I bought a little house that has been a rental property for several years. The back yard is huge, weedy and not at all level. The good thing is that I have earthworms everywhere. You can't dig without running into one of them. I need to get rid of the weeds and level the area. I live in Fannin County, and I've got that black gummy soil. Where do I begin?

You don't mention what kind of grass you have, but start by reading the FAQ posted at the top of the forum. This will give you ideas about how to mow and water and fertilize. I tend to pull a few weeds from my yard almost everyday, but I expect the healthier my grass becomes, the fewer weeds I will have. I'm looking forward to applying Corn gluten meal in Sept for its preemergent qualities on weeds. My yard isn't perfectly level either, but I don't worry about it. What is the issue you are having that is caused by the yard not being level?

IF you want the surface to be as smooth as a putting green, you'll need a landscaper with a tractor and box blade. That process will take care of your weeds for you all at once.

If you decide to skip that, you can simply start mowing and doing all the things you should be doing for grass. When you start watering and mowing properly, the grass will tend to take over the weeds. For weeds that grow in clumps, you can get a WeedHound tool that makes plucking those weeds easy as stepping on them.

If you haven't read the FAQ, then I endorse that (since I wrote it).

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David Hall
Moderator
Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum