Early Spring
(Easter)
- 4/5 Mow & Edge, Fertilize & Spray for Weeds
- 4/10 Mow & Edge
- 4/15 Mow & Edge
- 4/20 Mow & Edge
- 4/25 Mow & Edge
- 4/30 Mow & Edge
- 5/5 Mow & Edge
- 5/10 Mow & Edge
- 5/15 Mow & Edge
- 5/20 Mow & Edge
Late Spring
(Memorial Day)
- 5/23 Fertilize & Spray for Weeds
- 5/25 Mow & Edge
- 5/30 Mow & Edge
- 6/4 Mow & Edge
- 6/9 Mow & Edge
- 6/14 Mow & Edge
- 6/19 Mow & Edge
- 6/24 Mow & Edge
- 6/29 Mow & Edge
Independence Day
(Mid Summer)
- 7/4 Mow & Edge, Fertilize & Spray for Weeds
- 7/9 Mow & Edge
- 7/14 Mow & Edge
- 7/19 Mow & Edge
- 7/24 Mow & Edge
- 7/29 Mow & Edge
- 8/3 Mow & Edge
- 8/8 Mow & Edge
- 8/13 Mow & Edge
- 8/18 Mow & Edge
- 8/23 Mow & Edge
- 8/28 Mow & Edge
- 9/2 Mow & Edge
Labor Day
(Early Fall)
- 9/5 Fertilize & Spray for Weeds
- 9/7 Mow & Edge
- 9/12 Mow & Edge
- 9/17 Mow & Edge
- 9/22 Mow & Edge
- 9/27 Mow & Edge
- 9/29 Mow & Edge
- 10/2 Mow & Edge
- 10/7 Mow & Edge
- 10/12 Mow & Edge
- 10/17 Mow & Edge
- 10/22 Mow & Edge
- 10/27 Mow & Edge
Halloween
(Late Fall)
- 10/31 Final Mow at 2″ & Edge, Fertilize & Spray for Weeds
Hardware and Materials
The application rates noted below are based on 1,000 sq ft.
Grass Seed & Fertilizer
- 60 LB Echo Granular Spreader
- 1lb Twin City Seed TTTF Seed
- (0.75 LBS N/K) Lesco 24-0-11 Fertilizer
Weed Killer
- 4 Gal Spraymate Backpack Sprayer
- TeeJet XR11004VS
- 1.5 oz 3-Way Herbicide (1 Gal)
- 1.45 oz 18.92% Quinclorac (64 oz)
- 0.75 oz Triclopyr (32 oz)
- 1 oz (Per Gal) Methylated Seed Oil (MSO) (32 oz)
Bug Killer
Grass & Weed Killer
- 1 Gal Chapin Sprayer
- 1.5 oz 41% Glyphosate (32 oz)
- 1 oz (Per Gal) Methylated Seed Oil (MSO) (32 oz)
Fungicide
Lawn Care 2025
Scheduled Lawn Care Days
Weekly (Every 5 to 7 Days)
- Mow at 3 1/2″
- Edge borders
- Leaf blow driveway and sidewalk
As Necessary
- Apply insecticide to yard and foundation
- Apply fungicide
Early Spring (Easter)
- 4/11 – Dethatched lawn
- 4/13 – Overseeded at 2.5lbs/1,000 sq ft
- 4/13 – Fertilized (#5 – 1.22lbs n/k)
- 5/3 – Sprayed for weeds
- 5/6 – Mowed & edged
- 5/13 – Mowed & edged, sprayed insecticide
- 5/16 – Mowed & edged
Late Spring (Memorial Day)
- 5/19 – Fertilized (#5 – 1.22lbs n/k)
- 5/22 – Mowed & edged
- 5/25 – Sprayed vegetation killer into rock & mulch gardens
- 5/26 – Soil sample collected
- 5/29 – Mowed & Edged, sprayed for weeds
- 6/5 – Mowed & edged
- 6/11 – Mowed & edged, sprayed vegetation killer into driveway and sidewalk cracks. Received SOIL TEST results
- 6/13 – Sprayed fungicide
- 6/18 – Mowed & edged
- 6/24 – Mowed & edged
- 6/29 – Mowed & edged
- 7/1 – Sprayed insecticide
Independence Day (Mid Summer)
- 7/4 – Fertilized (#3 – 0.38lbs n/k)
- 7/4 Mowed & edged
- 7/9 Mowed & edged
- 7/17 Mowed & edged
- 7/23 Mowed & edged
- 7/27 Mowed & edged
- 8/2 Mowed & edged
- 8/6 Mowed & edged
- 8/12 Mowed & edged
- 8/17 Mowed & edged
- 8/23 Mowed & edged, fertilized at .80lbs Nitrogen/1,000 sq ft (#4), sprayed for weeds, sprayed for bugs.
Labor Day (Early Fall)
- Labor Day task happened a week early due to being out of town Labor Day weekend.
- 8/28 Mowed & edged
- 9/2 Mowed & edged
- 9/7 Mowed & edged
- 9/12 Mowed & edged
- 9/17 Mowed & edged
- 9/22 Mowed & edged
- 9/27 Mowed & edged
- 10/2 Mowed & edged
- 10/7 Mowed & edged
- 10/12 Mowed & edged
- 10/17 Mowed & edged
- 10/22 Mowed & edged
- 10/ 27 Mowed & edged
Halloween (Late Fall)
- Final Mow at 2″ & Edge, Fertilize and Spray for Weeds
Hardware List & Application Rates
All rates listed are per 1,000 sq ft. It is CRITICAL that you know how many sq ft your lawn is before applying any chemicals to it. At best, they will be ineffective. At worst, you will kill your lawn.
Grass Seed & Fertilizer
- ECHO 60 lbs. Heavy-Duty Spreader
- 1lb Twin City Seed Tuff Turf Lawn Seed Mixture
- I have not used this specific product yet but plan to when my current seed runs out.
- 2.08 lbs (0.50 lbs nitrogen) 50 lb Lesco 24-0-11 Fertilizer
- I have not used this specific product yet but plan to when my current fertilizer runs out.
Herbicide
- Spraymate Tornado 4 Gal Backpack Sprayer
- TeeJet XR11004VS
- 1.5 oz Ike’s Concentrate Lawn Weed Killer (1 Gal)
- 1.45 oz Drive XLR8 (64 oz)
- 0.75 oz AlliGare Triclopyr (32 oz)
- 1 oz (Per Gal) Southern Ag Methylated Seed Oil (MSO) Surfactant (32 oz)
Insecticide
- Spraymate Tornado 4 Gal Backpack Sprayer
- TeeJet XR11004VS
- 1 oz Talak 7.9% Bifenthrin Concentrate (32 oz)
Non-Selective Herbicide (Per Gallon)
- Chapin 20000 1 Gal Sprayer
- 1.5 oz Compare-N-Save Concentrate Glyphosate Grass & Weed Killer (32 oz)
- 1 oz Southern Ag Methylated Seed Oil (MSO) Surfactant (32 oz)
Fungicide
- Spraymate Tornado 4 Gal Backpack Sprayer
- TeeJet XR11004VS
- 2 oz Propiconazole (32 oz)
- 1 oz Southern Ag Methylated Seed Oil (MSO) Surfactant (32 oz)
Watering (Overseed Only)
- Melnor 65167AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler
- Flexzilla Garden Hose 3/4 in. x 50 ft
- Twice daily – 10 minutes per zone
Dethatching/Scarifying
- Sun Joe Electric Lawn Dethatcher & Scarifier (13″)
- Southwire 12/3 Outdoor Extension Cord (100 FT)
- Some old corded leaf blower
- Sun Joe w/Scarifying blade set to -10 mm
- Scarify N to S as well as E to W
- Leaf blow into pile for compost or disposal
Lawn Care 2024
The lawn didn’t receive any real love in 2024 as we were still moving into our home and my focus was elsewhere. I mowed weekly at some longer length that I don’t recall. I also sprayed the yard very heavily with weed killer throughout the summer and fall to kill all the very well established and hardy weeds that were consuming 40% to 60% of our lawn. The grass was looking like an asthmatic after running a marathon but I was successful in dispatching all of the weeds. The grass miraculously survived.
Composting
This project came about after dethatching our new-to-us lawn for the first time in probably ever. I was left with around 4 cubic yards of thatch and yard debris to do something with. I figured I would give composting a go!
Our city has restrictions and rules on how and where compost bins may be used. Be sure to check out your local ordinances to save yourself time and money. See rules specific to city. Suffice it to say, we are within the rules.
I created 3 containers and filled them up without any real plan beyond “turning” them once a month. Turning, in the way I’m doing it, means moving the material from one container to another to re-mix the material.
April, 2025
I had dethatched in the spring. This is a collection of that. Each container holds approx. 33 cubic feet or 1.22 cubic yards of compost.
May, 2025
The start – Approx. 2.75 containers full of compostable material. Approx. 3.35 yards of compostable material remains.
June, 2025
One month in. Turned once. Down to about 2 containers full of compostable material. Approx. 2.44 cubic yards of compostable material remains.
July, 2025
Two months in. Turned twice. Down to about 1.5 containers of compostable material. Approx. 1.83 cubic yards of compostable material remains.
August, 2025
Not as pronounced of a change. The pile wasn’t hot. I think there’s no more “green” left in the stack to continue the biological reactions. We’ll see what next month brings.