What would you do?

18 years ago

I'm not much of a lawn person - I do the flower & vegatable gardening thing, so I'm looking for any expertise or opinions you can throw at me. And browsing through the posts i'm not sure if I've found the info I"m looking for.

Last year, late August, my yard was regraded, aerated, etc and then reseeded with 100% bluegrass mix (sorry don't know the mix). It came up but just okay - not as full as many of the photos I've seen on here. And not as full as the neighbors, whose was professionally done, but included a mix that has perennial rye. All I know is that there is a lot of fill for it to be even a 'usable' lawn. My poor labradoodle wants to play ball! It did get a mow a few times....the grass did grow and get tall just not full.

I also fertilized - high nitrogen in Nov. and then since Thanksgiving it has been covered in snow....until a big thaw this weekend which reminded me how bare it is...oh the mud!

So this spring what should I do - any of the below?

-Be more patient, it'll grow in - do the pre-m when my forsythia blooms thing and then fertilize in May?

-Skip the pre-m - will more grass be germinating?

-Overseed - all or just the bare spots?

Any help is appreciated.

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Comments (4)

rotodarian
18 years ago
i'd go for the reseeding option. it wouldn't hurt to do the whole lawn, but put extra in the bare spots. i'd skip the pre emergent and just give it some good fertilizer. it probably will grow in, just not before weeds do, so i'd get some perennial rye in there as soon as conditions allow.
philes21
18 years ago
Read right up to, and stop at "...not before weeds do."

And stop right there. Do NOT read 'throw some perennial rye in there, etc'. And if you do read it, don't do it.

You've got bluegrass. It starts out slow. It needs fertilizer. But if you give it some, it's just bout not stoppable. And Rotodarian is quite right, walking around, tossing some seed about, hey, it will do you, and the lawn, good. And Roto is quite right, skip the PreM this spring.

But I do note, LMSchneider, that you are a flower person. I want you to treat your bluegrass like a flower in the main bed, out front, where everybody's going to see it. You already know that you can give it just barely enough fertilizer, and keep it alive, and end up with nothing special. Or, you can give it enough, carefully measured, but drifting toward 'maximum' to really get that lawn, or that flower, kicked into high gear, and you can truly be amazed at the way that plant responds, and keeps maximizing, and just amazes you. I'd like you to maximize that bluegrass.

But bluegrass, like several flowers, will not be impressive their first full year, and perhaps not even their second, even though the progress will be obvious. Keep it maximized. You'll enjoy the result.
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billhill
18 years ago
. You have received some very good advise. Skip the pre-M this year. Fertilize a little on the heavy side this spring and fall. Overseed the thin areas with the same seed you used last fall. You wonÂt be disappointed. KBG takes a long long time to develop fully. I have a feeling that you will have a great lawn by May 15 this year. Even better next year. Consider organics if you want the highest performance from your lawn. Bill Hill
lmschneider
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you so much - I really appreciate the advice. I will plan to skip the pre-m and overseed those thin areas.

Do you have a specific fertilizer you'd recommend that might be optimal for my young lawn this spring?

Thanks again.