Lawn Care

Proper type of grass depends on where in the country you live, the conditions of the area (high shade, no shade, etc.), and how often you're willing to maintain it.

I do this shit for a living, have for a while. Lemme know those conditions and I'll shoot you some pointers. Zeroscaping isn't a bad idea if you're really concerned about the short-term, but I've always steered people away from doing it just because healthy grass is much nicer, better for the enviroment, and has the added joy of keeping it alive and well.

If you're set on seeding vs. sodding, then a mix of Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass is really your best bet. Neither are very shade-tolerant, so if you have excessive shade coverage due to trees, you're sort of stuck with a yearly re-seeding. A good mix of the two, if you buy seeds, should be roughly 2:1, with the Bluegrass being the most abundant. Reason is, it grows faster but isn't quite as weather tolerant as the Perennial; however, the Perennial takes longer to germinate, and thus won't start sprouting till the seasons ripe for it (assuming you do this relatively soon, towards the end of Feb. would be ideal.) Neither need excessive water, though once you see sprouting, you'll need to step up to daily watering for a week or so to help it. Not a whole lot else you need to do, neither grass requires fertilizer (or really ever needs it to get going), and both are ideal for high-traffic areas. If you go the fertilizer route, invest in a good supply ammonium nitrate (avoid liquid sprays, go for solids and water them in) and apply it twice a month once sprouting starts for two-three months for some explosive growth.

Edit: I should note, that sodding is the best way to install any grass. It's the most efficient and the safest way to do so. Downside is it's more expensive typically. If you decide to sod, make sure you talk to the company you call about their mix of seeds, what chemicals they use to fertilize, and how old the grass is when you're buying it. Newer pieces of sod may look greener now, but typically don't take root as fast as a slightly older piece.

Oh yeah. Also, if you do go the seed route: buy the seeds, buy top soil, cast the seeds, then cover them in top soil (less than 1in.). Helps boost their early growth, helps protect them from birds, and assuming you don't pile the soil on, won't deny them the air they need to germinate. Most grasses won't take root immersed in soil or liquids, they need exposure. Once they take root though, you can cover them if desired and still see them break surface. Don't fertilize until about three-five weeks in if you use top soil, or you run the risk of over-exposing them to chemicals and getting a shit ton of weeds mixed in your grass a result. Good grass is a challenge, but totally worth it. If I didn't live in an apartment, I'd have a killer floratam lawn like I did when I was younger and living with my Father. Always loved the look and smell of good grass.

Try to let the seeds germinate for about two weeks before you let the dog back there. Gives the them time to get some roots down, and allows the soil to compact a bit around them. You can let him out sooner, but it might negatively impact the growth pattern (read: coverage) of the seeds.

What's the good and bad way to replace sod? One dude told me to just place it on top of the existing grass, which seems weird to me. Shouldn't you shovel off the old?

Anyone dealt with a "bumpy" or "lumpy" yard before? It's fairly noticeable. One suggestion was that we put down loam, but I'm not sure.

You get used to it? Not sure how bad yours is but I hated ours after we bought our house. After a year I hardly even notice it or feel it when I'm walking through the yard. Ours just felt uneven so maybe I don't really know what you mean when you say lumpy and bumpy.

Imagine a lot of hills and valleys, but instead of in some massive landscape it was just on my lawn, all over it. If you go through with a lawn mower it's bouncing all over the place.

Convo_sl said:

anyone know a good weed killer that wont kill new grass in the process?

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Won't kill grass in general, or specifically NEW grass(seed/sod)? I'd really hesitate to put any weed killer, or weed & feed type products on new grass growth. Its so tempremental that you run the risk of killing it off before it really gets established and hearty.

If it's existing grass that's already been there for several years, I've used the Ortho Weed-B-Gone stuff and it works pretty well, and doesn't kill grass.

Generally speaking, I've always been told at various nurseries and from various lawn people that you either focus on killing weeds, or growing grass, but not both at the same time. Doing both is a bad, bad idea.