As some of you may know, my wife and I bought an awesome bungalow foreclosure last month...however, while the township temporarily owned it, they sprayed both the front and back lawn DEAD!!! All the grass is brown and clumpy (dead) and weeds are popping up like wildfire! I have to mow the lawn every 3 days to keep the weeds down..is it too late in the summer to go ahead and till the whole yard (front and back) and plant grass? I've heard that too late in the summer is too dry here in PA and it'll prolly die...but then again, I heard the opposite too and was told to plant it now so by next spring it will grow lush...any tips on how to get our lawn back?

Also, we have a front yard that's about 1/5 acre with two huge trees in front and we want to do something nice out front that will reduce the size of lawn that I will actually have to mow...like a lot of mulch and wildflowers or something...anyone have any pics of their finished front yards?

 

Instead of tilling it, I would rent a sod cutter. Tilling will just promote more weed growth (when they're present), since you'll just mix down the weed seeds and promote future germination.



Do you have the ability to water; an irrigation system or can put out sprinklers to water? Fall is an excellent time to put down sod. You just need to water it all in. In fact, sod will go dormant even if it hasn't rooted before winter comes. Late September is when I put my stuff in.

Here are some pics for 2005. Everything now is much bigger.

http://homepage.mac.com/eribble/PhotoAlbum5.html

 

wow!!! Looking awesome man! My lawn now looks like your before pic...lol...it will stay "alive" in the winter?

we can install a sprinkler np....just gotta make sure we have something to grow...lol...anything out ther that will kill all weeds but not do anything to grass?

 

The sod will go dormant during the winter even though it has not rooted. At least that's what I've been told.


There are plenty of "selective" products out there that will only kill broadleaf weeds. A number come to mind, however I'm a fan of Ortho/Scotts products.

http://www.ortho.com/index.cfm/event...n+Weed+Control

 

awesome!!! thanks!!! Did you just buy regular sod? Or is there any special kind you have to get for new grass? Where did you get yours? BTW, your avatar is awesome!

 

Good ol' Kentucky Bluegrass. Not sure what is common in PA. Might want to check. Bluegrass likes water is does fairly well in the heat. But it does need water!!!

Got it from a sod farm down south. Are you going to put it down yourself? Might want to find some cheap labor, unless you're up to unrolling 40lb rolls of grass all day.

1/5 of an acre isn't all that big. You can probably get away doing it yourself. Dunno if you're a do-it yourself kind of guy.

 

Scrib, your lawn looks fantastic!

BTW, when is your wife due?

 

December, 2006. My son is 8 months this Saturday.

 

and


great looking landscaping. did you have someone do it for you, do it yourself(own ideas) or did you have a nursery design it and you follow their plans after buying their plants

 

I am prolly gonna do it myself...with one or two buddies down for a paycheck of beer and blunts...lol...does sod typically have to root itself before you do anything special?

 

I did it all myself, with the exception of the irrigation system. It sucked a big fat ass. Finished it all in about 7 weeks.

 

Sumbitch.

Congrats man!

How has he been sleeping? Has he been sleeping through the night yet?

 

He started sleeping through around 6 months or so...

 

I've heard that planting in the fall is just as good as spring. Its the summer that is tough.


Also, you cant cut weeds , you need to pull the roots or they just grow back.

 

yeah, i learned that about the weeds very quickly...lol...I have very much the opposite of a green thumb...