Why do you want to do this? You have a nice green expanse of lawn now. How much do you want to spend on this? Would you be happy with a mix of grass and weeds that had more vigorous grass? If you want a weed free lawn, the only practical way to do it is to use chemicals. If chemicals aren't acceptable, then you're going to have to make peace with weeds, perhaps doing things to encourage grass and discourage weeds. But there will be weeds.

Some things to do: (1) Find out what kind of grass you have. There are online ID sites. You may have a mix. The most likely ones are Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and turf type tall fescue. (2) Determine how much water your irrigation system puts down. You can put tuna or cat food cans around and see how much water collects in a given time. The general watering guide is to put down one inch all at once and then not water again until the grass shows signs of needing water. Grass in summer generally needs one inch a week (from rain or irrigation). To water 1.75 acres will take 47,520 gallons. If you have well established KBG, it's okay to let it go dormant in the summer. It will still need minimal amounts but won't require the one inch a week. (3) Read. University of Wisconsin has publications on renovating lawns and general lawn maintenance. (4) Talk to your neighbors, especially ones with nice grass. Find out what they have and what they do.

Summer is not the time to fertilize. Cool season grass should receive most of its fertilizer in the fall. How much depends on what kind of grass you have. Fertilizing at appropriate times will help your grass grow. KBG generally does not need to be overseeded, as it spreads. Ryegrass and fescue should be overseeded in early fall, which is probably mid August for you. Spring is not a good time for seeding. It's better to use fertilizer to fertilize and weed killer to kill weeds rather than using a weed and feed product. You should generally water after fertilizing. The bag should have instructions on this. Some coated products may not require watering.

yeah I have no delusions of a weed free lawn but would like more vigorous grass. Willing to spend a few hundred a year on fertilizer & seed, also about $200 on the aerator. Good call on talking to the neighbors. We live in a affluent neighborhood now and have by far the worst looking lawn. Other lawns in the neighborhood are lush, green, and weed free. Although I'm guessing due to their use of chemicals.

In our yard there are many large areas where the weeds are choking out the grass that may not be apparent in the pictures. Thanks for the recommendations, will do some additional reading!

Keep mowing high. Don't cut more than 1/3 off at a time. Keep the blade sharpened. Fertilizer in the fall will help your grass grow. If you can use weedkiller, you should kill weeds before seeding. If you don't seed, you can kill them anytime while they're still growing. If weeds are choking out grass now, weedkiller now will kill them. Weed B Gon kills a lot of broadleaf weeds. Weed B Gon CCO kills clover and violets and oxalis that regular Weed B Gon doesn't. Read directions on whatever you use and pay attention to how long you have to wait to seed after using a product. You may want to just spray particular areas where the weeds are worse.

Also be aware of the temperature use of some weed killers . I do not know a lot , I am a novice, but I have read that many weed products are not supposed to be applied in extreme high heat. As far as grass, surely, your yard must be malnourished if no products of any kind have been applied since residency. Putting in the proper nutrient amounts at the right times for your particular grass is essential to a great yard. Good luck. Grass or weed you have a an expansive nice area for your family and beautiful trees. Must be a great area.

I think you might be safe ignoring our typical warnings for summer applications of anything. How often do you get temperatures above 85 in the summer? If your temps typically run in the high 70s to low 80s, then you can do what you want. You have what the rest of us would consider to be fall type weather while we're suffering in more heat.

The white flowered plant is Dutch white clover. The yellow flowered plant is black medic. Between the two of these weeds, I would much rather live with the clover. At least it becomes dense and looks fairly lush. Black medic just looks scrappy. To eliminate these completely requires something like Weed-b-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer. If you think you can get rid of these organically then you'll have a future of internal conflict with reality. The mix you are using with vinegar will kill the tops of many plants, but only rarely kills the root. Plus it works best on hot sunny days...which you don't really get up there on the lake.

I am a 100% organic fertilizer kind of guy and have been for 15 years. At the same time I see the value to having a nice lawn with no weeds. What you might consider is using the chemicals one or two times up front to get rid of them, then follow that up with a grass "densification" program to help keep weeds out in the future. Reseed the thin areas with Kentucky bluegrass. KBG is the kind of grass that will spread to fill in thin areas in the future. In your area it may go through the summer with only rainfall. Otherwise, it may go dormant in the summer dry spell and/or heat, such as it is in Racine. Fall is generally the time of year to reseed northern grasses. In your case you might start toward the end of July and get good results.

My organic fertilizer of choice is alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow). I like it because it is available at every feed store in my area, and it works. You might find that something like soybean meal, corn gluten meal, corn meal, cottonseed meal, or Milorganite is more available to you. Certainly Milorganite is available in Racine!! The application rate for all of these is 15-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. You might be able to get a discount on a pallet for your acreage.

If you live in an affluent area and want to keep your lawn up to their standards, it's going to cost you some money.