Hi! I'm in central western Michigan, zone 5B. I overseeded last fall, but it was mid-September, about 2-3 weeks later than I should have with a KBG, as I know it grows slowly. After getting hit with snow mold last spring, and I saw Jap beetles crawling in my grass and eating my roses mid-July, I also neglected to fertilize all last summer. I did one app of CGM in May and didn't get any soybean down until September before I overseeded, and then did one late app. of urea late November. I did get a soil test last spring, and I know we have a LOT of iron (the hardness in my well water is +19). I don't have the sheet handy at the moment, but I do remember that we were low on K and I did go over with a straight granular last spring - haven't done it since. Now I'm watering once-twice a week in zones of the yard (I don't have a sprinkler system, just a Rain Train and broadcast sprinklers via hose) and I try to get 1/2" - 1" out in one shot starting it first thing in the morning. I think with my sandy soil (I'm not near a lake. I live in the middle of oak trees, so it might be a lower pH?) and how it drains so quickly, that I should keep it to 1/2" twice a week. We brought in two inches of topsoil to cover the sand when the construction was finished before seeding. It's been a struggle against the weeds and trying to get grass to grow. My neighbor's yard looks fantastic. No competition or jealousy there! :)

WOW, everyone, thanks! What a wonderful list of suggestions! Tansy, I love your suggestions of ornamental grasses and sweet woodruff. And plumbago...never heard of it, must check it out! Linda, my property is already covered in mint...no more mint! Ha ha...I will look into your artemisia suggestion. I've heard of the plant before but have no idea what it is. Sounds intriguing! Nancy, I like the coneflower/rudbeckia suggestion; I can think of one bed where they'd be perfect because it's hot, sunny and dry. Tiffy, I guess I've overlooked daylilies; I need to check into them. We have them all over our property, but I think they've gone "blind" like some of our daffodils and are no longer blooming. They probably need to be divided. Greengardener, I love bee balm AND astilbe both. Not so fond of yarrow, though. Astilbe would be really pretty in one of my shaded areas. Thanks to anyone else who replied...I've recorded all your suggestions into a nice list so that I can get started on some of these beds. We've lived here 4 years and it's been overwhelming--we have at least 1 acre absolutely filled with flower beds, and I've been chipping away at them all this time. I'd love to make a little more progress with some plants that can hold their own against weeds!

I am in the same place as you. In fact, I just returned from a half hour pulling weeds in my lawn. A woman walked by and told me that it can be an OC type thing, and I was quick to agree! The battle against weeds will never be won until the lawn is 100% filled in with tall 3"+ turf that crowds out weeds. As long as there is room (bare spots), the weeds will grow. dropping seeds down during the summer is an iffy thing, as odds are they won't grow. But if you do drop them, do the following: 1) take some topsoil or dirt from your yard 2) mix seeds in 3) drop a handful in each bare spot *I have also had luck with just dropping seed and roughing it up a bit, but the "mix" above has worked best. ** Do you know what type of grass you have? Don't repair bare spots with any old grass seed. If you do, the difference in color will be noticeable. If you are in doubt, consider asking a professional or buying a rye/fescue/kbg mix so that it won't look TOO out-of-place. Here is my plan.... 1) Like you, I am new to this, so I am doing the OC thing and pulling weeds this summer. I hate it, but the lawn looks really good when it is weed-free. I tend to do a section of the lawn each week so it isn't overwhelming. 2) The grass is at least 3" high, which obscures most of my little bare spots. My larger bare spots by the curb are getting attacked by weeds, and I can't really do anything about it. 3) Knowing the importance of filling the bare spots and strengthening the turf, I am planning on seeding over and over again until I get the lawn I want this fall. August 1, September 1, October 1 if I have to. I am adding some extra KBG to the mix so that remaining holes fill themselves over the course of the next year. 4) Other than that, I am continuing my normal organic program (soy bean meal, compost, etc.). From the street (the OTHER side of the street, lol), my lawn looks great. It might be the greenest on the block. Close up, there are some trouble spots, but nothing that I can't fix over the next year. Considering it was nearly wiped out from grubs when I moved in last fall, I am very happy with the progress.

Keep the weeds as long as they are helping with erosion. I'm doing the same thing with my new house. I have about the same slope 5 feet drop over a 90 foot run. St Augustine or bermuda will fill in relatively quickly, but they require practically opposite care. Decide now which you want. St Aug gets mowed at the highest setting while bermuda is mowed at the lowest. St Aug gets fertilized 3x per year and bermuda gets fertilized 12 times a year in FL. Both need 1 inch of water per week. Neither one requires additional top soil (You do realize that if you order top soil in Florida you get more sand, right?!). In my case I had a small amount of surviving St Augustine and 98% weeds. I'm only fertilizing the St Aug using organics. It looks great and is spreading well with the rain and cool weather we had in the spring. At this rate it will be a couple years before it's all St Aug. If I had dropped a few pieces of St Aug sod it would be covering much faster. So what I'm saying is if you want to go with St Aug, it is good in that it will overtake all the grassy plants/weeds you have. You could spend $10, place those pieces around, and let them grow together. It will take out some of the broadleaf weeds like dandelion, but not clover, dichondra, oxalis, or other "dollar weeds." Those would require chemical control with atrazine. But I would not spray anything until the St Augustine is filling in and then only where it is filled in pretty well. If you have fairly dense St Aug with spotty weeds, the atrazine will kill the weeds and allow the St Aug to fill in completely. If you decide to feed with chemical fertilizers, I would strongly suggest using an organic fertilizer at least once a year. You can never get enough organic matter in sand. Sand seems to eat it. Are you sure you have centipede? Centipede looks like St Augustine except centipede has pointed blades. St Aug has boat tailed shaped blade tips. Those two grasses need opposite care, too. Actually centipede needs no care. You can kill it with kindness without even thinking about it.