It’s just a rental, so I can’t go all out, but I’m trying to keep up. The neighbors’ lawns have really stepped up lately, and I’m looking to level up and join the club.
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Reece said:
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Oh yeah. Northern California, Sacramento area.
Reece said:
This comment is empty, admin should fix
Oh yeah. Northern California, Sacramento area.
Mine looks like this too. I’m ready to tear it out and try something different.
This is a rental, so it’s really your landlord’s responsibility. If you want a nice lawn for yourself, start with a soil test. You should also find out which grass type works best for your area. Warm season and cool season grasses grow in different ways, so don’t use the wrong products for what you need.
At the very least: seed it, roll or rake it in, water it, and wait.
Extra steps: Treat for crabgrass, use pre-emergent for crabgrass, lime for pH balance, and use fertilizers during the different seasons. You could also aerate, dethatch if needed, roll, set up irrigation, topdress a bit, overseed if necessary, and maintain the mower blades; there’s so much you can do.
I recommend spreading nitrogen in the fall. Helps your lawn get through to spring.
Since this is a rental, go for the basics. Seed it, rake it in, and water it.
Finley said:
Since this is a rental, go for the basics. Seed it, rake it in, and water it.
Don’t forget to apply straw on top.
It’s a rental, so don’t do anything unless you get paid for it in writing. Just handle the basics: cutting, edging, and weed eating, then move on.
Most likely you have Bermuda grass, and it’s currently dormant now. The green you see might be a cool season perennial that’s waking up.
Feed it when it starts to wake up, mow regularly and keep it high, and water deeply but less often. Be mindful of not trampling a path since the shrubs are crowding. Bermuda likes warm soil, so you might wait a while for it to turn green again. If you notice patchy soft green grass, that could be Poa annua which will die off with the first hot day.
The top comment suggests completely tearing it out and starting fresh, haha. Using a well-balanced fertilizer each season, watering regularly, pulling weeds, and mowing will help a lot.
Put down a pre-emergent like barricade or oxidiozon 2g at the end of February. Then, once the weather warms up, dethatch and aerate the lawn. Add some 21-0-0 at the end of April and again in late June. You might want a diamond hoe to pull up existing weeds to clear the turf.
Fertilize in spring, give it plenty of water, and cut it every week or two. But since it’s a rental, don’t go too crazy. You want your living space to look nice, and that’s totally fine, just don’t get too carried away.