Renovation Project

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

So I've decided to give up the battle with the weeds caused by the previous owner of my house. I'm going to Round-Up the yard and start over. I am also having a sprinkler system installed. My yard is about 100x165. My front lawn has been watered and kept up, the back yard hasn't seen water for about 6 weeks, so its totally brown/dead. This is my plan:

August 11-1st Round-Up Application

August 21-2nd Round-Up Application

August 25-Power Rake/Dethatch and Vacuum up clippings

August 26th-Seed/Starter Fertilizer

My 3 questions:

1. How does this plan look?

2. At what point should I have the sprinkler system installed?

3. I am thinking of using the Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass. Anyone have experience/comments about this?

[Ryan_V]

I would only suggest adding the sprinkler system as the first thing to do. that way they won't dig up your pretty new yard to install it.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

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So I've decided to give up the battle with the weeds caused by the previous owner of my house. I'm going to Round-Up the yard and start over. I am also having a sprinkler system installed. My yard is about 100x165. My front lawn has been watered and kept up, the back yard hasn't seen water for about 6 weeks, so its totally brown/dead. This is my plan:

August 11-1st Round-Up Application

August 21-2nd Round-Up Application

August 25-Power Rake/Dethatch and Vacuum up clippings

August 26th-Seed/Starter Fertilizer

My 3 questions:

1. How does this plan look?

2. At what point should I have the sprinkler system installed?

3. I am thinking of using the Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass. Anyone have experience/comments about this?

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As for the KY Bluegrass, how shady is your property?? Also, what kind of soil is it??

Do you have any kids or dogs??

For a 100x165 lot, that wouldn't be alot of sod, if you wanted to have 'insta-lawn', especially if you're having the sprinkler system installed.

I too would HIGHLY recommend having the sprinkler system installed before you seed, but after you power rake.

However, now that I think about it, I'd just spray the round-up, follow it up a week or so later, spraying anything that's still green, and then just mow it real short, I probably wouldn't even power rake it at all.

Once you're at that step, you've got to decide if you want to haul in some new topsoil and spread that around as well, unless you've already got good topsoil.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Quote:

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As for the KY Bluegrass, how shady is your property?? Also, what kind of soil is it??

Do you have any kids or dogs??

For a 100x165 lot, that wouldn't be alot of sod, if you wanted to have 'insta-lawn', especially if you're having the sprinkler system installed.

I too would HIGHLY recommend having the sprinkler system installed before you seed, but after you power rake.

However, now that I think about it, I'd just spray the round-up, follow it up a week or so later, spraying anything that's still green, and then just mow it real short, I probably wouldn't even power rake it at all.

Once you're at that step, you've got to decide if you want to haul in some new topsoil and spread that around as well, unless you've already got good topsoil.

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My house is in a newer development (1999 built), so there are no large trees. It would all receive sunlight for the most part. I'm not exactly sure what the soil looks like, but the topsoil appears to be good.

I do have a dog, but she has an area she is trained to go. No kids.

I thought about doing sod, but instead decided on the sprinkler system.

Definitely doing the sprinkler system before seeding. In fact, I may make that step #1 after thinking about it more. That will give the removed soil more time to settle in before reseeding.

Talking with a golf course manager last night, he suggested a mix of Bermuda and KBG, any comments on that?

[Powerstroke]

In general bermuda grass is a warm season grass. That means a couple different things. For starters there are only a couple varieties that can actually survive north of the Mason-Dixon line and the southern 20% of MN is the extreme north edge of that grass zone. It said in the winter there was an average of 50% winterkill.....and that was the best variety of them all.

I would say no to the bermuda and stick with at least 2-3 varieties of KBG. Its the best option for a great lawn in the northern climates and you can mix strains that have different qualities. The bermuda would require constant attention and repair and it would green up late, like not until May or June. For a golf course or athletic field its fine cause its someones job to keep it up, but for the average joe its very impractical.