Question
I just moved into a house and the lawn is 95% weeds and moss. I live in Olympia,Wa. Please tell me the best(and cheapest)way to start over. I have heard so many differant opinions-from tilling to bring in topsoil but all the suggestions,at least to me would not stop the weeds from returning. The one thing you probably ought to know is the neighbors tell me the soil is awful-very much clay and rock. Anything you can tell me would be very much appreciated. Thank you. Paul Gast

Answer
Hi Paul Gast,

>>"...much clay and rock..."

With a hard-rocky and high-clay soil, Paul, it may be encouraging that you even have weeds growing!

Given THE BASICS of mediocre top-soil, 1-3 inches of water per-week, and lots of sun-light,....
All popular turf grasses are easy to grow.  Add some extra watering and an occasional fertilizing,...and all the grasses are VERY EASY to grow. If you are having persistent lawn-appearance problems,...you may be in need of a major renovation of the top-soil and root-zone.

'Clay and rock'... as a soil-type description... is probably about the worst type of soil there is for grasses.  With lots of sun-light,...and your clay-rock soil,... you may have the best cactus garden around,...but do not expect grasses to flourish!  Lots of moss in a lawn is also  more of a symptom of soil, drainage, and other conditions un-suitable for grasses.  

So, if you really, really, really want to have some sort of turf-grass lawn,... I think you will have to manage a way to provide the basics.  Only you can assess how possible this is.  It is possible to bring in power equipment to excavate away the clay and rock and replace everything with better soil,...but this is not very practical and sometimes one has to consider alternative landscaping scenarios for what exists. There are varieties of plants for all sorts of soil-types, so maybe you and-or your landscape architect can come up with some excellent alternatives to grasses.
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With a good fertile-loamy well draining top-soil, best quality hybrid grass type(s), 1-3 inches of water per week, plenty of sun-light, ...almost anyone can have an excellent lawn with a minimum maintenance effort.
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Articles about weeds and herbicides and moss:
http://hometown.aol.com/eilatlog/weeds/weed-articles_html
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I Hope this has answered your question(s)!

Visit my Lawn & Gardens webpage for more Tips, Facts and Links:
http://hometown.aol.com/eilatlog/lawnol.html

Your Questions and Comments are welcome at ALLEXPERTS.com
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