bought a new house and the yard is not developed. what's the cheapest route to having a great looking yard?

Question

There is thick, overgrown weeds and brush. We've trimmed most of it down. Roundup is expensive to kill everything and time consuming to spray. (yard is .6 acres) Do we really have to buy a bunch of screened topsoil for great grass. We don't have a TON of extra money because of downpayments, etc. We live in W. MI. Any resonable landscapers with advice or a reasonable plan?

Answer 1

A few years back we added on to our house and ended up with a back yard that was pure clay, since the back hoe had scraped up all the top soil and buried it under clay. I went to our local grain elevator and bought 2 big plastic buckets of fertilizer that is used to grow corn in fields. I brought empty drywall mud buckets with me to fill. They didn't charge me much for the fertilizer. I hand spread it all over the back lot in the Fall, and near the end of February, when the last snow was starting to melt I went out and threw handfulls of blue grass seed into the snow and it melted down into the ground. That Spring we had the most luxerious lawn in town. And for a number of years afterwards.

Answer 2

I've seen people "scorch earth" in your situation. They kill everything with a systemic killer - get the concentrate roundup and mix your own. Looks horrid for the rest of the year but at least you'll be starting with a clean slate.

Then the next Spring they see what the grade of the yard is and then have it leveled with only the topsoil they need and plant all new grass.

You can go to a hardware store (buy by the pound) and get annual rye that grows quickly and mix with another type of seed that grows slower so you'll get a lawn sooner. The annual rye might die out over the winter because of the temps but it might come back.

Here in WI I've heard of people getting good grass in clay. Something about weeds not liking it as much as they like dirt. No personal experience in that though.

Good luck. Don't envy you at all. Friends paid $2500 for a lawn install in a new subdivision.

Answer 3

The worst time for many people to pay for landscape improvement is just after buying a house - no money left. Do not pressure yourself or let others pressure you to make permanent landscape decisions before you are ready. On the other hand, do every part of it the best you can, not the cheapest. Budget for Spring and Fall expenses for a couple years, and PAY a good designer to show you how to stretch your money and not make expensive mistakes, while designing for you a great looking yard. The screened topsoil is not necessary for the grass to grow, but you will not like walking on and mowing a lawn with clods and rocks in it.

Answer 4

I would recommend having Lawn Dr. or some other service to do it right since over fertilizing can kill the grass. It will cost you hundreds of dollars though. Therefore if your going to do it yourself here are some pointers. Make sure you water if 2 times a week if it don't rain for about 2 hours in the morning hours. Also fertilize 3 times a year with Scotts products. It is going to take time, a couple of years at least to get the lawn healthy and strong. Also go to www.scotts.com they have many more useful tips and instructions on what to do. Good Luck.

Answer 5

1st of all if u want to kill any thing --cheap especially -just throw plastic cover on it -put rocks to keep it down -the sun will do the rest--in the south -we have to do that 2 kill bugs between gardening rotation -to kill bugs -since we never have a hard freeze--once u have a clean pallet --then the cost would come in --and if u do the 1st have ur plan and a lil money at least -or u will have soil erosion--look at every picture u can find --figure out what ur style is, then figure out how to get at least the bones or structure of that look and make it a work in progress.on the inside u paint 1st then pick the furniture to match then work 2 the small stuff-i would think the outside would be the same.find ur style and make the back bones of that plan--i have found what ur real true taste are--never really change in ur life time--keep it simple but big stuff 1st --add slowly

Answer 6

Don't spray roundup or any other vegation killer or you won't be able to grow anything for up to a year.
The cheapest method to start you yard would be to seed and fertilize yourself. A better and still cheap method would be to have someone come in and apply hrdromulch to yard. This is a mixture of seed, fertilizer, and mulch sprayed wet onto the yard. Around my area, to costs about $0.35 a square yard.

Answer 7

Rent out a tractor and a tiller or graderbox to put on the back of the tractor. You need to till the ground up and just plant new grass. Wait to do it till this fall though. Grass grows best in the fall. Once the grass has taken root good (probably best to wait till spring), use Scott's Weed and Feed to kill what weeds grow up and fertilize the yard.

The "cow grass" one person is referring to is probably fescue. It tends to grow really well.

Answer 8

This is my suggestion also the most cheapest ways... which I use before...

Dug out about 6 inches topsoil... Put in new "yellow" soil... grow "cow grass"...

Weeds hardly grow on the grass... And it need minimum maintain...

Sorry, I don't know the actual name of the "cow grass". We so use to calling it common name.

Feel free to contact me... If U need more information...

Answer 9

Covering everything you want to kill in layers of newspaper works slowly, but it's cheap and it's good. The newspaper will compost into the yard (unlike black plastic). As far as plant material, if you're waiting for the newspaper to do it's job, anyway, check out plant sales in the late summer/early fall at your nursery. You may be able to get lots of great perennials at a good price since they're cleaning out their inventory for winter.

Answer 10

fertilizer is the best bet put some on rite about now the grass that's there will start to over take the weeds if you can aford crabgrass preventer put some on in early spring early march depending on the weather usually fertilize mem day 4th july labor day sounds expensive but it doesn't take long to get results