For my yard ?

[craigh]

Hi ... I'm new here and to the garden world , first time home buyer . Any ways I'm curious what's best to get an natural green yard ? At the moment I have way to many weeps and I believe I need to dig them all out one at a time and replace with top soil . My question is what's a really good fertilizer and grass seeds to use for my yard ? I would assume its your basic yard dirt like everyone else usually has .

Thanks

[Countryboy]

Well welcome to the forum.

Wouldn't we all like to have a natural green yard. What's the best method to get there??? There's probably as many methods as there is gardeners.

First of all, enter 'lawn' in the search bar at the top right of this page and read some of the appropriate articles. A lot of questions will be answered thru them. At the very least, u will learn some of the basics.

Better to assume nothing. It's remarkably easy to dig down in the lawn area and find out exactly what kind of soil is there.

[ViridianFields]

Hmm, you used the work 'natural green' and then 'lawn' in the next sentence. This implies that you either want a mediocre lawn, or not a lawn at all. Monocultures of grass are NOT natural. There should at least be some clover in there... but yeah, if you're looking for a nice lawn just google it, there should be some million or so pages on everyone's opinion about how to get (or not get) a great lawn.

Seriously, gardens are easier than lawns. At least to make it look good is easier... I'm in the process of tearing up lawn in my yard to reduce the maintenance.

[Eeyore]

I'd agree that it's easier to keep a garden than a lawn but to answer your question you may find that you will need to replace your sod entirely. It depends on how old the lawn is and how compacted the soil is. Do you have any idea of when the lawn was put in? Are there bare patches of just dirt and weeds or is it a case of having weeds IN the lawn? Does the lawn feel bumpy when you walk on it or is it nice and smooth? All of these things are going to affect how you will go about getting a better lawn.

pst! Welcome to Canadian Gardening Forums!

[Countryboy]

Of course it's easier to keep a garden rather than a lawn. That's why we all have gardens covering our yards everywhere in North America . . . and not lawns.

[Eeyore]

It's certainly a lot more fun! That's why we have no more lawn in the back yard.

[ViridianFields]

Okay, I need to admit something here... I'm allergic to grass, so I'm sort of biased

Sorry for jumping down your throat (reading my post back it seems like I did). Not a good way to start off...

Now I'll actually be helpful Amazing, I know (I sometimes amaze myself also)...

If you don't already have a lawn, start by digging out all the weeds and make sure the soil is good (you could also top-dress with 4 - 6 inches of good soil after getting rid of the larger weeds, the depth of soil will smother any seedlings and smaller plants). You want the soil to drain quickly but retain moisture. I found this article about seeding a lawn (and it's right on the money)... http://www.rd.com/19518/article19518.html A good quality grass seed mixture will go very far in getting a good lawn, they generally have a mix of a few different grass types (generally a range of different turf grasses, some coarser, some finer) and sometimes contain some clover which seems to help the lawn grasses along. If you already have grass growing, dig out the weeds, aerate the lawn, and apply a good fertilizer (I've had excellent results with the Scott's brand, just make sure you follow the directions). Water deeply once a week in hot, dry weather (like, really REALLY soak it), and make sure your mower blades are razor sharp (you can take them in to get them sharpened). Don't cut the grass too short as this will stress the plants and cause you headaches in the long run (and grass competes with weeds better when it's longer, plus it's more comfy on bare feet!).

(and welcome to the forum! Don't mind me, I get testy sometimes )

[Scrapinthehat]

Flower beds require the big spring clean up, but are typically less work than grass throughout the rest of the season (assuming you don't plant aggressive plants or those requiring a lot of deadheading, etc). Plus it sure looks nicer.

I think people often plant grass because that is what everyone else does.....and it is easier to plant grass than plan and plant a flower garden. Having said that, a combo of both is a nice compromise.

[ViridianFields]

Even in the process of ripping up grass to plant lower maintenance (an more attractive) plants, I am still keeping a fair amount because it just looks right (a good border surrounding a nice healthy lawn looks amazing, specially if the lawn is just slightly wild looking).

[NikosSod]

Welcome to the gardening world Craigh!

Great comments above me - although I disagree with some of them...

Lawn care can be extremely time consuming, unless you follow seasonal guidelines. You might decide to hire someone to do it for you - this service is often inexpensive, and takes a load of responsibility off your back, allowing you to enjoy a healthy green lawn.
If you care for the lawn by yourself, and follow a proper maintenance plan, you can have the nicest lawn with less than 30 minutes of work a week (unless you garden is really big...)

About your lawn:

1. How large is your garden? I strongly advise against seeding an area larger than 100 square feet - with out pesticides, you will not be able to handle the weeds, which will grow much faster than grass seeds. Consider Sodding http://bit.ly/93CmNe - you can do it by yourself or have a professional to do it for you.
2. Getting rid of weeds - try to use natural weed killers - like vinegar - it goes a long way killing weeds, and makes your life a whole lot easier! Never use chemicals or pesticides.
3. Fresh soil - any garden, or lawn, starts with a good foundation - avoid using top soil; it is plain, and nutrients-poor. Triple mix or Grow max soil will deliver remarkable results in the color and the health of your garden/lawn. Here's a link about Grow-Max soil: http://wp.me/pSoKt-t
4. Lawn or Garden? If your garden is fairly large, and your budget is limited, the most important thing to do is to make a plan - consult a gardener about what could be done with your garden. Draw the plan, and implement it step by step. You don't have to have a complete garden tomorrow - and well built gardens begin with careful planning, and step by step implementation.

Hope this helps!

Niko.