Weed problems with new lawn in SC?

Question

I recently moved form NY to SC, and the lawn at my new house is atrocious and I'm at a loss as to how to proceed. My new lawn has crabgrass and dallisgrass on the sides and back of my house ( the front portion is fine for some reason). The lawn also has another weed, but I'm unsure of what it is. It is vinelike in nature and looks alot like Rosemary. It seems to spread form a central location, spreading in all directions for about 1 foot and then it re-roots itself in that new location, although only the central root system is more then 1 inch deep and is much larger in gerth.

The lawn also has large brown spots, all are irregularly shapped. The brown spots are not dead grass, but are instead dried up and dead areas of the "Rosemary" type weed described above. The dead areas range form 5 sq. ft. to 20 sq. ft. There are 5 such areas about my lawn.

I have proceeded to remove, by hand, the bunches of crabgrass and dallisgrass as I see them, and at the same time I'm removing the "Rosemary" type weed, but this weed has long vinelike stems that dive in and out of the earth all over the yard. Irradicating it by hand seems impossible.

What should I do? I have pulled up every bunch of crabgrass that I can see, but I'm unsure how to proceed. Should my main concern be applying weed killer and seeding the lawn in late AUgust ( or early Spring)? Or is it too late in the season for that? Should I be concerned with overseeding and using a starter fertilizer and some topsoil? Should I only overseed the bare spots, or apply new seed to the entire lawn?

Thank you

Answer 1

We also moved from NY to NC, I don't like it one bit here. Where to find good pizza and bagels?? lol
Too far away from the ocean. No southern hospitality here!
Ok, your question.
We had the same problem. Weeds weeds weeds.
What we did, is first used weed killer broadcasting it.
Then a couple of weeks later, lime the entire lawn.
Couple of weeks later, weed and feed.
November we aerated and reseeded heavily.
Took about three years to finally get rid of all the weeds and have a lush green lawn.
Just be patient. Keep your lawn well hydrated. DO not water in the evening. Early morning. 6am if possible.

Answer 2

First of all Welcome to South Carolina!! I hope you love it here!
Go to this site for advice:
http://www.yardcare.com/
A do it yourself lawn care site:
www.plantmeds.com
And this one for lawn care agencies in SC:
http://www.trugreen.com/lawn-care_south-carolina.asp
And another one with some grass info:
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1210.htm
I hope this has been of some help and Good Luck with your Lawn, and again welcome to the South!!