Dethatch, Aerate, Over-seed + Weed & Feed questions/advice

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1

I am going to pick up the dethatching blade for my lawn mower and use a hand push aerater on my lawn, then overseed. I also need to Weed & Feed the lawn (getting to it kind late unfortunately).

1.) For overseeding a good Perennial Ryegrass mix with a good amount of Kentucky Blue as the base of the mix would be best for our area, plus I love the way it looks. From what I can tell and getting my old farm boy fathers opinion my lawn is mostly Annual Rye and Perennial rye mixed

2.) Assuming I am right on the above question, what brand should I get, I would prefer to not get Scotts have not had much luck with there grass seed lines.

3.) For Weed & Feed, I have always typically used Scotts Turfbuilder Plus 2, unlike there grass seed products this stuff has always worked out well for me. My question is there a product that works just as well and would carry a cheaper price, in my experience Scotts always carries a price premium, or just I just stick with what works.

2

Swing out to a local nursery and ask them what they have. I know that Gullos in Hamburg has local seed.

Or you could do what I am doing and just rip the whole thing out and put down new sod.

3

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.

4

I gave up on the DIY and hired Funk to get my lawn issues under control. Even after just a few weeks and one spraying and the initial lime dose my lawn looks better than it ever has. It’s a lush green, all the dandelions are gone and the massive amount of clover is wilted and quickly being choked out by the grass.

5

don’t forget it’s best to add new dirt when seeding… you wouldn’t just throw flower seeds on top of a flower bed and walk away.

also, you have to decide if you’re seeding new grass or weed+feeding… you can’t do both at the same time since the weeding part stops any new growth.

6

Overseeding is best done in the Fall and early spring, we are having really hot temps.

If you use the turf builder plus 2 I think that has a pre-emergent in it an will prevent your new seeds from growing anyway, don’t quote me on that since I am not famliar with Scott’s products.

As far as products I like lesco’s commercial line for turf builder and my pre-emergent. Find a local place that has a good turf guy get advice, bring in soil samples and you will have an awesome lawn. All the major lawn companies sell a one size fits all package for everyone, not the most effective. I am not an expert I take the advice from my turf guy and so far so good, this is my first year that I give a shit about my lawn.

7

^^ Who are you using for your lawn? I am placing new sod and a full irrigation system over the next 2-3 weeks and currently have a contract with turf tenders. I would rather support someone local that is an expert versus the big box (my new lawn will look better too).

8

I use John Deere Lanscapes in OP. They are only a supplier

9

That may be, but the wife and I walk a lot around our neighborhood and you start to notice which places have the best looking lawns. The vast majority of those had Funk signs which is why we went with them.

10

Rather bump a somewhat oldie than make a new one…!

I’ve been reading a lot of different methods for leveling out a yard.
My yard is bumpy and hilly as allll hell. potholes, divets, kind of rocky too.
Bare spots, thin spots, 17 different types of grass… Dark shades next to light shades, blade thickness, etc… All the types grow at different rates.

Will rolling the hell out of it next spring be enough? But this doesn’t fix the grass problems… Unless I kill the whole yard.
Or am I better off just putting the tiller on my tractor and run over the whole yard and reseed?
I don’t think a box blade is a very wise choice for my situation.

Probably would end up redoing about an acre of space total (about 200x240)… the only area I actually care about is around my house.

11

I was told by a Scott’s rep at HD that I couldn’t put down seed for 3 months after spraying towered and feed. I sprayed about a month ago, I’m going to try and put seed down in my bare spots today

12

if you dig up the bare spots a little and use new soil with the seed it will probably work since the soil won’t be treated.

13

It also helps keep the birds from eating the seeds…

14

I retract my statement. I was told that but I just read the bottle and it says 3 to 4 weeks

15

I prefer sod to seed for ease process and because it is more uniform with no patching after the fact. As for tilling to level DO NOT DO IT!!! All you are doing is moving around dirt on the soft layer and it will settle 500x worse that it was. use a shovel or a blade to remove the high spots down to the low spots and rake level. Also the addition of 1-1.5" of top soil will help the grass to take root and flourish.

Another hint for getting rid of old bad grass it to first take a sod cutter to the yard and roll it all up. this will leave you with a nice dirt patch that you can spray with weed killer and watch for 2 weeks for any stragglers that need to be resprayed.