1. Visit your local nursery instead of the big box stores. It's not just for some of the specialized product they have, but the people that work there. They generally know more about what you're trying to plant and what will grow in your region than your local guy at Home Depot. Since there has been a big push to keep chemicals out of the Chesapeake Bay, I've tried to go organic on my grass and plants as much as I can. I've become a pretty big fan of using compost or LeafGro as fertilizer. Takes longer and is harder than using a drop spreader, but it really helps the soil out, breaking up clay and restoring organic material that the grass can feed on. Talking to some of the folks at the nursery pointed me in the right direction.

2. Never cut it too short. I've got a mix of rye and fescue out back, and try not to cut it lower than 3 inches most of the year. When I was a kid, I'd drop the mower almost to the ground and cut it so I wouldn't have to keep doing it. Now that I know better, that's never gonna happen again. Depending on your region and what kind of grass you have, your nursery can tell you what the recommended cutting height is. Another benefit to not cutting it too low is weed prevention. If the grass is at the correct height, the weeds won't have the room or sun to grow, so the grass will take care of itself

3. Plan to put in some work. Maintaining the grass isn't too bad. Make sure it's cut properly, feed it (a nice feeding in the spring and a big feed in the fall is best out here) and make sure you water it properly (best in the morning, never when the sun is burning high and not in the evening if it can be avoided). Now, if your grass has seen better days you have to do more. Planting grass in the late spring/early fall is your best bet. If you plant in the spring, the summer heat will give that new grass a beating and it may not survive. Planting between late August and early September gives the grass chance to establish itself and set up roots. It will stop growing in the winter and be ready to roll in the spring, giving the roots time to grow deeper and stand a far better chance for the summer heat. For packed soil or clay, you likely will need to have it core aerated. Depending on the size of your yard, you can do it yourself or rent a machine. If there's a build up of thatch (a layer of dead grass and leaves that haven't decomposed) you need to remove that with a dethatching rake (I call it a danger rake, as the blades on that thing are super sharp) before spreading your new seed. Again, depending on the size of the yard, you can do it manually (which is HARD work, believe me) or rent a machine. Clay can be broken up with a soil conditioner or compost. Your nursery can point you the right way

4. It takes time. Like any living thing, grass takes time to grow, so you need to run a long game on your lawn. Plan on at least a year for new seed to really take hold and get strong enough to last (though you will see results much sooner, provided it is fed and watered correctly). Save the major repair work for the fall. It will be worth it.

Now, I don't want to sound like I'm hating on Scotts, Pennington, The Rebels, etc that you can easily pick up anywhere, nor am I on a high horse saying organic is the only way to go . If that's what you can find, great. But I highly recommend going to a nursery and talking with some of the folks there. Some of their products may work better for your yard, others, you may pass on. But pick their brain and they can help you come up with a plan.

For mulch, I usually go with shredded hardwood or pine fines when I can find them. I used the colored mulch one year and it faded too quickly to justify using it again. Here is another place going to the nursery can help. Most of your stores only have the 2 cu. ft. bags. The nursery usually has 3 cu. ft bags for the same price or pretty close. More for less. That said, in my front area I'm probably going to switch to rubber mulch. It's more expensive, but the space I'm covering isn't as big, and I shouldn't have to redo it for another 10 years

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
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