Starting to fix up my rental lawn

[bumble864]

Hiya,
As I described in my welcome post my wife and I are looking to start taking care of the lawn of our rental house. I see it can take a few years to get a lawn in order but if we don't start now we won't know what to do when we have our own house. We live near Atlanta GA, the yard seems to really good sun throughout the whole day.

I'll get some pics up over the week but here are the things I'm looking to tackle
Remove as many weeds as I can.
Get some grass growing.
Clean out the landscaping under the trees.

Step 1 - Kill the weeds
So it looks like the first thing would be to take out the weeds. From what I gather just getting some ortho weed b gone, and hooking it up to the hose is the easiest option to start with. Hook it up, cover the yard per directions and wait two to three weeks before doing anything else.
- What about the not-grass but maybe weed things that grow? Yes I get this is a pretty broad description, and I'll try to identify with pictures at a later date but in general will a weed killer kill this stuff also? I would best describe it as a "green tangled mess with petals". Doing a quick google search I would guess it Oxalis. There's also something that stays really close to the ground but spreads outward in an almost circular pattern, I couldn't find a good google image for it but I bet it's quite common.
- The last weed killer question. Under the trees/shrubs the home owners have either rocks or pine needles (I don't get pine needles). Can I spray the weed killer on these also to kill whats growing in the rocks/needles because it doesn't look nice and clean? Will it harm the very tall tree's or well established bushes?

Step 2 - Aerate
Wait two or three weeks then just do it.. and do it well.

Step 3 - Overseed
After I aerate overseed the whole lawn with a grass seed and a starter fertilizer. I'll deal with the type of seed and fertilizer later.

Step 4 - Water
Three times weekly at first, and once it starts growing base my watering on how well it grows.

Does that about seem right? Hopefully. Now to move to the vegetables section because we'd love to experiment with growing our own veggies.

Thanks for the help,
Russ

[Yellowsnow]

Ortho weed b gone seems to work from what I hear. It has 2,4-D as the main ingredient which is the base of most lawn weed killers. the concentrations are on the lite side. I have never used it. Broadleaf weeds are a stubborn bunch. One chemical may work well on some but not others. Three Way works on most, has 2,4-D, but clover will persist. Momentum FX has 2,4-D and kills clover on the first spray. Neither will touch Sedges. You have to add some tablets to your spray to kill onions and sedges or anyother "Grassy" weed. So...

How big is your lawn? Is it red Clay or a development that brought in Top Soil?

Pine needles are used for Mulch in GA. You can spray under trees and shrubs, just do not over spray onto the tree or shrub. If White roots are exposed, do not spray those either.

Aerate when you are ready to seed. Usually a couple weeks after weed spraying in spring or Fall. Don't wait too late in the spring though. Summer is not the time to aerate or seed, wait until fall if you miss spring.

Water as needed. There is now standard when it comes to watering. Temps and precipitation play a big part. If it is hot and dry you may have to water twice a day.


Lime in the fall. Soil samples will help with how much lime is needed. Fertilizer, lime, water, and overseeding make a good lawn over time. Disease and bug control can come later.

[applestar]

I recommend you review your weed killer safety precautions and do some additional research if you are planning to grow vegetables and fruits in the same area.