Renovating an Existing Lawn

Before renovating, take a step back, and look to see what all is wrong. Do you have dry patches? Soggy spots? Dead spots? Is there a worn foot path? Does the dog have a favorite spot? Is there a disease problem? Fungus?

If there is a problem, it needs to be fixed before renovating the lawn.

You'll need to pull the weeds, too. Dig them up, and fill in the divots if you want. You won't get a better chance later!

Check to see if you have a thatch problem, too. Thatch is dead, woody shoots of grass that forms a mat. Healthy grass has problems growing through thatch, and the mat will significantly retard the movement of water to the soil. Eventually what moisture that does make it under the thatch enters an environment that's very hospitible to disease and fungal problems.

It's a myth that thatch is caused by leaving the clippings on the lawn. If thatch exists, those clippings will have a more difficult time decomposing on top of the mat, and may contribute to the inpenatrability of the mat. But the clippings are not the problem any more than the rain that can't get through the mat is the problem.

Even if you're not renovating the lawn, if there is any build-up of thatch, it needs to be removed. Renovation time is a great time to remove any thatch. Essentially dethatching is a vigorous raking, and that's a good thing to do right now. You can either use your muscles, and rake your heart out. Or you can go down to the rental center, and rent a dethatching machine.

Do you watch Desp3rate Housewives? Remember the episode when Gabriel sneeks out of a party to go home and mow the lawn? The machine she actually pushed around was a dethatching machine. If Eva Longoria can push a dethatcher in heals and an evening dress, imagine how that compares to vigorously raking the lawn!

The next step is aeration. Core aeration. It's called core because a plug of soil is pulled out much in the same way an apple is cored. There are also aerators that use spikes to poke holes in the soil, but when the spike is making the hole, the soil around the hole is compressed. That defeates the whole purpose of aeration by making that soil even more inpenatrable by air and water. And those goofy spiked shoes don't even come close to being useful.

The core aerator is going to be heavier than the dethatcher. It generally will also have removable weights. All that weight is needed to keep the machine from simply bouncing off the lawn instead of digging the cores. For best results, water the lawn to soften the soil the day before aeration. But if it's been raining for a week, and the soil isn't just soft, it's wet, don't aerate that day. Working wet soil will breakdown it's structure, and cause long-term damage.

Some folks say you should rake up the cores, but there really isn't much of a point to that. While raking them up, you could break them apart, and cause them to refill the holes. Eventually, that's what they'll do, but we're not ready to refill those holes yet. We've got better plans. We're going to fill the holes with composted manure.

As I metioned in the article about the first lawn, we're not spreading excrement. It needs to be composted with organic material. Steer is better than horse. Dairy would be the best. Chicken, and specialty manures are too expensive, and sometimes too strong. But it needs to be composted.

Often bagged composted manure is compressed and clumpy. That's not as much of a problem when you're spreading it thickly over solid subsoil. But when you're trying to rake it through some existing lawn, it's a problem. Screen it. Shift it. Fluff it. Get the lumps out. Use a leaf rake to spread it without ripping the existing lawn.

Overseeding

Now's the time for the seed. Check with your county extension office to find out what the best blends are for your area. You can also look at what's survived in your existing yard. The further you stray from the ideal mix for your lawn, the harder time you'll have maintaining the lawn. And a mix of grasses will always be better than a single variety.

If you're overseeding in fall, which is the best time to do it (see the earlier article on timing), the next step is to spread some "winterizer" fertilizer. You don't need to do it today. In fact, I would wait until after you have some heavy germination. Early fall is the time for overseeding, but winterizer fertilizer should be put down in mid to late fall. Do not put down starter fertilizer if you're overseeding in fall. If you are overseeding in spring, use starter fertilizer, and put it down the same day you're seeding.

Fertilizer is optional. And the application rates on the bag are the maximum you can use without burning the lawn. The more you use, they more they sell. Instead, I suggest using one-third to one-half the rate shown on the package, if any. And remember, it's better to miss a spot than it is to double-spread. That includes not overlapping rows, too. Fertilizer is not magic powder. It doesn't need to come in contact with the grass. It's purpose is to nourish the soil. The grass then gets what it needs from the soil.

NEXT: Maintaining Your Newly Renovated Lawn >>
PREVIOUS: The First Lawn <<

 

Recommended Products

WOLF-Garten Dethatching Rake This Dethatching Rake from WOLF-Garten is recommended for clearing small areas of grass of destructive thatch and moss. Do it twice a year for a beautiful, lush, and healthy lawn. Part of WOLF-Garten's Interlocken system: A mix-and-match assortment of comfortable handles and quality tool heads. It's a snap to lock together the tool you need with the handle you like. Handles and tool heads lock together for use, unlock for changing tool heads or for convenient storage. Carry just one handle and all the toolheads needed to do all of your gardening. That means fewer trips back to the garage or tool shed. And no more tangle of long-handle tools! Simply brilliant.

Super Sawtooth Shovel 29" "D" Grip Wood Handle Versatile sawtooth design cuts through rooted and compacted soil, even rocky soils and ice. 29" "D" grip wood handle gives you power to move the soil. Excellent for digging-out deep-rooted weeds and small trees.