Lawn guy ?

[bassfan586]

Ok here what I need advice on.  I bought a forclosed home last summer.  Nobody ever lived in in and no lawn was ever put in.  What lawn there is was put in 2005.  There is some grass and lots of weed.  AS I mowed it and tried controling the weeds moregrass has popped up.  I also did a little seeding.  I have until june 1 to get a lwn in.  I like the idea of sod but not the expense.  Also I don't like the idea of tilling u my yard to reseed as I don't want to deal with straw mus ect....  Does anyone no of a guy or service they recomend to take a look at my yard to see if it can be saved?  Top coat reseed ect.  I need to get a sprinkler system in yet too.  Thsnks for any feedback

Brad

[thedude]

rent a bobcat for a few hours and grade off the weeds. have the hyrdro-seed guys come in and hit it. no straw necessary. comes up pretty quick from what i've seen.

[Durand Dan]

Ok here what I need advice on.  I bought a forclosed home last summer.  Nobody ever lived in in and no lawn was ever put in.  What lawn there is was put in 2005.  There is some grass and lots of weed.  AS I mowed it and tried controling the weeds moregrass has popped up.  I also did a little seeding.  I have until june 1 to get a lwn in.  I like the idea of sod but not the expense.  Also I don't like the idea of tilling u my yard to reseed as I don't want to deal with straw mus ect....  Does anyone no of a guy or service they recomend to take a look at my yard to see if it can be saved?  Top coat reseed ect.  I need to get a sprinkler system in yet too.  Thsnks for any feedback

Brad

Where are you located?

[bassfan586]

Washington twp.  My wife is set on sod.  My back and wallet saw no.  But I do like the idea of instant gratification.  I just think that there is more grass there and it may take a little work.  I'm cool with that.

[fuzzygrub1611]

 Hydro seed is a great way to go to save money. If you want to seed look for a company called Rhino seed. They have a mix called Economix. Low cost and grows like crazy. I work for City of Livonia doing landscape work for 20+ years and used alot of that mix. Good luck.

[bassfan586]

Thanks for the ideas .  Anyone ever try hydro seed?

[Bassgeek]

It works. the mulch thats used in it is pretty much the same as the blown in insulation- chopped up newspaper. so if you have a small area that needs patched later throw down some seed and spread the blown in insulation on it and then water it lightly to keep the mulch on the ground.

[bassfan586]

Would  have till till up my existing grass or top coat with top soil then hydro seed?

[Redbone]

I would recommend hydro seed, unless you have some more than an acre of area to seed.  I have watched all kind of people try all different methods over the last few years and that works the best.  In the spring or fall you can have grass in a little over a week, maybe two.  Sod looks good instantly.  But you shouldn't walk on it.  You have to water it constantly so it takes to the original soil. Not to mention its price. You have to water hydro seed alot but not as much. Hand seeding shouldn't even be an option.  Ask my neighbor across my street who is on his 4th try in 5 years to get a good lawn.  He didnt get hydro seed because he didnt want to spend the money... Lets just say He's spent more money on roundup and seed than I did, and I have drank several cases of beer watching him work on his weed patch of a front yard. Unless your doing a small area hand seeding should be out of the question.

The biggest problem your going to have is getting rid of the existing lawn/weeds.  I would do the roundup thing and kill everything, good grass, bad weeds, roots and all. Rake it clean with a metal rake(it will suck, but well worth it) and have the hydro guys come in and spray. A bobcat would be easy but pricey, and you have to worry about keeping a "good" grade with no pockets that will hold puddles of water. And you really want to keep your topsoil in place. Although its weedy I'm sure its still clean dirt.

A sprinkling system should be on the bottom of your list.  Sure... your lawn will look better. And you wont have hoses around the house. But you will be mowing all the time . And they can install it in a day or two and you cant even tell someone dug trenches through your yard. Have that installed in the fall when they are not as busy... I'm sure you can get a cheaper price than in the spring. 

Good luck. 

P.S. This has got to be my longest post to date.

[Firefighter Jeff]

LOLOL  Kris, and it wasn't even about fishing !!!!

[bassfan586]

Thank you for the long and informative post.  I'm leaning toward the hydro for sure.  I had no idea you could put in a sprinkler system in an existing yard without ripping it all up.