Quote:
Originally Posted by jAZ
Thanks Pete! A few questions:
Round up is NOT Ground Clear (the everything is dead for a year stuff), right?
There are two things that are left when the weeks are killed. Lots of dead (black looking) grass stalks plus the dead weed stalks. I could mow them down as low as possible (with a bagger). But raking doesn't seem like it would remove anything beyond the mowing. I wonder if weed eating down to dirt makes any sense. Or maybe a better technique. Or maybe that's overkill?
How long will that take?
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Round up dies at it hits the soil, contrary to popualr belief. It only kill swhat it comes in contact with, e.g. the leaves on the weeds. You can go out and pull the weeds or mow them, it doesn't really matter, they are dead. If they are all over the yard I would wait until they are pretty much gone. I was talking about raking up the thatch so the seeds can make contact with the soil. Weed eating down to soil is probably overkill. Just give everyting a good low mow. Hay can take a month or two to decompose. There is also some stuff Scotts makes that is like a mulch that you can lay down on top of the seeds. It is green and helps keep the seeds moist. You might want to do that instead of hay. Or you can just throw down the seed and keep it watered.
If your yard is covered in weeds then after you spray the Round Up I would wait a few days for them to all die off an then mow them up. The seed has to have a place to go afterall. Also make sure you overseed. And you will want to re-seed in the spring and then again next fall. Repeat that process for a couple years, seed in spring and fall. After the yard comes in and is thick then you can seed just in the fall.
You can take Buehler's advice and try a starter fertlizer. It isn't uncommon, just not a practice I am not a fan of.