I don't know what to do first!

16 years ago

I moved into my new house late last fall. The house had been vacant for a year. When I moved in there was a lot of weeds in the yard (crabgrass, thistles, clover, and some shepards purse). With the cold winter a lot of those weeds died (I do't see them anymore only crab grass patches). However I noticed my lawn is a little bumpy and it would be nice to level it so I dont twist my ankle. What should I do first? Do I fertilize, spray weed killer, fill dirt on the bumpy spots and plant grass? I have no idea.

Here is more background information. I live in a Chicago subburb. I dont know what type of grass I have, but I'm sure it's original from whern the house was built (10 years ago). I have not done anything to the lawn and dont know anything about the soil. I did notice that it does not take long till you hit clay. I put up a fence and I hit clay and rock in just a few inches. The grass isn't too thin, so I kind of want to avoid killing it all, but I might have to. There are patches where I would have to plant seed. The lawn is not shady at all.

Please help me get started on what I need to do to get my lawn revitalized.

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Comments (3)

bestlawn
16 years ago
Get a soil test. Contact your nearest cooperative extension service for submission information and a test kit. In case you are not sure, you can have them identify your grass type (and any weeds) while you're there. You likely have Kentucky Bluegrass or a mixture of bluegrass and others, but it's best to be sure. If you need help interpreting the test results, feel free to ask here on the forum.

Core aerating, which you likely need to do anyway, will level surface some. After that you can fertilize, spread Halts to help prevent more crabgrass, and spread Portrait (scroll down) to help prevent more broadleaf weeds like dandelions, clover, etc. If they haven't come up already, they soon will, and Portrait should minimize the outbreak. Because it's a little late for both Halts and Portrait, you will likely get weeds but probably not as many as not applying the pre-emergent herbicides.

You will find a yearly maintenance schedule in this thread. Pay particular attention to the paragraphs on watering and mowing. If you want to plant grass seeds, the best time to do it is between mid August and mid September.
Billl
16 years ago
Congrats on the new house!

I bet you have plenty of house projects on your plate, so I would take the slow and steady approach to revamping the lawn. It will improve substantially if you just start caring for it properly. That means using a preemergent and fertilizer this spring, mowing regularly, watering deeply but infrequently, and fertilizing 2-3 times in fall. Address weeds by pulling or spot treat with something like weed-b-gon.

For the lumpiness, the slow and steady way is to just buy a bunch of bags of topsoil. Every 2 weeks or so, sprinkle a thin layer (about 1/4") on the problem areas and then use a broom to knock it down into the low spots. The existing grass will be able to handle that and grow through the new soil. Over the season, you should be able to fix most of the bumps without a major rehab. Of course, if you have completely bare spots, go ahead and level and reseed those now. Remember not to put the herbicide on those areas though.
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mdseverin
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for all your help. I'm going to get a soil test and then start on these weeds this weekend.