My wife and I bought our first house last month. The yard is beautiful but we have some issues with weeds and large bare spots. I would say that 75% of the yard although green is weeds rather than grass. I want to eliminate the weeds but have no idea where to start and don't want to hire a company. This is our first experience with a yard we own so I would like a permanent solution even if it takes time. Also we have a dog so I don't want to go nuclear on it.
Not to discount what anybody here says as they're all good tips, but if you have a small yard, and have grass, but a lot of weeds, consider calling a lawn-care professional to see how much their fertilization/weed control plans will cost you. They DO work. Re-sodding will help with the weeds you have now, but you'll inevitably get more if your lawn isn't healthy, and you'll be watering that sod for a while.
My wife and I moved into our house going on 4 summers ago. The previous owners mowed their grass WAY too short. The short grass let weeds thrive. Carpet grass, dandelion, crab grass, plantain, you name it, I had it. Our property is 2.4 acres. ALL yard, no woods, so factor in the house and driveway, and we had a solid 2 acres to care for. First year, I sprayed by hand and hardly made a dent. Second year, I started buying bagged Scotts and applying myself. After some cost-benefit analysis, I realized that I could basically have it done by Scott's for the same cost. So, last year, I had 5 treatments done by Scott's. The grass thrived. The weeds died out. Almost all of them. It was amazing. 10x better results than my DIY stuff, and roughly the same cost. My 2.4 acres now looks like a giant carpet. The only "negative" I can see is that my grass is SO thick and grows SO fast that I have to cut it 2x/week this time of year. For a small yard, it shouldn't be too expensive. I pay over $1500 a season on mine, but I'm gradually cutting back on the number of treatments trying to find the magic "maintain" number. I cut, edge, and trim my yard myself, so I save on that. Everybody's lawn care budget is different I guess.
My general lawn tips:
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Cut it LONG. I cut 4" in early spring, and go up to about 4.75-5" by this time of year. The length chokes out weeds and makes the grass MUCH more drought resistant. It also actually will start to produce seed if you let it get a little longer, which I'll do every now and then to help it thicken up. A lot cheaper than buying grass seed. It doesn't look bad when it is still cut, but cut long.
-Professional services for fertilization and weed control work. They have access to stuff that you legally can't get. It works.
-If you're going to do one fertilization, do it in the FALL. It lets the grass get an early start in the spring, and beat the weeds in.