up butchering it and losing my paitience and starting a new one lol.

basically, the lawn at my house is in rough shape. i have some bare spots, some spots that are weedy, and some spots that moss has slowly taken over. basically i want to do everything i possibly can (without killing the entire lawn and starting over) this year to get it looking good.

I need help developing a schedule and plan to do so. Heres what i THINK i should include:

-dethatching
-aerating
-ph test/lime
-fertilizer (pre-emergent, post-emergent? i dont know!! lol)
-overseeding (won't it contradict with weed control?)

so i really need to know when to do what and what to use...

when do i start and what order do i do it in? what fertilizers do i use when?

in case you didnt notice i dont know anything about actual turf care lol

please help!!

[grassman177]

if you dont know how to apply and what to apply for fertilizer and weed control, then by all means hire a pro. i cant see your lawn but if it is bad, then spend the year "cleaning" it up and then in sept aerate, verticut, and seed your lawn. this is the best time and you wont interfere with weed control and the like, plus you will have eradicated most of the competition of weeds so you turf will thrive.

[blakerugg]

Originally Posted by grassman177

if you dont know how to apply and what to apply for fertilizer and weed control, then by all means hire a pro. i cant see your lawn but if it is bad, then spend the year "cleaning" it up and then in sept aerate, verticut, and seed your lawn. this is the best time and you wont interfere with weed control and the like, plus you will have eradicated most of the competition of weeds so you turf will thrive.

in short i used to scotts 4-step system last year. basically i dont know anything but that, so its most likely that im paying more money for a fertilizer system that might not be perfect for my lawn. i do know how much to spread, its just that im looking for the best product. but for the spring what would you suggest? dethatching then the first fertilizer? i also plan on going to the local seed store to talk to the guy there.

this is why i dont do fertilizer btw

[grassman177]

if there is a thatch problem then sure, otherwise you do more damage than good. a lawn is perfectly ok with up to 1/2in of thatch. most times it is 1/4 or less. judge by that. aerate for sure, and then fert. but are you still going to try to seed in spring or take the advice and wait till fall after ridding of the weeds and thickening the turf you do have?

[blakerugg]

Originally Posted by grassman177

if there is a thatch problem then sure, otherwise you do more damage than good. a lawn is perfectly ok with up to 1/2in of thatch. most times it is 1/4 or less. judge by that. aerate for sure, and then fert. but are you still going to try to seed in spring or take the advice and wait till fall after ridding of the weeds and thickening the turf you do have?

yes im going to wait till the fall to overseed