Where are you located? Since you put zone 5, I'm guessing you'll have a cool season grass. If so, fall is the best time to reseed, not spring. Don't till. It's very difficult to get the lawn level after tilling. If you get it level initially, it may settle over time.

If you're redoing the whole thing, about two weeks before you plan to seed, use roundup to kill the existing lawn, wait a week and repeat. Then repeat the process.

Here is a link to thread with more detail. Look for the post by Bestlawn about halfway down the page.

If you're planning to use premium seeds for this project, I don't know how to read the NTEP guides to help you pick the best ones. The person who used to be the resident expert (bestlawn) was banned from GW, so we can't ask her. Many people last year used a blend that got the nickname Magnificent 3 (or Mag3). If you search that, you should be able to find the seeds that are in it.

Hi itsastart,

How large is the area and can you describe the sun/shade conditions?

Will the grass take a beating with lots of child/pet traffic?

Do you have a sprinkler system or are you otherwise able to water the lawn without too much trouble?

I'm sorry for all the questions, but these are particularly important because some grasses just won't do well in certain circumstances no matter how well you plant them. So you want to be sure to pick the right grass for your particular circumstances.

Paul

I live in Lafayette indiana ( 60 mi NW of Indy). My lawn is very uneven as is... Topdressing? The lawn in back gets mostly shade all day from my giant oak tree, with a few sunny spots. So september is best? Will KBG grow here? I'm hoping to have a grass rich in color and soft on the feet. I've got ALOT of broadleaves in the lawn. I think they are wild violets, in the early spring they had purple flowers. Thanks for the advice! Keep it coming... This is our first home so I'll need all the help i can get.

For "rich in color and soft on the feet" I think you are looking at either KBG or fine fescue. Unfortunately KBG does not do well in deep shade. If you are re-doing the front yard also, is the sun any better there?

Good news! Apparently Purdue takes part in the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) and has test plots in West Lafayette, and at least the fine fescue plots are managed just like a homeowner would (I did not look at KBG). I went to their site (link below) and it looks like they have a publication on selecting specific cultivars for indiana lawns (publication AY-5), but it appears that that publication is not available on the site. If you call them you might be able to get a copy, or maybe even speak to one of the faculty who might be glad to give you a seed recommendation. If not, having those plots right next door to you will make it easier to work with the raw NTEP data.

I'd suggest taking a look at the publication on choosing grass seeds (ay-25) on the publications page. That should give you some better context for thinking about whatever we come up with here.

Yes, and there is this archive, of past posts here on the forum, that you have not yet read. I would start all the way at the back, and kind of skim my way forward.

There are some very interesting posts, from the look of it, that match your situation, and your city, exactly. I have spent the last hour and a half skimming them, and counted them up for you. 7,403, but only 244 seem to apply. There might be some interesting information there.

Before you reach the conclusion that the yard needs to be re-done please make sure that your cultural basics for the current yard are correct. Do you mulch mow? How often do you water? What are you currently treating the yard with in terms of fertilizer? Are you treating the current weeds? Often with the right process a complete renovation is not necessary.

This is a major undertaking,but will yield the best results in the long run in many cases. Here's an article that goes over the process. Good luck!