"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message news:WleUc.327420$XM6.265980@attbi_s53...
I just moved into a house with a crappy yard. I want to get it going, but
don't know where to start. The grass is thin with some bare spots and loads
of crab grass and weeds. I don't know whether I should fertilize and weed
killer, or if I should ignore the weeds and fertilize and overseed.

Got any advice?


The relevant questions are what state the soil is in and how much, if
any desirable grasses there are growing on the lawn now. If there is
at least 8 inchs of decent soil, but the lawn is a real mess, I'd kill
the existing lawn with Roundup, then aerate and use a slice seeder to
establish a new lawn. By doing this, you can use new high quality,
disease resistant grasses. I'd search online for seed suppliers, as
they have better choices than you're going to find at the local home
center. If you have undesirable, disease prone, or rough grasses in
the lawn now, weed killer isn't going to get rid of them. Also,
established crabgrass is difficult to get rid of this time of year,
unless you use a product like Aclaim, and you have to get rid of it to
effectively grow new grass.

I'd kill everything late summer/early fall, then reseed a week later.
Also, get the soil tested and adjust the PH as needed. Use a starter
fertilizer, and keep it constantly wet for the first few weeks.