The first of a few photos to come is attached. I mowed about 24 hours before these photos were taken. Before mowing, I snipped several dozen tall seed heads off the dallisgrass to prevent broadcasting the seeds. During mowing, I probably mulched another dozen or so that I had missed. What's in the lawn now are likely younger than 24 hours old. What I noticed last summer--my first season in the house--was that the seeds became apparent, it seems, only when the dallisgrass stalk shot higher than a couple of inches tall. These are growing prostrate, making the ability to trim them before mowing problematic. I don't think these seed heads are necessarily unusual. I just think the timing of my first nitrogen application a week or so before their sudden (and prolific) emergence may be more than just a coincidence.

Joshua, I'd like to answer your question directly: yes, trees can die suddenly. They can also die very soon after being planted too deeply. I'd have to say that it is the number one reason for decline and death in trees, at least in my career. Some years ago, I was called out to the large property of a high end retail complex, not a mall. The tree and landscaping installations were extensive, even extraordinary. I was called by the CEO to inspect the site about two months after completion of the job. The majority of the large trees were in serious trouble....after two months! The plants had all been planted anywhere from 6 to 8 inches below grade into a soil that stayed too mucky, too wet....especially at that depth. Tree roots must have oxygen at that shallow root zone...or they can die. Most of us know that the essential absorbing roots of trees are shallow. Planting too deeply impedes the development of new roots. So, the decline process can begin immediately and end swiftly......or a tree can languish for years before finally croaking. Trees that have been installed that deeply have been planted improperly, plain and simple.

A rototiller would work, but it would ruin your life for the foreseeable future. Nobody notices this when they rototill a veggie garden, but the soil structure gets destroyed. As the new soil structure develops it creates a bumpy surface. That doesn't matter in a garden but on a lawn it will break you and your lawn mower. So don't rototill. Where do you live? What kind of grass do you want to have? Can you post a picture of the yard as is? We all have vivid imaginations and might be thinking it's worse than it is. Is it as bad as this?

Never, ever, put lime on soil without a good reliable soil test to guide that application and stay far away from anyone that tells you to add lime without one. Some people will tell you that you must remove those unwanted plants, "weeds", while some of us will tell you that is not necessary or desirable. Those plants removed nutrients from that soil and removing them sends those nutrients away and you would need to spend more money replacing them. Step 1. Have a good reliable soil test done so you will know what the pH of that soil is and what the major nutrient levels (P, K, Ca, Mg) are and if they are in balance. These simple soil tests may also be of some help in getting the soil into a good healthy condition. 1) Soil test for organic material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter can be bad as well. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. Once you know the condition of the soil y6ou can start to plan what to do to begin growing a strong and healthy turf that will be less susceptible to invasion by unwanted plants. kimmq is kimmsr