A lawn master named morpheuspa is caring for two lawns - his and his mother's. His is all improved Elite cultivars. His mother's is contractor grade. The mother's lawn is gorgeous due to his care. I believe he has demonstrated that even contractor grade Kentucky bluegrass can be the best lawn on the block if you get the soil tuned up and follow proper care. In fact here is a pic of his mother's lawn... If you want the best lawn in the neighborhood, then the Logan Labs soil test is necessary. New seed may not be necessary. I would see what you can accomplish this summer and, about mid-August, decide whether you need different grass. Renovating is a lot of work followed by a lot of stress waiting for the seed to come in. Then you are faced with a 3-year wait as the grass plants mature. If you already have mature grass, I would just make the very best of it first before jumping into the pool of renovation. But also necessary is mastering the basics of lawn care as follows... Basics of Lawn Care After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct. Watering Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in Las Vegas your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week. Mowing Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush. Fertilizing Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it. Too little is better than too much. At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide. It is too late to fertilize with chemical fertilizers this summer; however, you can still fertilize with organics all summer long. You can start with organics before you get your soil test back - you will always have a nitrogen deficiency. Between the basic lawn care (water and mowing), organic ferts, and the corrections to micro nutrients prescribed by the soil test, your lawn should look amazing by August. You can introduce yourself to organic lawn care by applying alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. No, you won't be overrun by rabbits. They only eat rabbit food when confined and fed nothing else. Get the alfalfa pellets at any feed store. Check prices between rabbit chow and alfalfa pellets. They are the same product but sometimes there is a difference from brown bag to brown bag. Spray the soap and molasses and you are officially on your way.

janice, this is an old thread, and you may well find some good info on it, but since you need help fast I'd suggest you start a brand new thread and post your photos and your text above on it. That will get people's attention and hopefully get you some help fast. For the dog I'd suggest calling your vet asap. So sorry this has happened! And I hope that you'll get some good answers soon from folks who know about these things.

Thanks SC77, There are several Blue Seal dealers within 10 miles of my home or my place of work. All, Below I posted the products available. Any thoughts on which one to use? The information given did not listed amount of sq/ft coverage per 50lbs bag. Do you know what the coverage might be? Safe 'N Simple Pre��"emergence Weed Control 9��"0��"0 100% organic, Safe 'N Simpleî Pre-emergence Weed Control 9-0-0 is an all-natural plant product made from Corn Gluten, a dried protein separated from corn during the manufacture of starch in the food industry. In 1985, while studying its value as a fertilizer, researchers at Iowa State University discovered that Corn Gluten contains a natural organic compound which inhibits root development in seedlings. Germination occurs, but seedlings die from lack of a root system. The result is an environmentally safe, non-toxic, completely natural weed control. Safe 'N Simpleî 9-0-0 provides weed control and an excellent source of slow-release nitrogen, 9% nitrogen by weight, in an easy to spread crumble form. When spread at the recommended rate Safe 'N Simpleî 9-0-0 provides 4 lbs. of nitrogen/ 1,000 square feet. Nitrogen is released as microorganisms break down in the soil. Available in 25 & 50 lb. bags. * Size and Price: 25 lbs - $29.9950 lbs - $47.99 * Quantity: 1 Safe 'N Simpleî Farm, Field & Pasture Food Safe 'N Simpleî Farm, Field & Pasture Food 5-1-5 is an all-purpose natural fertilizer containing soybean and alfalfa meals, nutrient rich organic plant material that will enhance the soil, increase soil biological activity, and provide needed nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for healthy lush plant growth. Recycling plant material back into the soil is natureâÂÂs way of replenishing nutrients and rebuilding soils. Conventional synthetic fertilizers supply plant nutrients. Safe 'N Simpleî 5-1-5 provides plant nutrition and promotes a healthy soil ecosystem. Farm, Field & Pasture Food nutrients are derived from soybean meal, alfalfa meal, fish meal, and sulfate of potash-magnesia. * Size and Price: 50 lbs - $26.99 * Quantity: 1 Safe 'N Simpleî Lawn Food 6��"2��"4 Safe 'N Simpleî Lawn Food is a natural based fertilizer containing soybean, alfalfa, and fish meals, organic materials that enhance the soil, increase soil biological activity, and provide needed nutrients for a thick healthy green lawn. Recycling plant material back into the soil is nature's way of replenishing nutrients and rebuilding soils in natural habitats. Conventional synthetic fertilizers supply plant nutrients. Safe 'N Simpleî 6-2-4 provides plant nutrition and promotes a healthy soil ecosystem. The key to long term lawn success is a healthy soil environment. Available in 50lb. bags * Size and Price: 50 lbs - $26.99 ...

I have a 15 yr old lawn of Kentucky Blue-Rye. That's the very pretty, but more finicky or fragile type of grass. (I love it though.) I used synthetic fertilizers for yrs, even sometimes pre-emrgents, but when my lawn became compacted, when it became impossible to deliver the correct am't of water and get it to penetrate, when overwaterihng resulted in an invasion by June Bug grubs (combatted with beneficial nematodes successfully) , I re-thought my strategy of lawn care and went organic about a yr ago. I read Teaming with Microbes, and got some ideas to start with, although I'm not inclined to do the hot composting and get involved in all the aeration equipment and stuff to make "teas" - I have come up with some pretty good practices - my lawn is looking much better, and it'a all organic now!!! I use an alfalfa based lawn fertilizer, I've applied humic acid by hose-end sprayer, and I've applied redwood compost (last yr), then fir bark compost (this yr). I also had it aerated, which I hope to be able to avoid as my soil improves. I've used both "green" (alfalfa) and "brown" (bark compost) b/c the book explains the need for both fungally dominated material and bacterially dominated mat'l, so some of each. I do not want to go to the expense and trouble of getting lab tests, so I'm just playing it safe with both kinds. Is there something else I might want to add to my lawn? I read about corn meal... I'm thinking of overseeding with a type of grass that may be tougher and easier to live with(I have a mowing service, and there seems to be no stopping them from mowing when the rain has made it downright soggy, something I would never do myself since it worsens the compaction I'm trying to aleviate...) Any suggestions about type of grass? Should I apply the fir bark one more time this yr, and can I seed on top of it?