Weeding and Feeding in tall fescue

[Brian Kent]

I have a lawn with dozens of repair spots where gophers have popped forth. At least the dogs have stopped digging 10 foot trenches while looking for the gophers.

But now I have a lot of bare spots in the lawn and the weeds love the bare spots. There are quite an assortment, including dandelions, spurge, some goathead thorn, and some crabgrass.

The location is Southern California.

What feeding, weeding, seeding, or combination would you use for this situation?

[Don Huffer]

Brian
First I would make sure the bugs are gone, or under control. That gets rid of the diggers.

If you can grow the grass you described, Kill the weeds you can with a spray app.

Crabgrass dies each year. At the correct time. Spread Preen or Halts. They will stop the weeds from germinating. This is better than trying to kill them. I'm sure your hands are tied in Cali when it comes to chems you can use on your lawn.

Over seed just before winter. Maybe you don't get much winter but your grass knows the seasons. The the grass will come up in the spring. It just works best that way. Cooler temps allow germination and slow growth. Spring will be good.

Also. if your area sells plug grass. Buy them and plug your spots. Easy cheap and works well.

Don

[Mel Fulks]

You can grow your own sod in shallow boxes with rat wire bottoms. Then use it to patch. Much easier to grow in one spot ,close to the water etc, than try to tend the problem areas. IMO modern design houses
demand some good grass, with more traditional architecture it's easy to outshine a so so lawn with good shrubs and trees.

[Brian Kent]

By grass plugs do you mean plugs spaced a bit apart that will fill in later?

[Rich Engelhardt]

A local nursery is in the best position to give you the best recommendation based on both your area and your soil type.

(think of the nursery in the same terms as a lumber yard)

As Don mentioned, rid your yard of the food (bugs and larvae) and the diggers will go somewhere else.

A local nursery can set you up with the right stuff to do that also.

[Steve Mawson]

Tall Fescue will not spread from plugs, at least in the Midwest. You have to have plants from seed so you will either need reseeding or fescue sod.

[Brian Kent]

Thank you Steve. This was completely re-sodded 4 years ago so I'll go with caring for what is here now.