Over-seeding & Spring Lawn Care[1]:
While it’s important to
attend to your lawn in the spring, serious renovation should be done around
Labor Day
1.
What kind of lawn do you want?
a.
How are you planning to use it?
b.
How much time and money are you willing to spend
on it?
2.
Know you square footage.
3.
Test the pH (see pH handout).
4.
Mow the lawn shorter than usual—about 2”
5.
Remove as many weeds and as much debris as
possible.
6.
Thoroughly rake or dethatch the lawn.
a.
Thatch:
is comprised of living and dead material (i.e. grass clippings, grass
stems, and other debris)—usually hidden by the grass the material accumulates
and decomposes over time. Many cool
weather grasses don’t create heavy thatch.
Warm weather grasses, like bluegrass do create heavy thatch.
i.
Thatch can prevent fertilizer from reaching the
soil. It can also play host to insects
and fungal diseases.
b.
Usually, using a hand rake will do all you need
for dethatching; however, some lawns may require the use of a dethatching
machine. The machine makes vertical cuts
into the lawn and pulls the dead material to the surface.
7.
Based on the pH results add the soil amendments.
a.
Lime
b.
Fertilizer
c.
In that order
8.
Over-seed with grass seed at about half the
normal rate (for instance, most AS&L lawn mixes are applied at a rate of
1lb per 200 sq.ft. for a new lawn—for over-seeding use 1/2lb. per 200 sq.ft.)
9.
Water daily until established.
10.
Create a regular maintenance plan.
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