Is Autumn A Good Time To Do A Lawn Renovation
Autumn can be the best time to scarify and over seed a mossy lawn. The ground will still be warm from the summer heat and there is plenty of moisture around to aid seed germination. This will mean less watering will be required than might be needed in the dry springs of recent years, plus any watering is less likely to evaporate away.
How Bad Is Your Lawn
Its not uncommon for homeowners to say their lawn is in bad shape when pursuing lawn renovation services. But what really constitutes a bad lawn? There are obviously varying degrees of just how bad of shape your lawn is really in.
For the purposes of this article and understanding lawn renovation steps, its important to be on the same page in understanding what a bad lawn means. We find that lawns could generally fit into three categories: the lawn that is in decent shape, the lawn that is not-so-great, and the lawn that is in terrible shape. Lets look at each category.
How Do I Repair My Lawn And Bring It Back To Life
Healthy lawns are able to withstand quite a bit of abuse. They can out-compete the majority of weeds and tolerate a fair amount of insect feeding, disease and drought without significant injury. Maintaining a healthy lawn is far from easy though. The drought in the summer of 2020 was particularly hard on lawns without irrigation, leading to decline and dieback on many properties. Here is what you need to know if your lawn is not meeting your aesthetic standards.
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Test Soil And Fertilize
It is advised to get a soil test to determine the amount of phosphorus in the soil, which assists in the healthy root development of your turfgrass.
Unruh says, Perform a soil test to make sure that there is adequate phosphorus available. The University of Florida does not recommend that anything other than phosphorus be applied before planting.
Once you know the test results, you should:
- Spread the needed phosphorous evenly over the site.
- If you dont choose to test your soil, you can find grass starter fertilizers at your local garden store. Their formulas are designed to assist in the healthy development of newly planted grass.
- If desired, restest after one year.
How To Replant A Lawn
1. Clear the area. Kill weeds and any remaining poor-looking grass with a non-selective herbicide about 2 weeks before you want to seed your lawn. After everything is completely dead, rake the area to remove the debris.2. Prep for success. Now is a great time to core aerate the area if your soil is really compact. After aerating, rake the area level and loosen the top ¼ inch of soil. Then add a 1-inch layer of Scotts® LawnSoil evenly across the entire planting area. Its specifically formulated with a blend of rich, composted materials to provide an excellent growing environment for young seedlings.
3. Select your grass seed. Choose a Scotts® Turf Builder® Grass Seed that is right for your location. Do you live in the north and need a grass type that stays green in cooler temperatures, or do you live in the south and need a grass type that stays green during the hot summer months? Be sure to also take into consideration the growing conditions in your area: How much sun? How much wear and tear from children and family pets? If you need help finding a grass type that matches your growing conditions, check out our Identify Your Grass article.
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When Is The Best Time To Renovate Your Lawn
Plan at least two weeks from start to finish. Regardless, the absolute best time to fully renovate your lawn is the end of summer/early fall. Air temps begin to drop, soil temps stay warm, and most of the pesky weeds have already come and gone.
What to look for when renovating your yard?
It will be much easier to enjoy your yard when its safe. As a first step to renovating your lawn, look for these potential safety hazards: Dead or Dying Trees: Should be cut down to prevent potential injury or damage to your property.
Best Way To Redo Lawn
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Feeding Your Renovated Lawn
When the grass shoots are about an inch tall, you can apply a lawn fertilizer to encourage growth . The same goes for sprigs and plugs: After seeing a couple of new shoots, it’s time for fertilizer if you want to use it. Just be sure to wait until there’s growth because you can burn roots if you fertilize too early.
Which Grass Should You Grow
While there are hundreds of grass species, only those that are classified as cool season grasses are appropriate for New Hampshire lawns. Cool season grasses grow best in the spring and fall and grow slowly or go dormant during the heat of the summer. The top choices for lawns are Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and fine fescue. Each of these grasses has its strong points and shortcomings, and the scales will tip in their favor depending on the growing conditions of your lawn. Grasses are often combined in mixes to make the turf more tolerant of a variety of environmental situations.
Kentucky bluegrass is considered by many to be the best of the turf grasses for its deep green, fine-textured blades and dense, spreading growth habit. Kentucky bluegrass is the species lawn owners most prize when they want to be the envy of the neighborhood. Kentucky bluegrass is best suited to lawns with loamy soils, full sun exposure, and caretakers who are willing to commit to large amount of maintenance in form of fertilizing and watering. It does not hold up to drought as well as other species and requires irrigation during hot, dry spells to keep it from going completely dormant.
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How Much Seed To Use
Too much or too little seed produces inferior results. Grass species should be seeded at the following rates.
- Kentucky bluegrass: 3 to 4 pounds/1,000 square feet
- Perennial ryegrass: 7 pounds/1,000 square feet
- Turf-type tall fescue: 7 pounds/1,000 square feet
- Fine fescues: 5 pounds/1,000 square feet
- Buffalograss: 3 to 5 pounds/1,000 square feet
Start Mowing Your New Repaired Lawn
When the grass is about three inches tall, mow it for the first time. This will discourage weeds and encourage the spread of your new grass. This simple step makes a huge difference in the success of replacing lawns!
Be sure the mower blade is sharp the first time you mow a dull blade could rip the seedlings from the ground. Then mow as you usually would to keep the grass at the height you want it. For the health of your turf, don’t cut off more than a third of the leaf length during any one mowing.
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The Last Of The Lawn Renovation Steps: Maintenance
Now that youve gone through the steps of fixing your bad lawn, chances are, you want to keep it that way. This is where maintenance comes into play. Since youve already invested in improving your lawn, you dont want to set yourself back to where you started.
Investing in ongoing lawn care will keep your lawn in good shape so that you can continue to enjoy it. As time goes on, your healthy lawn will also begin to naturally choke out weeds and defend against environmental stressors, diseases, and pests.
Mow Lawn To 1 In Height Dethatch And Aerate
Your lawn cannot live without air, water, and nutrients. When a thick layer of thatch builds up, the new seed may germinate in the thatch rather than in the soil. If that occurs the seed will not root into the soil and will not survive. Dethatching and aerating can help rejuvenate a lawn by restoring passageways to the soil. Fall is an excellent time to dethatch your grass. Thatching rakes can be used but for lawns with severe thatch problems or if you have heavy or compacted soil, aerate the soil and add LeafGro, or other high-quality lawn soil.
Aeration creates openings in a lawn to allow air, nutrients, and water to reach grass roots. Choose an aerator that extracts plugs of soil 2 to 3 inches long and deposits them on the lawn. Allow these plugs to decompose naturally. Be sure to aerate when the soil is moist, not too wet and not too dry.
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What You Should Let The Pros Handle
Some common tasks when redoing your landscaping require specialized skills to accomplish safely or without causing further damage to your yard:
- Removing large trees and shrubs.
- Tearing up large portions of your lawn.
- Demolishing an elevated deck.
- Tearing down unstable or high retaining walls.
Tree care specialists are the best for taking care of any large trees. A landscaping company can handle smaller-specimen trees and shrubs.
Molly Meulenbroek | General Manager, Studleys Flower Garden
Tip : Plan Your New Landscaping
Once the heavy lifting is behind you, itâs time for the fun part of lawn renovation: deciding on your new look. Here are some tips for getting started.
Determine a Rough Layout
Before you set foot in a garden center, sketch out a general idea of what elements you want to include in your newly-improved yard and where theyâll be situated. Doing this will ensure that your new plants can thrive where theyâll be planted. It will also help you create a more cohesive look for your new landscaping.
Keep Current Trends in Mind
The look of your landscaping should be shaped by your personal style, but there are certain landscaping trends that are worth keeping in mind when drawing up your plans.
- Use native plants wherever possible. Native plants require less water and other resources to thrive â and are usually cheaper to buy.
- Consider low-maintenance landscaping. Youâll save time and energy without undoing all your hard work in creating a beautiful yard. Sustainable landscaping is often a fantastic low-maintenance option.
- Donât go overboard. Especially in smaller yards, itâs easier to maintain your landscaping when your yard is uncluttered.
Find a Landscaping Company
When youâre landscaping your front yard from scratch, youâll likely need to bring in professional landscapers for at least some of the work.
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Remove Weeds And Thatch
Start the actual renovation by removing weeds especially the perennial ones manually or with a herbicide. This keeps other species from competing with your new grass. If you use herbicides, be sure to read the labels and follow the instructions. Most products will allow you to seed in seven days, but some weedkillers will keep your seeds from germinating for three to six weeks.
Check if you need to manage thatch by digging up a small plug of turf, several inches deep. If the spongy layer is more than three quarters of an inch thick when you compress it, its time to have your lawn dethatched. If your lawn is larger than 300 square meters, you would want to use a power rake or a scarifier. For smaller lawns, a manual thatching rake will do.
When To Renovate Your Lawn
You can renovate your lawn when the quality has become unacceptable, but you may also consider it when introducing different types of grass into a lawn.
Consider renovation when:
- Introducing lower maintenance turf varieties into an existing lawn .
- About 30 to 50 percent of the lawn is dead or has very sparse growth. This may be due to low soil fertility, drought and heat, insect damage, poor mowing practices, disease, moderate soil compaction, or increasing shade and competition from growing trees.
- The lawn is soft and spongy when walking across it and responds poorly to regular watering and fertilizer applications. This usually indicates excessive thatch .
- Broadleaved weeds or grassy weeds cover about 30 to 50 percent of the lawn area and there is not enough existing turf cover to fill in the bare areas once the weeds are removed.
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How To Completely Replace A Lawn Without Using Turf
If you feel that your lawn needs a complete refurbishment, this article is for you. Were talking about how to completely replace a lawn.
Nearly every lawn needs replacing from time to time. So if yours is looking very sorry for itself and you dont feel that a change in your lawn care regime will be enough to bring it back to its full glory, then theres only one thing for it. Start again.
You may have been the victim of a chafer grub attack, perhaps your lawn has been invaded by ugly weed grasses. Or maybe youve recently moved to a new home and are busy improving the garden. Whatever your reason for replacing your lawn, I have an easy 10 step process for you to follow.
Whats Best For My Lawn
Some lawns with severe problems require a complete renovation. It is probably more practical to destroy your existing lawn and start from scratch, rather than try to salvage an already deteriorating lawn. However, if the lawn is just thin and weedy, an aeration and seeding maybe the easiest way to help establish a desirable lawn over the next 2-3 years.
Lawns with poor drainage and poor soil quality can be corrected by reworking the soil after the existing grass is removed. Remember, if a lawn has bare areas and is void of grass and weeds, the soil needs to be tested, and the recommended lime, organic matter, and nutrients added prior to seeding.
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Choosing A Company For Lawn Renovation Services
Whether you have an absolutely terrible lawn or one that needs just a little help, the lawn care company that you choose will make all of the difference in your results. Dont fall for the companies that offer a quick fix, as it will likely only mean theyre cutting corners. Truthfully speaking, the best lawn care results take time and is not something that you can rush.
However, if services are performed properly, youll reap the benefits in the form of the beautiful lawn youve always wanted.
This is why your choice matters. After all, youre the one that has to live with the results. The last thing that you want is a company that cuts corners and prolongs the amount of time it takes to achieve a beautiful lawn. When it comes to fixing an ugly lawn the right way, slow and steady wins the race.
If youd like to find out more about transforming your lawn with our lawn care services in Allentown, Lansdale, and Collegeville, PA, which include three lawn care pricing options, then contact us for a free consultation or give us a call at 610-365-2200.
Ready to get started?
When Is The Best Time Of Year To Seed My Lawn
If youre frustrated about an ugly lawn and its the end of Summer or early Fall, there is good news. Fall is the ideal time to renovate your lawn. Fall provides some advantages over a Spring seeding. In Fall, you dont need to worry about the timing of your seeding efforts in coordination with pre-emergent crabgrass control and broadleaf weed control. Another advantage is the temperatures are cooling off and wont be reaching the blasting heat of summer for a half a year or more. This means less stress for your new grass plants.
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What To Consider Before Killing A Lawn And Starting Over
You can make some big mistakes and make a bad lawn look even worse if you try to re-do your lawn but take the wrong approach.
I dont want you to waste your time, money, or make your neighbors angry. There are certain things that you need to consider and instructions you will have to know if you decide to proceed.
Ill discuss those here.
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