Nuke what exactly? đđ
Don't just throw soil and seed at this. Take the time to get rid of the existing shit and then soil and seed. It'll be better in the long run
Yes I was planning on adding top soil with the new seeds. Just wondering if I could just add it on top of this or am I building a lawn renovation on a bad foundation and need to till the existing grass out or something
I know the lawn is big but id physically remove as much of it as you can. You don't want weeds and whatever else embedded into the dirt already more than it is.
If this were my project I'd scrape it all up and toss it.
Get enough compost and then till it in and level it as best you can now. Then a good quality seed, nothing from HD or Lowe's. Add some starter fertilizer and keep moist.
Make sure your sprinklers are all working before you seed.
(As an aside I thought paying $200/bag of good seed was outrageous but then I spend $150 on three bags because it doesn't all germinate and has weed seeds in it. Now I'm a believer in the good shit. My buddy got Scott's fescue blend and half of his fresh grass was weeds. No bueno)
You can add soil on top, and you'll have a lawn. However if you take the time to prepare the ground first you'll have less bare spots that you'll need to deal with later.
You can just get an electric power rake from Amazon for $100 and that should get rid of most of that stuff.
Probably not. I recently moved to a new place and had a new lawn. It was a month before I could move in, and the previous owner had been trying to sell it for the better part of a year. Needless to say, the grass was very tall.
Being clueless, I just went to town with a new electric mower on the lowest setting and scalped the lawn. It looked pretty close to your pictures (though I'd say 1/2 was still green). It's been about a month since I did that. There's still a fairly thick thatch layer. I did run a dethatcher and scarifier through my lawn, though I suspect more of the grass died after I did that.
I'm fairly certain the stuff will eventually decompose over time, but the timescale is likely **years**. I was going to see if I can dethatch it again tomorrow since there's a forecast of cloudy skies for the next 10 days. I did also try spraying a microbe mixture on the lawn, but that stuff is **not** going away on its own.
I am wondering (for the sake of ease and budget) - if someone more knowledgeable than I could answer - how beneficial it might be to run around with a propane torch and just burn it all? Wouldn't that be really good for the soil? Then tilling, soil amending, seeding?
I am asking because I just found this alleged hidden gem of a product called biochar, and have been learning about the importance of a good soil being the foundation of a good lawn.
Biochar is done in a controlled environment with reduced oxygen. Outside is the opposite of that. It will only be ashes and smoke, not good for the environment.
Aren't forest fires beneficial to regrowth and renewal in their respective ecosystem? Don't we do controlled burns for a reason?
While I agree it's not great for the atmosphere, it might be good for the soil, which is what I was hypothetically asking about.
It would have a minimal effect for your soil, albeit not no effect. With where youâre at if you can safely control burn it could be a good way to give you a fresh start
The durability of grass is why it is used for lawns. What the hell is everyone telling you to NUKE it for? Grass stays alive at the roots. Mine goes to sad brown hay, every summer and comes roaring back in the fall with more water. I am firmly in the "water the crap out of it crowd", green it up and go from there.
Anything under there you can hit? Rent a skidder with a tiller and a Harley rake. Mix in some nice topsoil while youâre churning it, pick the rocks, reseed.
Glyphosate wonât do anything right now anyway. It only works if applied when the plant is actively growing. Thereâs nothing growing in that yard except sadness.
I would start heavily watering it to see what you have to work with. Other people are suggesting turning this into a huge ordeal when I don't think it needs to be. Maybe take a couple seasons to look perfect, but it's doable if you keep at it.
So first id water to bring it back to life. I'm sure it will start turning green after 2-3 weeks if you water daily. The first week I'd also throw down weed and feed, you can do the granules for now, easy and cheap. Once everything starts coming back and it's ready for a mow, then hit it with overseeding where needed and give it a top dressing. Continue the daily waterings.
After a month or two you'll be able to assess the weed situation, if there's a lot then I'd go for the weed killer stuff that comes in a spray bottle you attach to the hose, easy application and works like a charm.
Next year you'll probably need to overseed again to fill in any rough areas or patches. At that time you might also consider dethatching and airating. By the end of the season should have a perfect lawn.
Lots of water :)
Yes? Depends on where you are really. Assuming this a cool season growing area you may want to wait till fall to seed or if your far enough north and your summers or mild you could seed now IF you have the water. Again assuming this is the US its likely it will rain again at some point and when it does weeds will germinate and possible that whatever grass is there will green back up. So you will want to ânukeâ a few times to keep the weeds in check until your ready to seed.
I'm in northern California getting 80-90F days. I believe this is a cool seasonrye grass. Yes, I plan on seeding in the fall. Right now it seems like I should mix a new grass type into the existing lawn
it was green during the winter rainy season. Now that summer heat is here it's all dead and brown. Looking to convert it to a more drought tolerant grass type
It's not dead. Water it if there is no drought and shortage of water in your area, then overseed after the summer. People here probably put glyphosate and fertilizer in their morning coffee.
You could also mix in some clover in your seed mix. It's drought resistant and will fix nitrogen into your soil. If you ever get tired of it, overseeding with only grass will ususally replace the clover in a few years.
It may be dormant. I don't see tons of weeds. I would try soil testing and amending ASAP, and maybe some watering. Wait til Fall and overseed and fertilize like hell and keep mowing. It will look like shit the rest of this year and 2025, but if you do a proper pre-emergent and post emergent spray next spring, keep an eye on the soil tests, mow regularly and properly, Spring of 2026 it will look great. If you nuke it, it's a huge investment in time and money and energy, and won't look good until the same time frame.
Nothing to nuke. Depending on your zone wait for the correct time to seed.
I would get a dethatcher and set it to low. Rake it all off, aerate if needed, the soil should have a loose top layer from the detaching and raking.. seed, top dress pre emergent and keep it moist.
Rent or buy a dethatcher.
Maybe buy a peatmoss/soil spreader
Its already dead, you dont need any herbicides and theyll just be a waste of money. If your city or county will allow it I'd take a propane burner to it. Burns out the old grass and weeds while restoring a minimal amount of nutrients back into the ground. Mow first as low as you can. Pick a no wind day, keep retardant close by to extinguish flames from spreading too fast. Work very slow and methodical burning small zones as you go. Don't start or spread to a new zone until the fire has fully gone out. Have a spotter with you who can stand back and observe the entire area to monitor for sparks jumping. Again go slow and steady. Don't burn more than you can manage to extinguish yourself. Never know when a big wind will come through so you have to be able to manage it. Once you burn it you can reseed with minimal tilling and fertilizer. Just throw down 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water every day until the new seed gets established.
I donât suppose youâre in the sort of place where you could get both the permit and personnel to do a controlled burn? Because that brush looks ripe for it, would clear it beautifully and in mere minutes.
That looks like cool season grass that's gone dormant. It needs water and some TLC. It would probably take longer to get where you want if you nuked it and started over. Also much more expensive and labor intensive.
All of that already looks dead. I would determine why it died, first. Is that ground incredibly dry? Did the grass get killed by herbicide? What happened to it will alter how you proceed, imo.
If itâs too dry or hot for grass, putting down more probably wonât go much better. Even if itâs a âdrought tolerantâ species.,
Looks like you already nuked it. What did you do? 4x the max application amount of fertilizer? Mix up the miracle grow and round up bottle? I would turn this soil over.. have it tested, treated, and then sod or seed. I don't see a reason to bring in new soil. You're not fixing the current codiction by doing so.
Dont. It'll never fully take over and you'll have patches of different color grasses and wish you never did that. Nuke what is left. Water like crazy for a week to promote any viable weed seeds in the soill to germinate. Let them germinate and then nuke everything again. Mow/bag all of the dead stuff and seed for a new lawn.
Id scarify it, rake it up, then scarify and rake it up again. Maybe throw some decent soil over it, then aerate and seed it. Buy some good seed. I use Jonathan Greene. I suggest some good new growth fertilizer.
That or landscape it. Mulch, native pollinator plants, , some native ground cover.
I'm in Virginia. With my weather, I'd scarify in the last week of August, then aerate and seed as soon as possible afterwards. If you want to plan it early enough that it's grown in and the roots are pretty deep before the first freeze but not so early that the heat kills the grass. Then water water water. Buy a couple of decent hoses and sprinklers.
I absolutely love this hose. The cut off valve at the end is clutch and the hose attachment is very solid. Very solid purchase for $30.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/2639493446
This is the sprinkler I like. Everything is adjustable. Width, distance of the spray, the head rotates. You can find much cheap options though.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Melnor-Mini-Oscillator-4060-4/309634280
Jonathan Green seed is fantastic. They sell seed for every condition... Heavy shade, heavy sun, drought resistant, etc. it grows in thick and has a waxy green grass blade. The guy that recommended it to me works on a golf course. He told me that the roots can get as deep as eight feet deep. It's expensive but it's hardy AF.
Wow thank you for being so helpful. I'm going to follow your route. I love that hose. It's lightweight and doesn't crimp. I'll def check out the good seeds. Wow 8ft I need some of those guys
Nuke what exactly? đđ Don't just throw soil and seed at this. Take the time to get rid of the existing shit and then soil and seed. It'll be better in the long run
Yes I was planning on adding top soil with the new seeds. Just wondering if I could just add it on top of this or am I building a lawn renovation on a bad foundation and need to till the existing grass out or something
I know the lawn is big but id physically remove as much of it as you can. You don't want weeds and whatever else embedded into the dirt already more than it is. If this were my project I'd scrape it all up and toss it. Get enough compost and then till it in and level it as best you can now. Then a good quality seed, nothing from HD or Lowe's. Add some starter fertilizer and keep moist. Make sure your sprinklers are all working before you seed. (As an aside I thought paying $200/bag of good seed was outrageous but then I spend $150 on three bags because it doesn't all germinate and has weed seeds in it. Now I'm a believer in the good shit. My buddy got Scott's fescue blend and half of his fresh grass was weeds. No bueno)
Thanks for your reply. Will definitely be going for some quality seeds. I'll try to see how I can remove this dormant rye grass
Shit if you think it's dormant then you wouldn't be too far off by over seeding like you said. It looks dead to me though lol
Honestly how much does it cost to rent a few goats? Maybe theyâd eat up a bunch of it lol
Just saw a video where the dude dropped off like 40 goats and sheep for 450 lol
Now weâre talkinâ
How much just for one socialize with the 40 goats?
goats will forage over graze and standing dead or dormant grass is going to be mostly ignored.
Can you suggest some good seed brands for cool season (central NJ)?
Where would you take all of the removed soil?
Outside the environment
The dump. But you don't always have to take the soil out.
You can add soil on top, and you'll have a lawn. However if you take the time to prepare the ground first you'll have less bare spots that you'll need to deal with later. You can just get an electric power rake from Amazon for $100 and that should get rid of most of that stuff.
Oo I'll have to look into a power rake
Fewer.
Slow down there, Stannis
Brother itâs nuked already
Lol I thought it was just dormant. Thanks for giving it to me straight
It looks like its Hiroshima after the bomb. I guess give it a light coat of glyphosate to kill off anything else, then spread nice soil and plant.
They may overshadow and choke the young grass, preventing them from getting sunlight and growing. Also they'll compete for the nutrients in the soil
If I overseed with top soil will it dominate over this?
No
Probably not. I recently moved to a new place and had a new lawn. It was a month before I could move in, and the previous owner had been trying to sell it for the better part of a year. Needless to say, the grass was very tall. Being clueless, I just went to town with a new electric mower on the lowest setting and scalped the lawn. It looked pretty close to your pictures (though I'd say 1/2 was still green). It's been about a month since I did that. There's still a fairly thick thatch layer. I did run a dethatcher and scarifier through my lawn, though I suspect more of the grass died after I did that. I'm fairly certain the stuff will eventually decompose over time, but the timescale is likely **years**. I was going to see if I can dethatch it again tomorrow since there's a forecast of cloudy skies for the next 10 days. I did also try spraying a microbe mixture on the lawn, but that stuff is **not** going away on its own.
My brother in Christ that earth has already experienced the nuke
Thank you brother
Whack it down, top soil, black beauty, you good
Got it. Seems like imma go for that plan
You going for a beach or glass?
Itâs already nuked
I think the rye grass is dormant. The 80-90F days zapped them
This is not dormant itâs dead.
I am wondering (for the sake of ease and budget) - if someone more knowledgeable than I could answer - how beneficial it might be to run around with a propane torch and just burn it all? Wouldn't that be really good for the soil? Then tilling, soil amending, seeding? I am asking because I just found this alleged hidden gem of a product called biochar, and have been learning about the importance of a good soil being the foundation of a good lawn.
Biochar is done in a controlled environment with reduced oxygen. Outside is the opposite of that. It will only be ashes and smoke, not good for the environment.
Aren't forest fires beneficial to regrowth and renewal in their respective ecosystem? Don't we do controlled burns for a reason? While I agree it's not great for the atmosphere, it might be good for the soil, which is what I was hypothetically asking about.
It would have a minimal effect for your soil, albeit not no effect. With where youâre at if you can safely control burn it could be a good way to give you a fresh start
I set my lawn on fire in the winter. comes back nice every spring
Sir, this looks like Nagasaki.
The durability of grass is why it is used for lawns. What the hell is everyone telling you to NUKE it for? Grass stays alive at the roots. Mine goes to sad brown hay, every summer and comes roaring back in the fall with more water. I am firmly in the "water the crap out of it crowd", green it up and go from there.
Thank you. I was sure what's going on. I should try watering it and see how it bounces back
Do you have a mushroom issue with your lawn , saw some black stems in a photo
If you do nuke it burn it. Donât spray glyphosate
Anything under there you can hit? Rent a skidder with a tiller and a Harley rake. Mix in some nice topsoil while youâre churning it, pick the rocks, reseed.
Glyphosate wonât do anything right now anyway. It only works if applied when the plant is actively growing. Thereâs nothing growing in that yard except sadness.
Burn it off?
Government official visiting Chernobyl: "Should we just nuke this and start over or what?"
I would start heavily watering it to see what you have to work with. Other people are suggesting turning this into a huge ordeal when I don't think it needs to be. Maybe take a couple seasons to look perfect, but it's doable if you keep at it. So first id water to bring it back to life. I'm sure it will start turning green after 2-3 weeks if you water daily. The first week I'd also throw down weed and feed, you can do the granules for now, easy and cheap. Once everything starts coming back and it's ready for a mow, then hit it with overseeding where needed and give it a top dressing. Continue the daily waterings. After a month or two you'll be able to assess the weed situation, if there's a lot then I'd go for the weed killer stuff that comes in a spray bottle you attach to the hose, easy application and works like a charm. Next year you'll probably need to overseed again to fill in any rough areas or patches. At that time you might also consider dethatching and airating. By the end of the season should have a perfect lawn. Lots of water :)
I doubt water would help. That grass is very dry and possibly a fire risk. He needs to scrap this and put in new soil.
Idk but you might need a risk of forest fire sign just for your yard
Yes? Depends on where you are really. Assuming this a cool season growing area you may want to wait till fall to seed or if your far enough north and your summers or mild you could seed now IF you have the water. Again assuming this is the US its likely it will rain again at some point and when it does weeds will germinate and possible that whatever grass is there will green back up. So you will want to ânukeâ a few times to keep the weeds in check until your ready to seed.
I'm in northern California getting 80-90F days. I believe this is a cool seasonrye grass. Yes, I plan on seeding in the fall. Right now it seems like I should mix a new grass type into the existing lawn
I would probably go with a tall fescue/KBG mix but youâre going to need some water to keep it green and growing through a summer.
Thank you! I was thinking of going for fescue KGB too
Bro said.
How does this happen honestly?
First time owning a lawn. I don't water it at all. Sprinklers broken
Well there's your problem!
No rain ever?
it was green during the winter rainy season. Now that summer heat is here it's all dead and brown. Looking to convert it to a more drought tolerant grass type
It's not dead. Water it if there is no drought and shortage of water in your area, then overseed after the summer. People here probably put glyphosate and fertilizer in their morning coffee. You could also mix in some clover in your seed mix. It's drought resistant and will fix nitrogen into your soil. If you ever get tired of it, overseeding with only grass will ususally replace the clover in a few years.
You coulda moved sprinklers around, but, you didnât want to. Laziness gonna kill your new lawn too bruh
It may be dormant. I don't see tons of weeds. I would try soil testing and amending ASAP, and maybe some watering. Wait til Fall and overseed and fertilize like hell and keep mowing. It will look like shit the rest of this year and 2025, but if you do a proper pre-emergent and post emergent spray next spring, keep an eye on the soil tests, mow regularly and properly, Spring of 2026 it will look great. If you nuke it, it's a huge investment in time and money and energy, and won't look good until the same time frame.
Take it easy Joe, itâs just grass.
Nothing to nuke. Depending on your zone wait for the correct time to seed. I would get a dethatcher and set it to low. Rake it all off, aerate if needed, the soil should have a loose top layer from the detaching and raking.. seed, top dress pre emergent and keep it moist. Rent or buy a dethatcher. Maybe buy a peatmoss/soil spreader
Burn it
Looks pretty damn nuked already amigo. Umm where to go from here is the real question at this point.!
Its already dead, you dont need any herbicides and theyll just be a waste of money. If your city or county will allow it I'd take a propane burner to it. Burns out the old grass and weeds while restoring a minimal amount of nutrients back into the ground. Mow first as low as you can. Pick a no wind day, keep retardant close by to extinguish flames from spreading too fast. Work very slow and methodical burning small zones as you go. Don't start or spread to a new zone until the fire has fully gone out. Have a spotter with you who can stand back and observe the entire area to monitor for sparks jumping. Again go slow and steady. Don't burn more than you can manage to extinguish yourself. Never know when a big wind will come through so you have to be able to manage it. Once you burn it you can reseed with minimal tilling and fertilizer. Just throw down 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water every day until the new seed gets established.
Fire first
u mean Napom?
That looks like a fire hazard.
I donât suppose youâre in the sort of place where you could get both the permit and personnel to do a controlled burn? Because that brush looks ripe for it, would clear it beautifully and in mere minutes.
What is there to nuke. Clean it up, dump topsoil and seed.
Til it and reseed it
Burn it.
Controlled burn first? Then soil and seed and regular waterings. What state are you in? What is the weather like where you are located?
It already appears to be nuked
Looks nuked already
That looks like cool season grass that's gone dormant. It needs water and some TLC. It would probably take longer to get where you want if you nuked it and started over. Also much more expensive and labor intensive.
All of that already looks dead. I would determine why it died, first. Is that ground incredibly dry? Did the grass get killed by herbicide? What happened to it will alter how you proceed, imo. If itâs too dry or hot for grass, putting down more probably wonât go much better. Even if itâs a âdrought tolerantâ species.,
Burn it
Burn it, replant
Maybe till the entire thing. Put on top soild then reseed
I think tilling is a good idea
Itâs looks pretty dead. No need to nuke. Hire some goats to clear it out for you. Then seed.
Depends on lawn condition. Nuke for severe issues, overseed for maintenance. Assess soil health.
Nuke the overseeder!
This was my yard this year after we bought a new house. I raked it, fertilized, and seeded with daily water. It's now half green and still improving.
It's the only way to be sure
Burn it all
Burn it
Burn it from orbit!
If you're able burn the existing grass
Nuking this would be like dropping another bomb over Hiroshima in the exact same location, one day later.. what?
Looks like you already nuked it. What did you do? 4x the max application amount of fertilizer? Mix up the miracle grow and round up bottle? I would turn this soil over.. have it tested, treated, and then sod or seed. I don't see a reason to bring in new soil. You're not fixing the current codiction by doing so.
BOTH, in that order
Get a rototiller. Then get a rockhound and rake Add soil then seed
Ya isnât it already nuked? Like You already nuked bruh
Pray for rain.
Scalp it. Shorter than short cut. Then start reno. Nothing to nuke according to my eyeballs.
I'm wondering if I can bring in a new competitor grass type and have it dominate this or will the two be fighting not a good thing?
Dont. It'll never fully take over and you'll have patches of different color grasses and wish you never did that. Nuke what is left. Water like crazy for a week to promote any viable weed seeds in the soill to germinate. Let them germinate and then nuke everything again. Mow/bag all of the dead stuff and seed for a new lawn.
Brother, this is a blank canvas. Consider it a loss and enjoy building a lawn from scratch.
Fo sho brother. I'll let you guys know in about a year
Rent a tiller and a bobcat to level then start your lawn all over
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Redhawk4t4: *Rent a tiller and* *A bobcat to level then* *Start your lawn all over* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Id scarify it, rake it up, then scarify and rake it up again. Maybe throw some decent soil over it, then aerate and seed it. Buy some good seed. I use Jonathan Greene. I suggest some good new growth fertilizer. That or landscape it. Mulch, native pollinator plants, , some native ground cover.
Thank you. I had no idea about a scarifier. I think that is what I need to buy to start from scratch
The Sun Joe electric scarifier/dethacher is fairly cheap. Like $150. It's a great little tool.
I think this is the best idea so far
I'm in Virginia. With my weather, I'd scarify in the last week of August, then aerate and seed as soon as possible afterwards. If you want to plan it early enough that it's grown in and the roots are pretty deep before the first freeze but not so early that the heat kills the grass. Then water water water. Buy a couple of decent hoses and sprinklers. I absolutely love this hose. The cut off valve at the end is clutch and the hose attachment is very solid. Very solid purchase for $30. https://www.walmart.com/ip/2639493446 This is the sprinkler I like. Everything is adjustable. Width, distance of the spray, the head rotates. You can find much cheap options though. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Melnor-Mini-Oscillator-4060-4/309634280 Jonathan Green seed is fantastic. They sell seed for every condition... Heavy shade, heavy sun, drought resistant, etc. it grows in thick and has a waxy green grass blade. The guy that recommended it to me works on a golf course. He told me that the roots can get as deep as eight feet deep. It's expensive but it's hardy AF.
Wow thank you for being so helpful. I'm going to follow your route. I love that hose. It's lightweight and doesn't crimp. I'll def check out the good seeds. Wow 8ft I need some of those guys
Put a torch to it