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ed1315

Help I killed my lawn!

ed1315
10 years ago

Hello I live in southern Ohio. I purchased an older home this spring and did not get to the lawn till a couple weeks ago. there were huge patches of buck horn plantin so thick it looked like cabbage also lots of ground ivy everywhere with a huge large thick patch in the backyard. No problem I thought I'll use weedkiller on it. Being the cheapo I am, I whent to my daughters farm and found some Weed b gone with crabgrass control in the barn. I mixed it a little too hot 6 oz per gal and spoted the problem areas. Then it got hot! in the 90's and the areas died completed! Since then it got cooler recored lows with rain in the forcast. I aerated the areas and reseeded and put down some fertilizer. Will it grow? or am I screwed? will the crabgrass control keep anything form coming up? Or should I forget about the lawn and take up knitting?

Comments (7)

  • grass1950
    10 years ago

    WBG recommends that you wait 3-4 weeks before seeding after use. That will put you at the end of August which is the perfect time to seed. Try again then.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    10 years ago

    Yes you are screwed. So far you're not doing much right. But at least you have your lawn pre-killed for a full renovation.

    Next time us Round up and you can seed it in faster. For now try watering the lawn daily, 3x per day, for about 5 minutes each time. This process will sprout all the weed seeds that are not dead. Do that for at least 2 weeks and then spray Round Up on all the green stuff. Let that work a couple days, scalp off all the dead stuff, and seed right on top of the new soil. Don't rototill. Then roll the new seed down into the surface and start that same watering regimen to sprout your grass seed. Crabgrass seed only sprouts in the spring, so you don't have to worry about that. There are some spring weeds that sprout and immediately become dormant in the fall, but don't worry about those for now. For now worry about getting new grass growing.

  • ed1315
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    OK I do plan on reseeding entire lawn in the fall. I have not done any lawn care in 30 years. I am not sure what seed type to use. The guy at the feed mill says no one uses bluegrass perinal rye mix any more. the only stuff he has on the shelf is fescue. I need a good sun/shade mix there is alot of shade can I use a creeping red fescue/improved fine fescue mix? I have seen blue grass mixes at home centers but this feedmill land scape place has none. he only sells bulk seed.

  • ed1315
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is a pic of part of the lawn I did not treat as you can see there is not much grass

  • mulchmama
    10 years ago

    Use whatever mix is sold for your area. The seed blends and mixes sold at the big stores are national brands and are not ideal for any particular part of the country.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    10 years ago

    That is a weed lawn. Still, though, having the roots for those plants in the ground is great for the soil. Once you kill it all off, you should not have to do anything.

    It takes time to kill off the weeds you have. Clover drops hundreds of seeds, so you should try to sprout them with frequent watering after you first spray with RoundUp. Get as many new weeds sprouted as you can and then hit it again with RoundUp. Then rake up the dead stuff and seed. Roll the seed down and start again with the frequent watering for short intervals, 3x per day. All you have to do with this watering is to keep the seed moist until 80% of it sprouts.

  • ed1315
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I reseeded the bare areas and it is coming in good. I plan to over the entire lawn in the fall.