(posted this to wrong thread before; here goes) I mow mine lawn at 1.2" and the fine fescues are the only areas on the lawn that look green and lush! In fact, those areas look fantastic right now. Now, if I could just get rid of that ratty-looking perennial ryegrass. If he wants a neat, short-mowed yard, here are some tips I've found to work: water often in summer. Someone suggested watering twice a week, with a total of 1" per week. This seems to work well. Invest in a good, reel-style power mower and maintain it religiously. The grass will not do well mowed short with a ragged edge from being whacked off by a rotary blade. Since rotaries are 99.99% of the market, that's why so many recommend mowing high - to accommodate these mowers' weakness. The reel blade will slice the blade off cleanly and pinch it in, resulting in a very small wound with little area. Proof of the above: Grass in left group mowed with rotary (at higher setting). Grass in right group mowed with reel. I tried to get a couple of fat-bladed grass blades in each group. Which group looks healthier? So the mechanism of cut affects the health of the grass, which is one of a couple of reasons why you need one to cut low. (both machines are in good shape. The rotary lawn tractor is practically brand new, and the reel is regularly backlapped.)

Midnight II Prosperity Brilliant Equal parts by weight 3-4 (no more) pounds/1000 Mow this lawn at about 2.5 inches. Higher if you wish. You can purchase these from Roselawn Agriseed 503-651-2130 ask for John 1. Get a soil test. Call your nearest county extension service for a test kit and sampling details. It will likely take two weeks for results. If you need to apply sulfur, lime, or any other amendment per test recommendation (that is not applied in Step 6), you can do it after seeding if you don't get results back in time. 2. Apply that "R" word stuff and again one week later. You can seed the lawn one week after the second app. 3. Scalp it down 4. Rake it up 5. Core aerate 6. Fertilize 7. Sow seeds (slit seeding is preferred) 8. Topdress 1/4 inch layer compost, peat moss, or clean straw (weed-free). 9. water 15-20 minutes twice a day for two weeks water 20-30 minutes once a day for one week water 30-45 minutes once a day every other day for one week water 30-45 minutes once a day twice a week for one week move into deep irrigation, increasing the time to provide 1 inch of water all over and decreasing the frequency to just once a week. Starting off, the schedule supplies roughly 1/4 inch of water, then increases that amount while decreasing frequency of application at the same time. Like practically everything that concerns lawn care, this schedule is a general guideline and should be modified to accomodate your specific conditions. The lengths of time should be modified if you have an automatic sprinkler system since that will not take as long to provide adequate moisture. So, decrease amount of water (time) but maintain frequency as is. The tuna cans test is recommended. If it is still especially warm, you may want to irrigate 3 times a day (10-15 minutes if necessary) for that first couple weeks. Your objective is to keep the upper 1 inch of soil moist and not let the seeds dry out. Baby the grass for the rest of year. Once the seeds begin to germinate, don't walk on it if at all possible. Both core aerating and slit seeding are suggested, but you don't want to do both. My suggestion is to slit seed (1/4 inch deep) for optimum success. I only say that because you can cheat on aerating with Nitron.

Pardon me Engima, but seeing as how zoysia is considered a southern grass, what made you think it would do well in southern Pennsylvania. I am aware that your area might be considered a "transitional" zone....meaning areas across the country from the coast westward enclosing the states of W.Va, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee.....that area, can use a warm season and/or a cool season type grass, even combining them where thought viable. But, being a warm-season grass, what made you think zoysia would be the grass for you. The attributes of that grass aside, like how it is able to stand up to drought, that ability would only apply if your area of Pa did not receive adequate rainfall. I don't think that applies. So why zoysia. You quoted three varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass. Was this recommended by someone in the know. My own thinking on what makes a good grass (and a good lawn) is to plant for whatever nature throws at you in the area you reside. In northern zones thus, a combo of K.B., with added fescue and ryegrass is considered a good idea. Each gives its best when situations arrive. Fescue is good for shade, kentucky blue for sun, ryegrass for standing up to rough treatment such as heavy traffic. To depend on one type of grass has its own set of rules. If something that goes against the K.B.'s happens, then you are 'up the creek' sort of. Instead of believing tha Lowes or Home Depot does not stock good quality grasses, why not speak to a nurseryman about what grasses do well for a home's lawn in your vicinity. Then compare what they have and whether you can buy that particular blend (or not a blend) in the other stores. Usually, one person has a bad experience with what has been bought at the box store, and then makes a most definite opinion that the stores only stock poor grades of grasses. Stores don't usually go out of their way to sell to patrons that which will not invite them back again. Stores deal with suppliers....the same as how some nurseries do. Grass, for the most part, depends on how it is taken care of. There are, however, good quality seeds as well as poor ones. The quick grasses do not usually stand up well to heat of summer or drought that happens irregularly. The good quality grasses can take the heat of the kitchen and bounce back when conditions get better. The other stuff dies quickly. So whatever grass you do buy, buy the best you can afford. Grass can be encouraged to be lusher and thereby stand up to adversity when it happens. But grass will not grow if the soil does not welcome it. So enrich your soil, make the grass want to stick around. Every fall, put a 1/2" - 1" layer of compost or good topsoil over the lawn. Do an overseeding, whether you believe the lawn needs it or not. The more lush you make the lawn, the better it can put up with what can attack it...including grubs. But grubs pretty soon will be going south (deeper) for the winter. The time to take up with them is in the spring when the larvae from this season's population come up for air. In the spring, put a layer 1/2" - 1" of compost (or good topsoil) over the lawn and let it grow up through it. Do this early, as soon as the frost has left the ground. The fall/spring ritual of putting down this layer of topsoil should be considered one of the things to do EVERY YEAR. Winter takes a lot out a lawn..so whatever you can do to enrich the soil the better your lawn will grow. Fertilize regularly---but not too often. Fertilizer can feed the soil and what grows in it.....but do it too much and it will cause short stubby roots, over nitrogenize and otherwise cause poor growth instead of pushing it. It does appear you have a job to do to change over your zoysia to something else....and you may be not making a good choice of change. I'm curious what your neighbors have done --is everybody in your neighborhood growing zoysia and what is their thinking of it. Reading about it, it does appear it has a lot going for it....and a lot not going for it. Generally it is for more southern areas....not particularly suited for where the snow flies.

You're running a bit late already (I tend to be a fan of early rather than late, given that seed always takes more time than you think and benefits from more time to grow than less). RU has no residual time; you can actually plant or seed (and I have) as soon as it's dry. Check the Ortho and Sedge Hammer for how quickly you can seed after use. I could, but it's been a long week so far and I'm being lazy tonight so I'll leave that task to you. A well-established lawn should help you out by refusing space to the nutsedge, but that takes a while. My lawn's choked it out, but I still get it in the gardens.