Does my yard need professional care?

[pagetrip]

Let me begin by saying that I am a complete noob and I have zero idea about lawn care. I am a new home owner who bought a 1960's house so there are a lot of things I am looking to fix. I have started to watch some youtube videos, but frankly they make it look so easy in their videos. However, if it is doable then I am willing to put some effort and spend time learning. There is so much going on in my yard that I don't know where to start. I have a few types of weeds growing in addition to a lot of clover. I am not sure if I really need a professional or if this is something I can do it by myself (with help from youtube and forums). Can someone take a look at the pictures (link below) and figure out what these weeds are and how to get rid of them?
Location: Seattle

Link: Photo Album

Thanks.

 

[havasu]

I would start with a good weed and feed on your lawn. It should kill all the broadleaf weeds. You also have some evasive weeds in your planters that you should manually pull. Then add a weed protector cloth and mulch with some nice plants on the perimeter of the lawn. You may also consider utilizing a 1/4" drip system for the perimeter plants to conserve water.

 

[oldognewtrick]

Fall is the time of year to plug the yard and overseed the yard. Grass sets its root system during the cooler months. You can try weed control, but, summer heat will stop grass growth.

 

[Flyover]

You might want to do something creative (e.g. with mulch or gravel, pavers, edging, small plants, etc.) along the fenceline, in the beds, and other places where there is no grass and you don't plan for grass.

But on the "lawn" areas I don't really understand the obsession lots of people seem to have with getting it to look like a baseball outfield or a putting green. My aim would be to get it to where it's comfortable to walk on barefoot and doesn't turn into a mud pit when it rains. If it's more clover or other types of weeds than grass, who cares as long as they're soft and greenish. Dandelions are no problem at all, and are actually good for both the local soil and area pollinators. Just mow it when it gets long and call it a day. Also, try to avoid chemical treatments; I can't imagine what kinds of horrible things they do to the environment, not to mention kids' bare feet and digestive tracts (kids seem to always want to pluck out little wild strawberries and sour grass and eat it)...

Of course, it won't win you a spot in the parade of homes if that's what you're going for.

 

[Flyover]

Just thought of this answer to the title question, too:

My wife and I have a few things we want to do with our landscaping, and none of it is even close to beyond our skill level, equipment on hand, etc. But because of various reasons we just don't have time to do it ourselves these days, and by paying a professional we can get something a little better than what we would have likely done. So as a one-off we are hiring a guy to come out and do a few things.

Therefore the answer to the title question might literally be "No" but if you rephrase it as "Could my life and my yard benefit from professional care, at least once?" the answer might be yes.

 

[DepotProTom]

Let me begin by saying that I am a complete noob and I have zero idea about lawn care. I am a new home owner who bought a 1960's house so there are a lot of things I am looking to fix. I have started to watch some youtube videos, but frankly they make it look so easy in their videos. However, if it is doable then I am willing to put some effort and spend time learning. There is so much going on in my yard that I don't know where to start. I have a few types of weeds growing in addition to a lot of clover. I am not sure if I really need a professional or if this is something I can do it by myself (with help from youtube and forums). Can someone take a look at the pictures (link below) and figure out what these weeds are and how to get rid of them?
Location: Seattle

Link: Photo Album

Thanks.

As a " newbie" with little knowledge and little time with all the other things you have to do, I would seriously recommend you bring in a knowledgeable landscaper to at the least get your yard under control. You have multiple problems with multiple different things that need to be done and it is a lot of work and thats if you know what you are doing. After the many problems are solved, then you can think about taking over the yardwork yourself.

 

[Steve123]

The stuff growing in the rock gardens is easy --- Roundup will kill them.

After that, it gets a lot harder. That "lawn" is a write-off. The broadleaf weeds are easy to kill, but you have a lot more going on than just dandelions and thistle.

To do that yard properly, first hire a guy to grind down that tree stump, and get that area of the yard flat/level with several inches of topsoil. That alone is a big job.

Then spray the whole "lawn" with roundup. Wait one week and spray again anything that still looks green. Wait a few days.

Rent a small roto-tiller and till up the whole area. Maybe mix in some starter fertilizer. Get it nice and flat.

Buy some sod and lay it. Roll or foot tamp it down. Sod is heavy --- have a plan for getting it delivered as close as possible to the yard. Water regularly until well established.

Resist the urge to save a few bucks and put down seed. You have thousands of weed seeds in that dirt and if you start watering them daily, you are going to huge amounts of weeds come up along with new grass.

Where are you located ? New grass does not like the dry heat of July/August. Either you start on this immediately, or better yet wait till September. Use the summer to get rid of that tree stump and main roots.

 

[BuzzLOL]

The stuff growing in the rock gardens is easy --- Roundup will kill them.

" Roundup" is what you see in all the TV commercials for killing people by giving them non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer... including my Mom...

 

[Forlorn]

I think that it does

 

[DepotProTom]

" Roundup" is what you see in all the TV commercials for killing people by giving them non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer... including my Mom...

Yes it is so DEFINITELY wear a mask, wear gloves that can be tossed away afterwards and take a good shower with a lot of soap immediately after spraying...