I need lawncare help due to weeds overtaking vol I got the worst yard in the neighborhood

[scientific method]

I am new to home ownership and know nothing about lawn care. I have talked to a few people and gotten different answers. My lawn seems to be about 50% weeds and 50% grass. What is the best way to kill the weeds and keep the grass intact? I have heard I should buy a sod cutter and cut them up, I have heard just buy rolls of sod and roll it over the top of them, I have heard just kill it all and plant new Bermuda seeds when the summer comes, or to go out there and pull them by hard after it rains and the ground is soft, or to get a company to come out and spray that green stuff on my lawn. I have NO idea but no I need to do something.

Any of them might work, but which is best in my situation where I have about .5 of an acre and like I said, at least half is weeds.

I have the worst lawn in the development, I don't want to be THAT dude, that house. I am on the corner too so everyone sees it when they come and go.

 

[megatron]

Get the sod, You bought a new house, you wanna start it off

right??
[h1]Planting Grass Seeds VS Laying Sod[/h1]You want to plant a lawn, but don’t know whether to plant grass seed or lay sod.  Which works better?  Which will give you the best long-term results?  Depending upon where you live, one will work better than the other.  Here’s how to decide which lawn building technique will be best for you.[h2]Benefits and Drawbacks of Lawn Sod[/h2]Sod provides a homeowner with an instant lawn, and that is hard to beat.  It does require constant maintenance after installation.  Sod must be kept watered, and the homeowner needs to keep an eye on it to ensure that no fungal diseases are invading the lawn.  (Characterized by large dead circular shaped patches in the lawn.)  Prior to installation, the ground upon which the sod will be installed needs to be raked and leveled, and all weeds removed.   Sod is also more expensive than grass seed and must be installed on the day it is cut for it to be healthy.  A homeowner can prepare and plant grass seed his or her own lawn, but it is better to hire a professional to lay sod.  Never purchase a few squares of sod from a large home and garden store, because there is a great chance that it has been sitting for more than a day, and may or may not root well.  Sod works well for homeowners in either the north or the south—areas with cold winters and hot summers, or areas with mild winters and hot summers.[h2]Benefits and Drawbacks of Planting Grass Seed[/h2]Planting grass seed is easier than sodding, if you live in areas where grass grows well from seed.  It is certainly less expensive, and requires about the same amount of maintenance after planting.  Seeded lawns must be watered frequently, but not deeply, to keep the seed moist during germination.  Food traffic must be strictly limited until the grass is at least two inches tall.  Seeded lawns grow best in the north, where there are hot summers and cold winters.  Bluegrass and rye are good types of grass seed for lawns.  In the south, where St.Augustine grass, Zoysiagrass and Bermuda are popular turf, sod is better for establishment.  If you seed your lawn and it rains, the germination pattern can end up being quite irregular, and you may need to overseed several times.[h2]Lawn Installation Costs[/h2]The cost of installing a lawn does vary depending upon how much work a homeowner is willing to do himself.  It also depends upon the market.  Price of sod can run between $0.50-$1.00 per square foot, with installation running between $150 and $300 per pallet.  Grass seed costs about $0.01 per square foot.  Installation varies widely depending upon the method used.  Seed can be spread with rotary spreaders, or can be blown out of a hose with a material that keeps it in place.  The cost of professional seeding is much lower than sodding, as it is less labor-intensive, and requires less energy to transport the materials.  (Enough sod for 5,000 square feet would take tractor-trailers to transport.)Deciding which method of lawn installation is best for you depends upon the amount of money you wish to spend and your location.  Both sod and grass seed produce lush, healthy lawns under the right conditions.

 

[phyzxs]

The best thing to do is first rototill your lawn, rake all the weeds n old grass away, flatten the dirt n lay new sod.

 

[solesavage]

If you have the money, go with synthetic grass.

 

[scientific method]

Thanks for that. Knowing me, I'll probably go the cheapest route since I have to install a woof fence too. I am already getting ripped off living alone (don't know why I pay 200$ a month tax). I think I am going to buy a hand shovel and at least pull and cut the tallest ones until I get ready to plant seeds or lay sod.

 

[bean pie slanga]

That's kind of a trip to see a strip mall across the street from a new housing community like that. Midwest?

Anywho, what PhyzXs said. We just did that process to my brother's lawn and his only looked half as bad as yours.

 

[mojodmonky1]

Originally Posted by Scientific Method

Thanks for that. Knowing me, I'll probably go the cheapest route since I have to install a woof fence too. I am already getting ripped off living alone (don't know why I pay 200$ a month tax). I think I am going to buy a hand shovel and at least pull and cut the tallest ones until I get ready to plant seeds or lay sod.

by yourself with a hand shovel?

dude... just hire a gardening crew.  depending on the area, it cant be more than $100-200 for them to tear it up.  shoot my pops has a gardening company in orange county, CA (expensive cost of living) and i dont think he would charge much more than $200 to send his crew out to tear up an entire lawn and till the soil.

  

 

[scientific method]

I live in Oklahoma, and that is a VERY small complex. Maybe it looks bigger in the photo, but it is just a joke of a gym (like 3 treadmills and some Nautilus machines) and a Real Estate Office and I think a cell phone place. I am new to this city, don't know if the retail building was there first or the neighborhood, but the neighborhood is new since late 2010 so probably the retail and then there's a bank behind it. There's cow pasture across the street from me the other direction behind those house, ironically also directly behind a McDonald's which is likely their ultimate destiny.

Word Mojo? I was imagining it would be like a 1000. My lot is approximately a half an acre. Is it the right season for this though?

 

[mojodmonky1]

just the lawn is 20,000+sq ft? hmmmm i may need to reassess this as most tract homes around here dont have that kinda space.

Still. If it was a 3 man crew, I cant imagine it would take more than an hour to maybe 2hr tops to tear everything out if they have the equipment. Even if you broke it down to $30/hr per worker (which would cover labor, supplies, and profit built in, since the illegal day laborer isnt taking home anywhere near $30/hr) thats still under $200.

honestly, id call around, or better yet, ask your neighbor who manages their lawn (assuming that people dont take care of it themselves).

 

[scientific method]

If I go the seeds route, how long will my yard be just dirt and mud (since it'll be wet constantly) before I get some grass? Also, couldn't I have them keep the squares that are weed free and reuse those and thus save some square footage worth I don't have to seed?

 

[ins]

LOL where is the NT whose lawn was torn apart by the dude and a CAT.

 

[cincoseisdos]

classic

http://niketalk.yuku.com/...rewed-Update-pg-5?page=1

 

[651akathepaul]

I was prepared to see a jungle. That really isn't all that bad. Just get to work and if you can afford the sod, go that route. It will look awesome.

 

[scientific method]

Oh it is, doesn't look as bad in the photos somehow. It is embarassing and hurts my feelings every time I see it, especially in comparison to everyone else's lawns. I have everything you don't want; dandelions, those ones you blow and make a wish, 4 leaf clovers, that ugly +%% lavender flower thing, something that looks kind of like a vine, and a bunch more I don't know the name of. I guess I have to do whatever I got to do. I hate parting ways with my money right now

 

[atlien seeko]

Originally Posted by Bean Pie Slanga


That's kind of a trip to see a strip mall across the street from a new housing community like that. Midwest?

Anywho, what PhyzXs said. We just did that process to my brother's lawn and his only looked half as bad as yours.

Exactly what I was thinking. No buffer zone.

 

[scientific method]

Dude, it's this place

+ a personal office

 

[breezylocks]

real life...

you should see if you can hire some dudes to just take out your whole grass since it had a lot of weeds and dead areas...

then just mess with seed since its cheaper...

what my dad did to our backyard, was go to my uncles house whose gras was nice pull out some patches (root and all) and plant it in our backyard... it worked...

just water it and stuff

 

[651akathepaul]

Sod is the quick route and even though it will look beautiful, it is expensive.

Just till your yard to expose all the soil, dampen it some and rake it so it's smooth. Plant some seed and water daily (looks like you live in a desert so I'm assuming no rain). Get excited about the challenge and you'll be maintaining your yard every damn day once you get the ball rolling. Should be a nice little project. Enjoy!

 

[vendetta]

Take a weekend and pull what you can. Rototil once you're satisfied that you got a majority of the weeds out. Then proceed to plant new seeds. Probably the cheapest way to actually deal with the situation.

 

[scientific method]

Thank you everyone for your help. I somehow expected tons of bad jokes and flaming. So far, I have just gotten a shovel and sprayed everything with that kill a weed stuff.

 

[mr s j king]

Completely scalp the yard. A riding mower can get extremely low (found out when i accidentally scalped half my yard with one).
Then get a Scotts spreader, some weed&feed, and then Wal-mart has a store brand grass supplement called "Lawn Food".
Its made by Scotts for Wal-mart, and it will have your grass thick and green.
I would get up at like 5am, spread the seeds so they could get in the grass while it was wet from the dew.
That prevented a lot of watering that usually misses some spots, unless you have a sprinkler system.
Another thing is, if there is a pasture nearby, that is going to cause a heavy weed issue for you.
The seeds from the weeds in the pasture will blow into your yard, so weed and feed 3-4 times a year.
Also you can go to a feed store and get this stuff called MSNA, and spray it all over your yard.
Kills weeds to the roots, and allows the yard to grow.

 

[tsamshox]

Ol' bringing down the property value of the neighborhood type boy

naw j/k but fix that @#*$ I hate neighbors who don't upkeep their property...

 

[odog24]

go to home depot and rent a tiller take out everything till its dirt.

get a 2x4 and level the lawn then plant some seeds and put fertilizer so u get that natural advantage.

u dont need a professional crew to install some simple grass just hire a worker fromhome depot to help you out or ask one of ur boys to help you.

 

[rusty shackelford]

Do you live in New Mexico?Your area looks like Breaking Bad 
Like that strip mall across your house has one of these-