[mmicha]

So I've been thinking about a reno on my front lawn. The whole lawn looks terrible to me. I've fertilized, killed weeds, etc. It's thin, bare, and has a good amount of weeds invading still.

I've never done a reno, but the area in front is pretty small. So I don't think it would be as difficult to tackle. Attached are photos of the areas, as well as a close up of the grass. I'm not even sure what I have... I think it is rye and fescue?

The one thing that concerns me is the time it will take to establish. I grew up with a sodded yard, and so I'm guessing it was all or mostly bluegrass. I know that takes a while to establish. I know I don't like fescues, at least the creeping red and chewing fescues. They seem to not stand very tall and look wavy...

Does anyone know what mix I'd use to get a good turf, with quicker establishment? I also thew a picture of a lawn I found either on the forum or the web that is what I'd love my lawn to look like... lol

 

[Harts]

I don't think a full reno is necessary at all. Your lawn really doesn't look all that bad with the exception of some bare spots. Your lawn looks to be about 90% good healthy turf. Unless you want to change to a different cultivar, that's a different story.

Have you ever over seeded? How often do you fertilize and at what rate (how much nitrogen are you putting down each year). What kind of weeds do you have? Have you applied a pre-m?

If you haven't done a soil analysis, I would recommend doing so. I would also suggest patching the bare/thin areas in mid to late August and see if that helps.

Sorry for all of the questions! More info helps us point you in the right direction.

 

[gene_stl]

I agree with Harts. Fix the bare spots , Fertilize, make war on the weeds and overseed. You also have to give it a little time.
If you kill it and have bad luck with the weather or something else you could end up with more work and less lawn.
Maybe aerate before your next preemergent application. Especially the bare spots and add some top dressing to them.

 

[Miller_Low_Life]

Yeah. I would just throw down a nice northern mix of seed and fertilize. The yard looks like how mine did when I first moved in. I think you'll be surprised how fast you can turn it around with a little TLC.

 

[gm560]

Your lawn looks pretty good to me. Those thin spots should be easy to remedy with an overseed.

PRG would be fastest for sure. You can have a pretty dense lawn in a few weeks from planting, either through full reno or good overseed. In terms of a good PRG mix. "Champion GQ" from SRO is probably the best bang for the buck i have seen.

https://hancockseed.com/champion-gq-perennial-ryegrass-seed-50-lb-bag-696.html

I also have had good success with Pangea.

https://www.preferredseed.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=361

However, I should note, I also waged a multi year war with weeds and thin spots in my lawn. I have won, for the most part, but am now prepping for a full reno. So if there is any shot you want to convert to a single species or cultivar, save your self the time and money.... just reno.

 

[ForsheeMS]

I agree with the others. What you have right now really doesn't look that bad. Regardless of repair or reno first thing that needs to be done is a soil test. Even just a basic test would tell you if there is a potential imbalance causing the problem. Get that sorted out and by fall a good core aeration with seeding the bare spots and overseeding the rest it should look really good next year.

As far as a reno, I did my nearly half acre lawn all at once back in 2013 and that was a huge job. Hauled in 7 tandem loads of dirt to fill in sink holes and get it leveled up. Took 200lbs of TTTF seed, 30 bales of straw and with no irrigation I rigged up my own ******* sprinkler system to keep it all moist so the seed would germinate. Would I do it again? No way! But your 1500sqft would be a piece of cake relatively speaking.

If I were in your shoes, I would do the soil test immediately and see where you're at. From there make the decision between repair or reno and start getting ready for whichever you choose. If you get your plan together now you'll be ready to go when the weather is right.

 

[mmicha]

I don't think a full reno is necessary at all. Your lawn really doesn't look all that bad with the exception of some bare spots. Your lawn looks to be about 90% good healthy turf. Unless you want to change to a different cultivar, that's a different story.

Have you ever over seeded? How often do you fertilize and at what rate (how much nitrogen are you putting down each year). What kind of weeds do you have? Have you applied a pre-m?

If you haven't done a soil analysis, I would recommend doing so. I would also suggest patching the bare/thin areas in mid to late August and see if that helps.

Sorry for all of the questions! More info helps us point you in the right direction.

I've not ever overseeded. I've fixed bare spots and patches before however.

This year is really the first time the lawn has gotten any love since my fiance moved in. I applied a pre-emergent with fertilizer in April (Weed and feed with crabgrass preventer). i also got a soil test done at start of May, and based on those results tossed a bag (36lbs) of Ringer Lawn Restore across the entire lawn front and backyard mid May. Total yard is probably 1500-1800 sq ft. It hasn't had any fert since that point...

So maybe I get another one to see what has changed since those moves. Beyond that, I've been fighting weeds and especially creeping charlie mostly. I've gotten rid of most of that, but the front has so much bare area that it is been tough maintaining control of them.

We just had a lot of heat and rain in Chicago and crab grass is popping out again. I have some Dimension in the garage I am going to put down today or tomorrow and kill what has come up.

Attached is the soil test from May... I combined soil from the front and back for the test.

 

[mmicha]

I agree with Harts. Fix the bare spots , Fertilize, make war on the weeds and overseed. You also have to give it a little time.
If you kill it and have bad luck with the weather or something else you could end up with more work and less lawn.
Maybe aerate before your next preemergent application. Especially the bare spots and add some top dressing to them.

I feel like the front would be tough to aerate with a machine due to the twists of the sidewalk/pavers. I was thinking maybe picking up a manual core aerator and poking some holes.

 

[zeus201]

This year is really the first time the lawn has gotten any love since my fiance moved in. I applied a pre-emergent with fertilizer in April (Weed and feed with crabgrass preventer). i also got a soil test done at start of May, and based on those results tossed a bag (36lbs) of Ringer Lawn Restore across the entire lawn front and backyard mid May. Total yard is probably 1500-1800 sq ft. It hasn't had any fert since that point...

So maybe I get another one to see what has changed since those moves. Beyond that, I've been fighting weeds and especially creeping charlie mostly. I've gotten rid of most of that, but the front has so much bare area that it is been tough maintaining control of them.

We just had a lot of heat and rain in Chicago and crab grass is popping out again. I have some Dimension in the garage I am going to put down today or tomorrow and kill what has come up.

Attached is the soil test from May... I combined soil from the front and back for the test.

If you apply Dimension you will not be able to seed as it is pre-emergent. Go to local hardware store and pickup Ortho Weed B Gone w/crabgrass control or Weed B Gone CCO. That will deal with the creeping charlie majority of post-emergent weeds. I'd pickup the concentrate version and mix yourself, far more cost-efficient.

 

[mmicha]

This year is really the first time the lawn has gotten any love since my fiance moved in. I applied a pre-emergent with fertilizer in April (Weed and feed with crabgrass preventer). i also got a soil test done at start of May, and based on those results tossed a bag (36lbs) of Ringer Lawn Restore across the entire lawn front and backyard mid May. Total yard is probably 1500-1800 sq ft. It hasn't had any fert since that point...

So maybe I get another one to see what has changed since those moves. Beyond that, I've been fighting weeds and especially creeping charlie mostly. I've gotten rid of most of that, but the front has so much bare area that it is been tough maintaining control of them.

We just had a lot of heat and rain in Chicago and crab grass is popping out again. I have some Dimension in the garage I am going to put down today or tomorrow and kill what has come up.

Attached is the soil test from May... I combined soil from the front and back for the test.

If you apply Dimension you will not be able to seed as it is pre-emergent. Go to local hardware store and pickup Ortho Weed B Gone w/crabgrass control or Weed B Gone CCO. That will deal with the creeping charlie majority of post-emergent weeds. I'd pickup the concentrate version and mix yourself, far more cost-efficient.

Good point on the pre-emergent.

I have the sprayer and concentrate for both Weed B Gone's so I'm good there. Sounds like I need to just tough it out until the cooler weather and tackle the trouble spots and overseed everything.

 

[Harts]

Okay so it sounds like you have done quite a bit. Good start. From what I have read on here and seen from the major players on YouTube, Weed and Feed products aren't the most productive at weed control.

I'm not sure how much your soil content would change after one feeding of Ringer, but I am not the expert on this. I'm not sure another soil test would yield much different results.

Keep fighting hard on the weed control. I am going through that now too. I've spot sprayed several times and new ones keep popping up.

I echo everyone else. Stick to patching and over seed. Do all the prep to give yourself a fighting chance at success and hopefully by this time next year, you are showing us how beautiful your lawn is. If it doesn't work out, there's always a reno in your future next year!

The worst part about lawn maintenance is the waiting!

 

[gene_stl]

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3793&p=69972#p69972

see the article you want quinclorac, tenacity, some broadleaf triple threat, and triclopyr.