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enigma7_gw

Started off as an overseed, now looking like a complete redo....

enigma7
14 years ago

Hi Everyone,

I had planned to heavily dethatch, core aerate, and scalp my zoysia front lawn (~1200sq ft). I live in SE PA and zoysia really is a PITA to deal with, mainly due to the weed issues that have cropped up over the last year or 2. We've had a ridiculously wet summer and this has compounded the weed issue as the mild/moderate droughts we normally see once or twice per year help to keep the weeds in check while the zoysia just shrugs it off. I have been on the organic feeding as well due to my 3 yr old for the past 2-3 years and this could also be a cause. This past spring I did succumb and put down a Dimension pre-M (no fert), but the lawn was already in a tailspin I couldn't easily get out of.

My major issue is clover, it started small, and I used to be able to keep it in check, but with a daughter my yard time has been seriously diminished. The clover in many areas (especially ones that get regular traffic) have gone out of control and completely removed any trace of grass. I had tried Weed-B-Gone a couple years ago with very limited success.

So long story short I went about starting to dethatch last night. We've had about 4" of rain in the last week (dry for 2 days now) and so I assumed I'd be removing a bit more than normal, but instead the entire lawn is coming up in sheets. I see quite a bit of white grubs, but I think mainly it's due to the weeds/clover not having deep root systems. As I get closer to my thicker zoysia, the grass does not come up as readily.

So now I've got about a 1/5th of my lawn completely turfed, and I still have at least 1/2 to dethatch. I was going to be overseeding with a fescue blend from Home Depot (Rebel brand). Yeah I know, it's probably crap, but it did the job and I was expecting to not have a bare lawn.

So here's my questions:

1. I'd kind of like to get to seeding ASAP and so I think mail order seed is not going to happen (unless I can find a more local place in/near PA).

2. I'd like to avoid HD/Lowes after reading how they have poor quality seed.

Which leads me to local garden centers....so can someone recommend a seed or blend for my lawn? (that would be likely stocked by a local garden center)

Here's the info:

-Lawn is on the south side of my house with a tree that covers about 1/3. The 2/3rd's not underneath the tree gets near full sun (until about 5-6pm when it goes behind the house. The part under the tree probably sees about 1/2 that, but it could be more. Bottom line is this yard gets a LOT of sun, as I've had several annuals that could not cope with the amount of sunlight.

-I'm in SE PA (I believe zone 6, about 20min outside of Philly) and so need something that can deal with the winter and "wake up" when the weeds do as opposed to my zoysia which remains dormant until April or so (could be mistaken but it's well after the weeds have sprouted)

-I would be looking for a moderate amount of work for the lawn, not bermuda cut every day, but I could handle 1-2 times a week. I do water infrequently but deeply (haven't watered a SINGLE time this YEAR due to the horrible amount of rain).

My plan (correct me if I'm wrong) is to dethatch, core aerate, scalp the lawn (where there is still grass), put down seed (I'll freeze and thaw this prior to use as a previous thread mentioned it can help germination rates), top dress with a light layer of peat moss, and cover with a light layer of hay. Then I'll use a large rolled up tent to evenly pack down the layers to remove the air prior to watering. I had not planned on using a starter fertilizer as I'm trying to stay organic, but would be willing to do it if my chances of a more thick lawn was likely (I'd like to say my lawn is well nourished as I use CGM or soybean meal in sufficient amounts).

Thank you in advance for your advice,

justin

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