Are you planning on going organic or using Scotts-type fertilizers?

Well im kind of new to this, so I dont have alot of knowlege on lawn care. I never knew there was so much to learn about this. I want to do whatever it takes to have a nice pretty yard. Im open to any suggestions, but please be patient with me some of the tems you use I will not know or understand.

Well, you are going to have to choose...Tell us which one describes you most...
1) Do you have kids? Pets? Do you spend a lot of time "on" the lawn? If so, you might want to consider organic lawn care.
2) Do you rarely go out on the lawn? Have no kids and no pets? If so, a basic "Scotts 4-step" type program will be fine for you.

First I will give you the PRO-organic pitch, then the "flip side".

pro-organic: Many people think that you need synthetic fertilizers and weed controls to have a beautiful lawn. The fact is that you can get a very dark lawn - in fact, in many cases, DARKER than synthetics - by putting down natural products. You can even do it for cheaper than you would with a Scotts type program. Best of all, these products can't hurt you, and your entire family (and pets!) can go outside and lay in the lawn immediately after an application. You feel good that you are doing the right thing for your family AND the environment!

the flip side: The downside of organic is that it isn't the quick fix that most people are looking for. Synthetic fertilizers can make crappy soil behave somewhat like good soil, but if you want bad soil to actually BE good, then you have to put in some time with organic products. On top of that, there is no one-shot spray that will kill weeds quite the same way as they have in the synthetic world. Corn meal gluten (a natural product) supposedly helps by stopping the weeds before they grow up to annoy you, but it isn't as good as the synthetic alternative. The best way to stop weeds is by growing a GREAT lawn that is so thick that it chokes out the weeds. That takes time.

If you want to mix the synthetic with organic, I would say to do the following:
1) start off with Scotts step 1. It has a preemergent which will stop most weeds from germinating.
2) for all other applications, apply soy bean meal, which can be purchased at a feed store. This will feed the lawn by feeding the soil. It really works!
3) study up a bit on organic lawncare so you can eventually wean yourself off Scotts step 1.
4) overseed in the fall - every fall - until your lawn is so thick that weeds have a hard time finding a place to grow....and always mow high (about 3 inches) so you can further crowd out weeds and retain moisture, and don't bag those clippings (they feed the soil!)

I have no kids or pets, but the previous owner had both. My lawn will most of the time just be for apperence only. Being august already and little to no knolege about the lawn what needs to be my first step?

Perhaps some of the heavyweights here can chime in, but I don't think that there is much to do right now. You really don't want to fertilize in the heat of the summer. It would be better to wait a month or so. Some people would put down the Scotts Summer Guard, but even many of the most die-hard Scotts fans on the Scotts.com forum warn against it.

If it was my lawn, I would put down some Soy Bean Meal or Milorganite. Both will green up your lawn (in weeks, not days, though) and will not stress it during the hot summer days.

You definitely have to make a decision, though, whether you are going organic, synthetic, or a mixture of the both. I think you might find the best results if you start by getting on a Soy Bean Meal plan (spread twice this year - early and late fall) and then use Scotts Step 1 in the spring. From the synthetic world, in my estimation, the only thing that anyone needs is Scotts Step 1 since that stops the weeds before they become a nuisance. The rest of the applications can be organic.

First, here's the picture he was linking.

{{gwi:107921}}

I am by no means an expert, especially on Cool Season Grasses which it looks like you have (especially in what looks like a "hilly" area of VA...I think). I will ask a few questions so that when you answer, the real experts will know in what direction to point you.

1) Where are you? I guess from your name, VAhomeowner that you are in VA. The picture also looks "hilly". Are you in the foothills or the mountains?

4) How big is your yard and how will you water it, hose-end sprinklers or in-ground irrigation?

3) Do you know what type of grass is currently there now? Tall Fescue, Kentucky Blue Grass, Rye, etc?

4) How much work are you willing to put into maintaining your lawn? You cared enough to come on here and ask and said you wanted the best lawn in the area so I am assuming you don't mind the work.

5) Again, organic vs. synthetic? Is there a feed store (sells feed for livestock...Southern States, etc) near you? Those types of places will be the best to buy your needed organic products like corn meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, alphalpha meal or pellets, etc. If you don't have one near, IMHO, forget the organic approach. I would do organic, but the closest feed store is about 45 miles away. Any Lowes, Home Depot, or Wal-Mart will sell the synthetic stuff you will need for all your lawn maintenance.

First - congrats on the new house.

As far as the lawn goes, it looks like you have a pretty good starting point. The first thing you will want to do is commit to a regular mowing, watering and fertilization schedule. That is probably 90% of having a nice looking lawn. For mowing, use the highest setting on your mower and mulch mow at least once a week. For watering, plan on applying 1" of water per week - counting rain. Use an empty tuna can to measure the first few times you water so you get an idea of how long you need to let the sprinklers go for. For most situations, a once a week watering works best, but with that slow, you might want to do a half inch twice a week. For fertilizing, your lawn needs 1 application in spring after it turns green, 1 after the summer heat breaks to usher in fall, and then 1 or 2 more doses during fall. Don't apply fertilizer to a cool season grass in the heat of summer.

As far as "big" jobs, you will probably want to aerate and overseed at the end of august/early sept. That will help thicken up and even out the lawn. Plan on making that a yearly ritual for the next couple of years at least.

Thanks for getting the picture up, I tried 2-3 different ways to get it to post but couldnt figure it out.

1. Im right on the VA/NC border in the foothills. The front and side lawn is pretty hilly but the back is flat.

2. As far as watering goes for this year, I guess ill get a couple cheap above ground "hose-end" sprinklers, next year im gonna try to put in a underground system. The size of the lawn is probably a acre maby a little more.

3. I have no idea what grass is there now, but I know most people around here are die hard Kentucky 31 users. The reason everyone uses that around here is because it is easy to get to grow and easy to maintain. But I do not have the first clue what is there.

4. Man im ready to do the work! To me a house with a pretty lawn makes a house look 100% better. If I have to fedalize 6 times a year and spend 1,000's then so be it.

5. We have Lowe's, Wall-mart, Southern states, and several other farm/lawn places.

A co-worker says he uses Rebel Grass seed. He said its soft, thin blades, and really green. What is you guys take on that stuff? As long as its thick and green, with no weeds ill be happy.