Archive for the ‘Lawn Repair’ Category
Some people believe that all they need to do to have a thick weed free lawn is to fertilize it. After a few years grass reduces its ability to reproduce. It thins out and invites the growth of weeds. Lawns thin out due to the weather or because of damage due to disease or insects. This is where overseeding comes into play.
Overseeding compensates for the grasses reduction in reproduction. There are a couple of reasons to overseed your lawn every couple of years. The first reason is to make sure that your lawn remains dense and thick. If it has thinned, this will make it thick again. Thick grass over 2 inches tall will have very few weeds. Another benefit is disease resistance. Every year they come out with grass seed that is even more disease resistant.
There are a few types of seeding that you can use. There is spot seeding, overseeding, and complete lawn renovation. To repair things such as ruts, warn footpaths or areas that have warn out, I would suggest spot seeding. Use a rake or hoe to loosen the soil in these areas and apply the seed. Some lawns that are full of thatch or are really thin will need a complete rebuild to be good again. This can be done in a number of ways; You can get rid of old sod with a sod cutter, you can de-thatch and seed the lawn, or you can use slice seeding. Slice seeding drills seeds into the soil.
Because overseeding can be a bit labor intensive, I would only overseed a small area at a time. Something like 4,000 to 5,000 square feet at a time. To begin, mow the area your are going to overseed as short as your mower will go. If you have a bagger on your mower use it. Otherwise you will have to rake it up because the seeds need to be in contact with the soil.
I’ve been told that, depending on where you live, you can be successful seeding any time of the year. I would think that in the spring and summer times, lawn seeding would need a lot more water and more attention. At these times of the year crabgrass and weeds abound. I believe late summer or fall is the best time for this activity. I actually prefer early fall because germination will take place quicker in the warm soil. The seed will continue to grow throughout the fall.
Whatever time of the year you deside to seed remember to water. Once you have the seed spread and wet for the first time do not let it dry out. Sprinkle the seeds lightly a few times every day until the grass is about an inch tall. This may take a couple of weeks. Don’t use any sort of weed control products until the grass has been mowed 3 or 4 times. Now that you have your lawn back to where it should be, keep up a good organic maintaince program.
