I see this problem frequently with new construction, usually because rye is often used for soil retention prior to sodding, but the scenario is still very similar. It is also one of the reasons I've developed a disdain for rye. 1) Don't use an herbicide right now. This may be hard to swallow as I imagine you used Annual Rye and it is growing like the weed it is, but your lawn is not established enough to use an herbicide strong enough to kill the rye. For now, keep it mowed down short, and keep it watered until it roots. 2) Again, no herbicide. I love Celsius WG and have used it since it hit the market. It is a great product, and will be useful for you at some point, but under the label restrictions it clearly warns to "use this product on established turf only," and this isn't just to skirt damage claims, the warning is there for good reason. 3&4) "Scalping" is done during dormancy and topdressing is done during active growth. Keep in mind a scalping is just the pruning off of last season's dead growth, so if your sod didn't grow the scalping need should be fairly light. Also, consider rolling the lawn with a water filled drum to smooth it and insure that the roots are making good contact. The fact that it didn't grow after being put down concerns me, as sod is vulnerable to dehydration until it roots. 5) Yes, to an extent. Bermuda is one of the more hardy grasses so I've never seen it killed by scalping it. However, I have seen it stunted by scalping it during the growing season. So again, cut it down now and top-dress later. When it's actively growing, the root system pulls water primarily through a process call Transpirational Pull, which is the release of water through the leaves that creates a pull through the capillaries that reach all the way to the root system. When an actively growing leaf is removed, it interrupts this process and reduces the root systems draw on the soil moisture. Also, make sure to apply a good starter fertilizer this Spring to encourage the root system to root as quickly as possible. Once it is established and you're mowing regularly, you can go after any lingering ryegrass or other weeds without worry. Just remember to always check label restrictions. Here is a link that might be useful: .

You done good...maybe real good. What kind of grass do you have? Please tell me it is Kentucky bluegrass. KBG will fill in your cracks for you and will not have a different look. If you seed with a new mix of fescues, it will look like a checkerboard until you get it all turned into that type of grass. If you did not roll the sod down, now would be a good time to do that. Roots will not grow across an air gap to reach the soil. Rolling will ensure the bottom of the sod is on top of the soil. Keep it moist as if you were seeding. Water 3x per day, breakfast, lunch, and dinnertime, for 10 minutes each time. Do that for 3 weeks and start to back off. Eventually you should be watering for as long as it takes for the grass to survive a full week or more. For me that takes 4-5 hours per zone. Your mileage will vary depending on heat, humidity, wind, shade, sun, grass type, soil type, mowing height and some other factors I can't remember. Do you have before and after pictures to share? I am a proponent of removing topsoil when it gets out of hand.

I've never heard that about the nitrogen and new sod. If anything, you may be able to use a little extra. By this time your sod should be established and basically a normal yard. 1 lb of nitrogen around Labor Day, and 1 lb late fall. Fall is the most important time to fertilize. A soil test would tell you exactly what your ground needs. With the 30-0-10, you would apply 3.3lbs per 1,000 sq. ft. I think the that fertilizer is a good option for you. 1x now and 1x in November.

While Trugreen has a 6-step program, we have a basic 3-step program to which you can add a few things only if you need it. They will apply all 6 regardless of whether you need them and regardless of when you need them. The three steps only apply to chemical fertilizers and are as follows: fertilize on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. Another problem with Trugreen is they use spray fertilizers. Those are only good for 2 weeks, so unless they come back every 2 weeks, they run out fast. You need pounds of nitrogen on the ground, not fractions of an ounce. When you apply chemicals be sure to read the entire bag first. Use the right setting and apply when the climate is with you. Don't apply in advance of a rainstorm. Apply after the rain storm. If you have weeds in the spring, and I suspect you will (see my previous reply), then do what I said in my previous reply. That would be a step in the early spring. Do not fertilize with chemicals in the early spring no matter how much pressure you get from your partner, neighbors, advertising, etc. If you really want to make this easy, you can go with an organic program. With organics you can throw out all the rules. You don't have to worry about when you apply or how much or whether you applied too much or applied before a storm. There is almost no way to go wrong. In fact as I sit here thinking, I can't think of a way to go wrong...unless you use compost or manure. Otherwise just using organic fertilizer is what I call, "no hassle" lawn care. If you are interested in this low cost, low hassle approach, find the Organic Lawn Care FAQ over in the GW Organic Gardening forum. Come back here and ask your questions after you've read it. Before I went organic I used to fret over my lawn all year every year. Since 2002, life is good. No matter which approach you take, you should water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means start with an inch of water (measured with tuna or cat food cans). Infrequently means you wait until the grass looks thirsty. In the winter it won't ever look thirsty but water monthly anyway just to keep the microbes in the soil moist. In the spring you will be watering monthly for awhile and gradually work your way up to watering every 7 days in the hottest heat of summer. Then as the temps back off you will be watering less and less often. I was watering every 10 days all summer until we had rain about 2 weeks ago. It has cooled off and I have not watered since. We're back into the 90s now so I'm watching it again for signs of drying out. Watering is something Trugreen will not help you with. If you do this wrong, it won't matter who is taking care of your lawn.