Right now some Iowans have noticed their front yards dying out in patches. Iowa State University horticulturist Nick Christians says there's a variety of reasons for that.
"It can be insect damage, it could be that they bought the wrong kind of seed the last time around when they seeded. Every seed dealer out there has good seed and bad seed on the shelf and you want to make sure you get the good seed. Things with Annual Rye Grass in it you want to avoid. It'll come up quick and it'll look good, but at this time of year, it starts fading out and dying out in patches. You want a good Kentucky bluegrass blend."
Christians says now is the perfect time to seed grass.
"If you seed right now, you'll get the grasses up that you want and the weeds are not going to be near as much of a problem."
He says depending on how bad your thinning is, you may have to go with a nuclear option.
"If you've got just a couple of small patches where there's not any grass, you can go down and get a patch mix for seeding into those small areas. If it's generally thin and it's not doing well, in that situation, we suggest you kill it first, kill it with Roundup, and then go back in and re-seed."
Guest host Lindsey Moon talks with Christians, Iowa DNR district forester Mark Vitosh, and Iowa State University Extension horticulturist Richard Jauron.