maxfischer
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2017 8:28 pm

Thin, compacted, weedy, failing lawn

I purchased a house 2 years ago with what I think was a lawn in fairly decent shape. I've been doing my own lawn mowing and fertilizer/weed control, but have come to realize I didn't really understand the basics and how quickly I could ruin a lawn - we were very likely cutting lawn too low and not often enough, not watering often enough, and not applying weed control enough and at the right times of season. Lawn is now failing. I live in Chicago. I don't know what the base grass is - kentucky blue grass? I have not aerated since I moved in. Lawn get a lot of shade. See pictures from around the property - much of the lawn is thin/bare, compacted and has what I think is poa annua throughout lawn, but I included pics of other more healthy areas.

I believe my issues are:

- Thin, compacted lawn. Some of patches of actual grass are not growing, which suggests a very shallow root system?
- Poa annua all over
- Some broad leaf weeds - I now have a service doing 6 fertilizer/weed control applications throughout the season (they have only applied 1 thus far this season)
- Completely bare patches
- Some apparently thriving grass patches next to bare spots - not sure if these are two different types of grass or bare patches were affected by weeds

My plan is the following:

- Have lawn service complete fertilizer/weed applications this summer. The fall application should help poa annua from seeding this winter?
- Have lawn service aerate and slit seed in fall - I understand that hot summers are not the best for overseeding with cold weather grass and seed will have a tough time growing with weed applications
- Keep what grass does grow 3" and water 1" or so per week long deep waterings

Is there anything else I could be doing now? In addition to slit seeding, should I apply top soil or manure when that is done? Could I try overseeding some now to try my luck and should I be putting down soil/manure with those applications?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Attachments
Health patch (Medium).jpg
Healthy close up (Medium).jpg
Neighbor side by side (Medium).jpg
Two different types of grass (Medium).jpg
Thin dry patch (Medium).jpg
Poa Annua (Medium).jpg
Bare patches 2 (Medium).jpg

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Do you have a female dog?
If you have a good lawn service. Ask them what would be the best thing to do. The people who take care of the lawn actually do know what needs to be done, but customers rarely ask or listen to them, so they generally do only what they are told.
I don't grow that kind of grass that you have, and few people here will seed a lawn. That being said, while we are good at prepping the soil and putting in plugs, most people here will keep a lawn for 20 years and unless the property is sold it is rarely renovated. According to the extension service turf should be dethatched, aerated, topdressed and fertilized twice a year with renovation every 7 years.

The Univ. of Illinois has these recommendations for lawn renovation depending on the severity of the damage to the lawn
https://extension.illinois.edu/lawntalk/ ... vation.cfm

As far as fertilizing, grass, depending on the type and age of the grass is usually fertilized in increments during the growing season.

For myself, when I feel sorry for my grass I feed it. I withhold fertilizer when it repays me by requiring me to do more mowing.

maxfischer
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2017 8:28 pm

Thanks very much for the response.

I have a male puppy, but only got him 4 weeks ago.

New lawn care service did recommend the above - aerating in fall and overseeding then. Just wanted to check their advice with other opinions as I'd like to make as much progress by next spring as possible and would hate to waste this season on a bad approach. For example, I have gotten other suggestions to try plugging transplants from healthy areas of my lawn in fall.

thanrose
Greener Thumb
Posts: 716
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:01 am
Location: Jacksonville, FLZone 9A

Your county agricultural extension office will have master gardeners and publications to help you. Maybe even over the phone advice. I do not like lawns, never lived in Illinois, but can assure you that both you and your neighbor are not watering enough. That sort of lusher green growth through the property boundaries looks like you have pipe leakage of some sort. I'm no expert there, either, but that's what would worry me. Considering the placement, someone in the past may have parked there and damaged either sewer or water pipes. You may want to plant a shrub close to the sidewalk to discourage that sort of thing once you determine what damage there is.

Generally, anywhere that someone wants to maintain an existing lawn requires two things: water and fertilizer. Once the lawn is growing well enough, it will crowd out any weeds, hold down any dust, and keep your house cleaner and cooler in the summer. There's usually a point where you just have really vigorous weeds, but if you persevere you'll have a fine lawn. Don't underestimate green space around your home. Since I can see bare soil, I'd say thatch is not a problem. If thatch builds up, it can repel water from the roots beneath it. Slight tendency to provide more shelter for pests, too. But if it's just a blade or two of dead grass here and there, think of it like good mulch.



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