Tired of the way your lawn looks? If it hasn’t looked up to par this summer reseeding your lawn is an option. Mid-August is the best time to seed a new lawn or overseed an existing lawn, but planning should start now. If the lawn is just thin and needs a little help, fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn and control weeds. Depending on the condition of your lawn, you have some options to improve your lawn:
1. If the lawn is in fairly good shape but thin and with a fair population of weeds, you can improve the lawn dramatically with applying 1 lb N/1000 sq ft in September and 1.25 lb N/1000 sq ft in November. You may even consider applying three applications of 1.0 lb N/1000 each in September, October, and November for very thin lawns. An application of a broadleaf herbicide in mid-October should take care of most of the broadleaf weeds like clover and dandelion. This is the option to choose if you don’t want to spend a lot of time and effort improving your lawn.
2. If your lawn is very thin and weedy, but doesn’t have serious soil problems such as compaction, you can follow one of two courses of action. The first is to mow very low in early to mid August and then use a power overseeder to cut in turfgrass seed. Keep mowing the turf at 1.0 inch until the new seedlings are in the 3-5 leaf stage, which could take up to 1.5 months. The other option is to leave the grass at your regular mowing height, apply a nonselective herbicide like glyphosate (Roundup) while the grass is still actively growing, wait about 5 days, and then use a power seeder to cut in seed. Aerifying the lawn in many different directions prior to cutting in the seed will also help to improve the germination and establishment of the new grass. Be sure to keep the lawn well-watered until the new seedlings are established. Applying a starter fertilizer (high in P but low in N and K) at 1.0 lb P2O5/1000 sq. ft. prior to seeding and then about 4 weeks after germination will improve establishment. Then follow the fertilization and weed control steps listed under option 1 above.
3. If your lawn is very thin, weedy, and has serious soil problems such as compaction or bad drainage, apply Roundup in early August to kill the existing vegetation. Be sure the lawn is well-watered and growing in order to kill it most effectively (sounds counter-productive, doesn’t it?. After about five days, till the soil as deep as possible, rake the surface smooth, and then seed. Follow the seeding with a light rolling to improve the seed soil contact, and then keep the lawn well-watered until the new seedlings are established. Applying a starter fertilizer (high in P but low in N and K) at 1.0 lb P2O5/1000 sq. ft. prior to seeding and then about 4 weeks after germination will improve establishment. Then follow the fertilization and weed control steps listed under option 1 above. Back by popular demand is a series of photos when we renovated a then neighbor’s lawn in 2000.
More details can be found in AY-13 “Lawn Improvement Programs”.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |