Kill it all with round up. Wait a week or 2 and the aerate and overseed. Fertilize for fall and prevent in spring for crabgrass.

kaptin,

It is getting late for a full renovation this fall, but you do have time to at least get something done. I've seeded twice after "prime time" and have suceeded here in MA. Once on September 15th and Once on September 19th.

First, get a soil sample, about 1 cup of soil and get it to a company that does a soil test. usually this will cost between $10 and $20. The report you will get will tell you how to treat your soil for optimum grass growth.

Second, Buy or order your seed, but first find out what type of grass you want. KBG is great grass for Connecticut, but we need to know your lot type. How much shade? KBG grows good in most conditions but heavy shade. Then you need to think about the quality of the seed you purchase, just an average lawn, Really good lawn, or a fantastic lawn. In some cases for the real good seed, you'll have to order them and shipping takes a few days so post you yard conditions and how nice do you want it. Prices can vary from $10 - $20 per 1000 square feet. Tack on shipping charges also if you need to order your seed.

Next , get out the mower and mow/bag as low as you can. If the bagger gets plugged up on the lowest setting, start a bit higher and work your way down to the lowest setting over two or three mowings.

Amend your soil based on your the results from the soil test.

Then its time to seed. You could either slit seed or core aerate then seed and roll. Add starter fertilizer and start the watering schedule.

This is just a quick outline, but it gives you an idea of what needs to be done soon if you want to have a nice lawn next summer. Act fast, you really don't want to seed after Sept 20th or so.

So give us some feedback as to your yard so we can help with you grass selection. Also think about the quality of seed you want, it really does make a difference.

I

Crabgrass is best controlled in the Spring. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide on or before April 15. Dimension or any generic brand containing dimension works well preventing grassy weeds and many broadleafs. Dithiopyr is the active ingredient in Dimension. Overseed your lawn now. Use the best quality Kentucky bluegrass blend or mixture you can find. DonÂt go cheap with the grass seed as a good quality lawn will last many years. Use a starter fertilizer now and winterizer fertilizer November 15. Good luck with your Connecticut lawn.

Bill Hill

The backyard is a mix of sun and shade. Sun rises from the front of the house and sets in the back so in the morning, the house itself shades about half the lawn until mid day when its full sun, then there are tall trees in the back that shade it in the afternoon. It's about 0.21 acres

I'd like to use a good quality seed, but not entirely top of the line, this is my first lawn so I don't want to spend too much and screw it up.

I don't have access to any machinery aside from my mower and some random garden tools. Would it be wiser to put this in the hands of a professional, and how much (ballpark figure) would that be? I'd prefer to do it myself but in my head it just seems like a very large task.

Thanks for the suggestions

Does the .21 acre include the house and driveway? If so, then maybe your dealing with 5000 sq/ft of lawn? That's not too bad to work with, you can do it.

Does the mower have a bagger? If not, then you would have to rake and bag all the clippings, that would be the biggest pain.

As for aerating, there are places that rent core aerating machines. This would make a huge difference for good seed to soil contact. If you don't want to rent one of these, well, it's hard to say how good the lawn will come in.

Seeds - So most of the lawn should get at least 6 hours of sun at some point during the day? KBG should grow with that. If you have 5000 sq/ft, you could go to HD or Lowes and buy a bag of Scotts or something, but in the long run, it's not really worth it. A better cultivar would give you a better looking lawn with less effort and maintenance.
I bought sod quality seeds of 3 types of elite KBG from a place in Colorado. The seeds ran me about $4.25 a pound last year. Generaly you seed at 4-5 pounds per 1000 sq/ft for KBG. So at that rate for 25 pounds premium seed, it would cost you about $110. Even 25 pounds of Scotts KBG will run you close to $80, so the extra is well worth it.

I think a professional would cost a lot more to have come in and do it for you. If you aren't afraid of a little work, you could have a better lawn for less money.

One more question, when seeding from scratch I see a lot of people lay out hay on top to keep the seeds moist, is that necessary for overseeding? Or will a layer of starter fertilizer/top soil do the trick?

I've found more weed seeds in hay and straw than would ever show up in the seed bag, so I don't cover up the seed...but I also have a somewhat level lawn. If you don't have a level lawn than maybe some form of light cover may be useful, if for no other purpose than to hold the seed in place through strong rains. With the small area you have, I might be tempted to use that grass seed accelerator the bigbox store sell.