Question
Dear Experts,
I am buying a home, and the lawn really needs help. The home is in Provo, UT. It has been drought season for over three years, we are finally getting some rain this year. The lawn is overgrown with crabgrass, and is sparce and brown. It looks like it might be time to start over, what type of grass is the best to reseed with? Also, I have never done this before, how do I rip out the crab grass so it won't come back and how long does it take to reseed! Thanks!

Answer
Autumn is the best time of year to plant a new Lawn.  Second best: Spring (and you have missed the boat on that one, I'm afraid).

You can't grow first rate Grass without first rate Soil.  Spend your Summer building up your Soil.

First step:  Get a Soil test.

I know, I know.  No one wants to get a Soil test.  Everyone figures, why should I go to all that trouble to test DIRT?

Look at it this way.  If you were going to make a cake, you would get out the cookbook and find a recipe, look at the Ingredients, then go shopping.

But first, you would look in the cupboard and see what you have.

Do you have Flour?  If you already have Flour, you don't need to buy any more.  Right?

Maybe you already have Eggs.  Scratch those off the shopping list.

Now, Ami, What's the temperature of the oven?

You didn't test for that?  How are you going to set the oven temperature if you don't test it first?  How are you going to bake a cake, Ami, if you don't know how hot the oven is?

You need to find that out.

What's the pH of your Soil?

You don't know!

A Soil test will tell you what's in the cupboard, what's the oven temperature, how long was the cake in there, if you have Eggs and Butter and Flour... These are things you NEED to know.  You can't grow wonderful green Grass without this information.

And here's where you can do that:

www.usual.usu.edu/

Your Utah County Cooperative Extension Service:

extension.usu.edu/utah/www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/state_partners.html

There's a modest fee -- filing up your tank with gas at the station will cost you more.

Now, what can you do about that Crabgrass?

Most important thing you can do is to make sure it does not set seed.  Because most Crabgrass is ANNUAL.  Which means it won't live past 2008.  Just keep it from Seeding, either by mowing, or yanking it up, or both.  But DO NOT LET IT SET SEED or you will be dealing with a bigger problem next year.

Best thing you can do is get the Crabgrass up and sow a Cover Crop.  These build up your Soil while providing a barrier to Weeds floating by.  Nature abhors a vacuum, and that means you can never leave a plot of land unplanted unless you want to breed exotic new Weeds.

Alfalfa and Vetch re very popular.  These pour nutrients into your Soil.  When it comes time to sow Seed or roll out Sod for your Lawn, you'll be growing them on enriched Soil.  And you will not have to worry about 'Fertilizer' or anything.

I've rambled on enough here.  Any questions?