“What do I do with this yard?”…The question we all have to answer after yet another summer of humidity, heat and drought. Reclaiming your lawn from the stress, fungus and weeds created by that stress doesn’t have to be alot of work.
We’ve put together a checklist to help guide you through!
- When do I start? For cool season turfgrass the best time to seed is when we have warm soil temperatures combined with cool air. Usually August 20th to September 20th is the best time frame. Non irrigated lawns should be checked to ensure the soil is soft enough to allow the aerator to do its job.
- How do I prepare the lawn? First, get rid of the weeds! Use Round-up. Don’t use a selective herbicide. Round up will kill weeds on contact and won’t leave residual in the soil. Selective herbicide will harm the new seed for up to 30 days after spraying. This is the only time we recommend the use of Round Up on the lawn. Add topsoil to any low areas in the turf, along driveways or sidewalks, a level surface will keep the mower from scalping the turf causing weed problems.
- Whats that machine called that I should use? If your lawn is 60% intact you should be using an Aerator. A Core Aerator pulls plugs from the soil and drops them on the surface of the lawn. Typically a double pass, or doing the yard twice is sufficient. The plug holes will help with compaction relief, improved drainage, and becomes a great bed from which new seed will germinate. The plug cores laying on the surface should soon erode away helping to smooth out the ruffles left from mower tires through the season. If your lawn is less than 60% intact and has large bare patches you will want to use a vertical mower, or Verticutter. This “tilling” process will loosen the surface soil down 2″ making a seed bed. We also recommend doing a double pass but broadcasting seed before the second pass.
- Whats the best seed? To get the most out of your money, go with Turf Type Tall Fescue. Tropical grasses may stand up to the Summer heat and drought better but they are dormant in the Spring and most of the Fall. Blue grasses are great to mix in, but don’t do as well in the Summer heat. Tall fescues have been improved to tolerate shade, and to thrive in the Summer with minimal water. You get a green lawn from Spring all the way through Fall. When overseeding, it’s always best to use a broadcast seeder for even coverage. The rate to apply will vary depending on how dense or spotty your lawn is. Fescue can range from 2 lbs/ 1000 to 12 lbs/ 1000. The heavier rate would be for bare ground areas. The lighter rate would be for very little to no existing damage. Fescues take about 30- 40 days to get to a mowable height and about 9 months to fully establish. Too much seed can induce fungus when the heat comes the following Summer. A starter fertilizer will help push germination as well, 18-24-12 is the most popular. This is a mild fertilizer that lasts about 4 weeks.
- How much do I water? Every lawn is different, but the goal is the same- keep the lawn moist, not wet. Too much water can displace the seed, then your back to having bare patches. Not enough moisture causes the soil to dry and cause the germination percentage to drop. A steady and consistent misting is the best.
Randy Dukes
Lawn and Turf Maintenance Supervisor, Rosehill Gardens, Inc.