Question
I just bought a 3 year old semi and the back yard looks as though it never had grass. It is an entire backyard of weeds. What do I need to do to make it into a grassy lawn? The cheapest do -it- yourself method is what I need!
Thanks.!

Kim Kent

Answer
It involves a 3 step approach.

1. eradication of existing weeds / soil preparation
2. seeding/establishment of new turf
3. maintenance of new turf

ad 1.
since you seem to have mainly (only) weeds, I recommend buy a bottle of "Round-Up" which is a non-selective herbicide, e.g. it will kill everything (weeds, grass, flowers, bushes, etc). Spray on a calm day and wear protective clothing. It may be better to buy a concentrated bottle and mix it with water in a pump sprayer (can be rented or puchased for a relatively low price at home depot). Spray the entire field of weeds and then wait 5-7 days for them to die back. repeat if needed for any which you missed. Avoid spraying on a windy day and watch out near flowers, shrubs, etc.

Once the weeds are dead, rent a roto tiller and till the top of the soil. this serves two purposes. it loosens the soil in preparation for seeding, and you turn the dead weeds under. When this is done, rake smooth with a garden rake, and then water the ground heavily so the soil settles (or wait for rain). Re-grading with the rake to even out "hills and valleys" created by the settling soil may be needed. If you are a real perfectionist, you will water once more and rake again a 2nd time to get the soil plain and level.

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once you have a level surface, loosen the top 1/2" of soil with a rake. Spread grass seeds and then keep the top 1" of soil consistently hydrated until the seeds sprout (germination). This can be done by watering 1-3 times daily for 5 minutes so the top of the soil is just moist. In very hot weather, grass will germinate faster, but the soil will dry out quicker. In northern parts of USA, sow seeds in spring or early fall. In southern parts of USA, sow seeds in early summer. In any event, the seedbed must be kept consistently hydrated (moist) until germination. if the seeds dry out, they die.

I like to apply a starter fertilizer before seeding, too.

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once the new grass is 2.5-3.5" tall, slowly increase the time between watering and the amount of water you apply. the goal (after 4-6 weeks) is to water infrequently, but deeply (such as once per week for 2 hours rather than 15 minutes daily). This transition must be done gradually.

Start to mow the grass when it is 3"-3.5" tall and cut it back to 2.5". Mow it at this level onwards.

Fertilize your lawn in summer in the south, and in late spring and early fall (but not in summer) in the north.

As to seed selection, I recommend you visit a local garden center or improvement store and learn what is available. Buy named cultivars (e.g. such as Tall fescue, Flyer or Kentucky Bluegrass, Victa instead of just Tall Fescue, nos (not otherwise specified) or Tall fescue). If the cultivars are named, it is typically a better quality. The type of grass you need depends on the area you are located (north or south, mild winters and extremely hot summers, or cold winters and warm summers - 4 regular seasons).

in summary:
- erdicate weeds with round-up
- preparre soil and apply starter fertilizer
- sow seeds and keep seedbed slightly moist until germination
- gradually increase time between watering and amount of water you apply after germination. start to mow frequently. fertilize at correct times for your area.

tools/equipment/supplies needed:
- pump sprayer (optional)
- roto tiller (rented at equipment rental stores)
- metal rake
- fertilizer spreader (a bucket on wheels with a handle. really cheap). it is used to distribute fertilizer, but it can be used to distribute grass seeds also. Buy a drop spreader preferably instead of a roto spreader if you use it for seeds.
- fertilizer (buy one without herbicices/pesticides mixed in). for your first application get a LAWN STARTER FERTILIZER.
- lawn mower
- camera (for sending pictures of your new lawn to family)