Great Plains Gardening

By Edith Koeller

August 13, 2004

Have you been looking out at your existing lawn and been unhappy with what you are seeing? Perhaps you have been contemplating reseeding or even starting over with a new variety of grass. Now is the time of year to be doing this if you desire to plant cool season grasses such as bluegrass, ryegrass and the fescues.

Tony Koski, Extension Turfgrass Specialist at CSU has some tips for renovating the lawn that I would like to share with you this week

"Lawn renovation involves the killing of existing turf and replacement with new grass without the tilling or changing of grade normally used for the establishment of a new lawn. Partial lawn renovation may also involve introduction of new or improved varieties of the same turfgrass species or introduction of a similar looking species."

Some reasons for renovating your lawn include: "Lawn consists of a species or variety that is frequently attacked by disease or insects, causing it to thin out; the landscape has become increasingly shady over time, causing the original lawn to become thin and unhealthy; the lawn was severely injured or totally killed by a disease, insects, or drought, or was winterkilled; or you want to completely convert from one turf species to another."

"How do you renovate a lawn? Kill any existing grass and weeds using a non-selective herbicide, the most effective products being those that contain glyphosate (such as Roundup). This is only effective on actively growing grass and weeds, so the area should be irrigated occasionally to encourage plant growth before applying. Wait 10 days following application, watering occasionally, to ensure that all vegetation has been killed. When the existing vegetation has been killed, mow the site down to about ½ inch and remove the debris by raking or using the bagging unit on your mower. If there is an existing thatch layer deeper than 1 inch, it should be removed from the lawn. A thatch layer less than 1 inch in depth need not be removed, but the soil must be made visible for seeding purposes. Core colligation will provide an excellent seed germination environment; holes should be 1-3 inches deep and 2 inches apart in all directions. A power rake, set deep enough to expose the soil, can be run over the lawn in two different directions; remove loose debris by raking or with mower and bagging unit. Seeding can be done, once the soil has been made visible to allow for good seed soil contact. Seed at the recommended rate with a drop spreader in two directions and follow by light raking to work seed into the soil."

"A starter fertilizer can be applied at the rate recommended on the label. The area should be irrigated to maintain a constantly moist, but not saturated soil. The presence of dead turf and a thatch layer will reduce the need for frequent irrigation; check moisture levels in the underlying soil to prevent excessive irrigation. Grass will germinate and grow most obviously in aerification holes or slits made by the power rake."

"Keep traffic to a minimum on the newly seeded lawn. Avoid the use of herbicides once the lawn has been seeded, and until it has been mowed 4-5 times. Begin mowing the new lawn once the grass has grown to about 2 ½ inches in height."

"Per 1,000 square feet the seeding rate for Kentucky bluegrass is 3 to 4 pounds, fine fescues at 5 pounds, while the perennial ryegrass and turf-typed tall fescue are seeded at 7 pounds"

Until next time…