I've not had a huge problem with sedge and haven't really seen it so thick any where that it killed off huge patches of grass. We've dealt with Creeping Charlie moving in and killing grass on a grand scale.

I would go ahead with a dormant seeding, even using annual ryegrass for a sure and healthy ground cover while you continue your battle against the weeds. Then in the Fall when you're happy with the weed control add a permanent grass.

You must NOT attempt to use a pre-emergent, unless it is one of the new expensive ones that doesn't kill grass seed.
I would also be careful of tilling the ground unless it is for the purpose of physically removing the underground pips or nuts of the nutsedge. By the time you get that all done your new grass may be burning up in the heat of Summer and the weeds will be going crazy.

How about installing sod?

Yeah I have had some really bad patches of sedge in the past - seemed very seasonal and my KBG/No-mix lawn always tolerated it even if it approached 80% levels at times.

I would pull it.... and the nutlets would grow back...but generally it would get stunted and keep pulling... by fall (sedge still there, but slows growth at tiems) and grass would recover with light fertilizing.

By spring it was fine! Then again back in summer :)

Now I just keep a bottle of Ortho Sedge (or Tenacity) for just that purpose. But with my new yard - it is sedge free.(i kill my neighbors for fun sometimes).

Sedge hammer goes bad quickly once mixed...do small batches or large scale killing. Fertilize and water heavily the week or two before to get it growing (for better kill %)

This post was edited by BoatDrinksQ5 on Fri, Dec 19, 14 at 12:01

Have you tried talking to the property owner next door about their
lawn care? or as a last resort how about complaining to the town? In my town they would get fined for leaving their lawn like that. At least for high grass.

Yeah most towns have a 6" or 8" rule.

Weeds vs grass - that won't go anywhere in most parts.

Depending on yard size you could always give the neighbors yard a once over with the SedgeHammer when you mix up a batch(talk to them first). Or just do a little overspray on border.

I guess I should have explained better. The neighborhood has gone seriously downhill since the housing collapse. I had equity once but now owe twice what its worth. Anyway we are the stepchildren of the city, crime is going up and the residents don't take an interest, for the most part. The whole thing has turned into a nightmare really but to make a long story short I can expect no help from the city, been there and done that. The neighbor's yard is huge and this sedge has had years to get well entrenched - if that doesn't get me then the crabgrass will. I used to hoe like crazy this stuff out but then the crabgrass moved into the bare ground, its amazing how that stuff can move a foot or so a night in expanding. Anyway on account of the financial thing I have very little funds to work with and so sodding is out of the question. My neighbors are very unpleasant people so no I don't talk to them. I wish I could move my house and my garden somewhere else, its a simple house but I've done tons of work in landscaping and added a nice big covered patio. If I move I'll never be able to afford another place - it will be to an apartment with a postage stamp deck and I live for summer and my garden. You know if it wasn't for the mud thing I'd almost so OKAY I give up - I don't care what grows here as long as its ground cover so I can quit with the mud tracking in the house. Its really, I guess, a no-win situation. I could get rid of my dogs that would solve the mud problem but I was brought up in a different age/mentality I guess where the person who was screwing up was the one who had to change, now I find myself constantly lowering my standards - and why should I have to lose my dogs, not fair to them for sure. I have puzzled over this and all it does is depress me. The way it is my garden is where I spend most of my time and as long as I don't have to go out into the neighborhood I love it there with my birds and squirrels and flowers and stuff, but the outside keeps working its way in. My children, lke I said, are frustrated with me because grass is not high on their list. It's like they take good care of their cars so how would they like it if their car was always muddy even though they just cleaned it - that might get thru to them better. But the city and my kids and the neighbors have come to an agreement - I'm the problem. Because I want a nice garden. I'm getting depressed thinking of it. As for the tilling, I really didn't mean tilling, I think it just said work it into the ground so that what's down there but not emerged gets exposed to the chemicals. i will try to found more information or find someone in the business who knows, it all gets confused in my mind. I did put down annual grass in the spring and it took over fast but died about July and then I was back to the bare ground. The problem in the fall is that I have lots of trees and about the time its time to do the seeding the leaves start falling and smother any new growth or make it so I can't water. I can't rake the leaves away because the grass seed would go with it. I have spent a fortune on water and seed and I have the ugliest yard to show for it. Maybe I will just put the sedge down I think it said a month before you put down seed and see what happens and if it doesn't work then I either need to adapt / or move. I did try out front putting down some ground cover which survived but it would be very expensive and take years. I dunno. I dunno but thanks for your suggestions I will read again later when I'm not so discouraged. All I want for Christmas is to know I will have my lawn back in spring.

My pretty flowers are such a comfort and a blessing and I have pretty trees. My birch tree has gotten really big and has the nice bark - the birds will miss me if I leave.

Is it spring yet?

Plant the annual rye this spring. It will likely die again in July, but at least will give you coverage until then. Plant your permanent grass in mid to late August or early September, depending on where you are (when the summer heat breaks). Kill the weeds first (glysophate will give you a blank slate; selective weedkillers often need certain amounts of time before you can plant seed so read instructions). Keep the seed moist until it germinates by watering lightly several times a day. As it grows gradually cut back on frequency and increase the amount of water so you end up with one inch of water once a week. When the leaves fall on your new grass, mow them into the lawn. Mowed leaves are good organic matter for your soil. You should get a soil test this spring so that you can add amendments (for example, lime if needed) during the year so the soil will be in good shape for the permanent grass planting. Keep a towel by the door so you can clean the dog's feet until you get grass going. Do you have sufficient sun for grass? In the shady spots where grass struggles, you might consider mulch instead of grass.

Leaving bare soil will always be a bad idea and digging the nutlets out of the ground would be your most complete solution with Sedgehammer as the mop up campaign.
Sod will not stop nutsedge from continuing to grow.
The way it sounds annual ryegrass may be your best option for Spring and Summer while eliminating the weed issues before perennial renovation in the Fall.

Also, when you are establishing grass this spring and in late summer/early fall, you should walk the dogs instead of letting them out into the yard.

Dogs get a bad rap. Everybody's seen photos of my lawn, yes?

We have two dogs. Since ours play well with others and people trust us with their animals, the actual number of dogs, accounting for visitors, has been as high as five for periods of two weeks. Yes, that was a zoo. A fun zoo, but a zoo.

Dog spots--zero. A good organic base will help combat any doggy damage and turn that into nice, moderated, slow nitrogen sources for the lawn. Poo disappears in one to two days, eaten by beetles.

Very rarely, we get a small burned spot or two if the weather is extremely dry. Other than that, nothing.

Running dogs can cause wear marks. But again, organic methods will tend to counter that.

While grass is sprouting and just forming roots, you should stay off the grass as much as possible and that includes dogs. Once the grass is established, then the dogs can come back. For some reason she had had trouble getting grass to grow in addition to having it killed by sedge. If the dogs are running around on a newly seeded lawn, that could be part of the problem.

Again, dogs get a bad rap. :-)

Ours ran around on the seed bed and caused no issues, but they are rather small dogs. Even you very gently walking on it is OK, but of course one should never slide or slip. That will tear young, weak roots.

You've said a lot but not a lot of what you said is helpful with the basics. Please let me guide you through some questions.

Where do you live?
What kind of grass did you plant?
How often do you water and for how long?
How high/low do you mow?
When were the last two times you fertilized and what did you use?

If you can answer those questions I think we can help you adjust and get your lawn back. Otherwise, how do you feel about putting down several inches of mulch? That will keep the mud away and dogs love it.