NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, I'm a first-time homeowner in Paramus and really need some advice. Just moved into my house last month and the backyard is in rough shape - lots of brown patches and I see crabgrass starting to pop up everywhere. I'm kind of panicking because we want to host a big BBQ this summer and I don't want embarrassed neighbors seeing this mess. I'm torn between calling TruGreen to handle it professionally vs trying to fix it myself. I literally know nothing about lawn care - never had a yard before. My dad always hired professionals so I have no idea what I'm doing. Is it worth the money to go with a service, or can I actually tackle this myself with some YouTube videos? What would you all recommend for someone totally new to this? Located in Bergen County if that matters. Thanks!

Welcome to the joys of homeownership lol! Don't panic - I've been there. I'm in Ridgewood and dealt with similar stuff when I first moved in 8 years ago. Quick question - do you know what type of grass you have? Most lawns in this area are tall fescue or KBG blends, which matters for what treatments work. To be honest, for your situation I'd probably lean toward at least getting a pro assessment first. TruGreen isn't cheap but they'll come out and look at your specific issues. That said, I've had mixed results with them - they pushed a lot of unnecessary treatments on me early on. Since it's March, your timing isn't terrible for starting treatment. What's your budget looking like? There are some solid DIY options if you're willing to put in the work.

Thanks for the quick reply! I honestly have no idea what grass type I have - the previous owner apparently never really maintained the lawn so it's been neglected for a while. I can definitely see it's not all dead because some patches are green, but there's a lot of bare spots and the crabgrass is spreading fast. Budget-wise I'd rather save money obviously but I'm willing to spend if it'll actually get fixed properly. My concern with DIY is I might mess it up worse, you know? Like I've heard horror stories about people scalping their lawn or using the wrong weed killer. Would you recommend starting with a soil test? My neighbor mentioned that but I'm not sure where you'd even get that done around here.

Oh yeah DEFINITELY skip the soil test for now - that's getting ahead of yourself. Focus on the basics first: you need to figure out if you have cool-season grass (most of us do) and then attack in the right order. Here's the thing most newbies don't realize - you can't really fix brown patches until you deal with the crabgrass FIRST, otherwise anything you seed will just get choked out. For DIY without spending a fortune: grab some Scott's Turf Builder with halts for pre-emergent (put it down ASAP if you haven't already - it stops crabgrass before it germinates), hit the existing weeds with ortho weed-b-gon, and then plan to overseed in FALL. That's key - spring seeding rarely works here because summer heat kills the new grass. If you want a pro, I'd actually look at Jersey Mike's Lawn Care down in Englewood - way cheaper than TruGreen and a small local operation. My buddy uses them and loves them.

Ohhh that makes so much more sense! I didn't realize you can't just throw grass seed down whenever. My neighbor actually told me the same thing about not seeding in spring so I'm glad I'm getting that education now before I wasted money. So let me make sure I understand: Right now I should focus on pre-emergent for crabgrass and thenhit the weeds, and THEN plan to seed in fall? That seems counterintuitive but if that's how it works I'll follow the advice. What's the timeline window for the pre-emergent? Am I already too late since we're in late March? Asking because I really don't want to wait another year to have a decent lawn for summer gatherings 😂

You're NOT too late - relax! The soil temp needs to be around 55 degrees for crabgrass to germinate, and realistically that doesn't happen here until mid to late April usually. Some years even early May. So you've got a solid few weeks still. One more thing nobody mentioned - get yourself a cheap handheld spreader from Home Depot (like $30) and actually READ the bag directions. I know that sounds obvious but SO many people over-apply because they think more is better. It's not. Over-fertilizing is how you burn patches into dead zones. Also sign up for the Rutgers cooperative extension emails - they're free and give super local advice for our exact zone. That's where I learned 90% of what I know.

Dude thanks so much! This is incredibly helpful. I was definitely About to go drop $200 at Home Depot on random stuff without knowing what I'm doing so I'm glad I asked. Guess I'm going with the DIY route for now - I'll hit the hardware store this weekend, grab the Turf Builder with halts and the weed killer, and see what happens. If it looks awful by May I'll reconsider the pros lol. Quick update question - are there any local places in Paramus to get good topsoil for filling in the bigger bare spots, or just stick with the regular store bags? Thanks again everyone!

For topsoil honestly avoid the big box stores if you can - quality is inconsistent. Check out Federer's in Oradell or Saddle River Landscape Supply - both locally owned and much better dirt. Expect to pay a bit more but it's worth it. Pro tip: get a soil amendment like Penn mulch mixed in when you fill the bare spots, helps with drainage especially if you have that clay soil we get in parts of Paramus. You've got this! Post updates - I'd love to follow along. And hey, if the BBQ planning goes well maybe we can swing by for a beer and check out your progress 😄