Thanks again for the suggestions, I will look into all of them. For the ChemLawn (or similar) route, do people feel safe about this with young kids and pets in the home? How long until the yard is "safe" after the chemicals are sprayed?

For resodding, does anyone have companies that they were really happy with (I plan to check Angie's List too, but just wondering if anyone had a really good personal experience with price and results). Are there companies that do both (resod AND chemical treatments), that could come out and tell me which route they think would be best for our lawn?

Anonymous wrote:Call ChemLawn or one of those guys for a free estimate. You may want to use them for one year or so to get it under control then do it yourself.

This is what I would recommend for a year or so.

Call ChemLawn or one of those guys for a free estimate. You may want to use them for one year or so to get it under control then do it yourself.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, hadn't even thought of that (clearly I'm new to yard maintenance). So there's no easier (or less expensive) way to bring the current grass back to a weed-free state, such as weed-killer? (It's about half weeds, so it's definitely a mess...maybe it does need to be completely replaced.)

If it's that much of a mess, it will be easier on you and probably not that much price difference to re-sod.

Buy Scott's brand. There is a big difference with that particular fertilizer.

OP here: Thanks so much for the suggestions!!

PP here who recommended new sod. Since we are at the start of summer already, the weeds are already established. This year is shot. If you want good grass this year, new sod is the only way. If you are going to prep for next year, there are possibilities:

Spray weed/grass killer in areas that are saturated with weeds. Wait until fall, turn over and aerate the soil, put down seed+straw and wait for it all to pop. Seed again before spring of next year and be tenacious about weed control: fertilize with weed germination blockers, pull any young weed plants every 2-3 days. Keep the lawn well watered and mow every week.

This activity will encourage strong grass growth and the grass will naturally squeeze out the weeds. Weeds don't grow well where there is strong grass. Weeds grow where there is poor growing grass.

try fertilizer/weed-killer from lowes or homedepot. Scott brand's pretty good. Follow the instruction on the pkg. You maybe too late for Spring application... Twice a year - Spring and Fall. As for better grass, plant some new seeds - water good, cover with hay on hot days. it will take time. Wont' happen over night.

Thanks, hadn't even thought of that (clearly I'm new to yard maintenance). So there's no easier (or less expensive) way to bring the current grass back to a weed-free state, such as weed-killer? (It's about half weeds, so it's definitely a mess...maybe it does need to be completely replaced.)

So, you are talking about resoding your lawn, essentially. It'll cost about $10 per sqft.

I live in Rockville with a small yard, about .2 acres. The grass is a mess...half of it is clovers and dandelions, and other shaded parts are patchy with dirt and no grass. What could I expect to pay to have this remedied by landscapers ? Is this the sort of thing that I'd need to sign an annual contract for, and have weekly or monthly treatments? I don't need to pay for mowing/edging, we're fine doing that ourselves, and our flower beds are just fine...but definitely want to have better grass.