What's the cheapest and quickest way to get my lawn going in AZ?

Question

I just got a warning from the city for my wonderfully weedy front lawn. What's my cheapest and most rapid way to get a nice looking green lawn being that I live in AZ and it's averaging 95 degrees 24 hours a day now?

Answer 1

What kind of weeds? Knowing which ones can alter your plan a bit but generally try to mow as high as possible as often as possible.
Mow high for the grass does not do well if scalped. Grass needs a 2-3 inch blade to photosynthesize with but you remove the growing tips of the weeds every time. Most weeds, unlike grass, do not do well.
Feed the grass so it keeps growing happily. You will shade the low weeds with the new grass and cause other weeds to grow them selves to death.
Water 1 inch per week and measure it in tuna cans. Water for thirty minutes then measure depth of water in several cans. This tells you how long to water to get the 1 inch total water for the week. Buy a cheap auto timer and set the garden to water at night for the period you measured.
If you know your weeds you know your soil. Troubleshooting individual problems could save you time and money.
Dandelions may indicate a potassium deficiency and high pH. Heavy clay, compacted soil, low organic matter and commonly a lack of calcium, especially on lawns. Lawns get dandelions from; mowing too low, thin grass, and lack of water. Use an organic fertilizer that supplies the soil with nutrients. Synthetic fertilizers will only make more favorable conditions for dandelions.
Purslane: (Portulaca oleracea) indicates rich, healthy soil. In lawns it may indicate an excess of phosphorous and/or thin grass.
High fertility soil grows annual bluegrass, bentgrass, bermudagrass, crabgrass, mallow, & purslane. Also pigweed, lambsquarter, foxtail, & chickweed grow best in very rich soil..
Low fertility soils will grow plantains, red sorrel, smooth brome, and timothy grass. Mullein may indicate low fertility in general, as can wild carrot, wild parsnip, wild radish, foxtail grass, or mallow. Low nitrogen is indicated by birdsfoot trefoil, vetch, and clover.

Mow high. Most weeds need light to germinate and taller grass will shade them out. Mow frequently to remove flowers before they set seeds.
Use a pre-emergent next year to prevent weed seeds sprouting. The general rule is to use it when the forsythia begin to bloom.
Lawn alternatives.
Prostrate Juniper [Juniper horizontalis]
Hens & chicks [sedum and sempervivum spp. & cultivars]

Answer 2

Do you want cheapest or fastest?
The cheapest is to seed and the fastest is to sod. You'll have to water a lot so if your city has a watering ordinance then you are going to be in serious trouble. Seed and sod both require a daily watering until either the seed germinates and roots well or until the sod roots. Maybe you should consider a fake lawn. I've seen some that look almost real and you never have to water or mow.

Answer 3

Wow - the lawn police cited you?

My smart alec answer would be to throw down wild flower seeds, water daily (at night, maybe in arid AZ) and tell them you are Xeriscaping to conserve water.

Weed and feed.

Scatter grass seed, water.

Throw down Astroturf, no water, no maintenance, no mowing.

(still having trouble with the "warning" for your weeds...oh! no!)