Lawn Renovation

You'll know it's time to renovate your lawn when:

• the crab grass and other weeds have taken over,
• disease has left bare patches in some areas, thin grass in others, and/or
• mole tunnels have left your lawn looking like a quilt.

1. Take a soil sample to the Extension Cooperative Service near you. See Soil Sampling: Why is it Important? for more details. After you get your results, continue with these steps:
2. Estimate the square footage of your lawn. You can find your yard's measurement with a measuring tape and revisiting an old friend from High School geometry:

   length x width = area.

   Knowing the square footage of your lawn is crucial if you want to buy the right amounts of lime, soil amendments, grass seed, and fertilizer.

3. Mow the lawn as low as possible, bag and discard the clippings. Ordinarily it is better to leave your clipping on the lawn, for they wil return nitrogen to the soil. However, in this case, only by sending your clippings to the landfill can you reliably eliminate weed seeds.
4. Put out your lawn sprinkler for at least 4 hours and soak your lawn. Moist soil will make step 3 (Rototilling) MUCH easier.
5. THE NEXT DAY: Rent (or borrow) a rototiller. Till the lawn twice, avoiding large tree roots, which will catch (and potentially break) the rototiller blades.
6. Amend your soil by tilling in organic matter such as compost, topsoil, or well rotted cow or horse manure.
7. Apply lime in accordance with the recommendations in your soil report.
8. Spread turf grass seed that best matches your yard's conditions (sunny, shady, high foot traffic, or some combination). Your seed requirements will range from 3 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft (for most sun/shade grasses) to 6 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft (for high traffic areas). Read the back of the bag before you buy!
9. Cover the seeded area with a mulch to keep it moist and discourage birds. Peat moss or straw work well, as do some commercially marketed "new grass lawn" products. Check with your lawn/garden store to see what they recommend from personal experience.
10. Be sure to water your fledgling lawn. Grass plants need a lot of moisture to germinate. Water early in the morning before the sun comes up. Avoid watering at night, as the excess moisture and cooler temperatures encourage disease.