Questions about yard and lawn care

[condoowner]

So our lawn needs some love. I'm way out of my field of expertise here so please bear with me....

Backyard
The back yard is covered with all kind of weeds, and grass is pretty much shot. We have lawn bugs and white worms. Things started being out of control about two years ago after we stopped grass treatments. We live in an semi-urban area, and we get a lot of what's on the neighbors yards... Last week I contacted our lawn company and they recommended to spread fresh dirt and grass seeds. They did the work yesterday and spread around 1in of fresh dirt and seeds.

When I spoke to them, I asked if we should treat against weeds and parasites before putting the dirt or after, and they said that the order doesn't matter as long as the treatments are carefully done and not skipped. So in the end, the dirt and seeds are already on our grass, and in the upcoming weeks, they will perform several treatments against weeds and parasites, especially lawn bugs...

We want to bring the back yard to an acceptable condition, not redo completely. Its different from the front yard which we want to redo from scratch.

Question 1: Did they put enough dirt (around 1in thick)?
Question 2: How often and how much to water the newly spread dirt and seeds? I guess less than new peat/sod?
Question 3: Are they right to say that order of things doesn't matter much?

Front yard
Front yard is just as bad as the backyard. I got two quotes from landscapers, and one of them is offering two options: remove old grass, put new dirt (around 3 in) then place new peat/sod. The other option is the same but additionally he will remove 3-4in of the old soil before adding new soil.

The other landscaper told me that removing the old soil is unnecessary since treatments will be done. They proposed to remove the old grass, put new dirt (3-4in) then place new sod.

A neighbor who's been in the same business told me that its absolutely necessary to remove the old soil because if the old grass is removed, only the top portion of the weeds will be removed and not the roots. According to him, the treatments will not work because the chemicals are entering the weeds from the leaves down to the roots. So by removing the top only (the old grass), the roots will grow again in the future.

There's a difference of about $2000 between removing only old grass and removing old grass + 3-4in of old soil..

What do you guys think?

 

[Steve123]

Put down sod, not seed.
Existing weeds should be killed with Roundup or similar before starting the new lawn.
No need to remove or add dirt unless your heights are off. But it should be tilled, and maybe add some starter fertilizer before putting down the sod.
A thick lawn (which is what you get immediately with sod) helps keep weeds from starting. If you plant seed, you will get as many weeds coming up as grass.

Where are you located ? New grass does not like the dry heat of July/August. September is a better time to start a lawn. Sod will handle the summer better than seed, but you still have to be careful to keep it well watered.

 

[Flyover]

Others here will disagree so feel free to consider this the curmudgeonly, outsider, contrarian opinion:

I think people care way too much about their lawns, and I think it's crazy the way we insist on always surrounding our houses with these seas of putting-green grass.

My personal benchmark for the area extending from my house to my property perimeter is it shouldn't look horrible as you see it out the side window while driving past, and it shouldn't be unsafe to walk on barefoot or super messy to walk on after it rains.

I oppose pouring toxic poisons into the ground (where they will end up in the water supply) just so you too can be the proud owner of an unused putting green.

We live on a planet teeming with life, in which we humans are not the dominant form of biomass. If any life-forms from our eukaryote wing of the "living organism" tree owns the planet, it is surely fungi and insects. Trying to keep them out of your lawn is like trying to keep the wind from rustling your hair when you're at the beach.

Dandelions are good for the soil and for pollination. So are clovers for the latter at least. Some weeds are basically "soft green ground cover that never needs to be mowed" which is a win in my book.

If your lawn isn't a complete disaster but you're putting more money into it than your actual favorite hobby then you're nuts.

Do the minimum needed to make your lawn presentable, clean, and safe. Spend the remaining time/money enjoying your life, because you only get one.

 

[joecaption]

Wrong time of year to be doing much.
Try using Ortho Weed be gone spray to at least hold the weeds back until the fall.

 

[billshack]

I an trying something new this year, A expert said to adjust the height of the lawn Moyer to the highest possible. the thinking is thick grass will get rid of weeds. So i started this the grass looks great so far. there are weeds but they stay low and i remove them with a nock weeding tool

 

[Sparky617]

I an trying something new this year, A expert said to adjust the height of the lawn Moyer to the highest possible. the thinking is thick grass will get rid of weeds. So i started this the grass looks great so far. there are weeds but they stay low and i remove them with a nock weeding tool

Cutting at the highest setting is best in the summer heat. I've adjusted mine up to the highest for the season. I only bag when the grass is really long. As long as you don't get clumps mulching is the way to go, it puts moisture and nutrients back into the soil. I'm using a professional to weed and feed my yard, I switched from Tru Green to a local company this year. I was glad to see they are not going to fertilize again until fall. Adding fertilizer to the yard during the heat of summer is a waste of money. They will be applying herbicides and making sure the crabgrass doesn't take hold. I don't put much water on my yard during the heat of summer. Unless you put down a lot of water weekly, the grass goes dormant in the summer heat here.

 

[DepotProTom]

Best answer yet!

 

[billshack]

So many weeks later and my lawn look perfect, the grass is thick and lush with now weeds , adjust your Moyer to highest setting .

 

[willsonwanda]

So many weeks later and my lawn look perfect, the grass is thick and lush with now weeds , adjust your Moyer to highest setting .