"Tony" wrote in message
...
I have a ranch on a 1/4 acre of land. My lawn isnt huge but there is enough
of it. Here's the link:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...ontofhouse.jpg



Yesterday, I really decided to tackle my terrible lawn. I have multiple
issues. Maybe some of you
can help. Yesterday, I rented a power rake from Home Depot and thatched
the lawn. Here is what came
out of the lawn only for the front yard. It may not look like a lot but
there is a lot and I already
got rid of a few pails:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...783/thatch.jpg


What is the next step? Do I put lime down? Do I seed? Do I fertilize? I do
not know what kind of
grass to use. I have planted Scotts seed last year and the grass is so
different from the grass I
already have. Instead of thin dense grass, the Scotts grass is fat and
grows way faster and higher.
I went to a local nursery yesterday and the guy insisted that the taller
Scotts grass was weeds and
not grass and he had no idea what kind of grass I already have. How can I
find out. When I patch the
lawn, I want it to match so that it isnt so obvious because of the
differernt kinds of grass. See
he

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e.../grasstype.jpg



One other question: How do I level the lawn? It dips down a bit in the
middle. And I want the lawn
to be higher by the house and grade down as it goes to the street. Do I
add soil over the grass to
level it or do I have to rip the grass out and then add the soil. Here is
a pic but its hard to see
the dips:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...783/slope2.jpg



I am trying to sell my house so I am not looking to pay a lot of money for
a landscaper, which is
why I am doing this myself. I am on the verge of a short sale and I would
be happy to sell to break
even and lose the $150,000 I paid these past 5 years rather than the kill
my great credit. Do I have
any hope or do I need a professional landscaper? I cannot believe dirt and
lawns are so friggin
complicated. Thanks for any help you can give.


*There were a few episodes of "Ask This Old House" where Roger addressed
lawn issues. Maybe they have reruns online. I remember in one episode they
got a machine to aerate the lawn which was nothing more than putting spikes
in and pulling out slivers of dirt.

You can add soil on top, but it should be in thin layers.

I would try another nursery (Not a home improvement store) and see what they
have to say. Another thing you could do is contact a few landscaping
companies and pick the brains of each person who comes out for a look. If
you belong to a golf club, try and talk to the greenskeeper. He will be an
expert on grass.

Doing the power rake was a good step.

My personal preference is Zoysia grass, but for selling purposes it is not
worth the expense and time.

I would also suggest some shrubbery directly in front of the house. Flowers
are always nice.

My parents used to always add clover to their lawn which blended well with
the grass and did a good job of filling in where the grass was thin.