Lawn looking a little shabby? If weak growth, brown spots and bare patches are plaguing the (formerly) lush carpet you call your lawn, now is the time to take action!
Fall is the best time to plant most lawns from seed or sod and it’s also the best time to reseed your existing lawn to help thicken it up; the exception to this rule would be warm season grasses, such as Bermuda and St. Augustine, which should be planted in the late spring. How do you decide whether you should try to rehabilitate an existing lawn or start from scratch? If your lawn is fairly level, without unwanted low spots and you have more grass than weeds, you should probably opt for renovation rather than starting completely over. On the other hand, if there is very little desirable grass and the lawn needs to be re-graded, starting over would most likely be the best choice.
Renovating your lawn is fairly simple. Just follow these easy steps to turn your grass from “so-so” into “fabulous”:
- Cut your lawn as short as possible. If you have large patches of weed growth, it is best to remove them.
- Rent a renovator from a rental yard; this piece of equipment will loosen up the soil slightly (not as much as a rototiller) to provide a better surface for the grass seed to take root OR go over the surface lightly with a hand cultivator to loosen the soil OR if neither of these options is feasible, proceed to the next step (but remember, the better start you give your new seed, the better the end result will be).
- Apply seed to the area, following the instructions for reseeding on the package. Try to match the grass as closely to the existing as possible; if there is more than one kind of grass, go with the most desirable for your situation, taking into account factors such as sun/shade and the wear and tear it will receive. If you are not sure what kind of grass you have, bring a sample into the garden center for identification.
- Cover the seed lightly with a recommended topper to cover grass seed. The least expensive will probably be steer manure, which is fine for topping grass seed; just make sure that the steer manure you purchase is weed-free and composted (this information will be on the bag if it is). Five 2 cubic foot bags will cover about 1,000 square feet of area. Do not skip this step ! In order to keep your seed wet enough (see next step), you will need to cover it.
- Now-water, water, water! Depending on the weather, you may need to do this up to three times per day at first. It is imperative that you do not let the seed dry out, because if it does it will not germinate. If watering with sprinklers, start the cycle and observe how long it takes before the water begins to run off, then set the watering time accordingly. Once the seed germinates, you will be able to gradually decrease the amount of water you are applying. The seed should germinate in two to four weeks.
- Mow the grass when the blades are strong enough to withstand traffic. Mowing will help thicken your lawn.
- Since weed killers should not be applied until the lawn has been mowed a few times, try to keep weeds under control by weeding by hand. This will enable the grass to grow better without competition from unwanted vegetation.
Last step? Sit back and relax, knowing that your lawn will soon be back to its former glory!
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