So I've been reading the forum and trying to figure out what my next move is. Any help is appreciated! Here's the deal:
Moved into our 1970's house about 5 years ago. We have a lot of mature Oak's on the property, so it's a bit shady except for 1/3 of the back and the side yard which has a southern exposure. My first priority was to get rid of a LOT of the lawn (the whole lot was tree or lawn) and the little tutu of pink rock and straggly sun-loving shrubs surrounding the front of the house (horrors!). I gardened for about 4 years and now have decided the lawn deserves some attention.
Last year we hired a chemical-based service because I couldn't ever seem to get rid of all the weeds (
dandelions, clover, a little medic, plantains, etc but mostly dandelions). I fundamentally didn't like that and am now trying to get on an organic program. The soil is super compacted. My lawn is mostly fescues of some kind in the shade and fescue/KBG in the sunny areas.
SO. Since I have 2 little kids and no time and no way to get a rented machine here, I just paid an organic
lawn care company to "renovate" my lawn. This entailed double core aeration (meaning twice-over) followed by overseeding and alfalfa fertilizer and a dressing of lime pellets.
I deeply watered in prep for the aeration. When I asked the guy today what kind of seed it was he said "sun seed". Ok, what the heck does that mean - he doesn't know he's apparently just the dude-running-the-machine/spreader.
I knew this would bring up more weed seeds but I figured we needed to loosen the soil and get the bare spots / thin areas growing.
Now I've been reading the forum and thinking maybe I just wasted my money. Or at least signed up for a whole lot of work this month.
So I know I need to
water a lot until the seed germinates.
Today I also ordered 7 million units of beneficial nematodes, 20 lbs of milky spore (for broadcast), and 4 lbs of Mycorrhizae to cover my 4000 sq. ft.
There was no top dressing with anything, but I could at least go out there and rake in the seed and throw a little soil around the bare spots from the "dirt pile" on the north side of the house.
I can tell Paul, in his pithy way, will tell me if I wasted my money, so let's hear it, Mr. W.
Anything else I
should do now? When it's ready to fertilize what should I use? Once it's set up and germinated, I'm all for the cheap and easy methods, btw.
Oh wise denizens of the lawn care forum, bestow your knowledge upon me - I beseech you!