If your lawn is ragged, weedy, or has bare spots, now is the best time to renovate it.
Poor lawn condition is often due to improper maintenance practices, such as mowing too short, irregular watering, and inadequate fertilization.
If you need more than correcting these practices, you can improve your lawn by following a good renovation program.
How To Renovate Your Lawn
Before preparing the bare spots and eradicating the weeds, mow your old lawn closely and remove all the clippings.
If your soil is extremely low in nutrients, it would be a good idea to have it tested.
Otherwise, an application of 5.10-5 at 40 pounds per 1000’ square feet would be adequate. If your soil tends to be acidic, add lime, also. Rake in the fertilizer and lime on the bare spots.
Eliminating Crabgrass
The simplest and most efficient way to eliminate the crabgrass that may have taken over your lawn is to kill it with cyanamid.
Since this material will kill desirable grass, weeds, and weed seed, it should be applied only where you plan to reseed. For information on how to use cyanamid, see the article by Dr. Pirone.
The area is ready to be seeded three weeks after treating the soil with cyanamid. Rake off the dead grass and weeds, and break any crust that may have formed.
It would help if you were careful not to stir the soil deeper than ½” inch because the soil below this depth is not weed-free. Now the bare spas can be reseeded.
Best Grass To Use
Your particular conditions determine the best grass to use, but, in general, a grass mixture gives the best results.
Scatter the seed, gently rake it in and roll the seeded area. If the bed is on a slope, apply hay mulch.
Keep the soil moist until the seedlings are well established. As soon as the new lawn is high enough, you can mow it. But remember that a bluegrass or fescue lawn should always be cut at most 1 ½” inches.
Proper Lawn Care
Suppose this renovation procedure has been followed. You will have a good stand of strong, healthy grass. However, all your effort will have been wasted if you give your lawn improper care.
Mowing, fertilization, and watering are the most important. First, mow your lawn to the proper height.
Apply an adequate amount of fertilizer each spring and fall. Give your lawn a good soaking regularly so it never is allowed to dry out and wilt.
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