I bought a new home a little over a year ago and spent the last year just ... observing things before I really did any work since I wasn't really sure what I was doing and didn't want to do any damage. I did some basic weed control on the lawn and for the most part it was OK.

I'm in New Jersey and the lawn is pretty healthy for the most part. The backyard gets some shade during the day and half of the front lawn has a tree in front of it (this side of grass is normally pretty green and healthy) then the other side looks a sad sight after too much sun.

Later on this month I am scheduled to have someone come out to aerate the entire yard (relatively small yard so this should be rather simple). Since this probably hasn't been done in years (if ever) I am hoping this will be a good first start.

Unfortunately I found out too late that I should have started seeding in fall but I figured I would give it a shot once aeration is done. My plan right now based on what I read online is to cut the grass pretty short just before they come out to do aeration and rake away the clippings. Once aeration is complete it will open the soil and expose roots but also give me the opportunity to plant seed / fertilizer where it might improve its chance of survival.

My first step will be to put down Perenial Rye seed the same day the aeration is done(the landscaper advised using this type for the spring). Although just some areas has grass that dies easily, there are some spots with no grass at all. I figured I would seed the entire yard with this and spread it a little bit more on the areas with no grass.

Once the seeding is done on the same day I want to put down Fertilizer. This is where my first question comes in. Is there a certain type of Fertilizer to use? I currently have some Scott's Soil with Fertilizer mixed in. Should I just scrap this and buy straight fertilizer to put on top of the seed?

Once this is done and covering the seed, I will be watering frequently. Since the aeration will have been done, the water should reach pretty deep into the soil rather than sitting at the top. 15 minutes per area - I do not have a watering system so this will be by hand.

Then I will be cutting frequently but leaving about 3" of grass and leaving clippings on top. I read that cutting too short will cause the grass to use up more resources trying to grow higher to protect it from the sun. And too high and the clippings will smother it from receiving the right mix of water / sun.

Hopefully what I said makes sense and someone could give me some advice if this is a good plan or not.