I'm a bit out of my element here not being familiar with Mn. What type of grass seed did you plant that is growing in the rake grooves? Rye, fescue bluegrass or a combination? If it was KBG (bluegrass) it will spread. Rather than try to pull weeds, I would suggested you use weedBgone (read and follow the instructions.) Fall is the best time to plant grass, In Mn., I'm going to guess you'll need to plant sometime in the last two weeks of August. What is your initial budget to plant and what is your annual budget to maintain the lawn after it is established? More pictures of the front and back lawn will help people advise you.

I hate to say, but we don't know what kind of grass. We bought it at the hardware store and used it all then threw the bag away. It was for shade and sun if that helps. I'll be able to take more pictures on Tuesday and will be able to stop by the hardware store to find out the type of grass. As for budget we don't want to spend too much because we are renting and are hoping to be able to move out after our lease is up next June.

For the least expense, I would suggest that you work on weed control this month. Use WBG Max (read directions for temp and weather conditions) ASAP and in 2 wks apply it again. You should get acceptable results by plant a mixture of fescue and rye once the weather breaks in late August (how big is the property? and I take it it is a combination of sun and shaded areas?). At planting, lightly rake the soil and remove what stones you can with the back of the rake, spread a starter fertilizer at bag rate and cover the seeded areas with a thin layer of dried peat moss and keep the seed moist by watering lightly 3 times a day. Others here may have more familiarity with Mn. and good inexpensive cultivars for your situation.

Some good news is you never need to rototill in preparation for a lawn. In fact that is the worst thing you can do.

Start now to get into good lawn habits. Here they are...

Basics of Lawn Care

After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct.

Watering
Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.

You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in Las Vegas your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week.

Mowing
Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush.

Fertilizing
Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it. Too little is better than too much. At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide.

Seed in the early fall.

Is shade an issue? If not then Kentucky bluegrass is the type of grass that will spread to fill in holes and thin spots. But it does not grow in shade. In shade you'll need fescue. Hence the sun/shade seed mix. Fescue does not spread like KBG. If you can get a seed with no rye in it, I would take that over one with rye. Rye can be beautiful but for beginners it can trick you into making a mistake at the outset. Rye does not spread either. For a rental you can get your seed at any box store. Seed from there comes with weeds but who cares? You'll get your deposit back anyway even with a few weeds.