Renovating the Lawn

Lawn renovation consists of the introduction of new grass seed into the whole lawn. Consider renovation of the whole lawn rather than repair when more than 25% of the lawn is suffering.

Some of the reasons for renovation may be:

Excessive thatch layer: This will require scarifying repeatedly until the machine scores the soil surface. The chances are you will lose most of your lawn. This would also be a good time to hollow tine the lawn prior to over sowing with new grass seed. See Raking & Scarifying and Lawn Aeration & Equipment

You want to change or improve the type of grass: Follow the Raking & Scarifying procedure to open up the lawn and over seed with your preferred seed.

Your lawn no longer responds to fertiliser treatments: Follow the Raking & Scarifying procedure to open up and over seed the lawn. This would also be a good time to hollow tine the lawn prior to over sowing new grass seed.

The lawn is prone to diseases: Follow Raking & Scarifying; however, you should KILL the lawn first by applying any Glyphosate product so that the old problem doesn’t immediately re-occur. Leave the lawn for two to four weeks after applying the glyphosate or until it’s all fairly brown and dead before scarifying and over seeding with a more disease resistant strain. Lawnsmith® Grass Seeds are STRI rated for disease resistance.

The lawn suffers from heavy weed grass infestation: As for lawns prone to disease above.

Soil Problems: If the underlying problem is the soil then you may need to re-instate (replace the lawn) by removing the old grass, rotovating and amending the soil and finally replacing the lawn with new seed or turf. Some of the reasons for re-instating the lawn may be:

• Heavy compaction down to 6″ or more that cannot be resolved with hollow tining
• Poor drainage that requires the soil to be lightened with a sandy soil
• Very uneven surface that cannot be resolved with top dressing

See Creating a New Lawn for full details

Mowing after renovation should be on the high side for the first six weeks but otherwise as normal for an established lawn. Sharp blades are beneficial.

The addition of fertiliser and water after renovation will ensure a faster and better recovery.