Long Live Your Lawn!

With the hot dry weather this past summer, your lawn has probably seen better days.  In Northeastern Ohio, fall is a great time to work on the health of your lawn.  Whether you need to start over new, re-seed some patchy areas, kill some pesky weeds, or just fertilize, plan on doing it now through mid October when the soil temperatures are still warm, air temperature is cooling, and the fall rains begin.

To install a new lawn, simply follow the steps below:

• Study your site.  Measure the area to calculate your materials needed and costs.  Observe light exposure (sun or shade). 
• Prepare your soil.  Start by removing any weeds or existing older grass by hand or by using a general herbicide like Roundup.  After the ground is clear, till the soil to a depth of 2-4”, removing any large debris, rocks, sticks, etc.  Conduct a pH test on your soil.  If your pH is lower than 6.2 (clay soil is typically acidic), add lime at the rate of 50 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. to raise it.  If your pH is greater than 7.0 add soil sulfur at 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.  Because most of us have poor draining compacted clay soils, it helps to add gypsum, composted manure, peat, or Soil Perfector to increase drainage.  Now you are ready to seed.
• Select grass seed.   Pre-packaged or bulk grass mixtures, like those from Scotts, are a wise choice because they are mixed with varying percentages of grass seed for specific purposes like high traffic areas or shady spots.  These mixtures also possess good disease resistance due to the diversity of different seed varieties.  Before you purchase seed pay special attention to the highest germination rate and the lowest percentage of undesirable seeds indicated on the back of the package.  You will need 4-5 lbs. of seed per 1,000 sq. ft. for new lawns.
• Apply the grass seed with a spreader, careful not to overlap passes.  Lightly rake the seed into the amended soil, and spread a starter fertilizer or lawn food that has no weed control right over the top of the seed.  Cover a large lawn area with straw (1 bale per 500 sq. ft.) or for smaller area use peat or topsoil up to 1/4” deep.
• Water the area lightly 1-2 times daily to keep moist.  Start watering 1” per week after the seed fully germinates to get the roots to establish deeper into the soil before winter.  Keep the new lawn mowed at 2-3” and remove any falling leaves so they do not smother your new grass.
  If you only need to overseed your lawn, start by mowing the lawn closely (2”.)  Next, aerate or dethatch as needed.  Follow the directions above but on a smaller scale.  Overseeding requires about 1-2 lbs. of grass seed per 1,000 sq. ft. and can be done each fall just to thicken perfectly healthy areas.  Seeding can be done by a spreader, by hand, with a slit seeder, or a hose-end hydroseeder.  If you have a few bare patches in your lawn, use Scotts Patchmaster.