Hello,

Thank you for contacting us with your questions.  Weeds are incredibly frustrating aren't they?  The weather this year has really given them an advantage!

It would be very helpful to start by identifying the type of weeds you have in your lawn.  Can you send some close up photos of the weeds and bare spots, and also some photos of the yard as a whole so we can get a full view of the landscape?

Also, I have a few questions that would be helpful to providing more information.

1. Do you know what type of turf you have?
2. Do you have an irrigation system or do you water manually?
3. What type of heads do you use for watering?
4. How often do you water and for how long per area?
5. Are the weedy areas and bare spots in sun or shade?
6. How often do you fertilize and with what type of fertilizer?
7. Do you aerate the lawn?
8. Have you used any pesticides or herbicides on the lawn?

Weeds in your turf grass

Depending on what type of weeds you have in the lawn, they will dictate what to implement to control them.  We should be able to give more precise recommendations after seeing the photos.  Keeping your turf mowed at 2.5 - 3" height will help. I'm attaching a fact sheet on grassy weeds in lawns which has some overall good recommendations for mowing, watering, and herbicide controls for those types of weeds.

Control of Annual Grassy Weeds in Lawns – 3.101 - https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/control-of-annual-grassy-weeds-in-lawns-3-101/

Bare spots in the grass

Bare spots can be caused by a number of things. It could be lack of water getting to that area, insects, animals (rabbits chewing on the grass, dog urine, etc.), and sometimes diseases. The photos will be helpful on this too.  With rabbits, there is usually some droppings noticeable in the area. Below is a blog post written by the turf expert at CSU about lawn damage this year.  It has a lot of great information with photos for reference, as well as links to videos for more information.  I'm also attaching a resource for conducting your own irrigation audit if you have a sprinkler system.  By setting cups out and running the sprinklers, you will be able to see if certain areas are not getting enough water.  That could be caused by the type of head, the adjustments, a repair that is needed, etc.

https://csuhort.blogspot.com/2022/06/my-lawn-has-never-looked-this-bad-tony.html

Diagnosing Brown Spots in the Lawn with an Irrigation Audit (7/20)

Pine needles and grass

Contrary to popular belief, pine needles themselves are not usually the issue of grass issues under pine trees unless they are in a thick blanket. Pine needles are acidic, but with our Colorado soil, they don't actually affect the soil enough to inhibit grass growth. The tree roots however do.  They are very fibrous and compete for any water that does get through the tree canopy. In addition, there isn't always enough sunlight under an evergreen tree. There really isn't any good options for getting grass to grow under the pine trees, however you can use the pine needles as a thick layer of mulch under the trees, use bark, or even collect the pine cones and use them for mulch which looks very nice. Since the needles and cones take longer to break down, you won't have to replenish as often as some other options too!

Here is a short fact sheet on common myths about pine needles.  

https://elpaso.extension.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2019/08/August-10-2019-Pine-Needle-Myths.pdf

Once you send us the requested information and some photos, we should be able to provide more recommendations.  Have a great day and enjoy the slightly cooler weather this week!