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Are you becoming frustrated because your lawn is not looking as good as it did?  Does it look thinner; maybe even have some bare patches and some weeds?  Is it not as thick and lush as it was back in the early part of the spring?

In early spring when your lawn first comes out of its dormant winter period it will look great.  It’s very green and thick and grows very quickly.  But unfortunately the long summer takes its toll.  Heat stress is very damaging on your lawn not to mention all the other things that can happen to it during the summer season. 

So what can you do to return your lawn to the beautiful state than it was in last spring?  Well there is not much that you can do to get your lawn looking that good again this season, although you can make some improvement.  However it just so happens that fall is the best time of year to prepare your lawn for next season. TruGreen offers helpful lawn care tips.

Begin by getting rid of any weeds.  Broad leaf weeds are only going to become more of a nuisance so you want to make sure that you kill any broad leaf weeds before they are able to drop their seeds and spread.  I liked the use of a good all-purpose lawn weed killer.  Anything that you pulled by hand I feel always has a better chance of coming back.

Once you have the weeds under control it’s time to over seed your lawn.  Begin this process by first de thatching your lawn.  You want to get rid of all of the dead grass and stuff so that the seed that you apply will be able to reach the soil.  Only seed that is in contact with the soil will germinate.  If you do not have a heavy thatch build up you can get away by just roughing up the soil with a rake or even a rototiller depending on the condition of your lawn.

Next it’s time for your lawns first fertilization.  I suggest fertilizing your lawn twice in the fall to get the best results in the spring.  The reason that you want to fertilize twice is because even though the blades of grass in your lawn are not growing, the root system below them is hard at work.   The first fertilization should be with the slow release nitrogen to help maintain the lawn’s color during the winter months. Then in late October and want to apply a good synthetic fertilizer containing high levels of potassium.

But, before you fertilize you should analyze your soil.  Lawn and garden retailers have large selections of test kits that you can use.  You want a ph between 6 and 6.8 for maximum nutrient absorption.  You can control the ph of your lawn with lime.

It’s now time to over seed.  Exactly how much that means depends on the type of seed that you are using.  Refer to the seed package for this information.  You can either makes the seed with peat moss at about a 50-50 ratio before you spread it or just simply cover the lawn lightly once the seed has been applied. 

Set your mower to about 3 inches, water about twice a week depending on weather conditions and then just sit back and wait for next spring.

Do you have a lawn that well, let’s just say is not looking as good as it could? Is it collecting more weeds and crab grass than those shiny green blades of grass that it used to be filled with? Having a beautiful lawn is not easy. It takes lots of hard work and timing. Fertilizers and weed preventers have to be applied on time. And who can honestly say that they enjoy pushing around that mower?

If your lawn has gotten somewhat out of control and you would like to restore it back to that golf course like condition that it once was, be prepared for a lot of work. Restoring a lawn that has been neglected is never an easy task, but it may be an option. Hopefully your lawn is not too far gone and restoring it is an option because although it is very time-consuming and requires a lot of back breaking work it is always easier than completely replacing it.

If you decide that one restoration is for you or should I say your lawn then there are several steps that I recommend you follow.

Also remember that when restoring an old dried out weed filled lawn its best to work when the weather is cooler. Aside from the fact that it will be easier on you, the results will always be better. Fall is the best time of year for any type of yard work especially if you are restoring a neglected lawn. Summer is too hot and a time when most lawns are typically under stress and although you can do major lawn work in the spring this time of year usually produces too many weeds. (more…)