Question
Please help! I am a newby at growing and have several things going on. We live in GA and have a yard that is partial weeds, some lush grass in the back and hard patchy (sad) grass in the front, all on top of red, hard clay. We moved in about 2years ago and have made some progress by transplanting some patches of grass from one area where we wanted to place a bed to a very bare area. We then brought in some sand. It is still living so that is a good thing. However, there are still a lot of weeds growing throughout the grass: clover, crabgrass, mustards (maybe) and mostly dandelions. The front is a a different kind of grass and is very thin and patchy and partially brown. We do not have an irrigation system. We have recently sprinkled out some seed and a little topsoil in patches in the front. We also have some brown spots, possibly due to a fungus or dog urine. There are a lot of weeds now popping up in my newly created flower beds and possibly some shade grass.

To Sum It up:
1. How can I get rid of those weeds growing throughout the grass? 2. How can I get rid of the weeds possping through my pinestraw in my beds? 3. How can I make my lawn more plush, green and existent in certain areas? 4. How do I deal with the large brown patches? (all in the Georgia clay and heat) Thanks for any advice!

Answer
Just a quick followup here, Brandy -- I wanted to suggest a new kind of Grass that is widely available now, Poa supina 'Supernova' Bluegrass.  Supranova Supina Bluegrass is the most shade tolerant, wear resistant, cool season turfgrass on the market in the US and Canada.  You can order it from Seedland.com or possibly pick it up or order it from your local garden center.  Cheers!
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Plain and simple, you can't grow great Grass without great Soil and great Seed.

Your Grass is not so great.  Step 1: Make sure you select a type of Grass that will thrive in the unique soil situation you have in your part of the country.  The University of George Agricultural College has just the pages for you:

http://georgiafaces.caes.uga.edu/storypage.cfm?storyid=2323

'Tall fescues like Southeast and Tenacity can do well with very little maintenance...But they can also be great in higher-maintenance lawns where you want a denser, greener turf.'

Southeast Tall Fescue is on the market as Scott's Drought Survivor and sold at Home Depot.  Both Southeast and Tenacity Tall Fescue is sold through Delta Landscape Supply in Norcross, Ga.

According to them, if you are curently growing Tall Fescue, or with Centipedegrass, you can overseed next fall with either of these super-Grasses.  

The estimable Daryl Pulis, Gardening Writer from Georgia who is a REAL expert on Georgia Red Clay, posts a thorough column at her website 'Mrs Greenthumb' that will give you TONS of tips.  I have no doubt you need these badly.

See her excellent post 'Surrounded by the Red Clay Sea' (http://www.mrsgreenthumb.com/articles/RedClaySea.html).  She writes: 'The difference between Georgia Clay and clay soils in cooler climates is organic matter.  Where seasons are short and cool, the leaves and grass clippings break down slowly and stay in the soil longer.  Here in the South, land of heat and humidity, those leaves and grass clippings break down at an impossibly fast rate.  Add bulldozers and pounding rain and the soil doesn't have a chance, so we have to help.'  Georgia Clay is VERY different from our Long Island Clay.

The Red Clay of the Carolinas and Georgia is one of the most striking wonders of the world for people like me from the North and West passing through.  Red Clay is a wasteland when it comes to soil microbes.  I understand why you would want to add Sand to loosen up the Clay -- but Sand plus Clay equals Hardpan.  That's why Mrs Greenthumb recommends so much Organic Matter.  Compost and Manures -- I am a BIG fan of Manures -- will introduce the microbes you need to build up your soil so it can support healthy Grass.  Healthy Grass is Weed-Less!

When you say you do not have an 'irrigation system', are you talking about automatic sprinklers?  Or are you actually telling me that you don't have a garden hose?  It is my understanding that parts of Georgia have strict rules about watering your Garden -- does this apply to you?  All the more reason to overseed with that special new Tall Fescue next fall!

The 'large brown patches' are going to disappear, and in their place, Weeds will appear.  Get yourself some White or Red Clover and plant it there.  These are called Green Manures -- sometimes, Cover Crops -- and they pour Nitrogen into your soil and make it a very nice place for Tall Fescue to live.

Mow high and often in the meantime to shade the weeds as much as possible -- and watch to make sure those Dandelions don't go to seed.  Neighborhood children should be educated asap on how important it is not to use those little wispy Dandelion seedheads to make wishes -- they distribute the seeds all over the neighborhood and make the problem even worse!  (and Good luck on that!)

Weeds in flower beds are easy to fix.  Get newspaper and mulch around your flowers, cover with dirt.  The newspaper will decompose and build up the soil; the Weeds are stuck and buried underneath.  It's also a good mulch to save whatever moisture you get there.

There's a lot to digest here.  Can I clarify anything?  Please advise.  Thanks for your question.