Renovating an existing Lawn

Spring and Autumn are the best times to renovate a lawn.

If you are intending to make your lawn into a showpiece, consider having a soil analysis. The basic analysis will tell you whether your soil is alkaline or acidic and the level of nutrients available to your grass. You can then determine what fertiliser and additives may be required to produce the best soil conditions for your lawn.

Weeds and moss are likely to be a problem so treat these first. Hand weed and rake if the areas aren't too large, alternatively make sure you follow the manufacturer's recommendations if treating chemically. Leave for 4-6 weeks to allow the chemicals to do their job.

Cut the grass to as low as you possibly can. Moss is a sign of surface compaction so borrow or hire a hollow core machine and punch holes all over the area. Brush up the cores and put them on the compost.

Then scarify to remove all the thatch and debris that has built up on the soil surface. There will be plenty of it. You must get down into the soil surface with your scarification otherwise the overseeding you need to do will be a waste of time and money.

Once you have removed as much thatch as possible take a good look at the area. What are the levels like? Do you need any topsoil to fill in any depressions? Now is the time to do this.

Put on a pre-seed fertiliser. This will give your seed the best possible chance of germination. Overseed using a good quality seed, sowing at around 20gm per sq metre.

Then treat as if you were seeding a new area:-

• Lightly rake the area. Do not worry about seed lying on the surface. Providing it is touching the soil it should germinate.
• String lines with foil/paper attached will deter birds from feeding on the seed but, providing you have sown at the recommended rate, their impact will be minimal.
• Keep the area moist, do not let it dry out. Use a fine rose sprinkler if there is insufficient rain.
• The grass will start shooting in about 10 days or so. Let it get to a height of about 25mm (1 inch), then lightly roll using the back roller of your mower. Hand pick any weeds that might have blown in.
• Cut when it has reached a height of about 65mm (2½ inches), but only remove 15mm (½ inch). Gradually reduce the height on your subsequent cuts. The general rule of thumb is not to remove any more than a third of the height of the grass at any one cut.
• Maintain at a height of 25mm (1 inch) unless you have an ornamental/specialist seed that can tolerate lower mowing.