1. Read the Organic Lawn Care FAQ in the FAQs on the Organic Gardening Forum. It's at the bottom of the list. That will reorient your thinking on organics. Blood meal was probably not the best thing to use because it is too strong. 2. Put some tuna or cat food cans out around the yard. Be sure to put some where the grass is doing well as well as come where the grass is always dry. I suspect you might need a tune up on the sprinklers. If you are getting a full inch on the dry spots, you need to water even longer in that area. An inch is not enough. 3. Stop mowing fescue during the heat stress. Longer grass can withstand a lot more heat and less water than short grass. And you said an acre of land...in Central Ohio...near Columbus!!! I think I know exactly who you are!!! You thought you could hide behind specifics like that??? You are not fooling anyone around here. And the whole GW lawn forum is coming over for a party on Labor Day!!! Actually I did have a super sleuth track down my home in San Antonio many years ago. I had posted pictures of the house and mentioned I was 3 streets south of a major shopping center. I think he was checking to see if my lawn was as nice as it ought to be (it isn't). As a matter of fact, he may leave a comment on this very message. But anyway you can be a lot more specific and, first of all we don't care, and secondly, nobody is going to hunt you down. The reason we need to know about where you live is to help you decide what to do. Central Ohio near Columbus is close enough unless you want to know where the nearest feed store is.

I doubt soil quality is as much a problem as compaction is a problem. Soil is clay, sand and organic matter. It is the ratio that defines good soil from bad soil. I would normally agree with TW (your first response) to not till, but if you have access to compost it is the only way to get it blended into the top 6-8 inches of soil. Tilling is not favored because invariably it will leave a lumpy lawn when it settles. It is difficult to till at depth evenly. The other approach is to add the compost on top of your existing soil. Since you appear to want to do a complete renovation I'd recommend adding a good inch of compost now and then core aerate the heck out of it. Yes, this is far more than the normal quarter inch, but you are going to mechanically incorporate it by aerating and giving it some time to heel into the soil. Water heavily for the next 2 weeks then roundup the weeds before seeding. You could core aerate again before seeding. I'd second the notion to get a soil test done before doing anything. Any amendments can be added before seeding. Do you have any worms in your soil?

Pardon me Engima, but seeing as how zoysia is considered a southern grass, what made you think it would do well in southern Pennsylvania. I am aware that your area might be considered a "transitional" zone....meaning areas across the country from the coast westward enclosing the states of W.Va, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee.....that area, can use a warm season and/or a cool season type grass, even combining them where thought viable. But, being a warm-season grass, what made you think zoysia would be the grass for you. The attributes of that grass aside, like how it is able to stand up to drought, that ability would only apply if your area of Pa did not receive adequate rainfall. I don't think that applies. So why zoysia. You quoted three varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass. Was this recommended by someone in the know. My own thinking on what makes a good grass (and a good lawn) is to plant for whatever nature throws at you in the area you reside. In northern zones thus, a combo of K.B., with added fescue and ryegrass is considered a good idea. Each gives its best when situations arrive. Fescue is good for shade, kentucky blue for sun, ryegrass for standing up to rough treatment such as heavy traffic. To depend on one type of grass has its own set of rules. If something that goes against the K.B.'s happens, then you are 'up the creek' sort of. Instead of believing tha Lowes or Home Depot does not stock good quality grasses, why not speak to a nurseryman about what grasses do well for a home's lawn in your vicinity. Then compare what they have and whether you can buy that particular blend (or not a blend) in the other stores. Usually, one person has a bad experience with what has been bought at the box store, and then makes a most definite opinion that the stores only stock poor grades of grasses. Stores don't usually go out of their way to sell to patrons that which will not invite them back again. Stores deal with suppliers....the same as how some nurseries do. Grass, for the most part, depends on how it is taken care of. There are, however, good quality seeds as well as poor ones. The quick grasses do not usually stand up well to heat of summer or drought that happens irregularly. The good quality grasses can take the heat of the kitchen and bounce back when conditions get better. The other stuff dies quickly. So whatever grass you do buy, buy the best you can afford. Grass can be encouraged to be lusher and thereby stand up to adversity when it happens. But grass will not grow if the soil does not welcome it. So enrich your soil, make the grass want to stick around. Every fall, put a 1/2" - 1" layer of compost or good topsoil over the lawn. Do an overseeding, whether you believe the lawn needs it or not. The more lush you make the lawn, the better it can put up with what can attack it...including grubs. But grubs pretty soon will be going south (deeper) for the winter. The time to take up with them is in the spring when the larvae from this season's population come up for air. In the spring, put a layer 1/2" - 1" of compost (or good topsoil) over the lawn and let it grow up through it. Do this early, as soon as the frost has left the ground. The fall/spring ritual of putting down this layer of topsoil should be considered one of the things to do EVERY YEAR. Winter takes a lot out a lawn..so whatever you can do to enrich the soil the better your lawn will grow. Fertilize regularly---but not too often. Fertilizer can feed the soil and what grows in it.....but do it too much and it will cause short stubby roots, over nitrogenize and otherwise cause poor growth instead of pushing it. It does appear you have a job to do to change over your zoysia to something else....and you may be not making a good choice of change. I'm curious what your neighbors have done --is everybody in your neighborhood growing zoysia and what is their thinking of it. Reading about it, it does appear it has a lot going for it....and a lot not going for it. Generally it is for more southern areas....not particularly suited for where the snow flies.

While I would not describe myself as "pro lawn" I have nothing against lawn if one goes about it in the right way. I use a mix of lawn and flower beds in my garden. I like the look. I think lawn can tie the landscape together nicely. It gives visual relief between flowers. Lawn makes a good path. A little lawn also helps to tie the garden to the surrounding neighborhood, which is mostly lawn. And if you use the "Freedom Lawn" approach, lawn is environmentally friendly too. The lawn in the pictures below has not been fertilized or irrigated or sprayed or otherwise treated in over five years. I don't rake up the clippings. I don't even bother raking leaves. Because I mow high the leaves and clippings work their way down into the turf and eventually feed the grass. Yes, if you look up close, there are weeds, and several types of grasses mixed up, though it's mainly bahia. But from a distance, it looks neat, neat enough for me anyhow. Having a blend of grasses and weeds prevents bare patches. If one thing dies, another fills in. The trick to the "freedom lawn" approach is mowing. You want to mow frequently, every four days or so during a rainy summer. You want to set the mower as high as possible, at least 4 inches. You want to keep your blade sharp. You want to edge. Yes, it's a lot of work, but no more than most parts of my garden require, and a lot less than some. (And my garden has lots of native and Florida friendly plants). In your place, if I wanted to keep some lawn, I would overseed with bahia (Argentine is best for most of Florida). Follow the instructions on the bag or bucket. Give it one feeding to help it get established, and keep it mowed. Now's a good time to do it, with all the rain. I wouldn't bother with much weeding. I'd tear out only the biggest and ugliest ones and mow the rest. I would replace the lawn in areas that don't get enough sun, or where it's difficult to mow, or where foot traffic is just too heavy, or where you just want something else. I would avoid tearing out or smothering huge areas of lawn at once, which can be overwhelming. "> "> Bill