lawn advice

I currently have about 6k foot back yard with Dandilyons, 2 decaying stumps and lots of bumps and lumps in it
on the one side we have Lilacs that our aunt gave us a few years ago and the big decaying stump on the opposite side is a decaying stump that has a big hole in the middle.
I have been using the hole for my lawn clippings for the past 3 or so years.
we do have Mushrooms growing in the lawn as well as lots and lots of dandelions.
I have been using a weed hound to remove the dandilyons as well as using about 10 ml's of vinegar on each one
some times befor I remove as well as in the hole after i take them out

I did find that the Mass university? did soil testing for under $15.00
when the results came back, I sent a copy to my local Master Gardener annex
The recommended that i use Lilly Miller for the NPK ratio. It has been great for the grass. On the other hand we still have the weeds and mushrooms
I do have a 4yo that plays in the back yard.
I do have pictures that I can share as well as pictures of grass/root/dirt that I can send as well.
I do not want to dig up or add dirt at this time. just trying to get ideas on how to remove the dandelions as well as make the grass healthy Kid/pet/ and planet safe.
thank you

Hey Matt, welcome to the forum.

I would try to embrace the dandelions as they are probably happy there because your lawn has gotten compacted.

rather than spend time killing them, and then spend time aerating, and then spend money over seeding, you could just let the plants do all the work for you and then eat them! It is not as if the dandelions are a threat to your children, if you had a thistle invasion that would be different.

When I hear that you are pouring vinegar on dandelions, it makes me hungry for a salad.

Now for the mushrooms, that could be more dangerous for the kids but I will leave it to someone else as I do not have any good ideas for getting rid of mushrooms.

Welcome again!

thanks for the advice and I live in Tacoma, WA
I am one of those that need to be neet and tidy in the yard.
I do have lawn shoes that i bought a few years back
I do not work and have no access to a vehicle to access a lawn aerator.
so I make due with my weed hound at this time
and I also need to use my spikes more often
I do keep the mower high when I mow the back yard
where all the weeds are.
hard to keep nice when there are areas of weeds that are over 2 or so inches and choke up the grass.
thanks again for the very warm welcome

You might research your spike shoes before using them too much as they may be contributing to compaction rather than aerating. In a horticulture class I took the instructor said that using solid tines to aerate would actually do the opposite since the wall of the holes produced were compacted rather than sliced. Most legit aeration is done with slit or hollow tines. Here is a short article that goes over types of tines, and some different ways to go about it other than renting the machines.

Another idea that comes to mind, that I saw a lot of in Portland, is actually seeding 'weeds' at such a volume throughout the lawn that it creates a homogenized look like a traditional grass only lawn, but is a poly culture mix of a few things. This seems odd at first, but can result in healthier grass that requires less inputs of water and fertilizer. For example my lawn is a tragedy in traditional standards but it is completely green and lush, while all my neighbors lawns are still brown, and I literally would never spray water on it for any reason.

No matter what you end up doing I applaud you thinking this out rather than just spraying herbicide because it is easy and commonly done.

thanks that also gives me some Ideas
since I do need lots of help I might just as well see how much a local landscaper will charge me to aerate my lawn and then I can spend a day or two cleaning up the plugs as well as getting some seed down. might be cheaper but very time consuming to do it by hand. (hand areatgers) small and compact

Mushrooms are a sign of healthy soil! You're doing something right. I teach my kids from an early age not to eat mushrooms and we all happily coexist. It's really fun to kick and stomp on mushrooms, you can teach the kid to do that. It doesn't hurt the mushroom's main part, the underground part, and it is something to do with them that isn't eating.

thanks for the reply, my wife and I do not like the dandelions in the lawn and the mushrooms as well, I do try to dig out most of them
on the other hand the weeds are the problem and I do not have money to rent or buy a core aerator at this time. I have been trying to use my weed hound and pull them out
I do have pictures and do not know how to link them here so I can always email if you like
thanks

Piling onto what Zach was saying, I put some lawn in my back yard that is grass mixed with yarrow, daisies, clover, chamomile, and a collection of other things. It looks astonishingly even, especially after a mow.

Here's a thread, with pictures.

https://permies.com/t/30772/lawn/Fleur-deLawn-rest-lawn-comparison

looks nice on the other hand we will stick with the Pacific Northwest blend
still want to revive and keep the weeds out