Newbie needing lots of help. Pics included

A forum to learn and discuss the importance of lawn care basics
Post Reply
Cbarn025
Posts: 1
Joined: June 7th, 2017, 7:01 pm
Location: Southern, Va
Grass Type: I don't know
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Newbie needing lots of help. Pics included

Post by Cbarn025 » June 7th, 2017, 8:04 pm

Hi, guys im new here. Recenrly bought my first hoyse in Southern Virginia. It was a foreclosure and the owners before us didnt care at all about the yard. Ive spent the last few weeks pulling all kinds of garbage out of the woods line and filling in holes in the yard. My son and i love to run around outside and i didnt want to roll an ankle in a hole.m so thats what the spots of black soil are. I used scotts topsoil to fill the holes in. It was the chespest thing they had. So my question is where do i start? Lol. The grass is really patchy, theres lots of red clay in the yard, the yard us uneven as well. Should i plant seeds now or wait till the spring? Do i just need to till the entire yard? I just wsnt nice thick grass i can walk barefoot in.

STL
Posts: 385
Joined: August 30th, 2016, 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Mo
Grass Type: TTTF
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Newbie needing lots of help. Pics included

Post by STL » June 7th, 2017, 9:46 pm

Welcome. I'd start by reading the articles on this site and getting a soil test through Logan labs. The experts here can interpret it and give you a great step by step plan to amend the soil.

Look into what kind of grass you want and how much effort you willing to put into it with maintenance, water,
etc. Southern VA is the transition zone, which means you could probably do warm season or cool season grass. Turf type tall fescue would work well in that area.

Then make a plan to get said grass down. If you go cool season, you're going to want to wait until the fall to seed. Cooler fall temps give it the best chance to establish and the following spring to grow. It's tough keeping young grass alive in summer.

I wouldn't till. Been there, done that. Too much work and it usually ends up bumpy. Just level what you need to and start on the other stuff above.

User avatar
Dchall_San_Antonio
Posts: 3341
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Advanced

Re: Newbie needing lots of help. Pics included

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » June 13th, 2017, 4:04 pm

DO NOT TILL.

Do you have a budget to stay below for your new lawn hobby?

Fronta1
Posts: 87
Joined: June 14th, 2017, 3:29 am
Location: Michigan city, in
Grass Type: Tall fescue
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Newbie needing lots of help. Pics included

Post by Fronta1 » June 25th, 2017, 8:21 am

Definitely get a soil test and it will give you recommended amendments and fertilization. Your grass is only as good a your soil. As far as the bumpiness you might try a liquid aerifier such as soil moist. And topdress with organic matter. This will lighten up the soil and help smooth out over time. You can fill in if you need to but this may require you to reseed. Good luck!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests