My Horrrific Lawn

Question

I’ve been in my home for about 7 years. Have done everything to include bringing in a highly regarded professional who limed my lawn and overseeded. Nothing comes up but weeds and this year, as I have been travelling 90% of the time, I have about 200-300 baby trees in my lawn due to not being home to remove acorns, etc. I am thinking of just using Round-up on the lawn after mowing it low and then using something like a fescue or Zoysia. What are recommendations? Napalm? Agent orange? And don’t get me started on the voles. I’m in Fredericksburg, VA and have partially shaded lawn areas.

Answer 1

The baby tree will die if you mow them. They cannot survive being topped at that size so that can quickly take care of that problem.

It sounds like your soil has poor fertility. You should take a soil sample to a local extension service and see what the soil is lacking. Weeds like to grow in poor soil and your professional did not do much to improve soil fertility by simply adding lime. That changes the pH but does little to make it more fertile.

Once you know what the soil is lacking, you can add amendments that would help nourish the grass. Even without the soil test, adding some compost or fertilizer to the lawn will be helpful.

Zoysia might be a good option for you, if you are in a warm climate, as it is vigorous. It might be ok in a cooler climate, but be aware that it turns brown in the winter in areas that get cold. If you are in a colder climate, a Bluegrass mixture would be your best bet.

Answer 2

Oh, and this article will help you with the voles:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/vole-control.htm