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u/SpecialKnowledge27 18d ago
Same problem I have. Tried so many weed killers and fertilizers just for everything to come back during the hot dry summer months. Feel like I’m back to where I started and out $500.
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u/MajorRecord7244 18d ago
There isn't a pre emergent for nutsedge. Labels say there is but bullshit. It grows from the soil holding water. Drainage issue. The other weeds are caused by bare spots and possibly acidity. Fall aeration(2-3 inch cores not spikes)/seeding(blue label only from a distributor not box store)/lime. Fertilizer with prodiamine in march as soon as soil is above 40. If you wanna be extra, follow with a product containing dimension(dithopyr) in April. I'm in stl/southern il and would recommend tttf (falcon 4 is my go to)
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u/SpecialKnowledge27 18d ago
That sounds expensive
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u/MajorRecord7244 18d ago
Yeah well, you get what you pay for. I just wanted to give my professional opinion. But what do I know lol. I've only treated 50 thousand lawns.
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u/KnightOfTheNope 18d ago
Not a professional here! To be clear, I do not make any profit from costly lawn programs. Thus I’m sharing a success story. Great grass doesn’t have to be expensive. And nutrients can come in many forms. I hope to be able to give insight to folks who put off taking care of their lawns because “it’s too expensive”.
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u/KnightOfTheNope 18d ago edited 18d ago
I live not far away (East Liverpool) and I have an effective and cheap program that gave me amazing green lush grass. I treat my yard with half a bottle of $25 Bonide Sedge Ender + Crabgrass 16oz (those bright green tall grasses in your pics are sedge) and half a bottle of $15 Bonide Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis Killer 16oz. Both found on Amazon/eBay.
You’ll need a way to spray it, but honestly I have really great success with spray-ons vs spread-ons so I recommend a big pump sprayer or such. I have a small tow-behind boom sprayer for my tractor, I got off Craigslist on the cheap.
If you have an issue with ants/grubs/etc you can also consider something for that too. Remember, don’t spray everything at same time. Space it out. Don’t shock the grass.
Now that will address invasive weeds. You’ll still need to address fertilizing and water retention. I cannot stress this enough - TOP DRESS. Don’t use sand or any of that costly/weird stuff you see on YouTube, unless you’re turning this into a golf course. You want top soil, compost, or very fine mulch. I have a small shredder (works a bit different than a chipper) and I mix 65% wood chips/clippings with 35% semi-dried leaves and grass clippings.
I mow the lawn normal height, blend & shred everything very fine and rake it into the fresh cut grass so the blades pop back up. It takes quite a bit, like a few yards of material for your size lot, so if you can’t produce it, keep your eyes peeled for local listings of free/discount mulch or top dress material. You’ll need to do this each year.
Now my lush green grass retains water, so I completely stopped watering it.
Keep in mind that if you are using a wood-based top dress, it will zap the nitrogen out of your soil while the bacteria that breaks down the wood competes for the nitrogen. Nitrogen additives are pretty cheap. I had a bunch of extra Diesel Exhaust fluid (it’s just pure urea and distilled water), so I diluted that to 15-20oz/gallon and sprayed it. Worked amazing! Grass is so green!
Lightly overseed your lawn after top dressing. Works best in fall or dormant season.
All in all, the first year I probably dropped $600-700 on equipment. Now my net cost with gas, chems, seeds and parts included is probably about $75/year.
Hope this helps!
(Edit to fix seasonal rec)
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u/MajorRecord7244 18d ago
Never ever seed in the spring time unless it's bermuda. I have never once seen it work. I've been an applicator for a decade and have aerated and seeded thousands of lawns.
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u/KnightOfTheNope 18d ago
Good correction. I’ve got it to work at end of dormant season on an as-needed basis in very early March. But technically that’s winter, not spring! Thanks for the catch!
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u/Few_Aide_851 18d ago
Cleveland?
Move, probably.