I have been a schlub before, I know what that feels like. It is always self-inflicted. Yes, temps in the upper 90's after a "more is better" application of Weed B Gon on cool-season turf will not only turn your turf into toast, it will turn you into a schlub. And more is better? Lol...how did that turn out for you? Been there, done that. Anyway, I'm not advising this, but if you want to try it, spot spray the weeds with WBG at the label rate. If you get any on your grass, and you probably will, expect to see the same results from 2 years ago on any grass that gets hit with the herbicide. Maybe you'll get lucky with a timely shot of cooler weather. Do not water for 24 hours after the application if you want it to be fully effective. If possible, apply early in the morning.

I don't understand peoples reluctance to use what is at their disposal. Remember the advertising slogan of that chemical company.... "BETTER THINGS, FOR BETTER LIVING...THRU CHEMISTRY" Many, what you call, chemicals, are organic in nature... i.e. they are made from living things, such as plants or animals and do not constitute harmful aspects of everyday living. You have a weed....you either live with it, or kill it. There's two methods...one, you get down on all fours and pull it out..and make sure you get all of it...roots and all, otherwise, all you have done is made the weed stronger to come back better than it did before. Some weeds, such as dandelion have roots that are a foot long. So the need to get something down there to get it all is paramount. Digging is often too tiring and the gardener most times just gives up...preferring to wait until it shows up again and pull off the flower. Others, knowing it wont die of its own accord, wish to end its life once and for all...by spraying something that the weed cant fight....systemically takes a poison down to its roots and letting the grass push it out. You can look on store shelves for the type of herbicide that is organic. Or by hand spraying the individual weed with one that is chemical in nature. Its your choice. As for the ants, given the size of the ant hill I suspect they are dining on dying organic matter in your lawn. Whether there is a fungus in there I yield to spraying a fungicide and see what happens. yellow patches can be a sign the soil is in a bad way. Not enough moisture is gaining down deep enough to encourage strong root growth. To that, a layering of topsoil/compost over the area and re-seeding can improve the quality of the grass. Following a regimen of over layering soil every spring, every fall, then overseeding at the same times, can result in good turf grass. To find out how much soil to buy: Measure the area you wish to work, LENGTH TIMES WIDTH....IN FEET multiplied by the depth of soil IN INCHES...multiplied by 3, divide by 1000 results in the number of cubic yards of soil to buy. A schedule of fertilizing every spring through fall will result in strong roots and good growth and can result in filling in the bare spots that might crop up. Now about the ants: This is a formulae that works and is not harmful to pets if you follow directions. You buy at your drug store some boric acid powder. It comes in a package, costs about $5.00 or so..for about 4 ounces..give or take. Into two cups of boiling water, you add one cup of granulated sugar, stirring to dissolve. Then you add 2 tablespoons of boric acid, stir. You then use a container, such as one that holds margarine to which you poke holes into at the side at the bottom to let the ant enter. Poke holes north, east, west, south. Then, at the drug store you buy some cotton balls--they come in a package or bag. You dip a cotton ball into the boric acid solution and place into the small container. Put as many of the cotton balls into how many the container allows, put the cover on to keep out bees and such, then place it on the ant hill or where you see them travel. Do as many containers as you wish...any solution left over can be refrigerated....mark it so it isn't used for other purposes. What this does; the sugar is the come on--the boric acid the poison that is taken back to queenie. She dies, the colony dies and you get about fixing your lawn. Its simple....and it works. Replace the contents about every 3 days or so.

thanks to everyone for the comments. i posted this original item partially to help some beginners to avoid some of the pitfalls of lawn care (which this website allowed me to do) and partially to get some advice from the experts (i am no expect, me and my lawn are both works in progress). i am simply trying to fine tune my annual maintenance schedule and may post it when it is finalized. as far as chemical vs organic, i do have a 13 month old so am trying to transition to a more organic approach. but for crabgrass and poa control i will likely stay with pendamethalin (halts/dimension) and keep her off the lawn for a week or so. for antifungal, i will try to stay will fine cracked corn, but if major parts of my lawn are dying i reserve the right to treat with a more potent, target specific chemical (i realize then i will lose the option of using cracked corn/corn meal for 2-3 months). in the past i have been too quick to use chemicals for dollar spot/leaf spot when only a few small areas of lawn have been impacted, less than 1ft diam. spots turning brown/melting out.

I don't know what the RPM is on my mower. Take it to a mower repair shop/dealer and have them check and adjust it for you. Perfect example: It was 3 weeks since my blade was sharpened/balanced. The first 4-5 mowing's were very clean cut. Then, about the 5th mowing it looked as if all my grass blades had been gnawed off. I checked the blade and it was still very sharp. I went back to the mower shop with the blade and explained the problem. The guy said your blade is fine, your mowers RPM's are probably low. I still didn't believe this was the case as my mower is less than a year old. So I brought the mower in and they did find that the RPM's were below normal. It took about 10min and cost $6.00 for them to test and make the adjustment. The mechanic recommenced you have it checked once a year. Hope this helps