Check my response in this thread. It's the response that begins with "Seed recommendation" so scroll down to locate it. Some of the links in that thread direct the poster to help in her area. For you in your area, specific information for soil testing, sampling, and test kits can be found at the following links....... Soil Testing information PennState Cooperative Extension Offices or County Directory A soil test will let you know if you need to add lime, sulfur, or other nutrients (that are not in Step 6) and will tell you how much to apply and at what intervals. My suggestion is to follow steps 2-9 in the fall. If you don't want to kill off the lawn to start over, then skip Step 2 and gradually mow the grass down to 1.5 inches before proceeding with Step 3. Here is a maintenance schedule to follow through the year. It's the 9th or 10th response from the top. For now, clean up the yard and lightly rake when the soil is dry. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide like Halts (without fertilizer) to prevent crabgrass. All other info is in the link to the maintenance schedule. Always mow high at 3 inches or higher. Irrigate 1 inch a week. The tuna cans test for measuring 1 inch is also explained in the maintenance schedule. The best way to remove weeds is to pull them, roots and all. If there are just too many to pull, a Weed Hound is very, very helpful. If still too many, an herbicide can be applied when weeds are actively growing. The link contains suggestions and there is a suggestion for broadleaf (dandelions and such) weed prevention.

My lawn is full of violets too. To bad you missed the bloom. You yard would have been full of violet blooms in March & April. I my neighborhood it's all hard alkaline clay and the neighbors lawn all look the same. About the extend of work the lawn services do is mowing the lawn and light pruning and small tree removal. It's rare to find a 'showcase' lawn in Somerset, the 'good ones' simply mean they are newer homes that have been sodded more recently. I'd like to know what that grass is though because I have that grass mostly, with a few small patches of fescue here and there. Actually I just finished mowing and inspected my lawn more closely. I have almost 100% fescue and only a patch or too of whatever grass that is on your lawn. This post was edited by AgroCoders on Wed, Jun 18, 14 at 14:42

The biggest decision to staying in this industry is accepting a moderate level of living. Wages aren't great and typically are limited in growth from where you may find yourself starting out at. Benefits are typically limited to poor compared to any other industry, it is probably better in a public position vs private (I have only been in private). These may seem OK now at your age but there is some sound reasoning from your parents for the security that typically is inconsistently found in the Horticulture or Green Industry. Life in your later years can be quite different: health, family, children are unpredictable and the benefits needed to take care of them have a different priority later on in life. If someone is going to be in this field they need to understand that. The best advice I would have is to have a spouse/partner who is outside of this industry that has good to great benefits and use this industry job as the 'fluff' income. This can be a good secondary income industry, but inconsistent as a primary one. Budget to live solely on the other income and benefits so you can roll with the punches that happen in this industry. Trust me, the nature of what we do just makes it very cyclical with the high's and low's. Living well below your means is just the way people make it work, and find an area with low cost of living. Most of us accept we don't need to live well off, but safe neighborhoods and good schools that have cheaper housing options just don't exist in a lot of metro areas. I don't agree with some of these posts on accepting the lower levels of income just because the work may be enjoyable. That becomes more of a hobby or side passion vs making a career choice that you need to depend on to help support yourself/family. Most jobs in other industries have career positions that have certain deadlines, pressures, responsibilities and goals that we don't. That is how they provide better income levels. The companies in this industry that do work towards specific goals and financial responsibilities will typically be the ones that offer more income and benefits but people respond they are the worst to work for. That seems to be the ongoing reason why we can't break the cycle of this industry being always associated with lower or limited income potentials. And after 30+ years in this Industry, I don't think people work as hard at anything as we do, but with far less to show for it. That is another decision that you need to be able to live with in the long term. If your passion is to be a successful businessperson and have some rewards and security that come with the acquired skills and hard work needed to accomplish some form of business success, this is not the industry to be in. That may be OK for now when you are younger but it may be a regret in 15-20 years when you want to provide the most options for your own children/family members. Having two kids of my own in high school and jr high now, I am having many regrets with my career choice in this industry seeing the limited college options I can help provide for them.

Your links: 2 3 I don't care what grows in the mowed part of my yard. The concern over having a lawn of only 1 kind of grass is something I don't have, and am glad I moved away from. Why aren't you asking these questions of your lawn service? And if the 'weeds' are still there, why would you continue using it? Did you tell them that's what they were supposed to do for you - get rid of the "weedy" grass?