Lawn Questions

[DTro]

A bit of background.

Approx 5000 sq ft yard....almost half an acre.

Very sandy soil with a bit of topsoil.

Underground sprinklers with 6 zones.

This was the first year that I didn't rake or put down a pre-emergent fertlizer (spring application).

Now at the end of the year there are definate thinning areas with visible thatch and also an abundance of broadleafs.

At this point in the year is there anything I can and should do? Best to wait till spring and start with a good raking again?

Seeing as how sandy the soil is, I'm guessing that aerating isn't the best idea.

[LwnmwnMan2]

With the sandy soil, you're somewhat correct with the aerating statement.

It won't help very much with compaction, but it will get through some of the thatch.

Thatch is okay up to around 1/2". More buildup than that and you could start having issues.

I need some more info from you as well. What type of grass is it?? Is your yard overly shady?? Or quite open??

You can still spray for broadleaf weeds, but with all this rain, it's getting very very difficult to get 24 hours of dry weather.

I wouldn't recommend a weed-n-feed granular fertilizer at this point, because I believe that it's too much Nitrogen too fast, usually weed-n-feed is geared towards a spring application.

Also, with how wet soils are now, IMO you'll be doing more damage than good to try to aerate.

I've got properties I can't even mow they're so wet.

[DTro]

We have a few trees, but not much shade at all.

I'm not sure of the grass type. I do know it was sodded.

My thought is that the broadleaf increase is due in part to the thinning of grass.

[sparcebag]

dtro I've the same type area in nextdoor lot,used ortho weed b gone 3 TBSP per Gal.They recommend 2,Did it 10-`12 days ago,instructions said I'd see results in 24 hours,Did'nt,but after 10 days their leaves are all curling up,with the exception of the thorny lookin dandylions??It also stated good for rain after 4-6 hours??Memory blank,,,but not the normal 24 hrs.It looks like its workin good for now but next spring I'll know for sure!!I also tried it in spring,,Wasnt worth the time or $$.Falls the time when the plants are suckin up their nutrients for next year.So they also sucked up my POISON!!!