Is it too late for weed and feed in this region?

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Mine might be way beyond weed and feed too. Crabgrass doesn't bother me much. It stays nice and green all summer long. We've got a lot of weird weeds though. Some are pretty ground cover flowers. Some are just downright ugly and very invasive. How are we going to see in the spring with the birds? It's not like we can over seed and put hay over the whole yard.

Yeah, I don't know. Raking and/or renting a machine, a very generous amount of seed and water it in and hope it doesn't all get eaten. Crabgrass is ugly though and bugs me most I guess when it spreads beyond the lawn into the beds and such. That's another issue. Also looks weird in July/August when the rest of the grass might be brown and the crabgrass is green.

Out back I think it's more weeds than grass, but the front right now with mostly just the grass coming in looks nice. It only looks nice for a short time, then it looks pretty messy. Also, I guess the problem is there are super-clean lawns on either side making it look that much worse.

I hate grass really, but it's too expensive to tear it ALL out for something else! I got a new lawnmower last weekend hoping it will help with the hill in back. The self propulsion on it is all-wheel drive. Lowe's assures me I can take it back within 30 days even if I use it, so if it doesn't help it's going back. My old Toro is in fine working order even after 10 years.

[XRiteMA98]

It is not too late for Scott's program but let me ask you: why do you treat your lawn chemically? All those chemicals are washed down by rain and end up in our rivers etc. These chemicals will in time, give cancer to the cats and dogs who step on it. Besides, in my opinion, a green, lush lawn is so boring.

Why not make something more productive of it? Give it a nice design, plant flowers in an interesting pattern - alternating with stones or pebbles or whatever. The sky is the limit. Of course you have to take all the grass out and put fabric in places. But it could be fabulous. The advantage is you won;t have to mow the grass ever again and it will look pretty. Your neighbors will be wow-ed.

Or turn it into a veggie garden. Dandelions can be used in salads. They are chock full of nutrients.

[Hopes]

I'm an avid gardener. My yard is filled with huge perennial beds and vegetable gardens and interesting paths. The grass has never needed to look perfect, but I'm telling you that the weeds are taking it over. My property is way too big to take out all of the grass.

[XRiteMA98]

Oh, sorry, I didn't know. Well, in this case if I were you I'll either have a small tractor to cut the grass (and weeds regurlary) or have a couple of herbivores graze on it (not necessarily yours). But if you live in a rural area maybe your neighbours have. I actualy suggested this to a coworker who just bought a house and was terrified at a prospect of mowing all that land. I said get a couple of cows to do it for you

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

That often is just indicative of the breed of grass you have.


My mum's neighbor in Westwood's lawn looks like its dead during the winter and perks right back up during the warm weather to a healthy looking green.


Perhaps you have a lawn of bermuda grass.

Possibly I just found it weird when all the grass in the neighborhood besides mine is a nice green.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

Possibly I just found it weird when all the grass in the neighborhood besides mine is a nice green.

Everyone else may just bought a different kind of grass seed.

At least that was what my mum told me when I asked about her neighbor's brown lawn.

[jay5835]

"Weed and feed" sounds like you-know-what with munchies afterwards.

[Hopes]

That's funny, Jay! Maybe that's why my lawn needs!

[DurangoJoe]

It's not too late for weed & feed. It's still a relatively cool & wet time of the year which is perfect for growing grass. Cool & wet is optimal grass seed germinating & growing season. Apply weed & feed, and after the weeds die, overseed & you should get good results. If you wait until fall you will lose your entire lawn to weeds. Summer is generally the worst time to try to grow grass because it can get extremely hot & dry and unless you are prepared to maintain a regular regimen of daily watering, you just won't be able to get anything to grow (except weeds). Spring & fall are the two best grass growing seasons because it's not hot enough to burn the lawn & there is plenty of water available.

[AnneWest]

Originally Posted by Hopes

The grass has never needed to look perfect, but I'm telling you that the weeds are taking it over. My property is way too big to take out all of the grass.

This happened to us 2 years ago. We have 1/3 of an acre, and it looked awful compared to our neighbors. We don't have a lot of neighbor/peer pressure on grass and landscaping around here, but ours was...really awful.
So we bit the bullet and decided to have professionals come in for a year or two, just to get it back on it's feet (roots?) and it's looking great this spring. We just had our first application this week, so it's not too late. We'll have it done just this year again, then stop I think.
And fyi, most of our shaded backyard consists of a winding brick path with rhododendrons, forsythia, azaleas with a lot of pachysandra. So it's just the front and sides with grass to be treated.