Right grass? Online help?

[Catamount]

I used to work with a landscaper back in high school. Friends of mine just built a house, the builder planted grass but it seems the snow killed it all. All that is coming up are weeds. They have almost no money so I was thinking of trying to do it for them as a late "home warming" gift. I live in the North East US, Vermont to be exact. What types of grass should I be looking at to buy? They live in a wooded area, but the areas where there should be "lawn" get a good deal of sun. Are there any websites out there dedicated to helping people like me know what is needed to get started? I used to just be told to "do this" and I did it like a good worker bee. the lawn area is relatively small,

1/4 of an acre, maybe a half acre. The area keeps moist pretty well. They have a brook that was rerouted around the land, so it is well "watered" area.

[trader4]

I would suggest a dwarf tall fescue and blue grass mix. Check out seedland.com, they have a lot of good info. If you have at least 6" of good soil, it's not compacted, etc, then I'd rent a slice seeder and use that. Of course, the best time to do this is in the fall, not now. You're up against a lot of competition from weeds, needing to supply a lot of water to keep it wet during germination, etc. And it gets worse in the coming weeks, not better. In late summer/early fall the conditons are favorable and get better, not worse.

I'd also get the soil tested to make sure the PH is right. In new construction its not unusual to see it be way off.

[Peter H]

I'd suggest that you go back to the builder. I wouldn't let him get away without putting a lawn in if he had agreed to do so in the terms of the contract.

Peter H

[Steveo]

Hi Catamount.

I'm an Ohio turfgrass guy only so take this advice for what it's worth.

A ryegrass/fine fescue/bluegrass blend would be what I would try there if your climate is similar to ours. There's variations of that blend that will work better/worse depending on the environment.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to send away a soil sample to see what is up with your dirt for starters.

There's a multitude of seed blends to choose from out there but I'd strongly suggest you to beware of too much annual seed in the mix.

Turf type tall fescue rocks in full sun btw.

Good luck.