crouch- If you believe your soil is compacted, you should consider aerating as part of your late summer/early fall lawn care program. Try sticking a long (6" or so) screwdriver into your soil. If it is tough to get it in to the handle, you may well have a compaction issue. Not sure where in Jersey you are, but right around Labor Day is when I get into aerating/overseeding activities in CT. Cold overnight temps, shorter days, and an abundance of maple leaves makes October much too late around here for a high success rate with kbg overseeding. I was absolutely blown away with the results of my efforts last fall, which I moved up to Sept 2-4 (I know everyone says "fall overseeding," but "late summer" would be more precise). Of course I'd love to pat myself on the back as some sort of lawn guru, but the truth is we had pleasant days, not too cool nights, regular rain, etc. right into Thanksgiving! With crabgrass dying with the first good frost, I may not automatically reach for the roundup. I have found that cutting my existing crabgrass/lawn as short as possible and bagging/raking the clippings allows me to seed immediately without the use of roundup. If timed properly, the desirable seed germinates and gets strong enough in the fall so I can apply a pre-m in the spring to prevent the crabgrass seed from germinating. I wouldn't necessarily give up on it this year, but I can't expect you will get optimal results at this point either. I would heed billhill's advice about organic material and watering. KBG is a notorious slow germinator. I would also seriously consider having a soil test done. I understand you wanting to be able to mentally turn the corner on this one way or another and nobody likes to see their hard work go unrewarded. Maybe adjust expectations downward and hope to be pleasantly surprised now. Armed with the knowledge you can gain on this board, this may well be the last spring you need to endure lawn envy.

it's definitely not nutsedge, which has a different and distinctive look. first question to ask yourself:is it the exact same grass as the rest of your lawn? if it is, then extra water or fertilizer in that area is producing extra fast growth. If it's definitely a different plant, then you have a weed grass in there. I've had that. Big mess. Hard to get rid of. Good luck

Grass I hope you don't mind...I reran the spell checker and caps checker, fixed a few commas, and basically left everything else the same. I put it into an HTML format for posting here. Grass, please write to me from my member page. Here's Grass1950's message from the link... Credit and apologies to Texas_Weed for plagiarism and following his lead, but some concepts are just darn good ideas and some facts are, well, facts. What follows is a generic calendar of recommended lawn care practices designed to help you care for a Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG) lawn. Please understand this is generic and time tables may have to be adjusted for you geographical location. With the exception of "organic", the use of the term "fertilizer" means synthetic fertilizer, either slow or fast release will do with the exception of the last fertilizer of the season= urea 46-0-0, which, to my knowledge, is only available as fast release and is applied with that property a priority. March through May Mowing Mow when it first turns green or when you first notice growth as the grass comes out of winter dormancy with the mower set at 2 to 2 1/2 inches. Mowing at his height will encourage KBG's early prolific spring rhizome and spreading ability. Practice mulch mowing, aka grass re-cycling, which means simply leaving grass clippings on your lawn. Grass clippings decompose quickly and can provide 1 percent of the total weight of the clippings in additional nitrogen and potassium and another .4% of the clippings weight in phosphorus. That can be 25% or more of the lawn's fertilizer needs. If prolonged rain or other factors prevent frequent mowing and clippings are too plentiful to leave on the lawn, they can be collected and used as mulch. Fertilization Apply 1 pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet around May 30- June 1st. This will supply nutrient needs of the grass into the heat of summer and allow the grass to store carbs for survival during summer dormancy. Use a complete nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (N-P-K) turf-grade fertilizer with a 3-l-2, 4-1-2, triple 12 or triple 19 ratios (for example, 15-5-10, 20-5-10. 12-12-12, or 19-19-19). Let a soil test be your guide to select a proper ratio of NPK to adjust for any deficiencies. To determine the amount of product needed to apply 1 pound of' nitrogen per thousand square feet, divide 100 by the first number in the fertilizer ratio. For example, for a 20-5-10 product, divide 100 by 20. The result is 5.0 pounds of product per thousand square feet. Weed Control Apply pre-emergence herbicides to control crabgrass, goose grass, foxtail, etc. by the time the forsythia are in full bloom. Irrigation In many of the areas in which KBG grows best (temperature zones 4,5 and 6), Mother Nature will often take care of the irrigation needs of KBG in the spring; however: water should be present to a soil depth of 4 to 6 inches. Probe with a screwdriver to determine moisture depth. KBG needs a weekly application of about 1 to 1 1/4 inches of water. On sandy soils it often requires more frequent watering, for example, 1/2 inch of water every third day. It may be necessary to irrigate an area for 3 to 5 hours to apply 1 inch of water. (It requires 640 gallons of water to deliver 1 inch of water per thousand square feet.) Because clay soils accept water slowly, irrigate just until runoff occurs, wait 1/2 hour until the water has been absorbed, and then continue irrigating until the desired depth or amount is obtained. Best watering frequency for conservation is determined by looking for temporary darkening- bluish gray color, foot printing, wilted, folded, or curled leaves indicate that it is time to water. Proper irrigation may prevent or reduce pest problems, environmental stress and drought/heat dormancy. Thatch Removal Even if proper water, mowing, and fertilizing techniques are followed thatch can be a problem with KBG. Before thatching, make sure you actually have a thatch problem. Thatch is not detrimental unless it exceeds 1/2 inch. Some thatch accumulation is beneficial as it insulates the roots from heat and helps retain moisture. If needed you may vertically mow or mechanically plug aerate in late March to early May to remove the thatch (layer of un-decayed grass) BEFORE applying a pre-emergent. It is advisable to wait to address thatch until late September- early October or, if overseeding, late August- early September and incorporate de-thatching/aerating with the overseeding. Weed pressure is dramatically less in the fall and the subsequent spring pre-emergent will help prevent weed seed germination. Aerating is not recommended if you have rhizotomatious weeds like poa trivialis or quackgrass--at the very least, those areas should be avoided. June through August Mowing Increase mowing height. If you will be watering regularly (2-3 times a week as needed for 1-1 1/4" of water per week), or in the event of, extended cool and rainy periods during the summer, height should be 3-3 1/2", -the highest height at which the grass blades will stay upright and allow airflow to prevent disease/fungus. Otherwise, mow at the mower's highest level Fertilization If you are able and willing to irrigate throughout the summer, you can apply 1/2 pound of N/1,000 each month throughout the summer. Use a fertilizer with iron content when available. Whether or not you plan to irrigate, you can use organic fertilizers like Milorganite throughout the summer months--Milorganite has iron content which will improve the color and photosynthesis ability of the grass.. Organics will not harm turf during drought and will provide nutrients when conditions are conducive. Irrigation Follow the March through May irrigation guidelines above. If you are not irrigating regularly and allowing the grass to go dormant, you should water 1/2 to 1" every 3 weeks to keep the grass crowns alive so the turf can recover once cooler temps and rain return. Weed Control Apply post-emergence herbicides through-out the growing season as needed to control summer annual and perennial weeds such as crabgrass, clover, knotweed, and spurge. Products like WeedBgone, WBG Max with Crabrass Control and WBG CCO. Similar products with the same AI herbicides usually control several different weeds in a lawn effectively. Be sure the product is labeled for use on KBG. Use Tenacity to control Bentgrass and Poa annua. Apply post emergence herbicides only when weeds are present. Be sure to follow label instructions and note temperature limitations of product if used. Mid August, if you are not overseeding in the fall, apply a pre-emergent to prevent germination of weeds like poa annua and chickweed etc. if they have been present in the yard. Insect Control KBG grass is most susceptible to insect damage from white grubs and billbugs and to a lesser extent to web worms. Check for these insects and control them if necessary. (e.g. Bayer 24hr grub killer) Disease Control Modern cultivars have increased KBG resistance to disease. Proper blending of cultivars and proper cultivation techniques (mowing, fertilization and watering) can dramatically reduce the incidence of disease and/or disease damage. Identify any signs of disease and immediately take appropriate remedial action. If disease has been a reoccurring problem, take appropriate preventive action as and when needed. September through November Mowing Once the dog days of August end and night temperatures are consistently in the 60's, incrementally lower the mowing height to 2-2 1/2" to encourage fall rhizome growth and spreading and to help prevent winter snow mold. Fertilization Once summer temperatures have moderated and the turf has revived (Late August to September 1st) apply 1# of N per 1000 sq ft. of lawn. A balanced NPK is advised such as a triple 12 or 19 to help prepare the lawn for winter dormancy. A second application of N (1/2-1#/k) is recommended October 1st to insure the turf stays green and photosynthesis continues. Once the turf has ceased or dramatically stopped top-growth (mowing is no longer or barely needed), apply 1# N per thousand sq ft. (k) of urea (46-0-0) for winter root growth, carb. storage, early spring green-up, and spring rhizome production. In addition you can apply lime, sulfur, gypsum, etc. if a soil test indicated a deficiency. Irrigation In zones where KBG does well, fall weather should supply sufficient rain. Otherwise, follow the March through May irrigation guidelines.. Thatch, Aerating and Overseeding See March - May above. December through February Build a snowman and enjoy the holidays.

You have to get the roots of the invader out of the Zebrinus clump. If you cannot pull or tease them out, then you must dig out the clump and remove them that way. This should not effect Zebra's performance this season, especially if new growth has not yet emerged. If you do this, keep the plant watered (moist), treating it as though you have divided it. There is a more drastic measure: systemic herbicide, but ONLY if the Zebrinus is still dormant. I do not recommend it, but it can be done carefully by "painting" the blades of the invader with the herbicide.