Does your lawn look scrawny and unkempt? Does your effort to revive your lawn seem fruitless? Do you want to hit the delete button and start your lawn journey all over again but don’t know how? Well, it seems you have found the right place!
An ugly lawn can be super embarrassing, and it can affect the external aesthetics of your home. Luckily, there are a bunch of ways you can kill your ugly lawn and start over, restoring it to its previous glow and glory, and that’s just what I intend to teach you through this article.
You can restart and make your lawn a beautiful and satisfying sight to behold – as it should be. Here are all the questions you may have about restoring your lawn addressed in one place.
What is Lawn Renovation?
Just like the name implies, lawn renovation refers to the process of fixing or remodeling ugly and degenerated turf grasses in your lawn to improve its look and health. You can achieve this by improving lawn maintenance practices or total replacement and renovations.
Lawns can be damaged by overwatering, low fertility, drought, disease, pest or weed infestation, poor mowing, and more. The type of lawn renovation usually depends on the extent of the damage, personal choice, and several other factors.
If your lawn doesn’t level up the bare minimum standard and expectations of a regular lawn, you may need to do some lawn renovations.
What is the Best Time to Renovate Your Lawn?
For the best and fastest results, the perfect time to renovate your lawn is mid-August to mid-September. You can go as last as early October. But try to avoid renovating your property in or after mid-October.
During the suitable lawn renovation period, which happens to be late summer, plants grow at their best. Soil temperatures are warm and adequate for growth, allowing seeds to germinate and get established quickly.
Renovating your lawn during this period will enable you to grow the toughest turfs that can withstand the weed growth that follows in mid-October.
How Do I Kill a Lawn and Start Over?
There are several ways to kill a rat and also a lawn! You can either handle this process independently or hire a lawn renovation company to help you do it. However, if you intend to do this yourself, here are some of the steps you must carry out.
- Clear up unwanted weeds – The method you use to do this depends on your choice and the amount and type of weeds in your lawn. You can remove unwanted weeds by pulling them out manually or using a herbicide to kill the lawn. Then, clear out the uprooted weeds from your yard.
- Prepare the soil for planting – If you uproot the weeds, you can resume this immediately after. But, if you use a herbicide, you may have to wait a little while to allow the herbicide to do its work and avoid any hindrances to growth. Also, for turfgrass to thrive, it requires the right soil conditions.
Test the soil’s ph and correct it if it’s acidic (using lime or calcium carbonate). In addition, you need to expose your lawn utilizing a power dethatcher or dethatching rake to ensure good seed and soil contact. - Choose the mixture of turfgrasses and apply the seeds – Once your lawn is ready for a new turn, it is time to choose the new type of grass seed for the lawn. It is advisable to get drought and heat-resistant grass varieties that are easy to maintain.
However, it is solely your choice. After deciding, get your seeds, plant them, apply fertilizer, and maintain them till they bloom.
How Long After Killing Grass Can I Reseed?
It is normal to be worried about how long you need to wait to reseed after killing grass – especially after using a weed killer. The duration for which you should wait is dependent on the type of weed killer used and the type of plants you intend to plant in your lawn afterward.
Sometimes, you only have to wait a day; however, some other weed killers may require you to wait up to four months.
If you intend to replant and restore your lawn, you need to be careful of the kind of weed killer you use. Some weed killers are capable of damaging the soil for years and others for life. To avoid situations such as this, avoid weed killers that contain chemicals such as triclopyr and imazapic.
What Should I Do After Seeding?
The first few months after lawn renovation are the most important. During the first two to three months, your seeds will begin to germinate, and you must pay attention to them to ensure growth.
After seeding, you need to water the seeds judiciously and at the correct intervals, mainly because the weather may not always be on your side. It would help if you also mowed (with the proper technique – using the one-third rule).
Fertilization is essential for proper maintenance and to facilitate growth. This process must be done based on a soil test. Aerate the lawn to expose the seeds to sunlight, water and reduce competition from weeds.
Finally, protect your entire lawn from foot traffic for the first month. Seeds are easily injured and can be significantly affected when stepped on.
How Do You Reseed a Dead Lawn?
Reseeding is an excellent alternative to complete renovation, especially when your lawn is thinning or dying out. If you have a dead lawn or half-dead lawn, you simply need to reseed over the dead grass or turf.
You can do this by identifying the reason for the grasses thinning or dying out, evaluating the soil, mowing the grass, preparing the soil, and sowing your seed. Sowing can be done manually – with your hands or with a spreader.
What Should I Do Before Overshadowing?
Overseeding is a cost-effective way to renovate your lawn without killing it. In the case where your property just needs a little help, this is a great option.
Overseeding simply involves planting seeds even in the presence of existing turf. To successfully do this, there are specific steps you must take. They include mowing and raking the lawn, choosing seeds, preparing the soil, applying the seed, and maintaining it through fertilization and watering.
Watering with a minimum of two-inch per week is essential for turf growth and maintenance.
Should I Dig Up My Lawn and Start Again?
The choice of digging up your lawn and starting again depends on the extent of lawn deterioration, your preference, and plans for your property.
If the extent of thinning or dying out of grasses isn’t too prominent, then you don’t need to dig up. However, if the lawn deterioration is extensive, you have to dig up and start again.
Will Grass Come Back After Being Sprayed With Roundup?
Roundup has several herbicide products, and for most of them, grass can come back or be planted after spraying. You can redo a lawn after spraying Roundup. However, some roundup products affect the soil permanently and prevent plant or grass growth of any kind.
It’s important to read the label of the product you are using carefully to understand its impact on future plant growth.
Conclusion
You can restore life to your lawn in multiple ways. How you do it depends on the extent of deterioration in your lawn and the reason behind it. When deciding what type of renovation to do, you must consider these factors carefully.
Being able to make the right choice and renovate your lawn successfully brings back undeniable confidence and satisfaction.