After spending way too much time and effort in trying to wrestle my yard into shape without a plan and getting nowhere, I'm turning to you to help steer my first attempted renovation.
My Background:
- Location - Southeast, PA
- Corner Lot, approximately 10.3k sqft of yard space
- Completely new to lawncare as of December 2018
- I have basic lawncare tools (e.g. push mower, hand pump sprayer, broadcast spreader)
- No sprinkler system, just a garden hose - my area usually gets between 1 - 1.5 inches of rain per week
- Existing soil seems to be mostly clay
- Targeted reno area (see attached picture) comprises only crabgrass
- Renovate only the backyard (~2.3k sqft of pure crabgrass) to keep scope manageable
- Not go bankrupt in the process as the list of home expenses are large enough as it is
- 1 application of Scott's pre-emergent (which seems like I incorrectly timed due to how much of my lawn is crabgrass, ground ivy, and other misc. weeds)
- 1 application of Scott's GrubEx
- 2 applications of lime in back yard in an attempt to reduce soil acidity (suspected acidity due to significant growth of moss before crabgrass took over entirely, and confirmed with a pH meter)
- Mow (mulching, not bagging) twice a week @3.75" for the existing grass
I want to do a complete renovation of just my back yard and attack the front/side yards in a later season to keep the work manageable. After lurking through quite a few posts in ATY, I've decided to do the following:
- Aug 25: Glyphosate the entire reno area
- Aug 28: Mow reno area in lowest possible setting
- Aug 29 - Sept 3: Water lawn frequently to promote weed growth
- Sept 4: Glyphosate any new growth
- Sept 7: Spread a 1/4" layer of leaf compost
- Sept 14: Spread SS6000 Shady Mixture from seedsuperstore, then spray a layer of tenacity on top, lay down milorganite at bag rate, and roll over to ensure seed/soil contact
- Sept 14+: 3x daily, 5min watering to keep soil moist
Any advice for the new kid on the block?