Watch {/strong}Joel in the Garden{/strong} on {/strong}KMTR NewsSource16 at 6 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursdays{/strong}
EUGENE, Ore. - Leland Halberg keeps a watchful eye on his Eugene lawn.

He's a quick cutter when it comes to both his rhododendrons and his grass.

"It gets thin sometimes, so you overseed and you want probably new starts every once in a while too," Halberg said.

Spring is a time when many homeowners fertilize and lay down grass seed to fill in any spots that aren't growing as quickly. But brand new lawns face other problems as they weather a few years.

"A patch here, a patch there, it might be lighter green, maybe a different texture as well," Jeff Choate with Jerry's Home Improvement said.

Yellow patches in your yard may be due to either a lack of watering or nutrients. But if your grass is showing up in different shades of green, then there's likely a few other varieties sprouting on your lawn.

"The main culprit is colonial bentgrass," Choate said.

That's why Jerry's now carries a Willamette mix that combines colonial bentgrass and other grasses that do well in the region for a more uniform appearance.

"Let's put in the seed in the beginning. That way, when it comes in, it's everywhere instead of just here and there. It's blended in with the other seeds that're in the mix," Choate said.

There's also a shade mix for homeowners whose yards are blanketed by thick, lush trees. Even though Halberg has large trees in his yard, shade's not his problem. Instead, he's fighting a line of brown patches from a bottle of pesticide that was thrown in his yard about six years ago.

"I don't know, some kind of a prank, I guess," Halberg said.

Halberg mows his lawn about twice a week, he watches the ph level and keeps his watering to a minimum. A few tips that could mean greener pastures in your front yard.

Next month, EWEB will offer free green grass gauges, which you can use as a guide to find out how much water your lawn is getting. You can find gauges at several places, such as EWEB, Jerry's and KMTR starting June 19.