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zappie_gw

New homeowner, old lawn, Zone 5

zappie
16 years ago

Hi folks!

I'm a new homoeowner in Zone 5 (Chicago suburbs). I inherited my lawn from a retired couple, and for now I have Trugreen taking care of the lawn. I'm debating whether I want to do this myself, because the lawn is in pretty bad shape.

I'm starting with the front lawn. When I bought the house, the lawn was overrun by spurge around pretty much the entire perimeter. The fine folks from Trugreen killed that all off, but didn't talk to me about reseeding, and so now I have a perimeter of fine, healthy crabgrass.

We're in the process of killing that off, at which point they're talking about slit seeding the area around the perimeter. Maybe 100-120 linear feet, about two feet wide, and then a REALLY horrible section between the sidewalk and the road of which maybe ten feet by thirty feet needs to be re-done. They are quoting me $150 for this particular bit of work.

From what I've read, $150 is very pricey for 500 square feet. But can a complete neophyte like myself realistically fix the lawn myself? Once all the weeds are dead, what's involved in re-seeding it, and what type of grass should I use? Or should I pay the money this time and then learn to take care of the lawn myself?

I know I'm coming off as pretty clueless, but I just don't want to spend a year doing it myself only to find I need professional help a year later. (And trust me, my wife thinks I need professional help of a different kind just for considering this.)

Joe

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