Bought my first house almost 2 years ago and inexplicably for the first time in my 33 years i suddenly gave a shit about how my lawn looked other than avoiding a ticket. Followed this sub trying to figure out where to start. Decided to seed in the spring (Outside Pride Legacy) because even though i read that spring's not ideal for laying cool season grass, I was confident i could baby it through the summer. Cue record breaking heat and drought here in 6a. That poor fine fescue fought hard, but it never stood a chance. Tried again this fall, a little less confident and a lot more careful. Laid seed down the 23rd (1st pic right before seed, fertilizer, and thatch laid over the top). Ran out of daylight so I decided I could wait until the next day to lay straw. Whats the worst that could happen, right? An unexpected 2/3 inch of pre-dawn rain in about an hour, that's what (2nd pic; worst hit area). Luckily the thatch i laid out stopped most of it in little rows except for the heavily sloped areas. I figured ok, I'll wait for it to dry a little and gently hit those rows with a rake to spread everything back out. Didn't stop raining intermittently til yesterday so that was impossible. I hit a point where I honestly didn't care what happened to it. If it comes in, great. If not, screw it I'll try again next season. Instead of the tight ball of anxiety I'd unknowingly been carrying while watching the weather, waiting, and second guessing my waiting was gone. Hopeful indifference was left in its place. In spite of everything (my idiocy and naivety being most of that "everything") it's coming in (3rd pic, last night the 2nd). All the long days hauling top soil back and forth, learning how to start and tend a compost bin, and making graphs (yes literal graphs) on best pesticide practices was worth it. Every in law who told me everything i was doing wrong, every time my girl said "it looked fine before"….vindicated. It's patchy, some areas are washed out, and there's funny looking little rows of grass everywhere but it's mine and I love it. Thank you guys for all your advice and direction, seriously couldn't have done it without this sub.
by redsox7697