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Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice/help for a first time lawn care maintenance system/routine. Located in NJ I am looking to do a Dethatch, Aeration, Fertilizing, and Seeding. The lawn is in pretty poor condition and has a very thick layer of thatch! I am looking for any advice I can get on getting this Lawn revived! My goal is a healthy green lawn year round! I did some research on Dethatching, Aeration, Fertilizing, and Seeding, but still open to all advice. I did use Milorganite last year for the first time, but had almost no results, probably do to the thatch layer being so thick that the product never fully made it into the soil. Below I will attach an image of the Lawn.

Thanks in advance!

First, let us start with green grass all year. It will never happen with the grass you have. It will need to be killed off during its best growing season and then replanted with grass that stays green all year. I have no idea what works in your climate so you will need to research that.

BlazNT said:

First, let us start with green grass all year. It will never happen with the grass you have. It will need to be killed off during its best growing season and then replanted with grass that stays green all year. I have no idea what works in your climate so you will need to research that.

Click to expand...

Research it is

I am in Lancaster, PA so our geographical region is similar.

That grass needs to go. I would mow it as low as you can almost to the soil. Rake all of that up.

I would buy quality seed (overtime tall fescue is a good one). Rent an aerator and a slit seeder (toro - not a ryan).
-Aerate first
-Slit seed with the Toro
-Spread starter Fertilizer
-Water religiously

Thats what i did to my 1 acre I built on in 2016. Contractor used some really awful grass seed and i had nothing but weeds. slit seeded (walk behind) 3 times and then last fall 2017 i just aerated and overseeded. Ill do the same this fall and now i am green and healthy!

Jsquat1 said:

I am in Lancaster, PA so our geographical region is similar.

That grass needs to go. I would mow it as low as you can almost to the soil. Rake all of that up.

I would buy quality seed (overtime tall fescue is a good one). Rent an aerator and a slit seeder (toro - not a ryan).
-Aerate first
-Slit seed with the Toro
-Spread starter Fertilizer
-Water religiously

Thats what i did to my 1 acre I built on in 2016. Contractor used some really awful grass seed and i had nothing but weeds. slit seeded (walk behind) 3 times and then last fall 2017 i just aerated and overseeded. Ill do the same this fall and now i am green and healthy!

Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you for the help. From the research I did the Lawn we have is Zoysia, which thrives in the warm weather and goes doormat for winter, which is exactly what we have here. The lawn looks really good during the summer months with proper cutting etc. I think I will wait till summer is over for a remodel of the lawn, for it is turning green already. Lancaster is very, very nice, actually spent some time there in the fall. Thanks for the help.