Hello all, I'm a first-time poster here in the Lawn Care forum. I'm an avid gardener but still consider myself a newbie--especially when it comes to lawns. I just got the results from my soil test from my local UT Extension & would appreciate your help with developing my plan for the coming seasons. The lawn I currently have is maybe 50% common Bermuda, which I hate and would like to eliminate. The remainder is probaby 25% tall fescue which I've overseeded and tried to keep the Bermuda from choking out, and the last 25% is weeds: crabgrass, dandelions, wild strawberries, and an awful lot of purple deadnettle in the winter. I had great results from overseeding in the fall last year. But I'd like to spread pre-emergent to prevent the forest of purple deadnettle I had last year. So when should I overseed fescue relative to spreading pre-emergent? Same sort of balancing act goes for spring... I need to spread pre-emergent for general broadleaf weeds, but would also like to try (for the first time) something to suppress the Bermuda. Will fall-seeded fescue be able to stand up to those herbicides in the spring? And would a fertilization schedule (which has been recommended by my county extension) need to be altered according to these factors? FYI: Irrigation is not an option outside of extreme circumstances. I don't have the infrastructure in place, nor the funds to put it there. And to be honest, no one around me has it either and (some of) their lawns look fantastic. I'm in Middle TN, slightly northwest of Nashville, zone 6B. Soil is mostly clay, but getting better as I mulch-mow grass & leaves into the turf. (This year I've been mowing at ~3.75" which has noticeably helped the fescue.) --- Soil Test results: (Note that I selected turf type as "Lawn, Cool Season". My rationale was that I want to know what helps the fescue the most--not what helps the Bermuda the most.) Water ph - 6.5 Phosphorus - 51 (high) Potassium - 183 (high) Calcuim - 1562 (sufficient) Magnesium - 142 (sufficient Recommendations: Lime is not recommended at this time. II. Medium Level Maintenance of an established lawn. Topdress annually Sept. 1 with 6.2 lbs of 16-4-8 or (other amounts of similar-ratio ferts here... I don't need to type them all out.) per 1000 sq ft. Topdress annually Oct 15 with 3.5 lbs and Mar 1 and Apr 15 with 1.75 lbs of 34-0-0 (or other similar ratio) per 1000 sq ft. If the fertilizer contains at least 30 percent slow-release form of nitrogen, the Mar and Apr applications can be combined as one application in March. --- So, ye masters of all things lawn care... any thoughts regarding the timing of: Fall overseeding Fall application of pre-emergent (mainly targeting deadnettle) Fall applications of fertilizer recommended by my county extension Spring application of fert recommended by extension Spring pre-emergent Spring application of (something like Fusliade or Acclaim?) for Bermuda suppression And one more noobish question... how can I tell which ferts are slow-release and which are not? Thanks in advance for answering my million questions. I've already learned so much from you guys; I'm just trying to tie it all together. :-) --Jon

It is interesting that you are in northern VA yet have pH=7.3 I would start by following their recommendation for adding elemental sulphur. Getting the pH below 7.0 before reseeding (not under 6.5) will improve your chances. You have phosphorus coming out the ears, so don't apply a starter fertilizer (with high phosphorus, it's the 2nd of the 3 numbers NPK on a fertilizer bag). You say you have a sprinkler system. What you want to do with it is to water just when the soil needs it, and for about an inch at a time. Watch the grass and when it begins to look drought-stressed (a bit droopy, blades curling a bit, color looking a bit grayish, etc.), the grass begins to feel dehydrated, and when you walk across the grass you can still see the footprints a minute or two later (in the grass, not the dirt), then it's time to water. You'll notice that if you try to stick a big screwdriver about eight inches into the soil, it will be easy after you water and rather difficult when you need to water, which is another good measure of when to water. The point, here, is that you'll need to water more often (maybe even every four days) during hot dry windy weather, maybe once a week during typical summer weather, and not very often during cooler weather. Rain counts as watering, so measure it too (if you keep a can sitting out in the open somewhere, you'll be able to see how much any rainshower amounted to). You could kill the existing mix of grass with roundup. You almost certainly don't want to till the dirt, just fill in the low spots (holes) to level. Either turf-type tall fescue (TTTF) or elite types of kentucky bluegrass (KBG) will work. TTTF will be easier to maintain. KBG will be finer textured and darker green. Virginia (jointly with Maryland) publishes a useful list each year of recommended cultivars, which you can find by doing a web search.

Guys, Thanks for the feedback! I was hoping that one of the "elite" Kentucky blue grass varieties would be able to handle a little drought. The K31 fescue is the main reason I want a new lawn. It got spot seeded in my lawn 10 years ago and now I want a new lawn w/o this type wide blade clumping grass. Yes, the K31 can take considerable amount of drought but IÂm seeking a high quality KBG lawn. I have enclosed a web site of the "elite" seed mfg in the US. Does anyone have experience with a KBG variety that looks great and is somewhat heat tolerant. http://lawnsmarts.com/viewtopic.php?t=267 I was not aware the perennial rye grass dies out during a drought! It Cisco Exectu-turf Sun mix contains a 60% rye mix and only 40% KGB mix. If the KBG goes dormant and comes back when the weather cools off or water is plentiful, than I OK with that, but would like to invest in a variety that can take a little more heat then the normal KBG variety. Does anyone have any experience in an elite KBG variety that can tolerate a considerable amount of drought? Considerable amount of drought means 10 days no water and 85% temperature. Thanks again! Andy

FWIW, I agree with working on the soil biology as well as the nutrient levels. And not using fertilizer if possible is desirable when possible. The problem is that the soils we are working with are rarely "natural". They are horrible abused during construction and the topsoil is almost always stripped away and sold. Therefore there are many things that must be fixed, and the biology and nutrients are only two of them. In these cases adding fertilizer is no different than adding mulch, or anything else. That is as long as you are not using excess. I use nothing I don't have to, and those I do use I am very careful about. So under natural conditions the trees planted are complete suitable, but due to the construction, they would fail to thrive. In my particular case, the soil was sooooo poor, that almost nothing would have grown and that includes any grasses. Therefore there would be nothing to mulch, no clippings to put back, and nothing for the biology, and no nutrients added back to the soil. After 5 years, my soil is loaded with insects, earthworms, drains much better, holds much more water, much more organic matter, and the mulch breaks down in weeks, and our plants are very well. All of which says I have done very well with the biology and the nutrients. Ultimately what I advocate is a "balanced" approach. I advocate using organics (Milorganite, mulch, etc) combined with chemical where necessary. Along with limiting the use of pesticides as much as possible. Those that are used, are not persistent. Just my $0.02. Arktrees