Five Quick and Simple Methods to Lawn Repair
There are a few easy steps that you need to do to repair a lawn. Lawns across the country are different but this lawn treatment will work to fix most problem spots and help any lawn look its best. Initially, assess the problem. If the lawn is yellow it could not be getting enough water, over fertilization, or a pest problem. Find out what caused the problem so that you can keep it from recurring in the future.
Thatching – is the first step to fixing your lawn. There are manual thatching rakes or power rakes. Most people thatch their lawns in the spring and fall, but as long as the grass is growing rapidly, it is a good time to de thatch. Thatching eliminates dead buildup (from grass and other organic material) from your lawn. It allows water to reach the grass roots giving it more oxygen as well.
Aerating- This can also be done by hand or with a machine. The best types of aerators leave coring plugs. Aerating is good for breaking up hard soils and also helps you with over seeding and fertilizing. Fertilizers can direct access to the root system and seeds can have a most place to germinate and grow from. Aerating increases the effectiveness of Lawn repair.
Over seeding can easily be done with a hand seeder or even just with your hands. If the lawn is thin it may be necessary to over seed 2 or even 3 times. In using a hand spreader, be sure to set the spreader to the largest setting (usually the bigger numbers are larger). After the seed is sewn, be patient. Grass seed can take as long as 6-7 weeks depending on the weather. It will hibernate until the weather is warm enough to germinate. Once the seed has germinated, it will take a few months to establish itself. But most grasses grow outward with new shoots as they mature, so as long as the grass is well fed and watered, the lawn with thicken each year.
Peat moss- Adding peat moss to your lawn should be done near the end. Peat moss is a soft organic covering that can keep the seed moist and can keep the birds from eating it. One large bale is approximately 4 cubic feet and will cover an area of 4-500 square feet. The best way to apply it is to shake it on and then even it out with a rake.
Putting starter fertilizer on after over seeding is an important step. It gives the seed just enough extra nutrients to grow healthy. It is a simple step and can be done with the hand spreader as well, but is it essential to rapid and healthy root development in the new seed.
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