My lawn is green, but half of it is weeds. Help!

[Anonymous]

We badly neglected our lawn for about 5 years. I didn’t water it, I didn’t fertilize it, and mostly didn’t apply weed killer. Also I stopped using one of those lawn chemical spray services about the same time.

Our financial situation has improved now and I want to invest in our lawn (to be good neighbor in this community, and also just to have a nicer lawn to be on).

1. Start lawn service NOW (spraying etc.) in the spring? Or will this kill the weeds while not helping the actual grass grow more.

2. Start in the Fall with aeration and overseeding, then do the lawn services after that.

3. Roughly how many years before a visible improvement?

Please advise.

[Anonymous]

Pull up the lawn. Invest native grasses and groundcovers (some are nice and have similar effect to lawns like carex pennsylvanica) and enjoy a chemical free space.

[Anonymous]

We have an HOA which prevents this. Also, neighbors on both sides have traditional lawns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We badly neglected our lawn for about 5 years. I didn’t water it, I didn’t fertilize it, and mostly didn’t apply weed killer. Also I stopped using one of those lawn chemical spray services about the same time.

Our financial situation has improved now and I want to invest in our lawn (to be good neighbor in this community, and also just to have a nicer lawn to be on).

1. Start lawn service NOW (spraying etc.) in the spring? Or will this kill the weeds while not helping the actual grass grow more.

2. Start in the Fall with aeration and overseeding, then do the lawn services after that.

3. Roughly how many years before a visible improvement?

Please advise.

Weeds grow in grassless patches, so in the fall (not this spring, this is not a springtime task), overseed the lawn with grass seed. also, just call a grass care company and get on their schedule for treatment. No easy or free lunch with grass, unfortunately, it needs to be on a maintenance schedule.

[Anonymous]

You’ll likely need to kill everything in the weedy areas. Once it’s all knocked down (herbicide, smothering, solarizing), reseed or install sod. Fall tends to be better because we have a longer period of cooler temps. When we get those sudden hot spring days, new grass, which is very delicate) need twice-daily watering. Even then, it can flounder in the heat.

[Anonymous]

You can be a good neighbor by not spraying toxic weed killer on your lawn which will run off into my lawn when it rains. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an HOA which prevents this. Also, neighbors on both sides have traditional lawns.

Hasn’t prevented you having weeds up til now.
No chemicals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an HOA which prevents this. Also, neighbors on both sides have traditional lawns.

HOA likely doesn't care that you are using native grass instead of turf grass, as long as it looks green. Mt. Cuba did a really good study on native grasses that can make good lawn alternatives. Generally speaking, it's higher investment up front since you can't just buy a bag of seed from Home Depot, but longer term, it is much less maintenance and significantly better for the environment (no need to fertilize, use chemicals, mow frequently, aerate, etc.).

https://mtcubacenter.org/trials/carex-for-the-mid-atlantic-region/

[Anonymous]

You need the good stuff. Scotts weed and feed.

[Anonymous]

Rid yourself of the mindset that native plants are "weeds". I love my neighbor's lawn with native violets and dandelions - for some reason, I don't have as many. I do have clover that attracts bunnies at dusk: they have a standing dinner date in my front yard in late spring.

All you need to do is mow regularly. Your neighbors won't thank you for spraying carcinogens and hormone disruptors on your property.

[Anonymous]

Weed and Feed. You are late for the first treatment. I fertilized a few weeks ago and I live in Western PA. I will apply again in 2 months.

[Anonymous]

I'm.fine with weeds as long as they are green or flowering. Makes no difference whether the yard is draa or not.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Neighnors on both sides, and at almost every other yard in my neighborhood, use lawn treatment services.

I’m purposely choosing the same as one of the neighbors.

I just don’t know the appropriate order.

It sounds like 50/50 whether to start lawn treatment this summer (because will leave dead weeds/dirt) but definitely seed and start by Fall.

I truly don’t want to be the only house with a yard like ours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Neighnors on both sides, and at almost every other yard in my neighborhood, use lawn treatment services.

I’m purposely choosing the same as one of the neighbors.

I just don’t know the appropriate order.

It sounds like 50/50 whether to start lawn treatment this summer (because will leave dead weeds/dirt) but definitely seed and start by Fall.

I truly don’t want to be the only house with a yard like ours.

Just ask their neighbor who/what they use and go with that. Grass care is very local.
Remember your life choices are not decided on by what a small subset of the population that posts on this website who hate grass lawns say. They are not a represenative body of the population. Even if they were, you do not have to follow the heard. Not sure why people make demands of other people online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pull up the lawn. Invest native grasses and groundcovers (some are nice and have similar effect to lawns like carex pennsylvanica) and enjoy a chemical free space.

No. See how easy that is? No is a full sentence. So, what power do you have to negate my "no"?