10/10/2023 - By Dr. Paul Giordano

Maybe the weeds have completely overrun your yard. Or maybe a disease wiped out a good portion of your prized plot of land. Perhaps you fell victim to the fury of the fall armyworm this summer. Or maybe you’re just an obsessive grass geek who’s tired of minor inconsistencies and imperfections and finds it cathartic to work on your yard…Either way, there may come a time when you decide “I want to re-do my lawn.” 

If you ever find yourself in this situation, some advice is always welcomed, so I’d like to share my story to hopefully help save you time, money, and some headaches along the way. And if everything works out, you might even impress some neighbors with your turf-tending skills!

Re-Doing Your Lawn

As a certified turf nerd, it’s incumbent upon me to not only maintain a respectable home lawn, but to do it in a way that helps my family, friends, and neighbors understand the fascinating nuances of turfgrass management - At least that’s my twisted way of thinking. I recently decided to renovate my front lawn due to several issues that have plagued it since we moved into our house a few years ago. So here is a play-by-play of some key processes that should make your life a little easier should you decide to take on a lawn reno project such as this.

(note – this is particularly relevant for folks growing cool-season turfgrass in the northern half of the United States…some differences in timelines and products will exist for the Southern U.S.…for that, call Dr. Jeff Atkinson or Dr. Raymond Snyder.)

Step 1 – Kill It

When lawns get too unruly, it often requires full-scale re-grassing. In these cases, it’s far easier and more efficient to remove all the existing plant life and start with a clean slate. The best tool for this job is a non-selective herbicide, that does not hang around very long and has no residual effect on seed germination. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in RoundUp) is perfect for this scenario. Apply RoundUp as a foliar spray evenly to the entire area you intend to renovate according to product label instructions. Be careful not to overspray the RoundUp into flower beds, shrubs, or other adjacent areas around your yard as it is a non-selective herbicide that will damage or kill anything green that it touches. Once the RoundUp is applied and has ample time to dry…you wait.    

Step 2 – Scalp It

Once the old stand of grass/weeds has turned to straw and is sufficiently dead, it’s time to remove as much of that old material as possible via mowing. You’ll want to set your mower close to or at the lowest deck height and it may take several mowing events to get most of the material removed. You’ll want to bag and discard the material as you mow, this will ensure you’re not leaving a mess of clumps of dead matter behind. Don’t worry about removing ALL the old grass/material, a little bit of old turf left behind is okay. It should end up looking something like this:

Step 2.1 – Address Drainage or Irrigation Issues

With the grass now dead, it’s a good time to do some digging, if necessary, to alleviate any major drainage problems or irrigation issues. I took the opportunity to install drainage beneath the wettest area of my lawn, and it has made a world of difference!

Step 3 – Slice It

Now that the old junk is out of the way, your goal is to create areas where your grass seed can make good seed-to-soil contact. This is a critical step for successful germination and establishment. It’s also the step that is going to cost you the most of any other.

You’ll need to go to your local tool & equipment rental store (i.e. Home Depot) and rent a power rake or power seeder. These machines are quite simple and act like small slicers or dicers that cut narrow channels into the upper layer of the soil. These channels are where your grass seed will make its home and eventually germinate. That said, it’s best to slice/power-rake your lawn in multiple directions to make as many channels as possible before seeding.  

Step 4 - Seed It

Although you can establish during different times of the year, late summer to early fall is the perfect time to seed cool-season grasses. The soil temperatures are ideal, and the hot, humid weather of summer is trending toward more favorable cooler conditions. This sets the plant up for several months of good growing conditions for establishment. Before you seed your new lawn, however, you’ll need to do a little research on grass species and appropriate types of turfgrass or blends for your situation. There are many variables to consider, but the key ones include:

·         Geographic region (warm season turf vs. cool season turf)

·         Sunlight (full sun, partial sun, shaded area)

·         Irrigation (yes, no, water restrictions…etc.)

These factors will play the biggest role in which grass or grasses you end up selecting. I have a yard in southeastern Michigan that gets plenty of sunlight and a properly functioning irrigation system. I chose to use a common cool-season mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass at an 80% to 20% mix respectively. The seed blend I used was Harrell’s Premier 80 Blue/20 Rye Mix with TWCA varieties for improved drought tolerance.

The seeding rate, meaning the amount of seed you put down per given area is also important and will vary depending on the grass types you’re using. A general guideline for some common cool season turf types is below:

Once you have an idea of how much seed to put down based on your total square footage, you’ll want to use a rotary push spreader or a handheld crank spreader to ensure an even application of seed across the area.

Step 4.1 – Rake It, Gently

With the seed on the ground, you’ll want to take one more step to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. A simple but effective strategy is to use the back end (upside down) of a metal leaf rake and gently drag it across the entire seeded area. The goal here is not to displace any of the seed, but rather gently help the seed work its way into the small channels you created with the power rake.

Step 5 – Feed It

A starter fertilizer is often necessary to help provide seeds with the proper nutrition/energy to germinate and produce new tissues. I used a Harrell’s product on my lawn to get things moving and help the germination process along. In most scenarios, you’ll want to choose a product that has a higher phosphorus analysis - usually at a 1:2:1 ratio among NPK (phosphorus represented by the middle number in the analysis).

Although there are nuances too complicated to discuss here, a general rule is to provide the plant with around one pound of phosphorus per 1,000 sq ft. during the germination process (local restrictions on fertilizer applications always take precedence - A soil test is advised before the renovation to understand available plant nutrients before supplemental application).

In addition to the starter fertilizer, you may opt to put science on your side and use a controlled-release fertilizer like POLYON® to provide a slow, predictable, and steady release of nitrogen to the plant throughout the remainder of the growing season. I chose to use a 100% slow-release 30-0-12 that I put out at a rate of 2.0 lbs N/1000 sq ft. This will feed the new grass throughout the fall and provide some additional nutrition into next spring.

Step 6 – Water It

You’ve made it through the hard parts of re-establishment, now it’s time to protect and nourish your investment. The next few weeks are like bringing a newborn home from the hospital – you must “baby” these young seedlings with judicious and targeted irrigation and keep unnecessary traffic to a minimum. The key is not to let the area get too dry or too wet but to keep a steady amount of moisture in the upper soil profile, allowing for proper germination and seedling growth.

You’ll want to water for short intervals more frequently throughout the day, especially if temperatures are still hot and rainfall is scarce. Three times per day (morning, afternoon, evening) is usually sufficient for the first couple weeks, then as the grass starts to fill in, you can back off the regimented schedule and water as needed based on how the turf is established. I suggest being ready to hand water areas that are dryer, warmer, or simply don’t get the irrigation coverage like the rest of the lawn. Targeted watering can be the most efficient and effective way to get areas to fill in at a similar rate.

Step 7 – Mow as It Grows

Congratulations, you’ve got yourself a new lawn! The neighbors will be in awe of your agronomic skills and now view you as the grass guru of the subdivision. As your turf matures over the first few weeks, you’ll want to mow it regularly to help encourage lateral growth and additional fill-in of thin areas. Make sure to mow on dry days, and to keep aggressive turning or maneuvering to a minimum. The turf is still weak and shallow-rooted, so careful consideration must be taken when implementing a practice like mowing for the first few times on a new stand. Once mowed, you will start to enjoy and appreciate the benefits of your hard work.

From here on out, it’s back to the basics of turf management to keep the lawn healthy and well-maintained for years to come. Luckily, Harrell’s has the best products and people to help you along the way. If you have any further questions about resetting your lawn or what products/procedures might fit your best, reach out to your local Harrell’s Representative.