replacing large portions of lawn


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Old 06-24-17, 08:58 AM
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replacing large portions of lawn

We had a weird die-out a few years ago and went to a lot of trouble to bring in dirt and re-seed the dead spots. This was a large area, about 12x12. It appeared possibly related to something falling from the neighbor's tree that arches over our lawn. Anyway, after the new grass came up, we could see the new grass in the seeded areas does not match the rest of the lawn. It is very fine, soft, and thick and flattens down when you walk on it. But at least it is all green. How I ended up with this is beyond me--it was just a big box store bag that appeared to be typical seed types.

A couple of weeks ago, we had extended heat and drought and a lot of the lawn dried out. Worse, the newly-seeded area dried out much worse than the rest and is very noticeable. It is silvery and laid over. I have been watering regularly, but it is still very ugly. So I am wondering about killing off the new stuff and starting over--trying to get seed that will better match the rest of the lawn.

I'm wondering the best way to do this and get a nice looking lawn without using roundup and without just hiring someone with large equipment to remove the whole lawn.
 
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Old 06-24-17, 10:34 AM
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Unless you want the old grass coming back an application of roundup would work to get a fresh start.

You are going to have to identify the type of grass you have vs what "generic" krap you bought from HD.

Take a sample to a real landscape business and they can help.
 
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Old 06-26-17, 09:00 AM
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My best guess is what you planted was mostly rye, as it's the variety which tends to germinate the fastest.

I would simply overseed once temps come down again in late August.
 
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Old 06-28-17, 05:06 PM
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problem grass

Much of this looks dead. I'm wondering about digging it out.
 
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Old 06-28-17, 05:12 PM
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problem grass

Also wondering what variety this is.
 
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Old 06-28-17, 05:30 PM
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Looks like dead rye to me.

Re-seed again when the temps die down in late August or early September.
 
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Old 06-29-17, 05:30 AM
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New, young grass of all varieties has thinner blades and is more easily laid down by walking on it. Most varieties of grass will thicken and get tougher as they age. It sounds like you started your new lawn too late in the season. Fall is the best time of year or in early spring. You need to get the grass established well enough to survive the heat and dryness of summer.

Many grass mixes from big box stores contain a blend. Often the blend includes rye which germinates quickly to help hold the soil and other seed in place. Rye cannot withstand warmer temperatures and dies out in the heat of summer. If planted at the proper time the other grasses, usually Fescue, have taken hold so the loss of the rye is no big issue.

Don't dig anything out. Much of the seed you planted might still be lying dormant waiting for conditions to improve. At this point there is not much you can do without great effort and very frequent watering so I'd wait until early September to overseed or replant.
 
 

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