The right height would be your mower's highest setting to keep the most weeds out. Proper watering is key to keeping weeds away. If you allow the surface of the soil to dry out completely between watering, you can stop the weeds that require daily water to germinate. Most weeds are like that. So if you are watering once a month right now in your area, that is about right. Look to go to once every 3 weeks and then every 2 weeks in April and May. In the hottest heat of summer you should be watering once a week. Note that you will have to apply water for a long time (usually) to get enough to last all month. And let Mother Nature do Her part. If She provides an inch, you won't need to water.

Over layering of a good compost/triple mix or topsoil can improve the water retention by building organic matter into the soil. No need to dig it in, the simple over layer of 1/2" to 1" every spring and fall will result in building the soil....then the overseeding of a good grass seed can result in improving the quality of the turf. If this is done, as per schedule every spring and fall will keep the lawn in its best shape. To figure out how much compost/topsoil to buy simply measure the area you wish to cover length times width IN FEET, multiply by the depth of soil IN INCHES, multiply that figure times 3 and divide by 1000 results in the number of cubic yards of soil to cover the area.

1. On aeration, we have had a few landscapers come out, and they all say the soil is compacted enough to require aeration. That said, if we don't do aeration, how would you recommend putting down the seed? I assume we wouldn't just drop the seed on the existing lawn? Again, from what info you have given, it is unlikely you have compacted soil. For aeration to be a truly successful remedy of compaction, it should result in a minimum of 20 holes per sq ft. and at depths 4" or greater. I know of no landscaper that has that type of equipment--the type golf courses have. As aeration is messy and expensive, I only use it when I can combine it with other processes like topdressing, adding gypsum, fertilizing, etc. Seeding is not one of those processes. Although seed does seem to germinate well on the aeration hole edges, the seeds that fall into the deep holes do not and are wasted. Seed does germinate better when the soil surface is broken, but many have very good results just seeding over bare ground followed by rolling or a thin layer of peat moss. If your bare spots are not too large or numerous, light raking of the soil is fine. I get best results with KBG by broadcasting seed and then running a slit seeder over it. Just dropping seed over the existing lawn is common and called overseeding. 2. We just had a weed control and fertilizer application put down yesterday. So I am assuming we would need to wait a couple of weeks before we do the overseeding? Is mid Sep soon enough for a mix of Rye and KBG? I have not used Q4 specifically. Weed B Gone Max contains a similar AI cocktail as Q4 and Ortho recommends that overseeding not be done sooner than 4 weeks after application. As far as seeding is concerned: late summer is preferred as temperatures are beginning to subside, weed pressure is at a minimum and torrential rains are less common. Temps that do not fall below 50 F at night and that rarely exceed 80 F during the day are ideal for cool season grass establishment. No weed pressure removes the problems of feeding and watering the turf without feeding and watering a crop of competing weeds. Cool season grasses need to be planted early enough before soil temperatures fall below 50-55F--when grass plant growth slows or stops-- so that there is enough time for germination and subsequent plant growth so a root system develops and top growth has the chance to harden off--usually about the time of the third mowing. This time frame is dependent on region and the whims of Mother Nature--there is no hard and fast rule. 3. Thanks for the comparative comments. Any thoughts on Tall and Fine Fescue? Our original seeding as it turns out was a mix of KBG, Perennial Rye and Fine Fescue (roughly 1/3 each). Lol. Yes I have "thoughts", but they are just my opinion. All cool season grasses have advantages and disadvantages. Fine fescue is one of the few grasses that will grow in shadier areas, but does not hold up well in traffic. Rye and TTTF can make nice lawns, but they do not spread and self repair and require occasional overseeding to maintain thickness. My preference is KBG. If you can grow KBG, that is my recommendation. It makes a beautiful blanket lawn and after the third year, it is self repairing. I wont list the reasons I find it superior, but they are many, but choice of turf is subjective in many ways. 4. Yes typo on my part ��" I meant lb per 1000 sqft of course (otherwise that would be one heck of a seed bill!) Are there any commercially available mix of seeds that you know of that could work? I thought it was a typo, but better safe than sorry. You could check NTEP for the individual turf grass names in commercial bags to see what each type's individual characteristics are. What you definitely want is a bag labeled as containing 0% weeds. Better yet, 0% other crop seeds.

You can use a crabgrass killer that is safe for use on lawns, or you can dig it out. You can wait until a good frost kills it (my choice) and put down a pre-emergent crabgrass control in the spring. This can be a chemical product or an organic one, like corn gluten meal, available at Agway and feed stores. If you use a pre-emergent in the spring, you can't seed then, as it will prevent grass seed from germinating as well. I reseed after running over the lawn a few times with a core aerator that I pull behind my lawn tractor. I like to aerate every year, so I bought one, they're only about $150. I'm going to reseed in mid-to late September. You can do a search on the Lawn forum or scroll through the posts looking for posters in your zone to get lots of good info.