New lawn over old?

10 years ago

We just bought a house a few months ago and I've had a green thumb ever since, although admittedly I don't know too much about lawn care. I have done lots of google searches and without fail this site would pop up with more answers than any other. I love the friendly knowledge that is shared here.

I have managed to get my front lawn looking pretty good and thought I would have the same luck with my yard but its been quite the opposite.

I have decided to start from scratch and plant a new lawn. Through my searches it seems almost everyone has a different method of eliminating the current grass. My question is what is the simplest way to do this without spending too much money on renting equipment (I know most here don't suggest tilling anyway)? I don't mind doing all the labor and rather spend my money on quality seeds/soil prep etc.

Is it possible to cut it really low, use round-up on the entire lawn, then re-seed? If so should I cover it with a mulch or soil first or do it after seeding?

I was thinking of going with a tall fescue/KBG mix or all tall fescue.

Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

dchall_san_antonio
10 years ago
It could be a simple as more shade in the back which might require a different type of grass or different care.

If you use RoundUp to kill the grass, you should come through and rake the dead stuff out before seeding. If you are concerned about your back raking a large area you can rent a power rake, verticutter, or slit seeder. These machines have vertical cutting blades and can be adjusted to just slice the top of the soil. The machine will chew up all the dead foliage and you can rake or blow it away into a compost pile. Then you can seed right on top of that.

I suggest using a roller after seeding to ensure good contact between the seed and the soil. Then water it 3x per day for about 5 - 10 minutes each time just to keep the seed moist.

The good grasses for NY are the fescues (which germinate in 2 weeks), Kentucky bluegrass (germinates in 3 weeks), and/or rye grass (germinates in 1 week). If you get a mix of grasses be sure to water 3x daily long enough to get the slowest germinating seed to germinate. Once you have 80 of the seed germinated, then you can start to back off on the frequency and move up on the duration. Ideally a mature lawn will get a full inch of water per week, all at one time, during the hottest heat of summer. The rest of the year you can adjust the frequency to 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks but keep the timing to deliver a full inch.

KBG is a great grass for full sun. I goes dormant in winter and can go dormant during severe heat in the summer. KBG will spread all by itself without reseeding every year.

Fescue is a great grass in sun and can tolerate some shade. It does not go dormant. It becomes more dense with annual overseeding for the thin areas in the fall.

Rye is a full sun type grass and needs annual reseeding to remain dense.

Unless you need to change your drainage, you don't need new soil. You can repair your soil easily with at least one application per year of organic fertilizer. My favorite organic fertilizer is straight alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow). Cost is about $12.50 for a 50-pound bag. Apply at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. I like it because it works and because it costs a lot less to use than commercially bagged organic fertilizers.
corky71
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the response....lots of useful information in there.

I sensed using the roundup isn't they way you would go. If you don't mind me asking how would you go about doing it?

Thanks again.
Related Discussions
Can I plant new lawn on top of an exisitng lawn?
Q
Comments (2)
A lot of people like clover. I believe they ignore the bees. My favorite buzzy insect is the paper wasp. I am nurturing a nest of them outside my back door. I like them because they clean up the caterpillars from the yard and, if I don't bother them, they don't bother me. Would you be willing to spray vinegar on the clover? You could try that on a hot, sunny day (hah, hah, Portland!). Maybe just a sunny day. You only spray the leaves, not the soil. Vinegar should kill the tops. Spray again if/when it comes back. It will come back from seed until the seed is all gone. Seeding over existing grass is done all the time, but usually in the fall when the underlying lawn has settled into a routine. In the spring you will be fighting against the clover trying to grow fast on the nutrients stored over the winter. If you try it, scalp the grass/weeds as low as you can before you start. You want to get the seed in contact with the underlying soil so the roots will grow into soil. Roots will not grow into air if the soil they sprout into is being held above the soil by other plants. What kind of grass were you thinking? I think rye is very common in the PNW. You might be able to keep the weeds out by mowing your grass at the highest setting on your mower. Tall grass shades out the weed seedlings underneath and stops them from photosynthesizing.
...See More
New Old Lawn
Q
Comments (1)
If you are willing to start completely over, then yes, wait until August, not September. In your area the summer heat should break earlier than September but that is what you want to watch for. Evening temps will start to fall. The heat might return, but when it starts to fall, that is the start of...well, fall. Ignore the grubs. Any damage they caused was over and done last summer. They are dormant now and not feeding. There is a test for grubs which you can do in late June. Dig up a full square foot of the surface and count the grubs. If you see fewer than 12, then cover it back up and forget about it. Normal gardens will not be affected by a low number of grubs. Don't waste your money or time unless you see a dozen or more. You don't have crabgrass. Crabgrass is just now starting to sprout and only in full sun and only where you get continual moisture on the soil. You might have another weed but it is not crabgrass. If you can post a picture that would help to identify it. Take it in the shade or early morning before the sun hits it. Grass pictures are always better on cloudy days. Don't know what your lawn looked like, but you likely did not need to dethatch. It sounds like you're getting advice somewhere else (a magazine???). You also do not need to aerate. If your soil is hard when it is wet from irrigation, then you may need to soften it but aeration is not the best path for that. Sure, it is sold as that, but it does not work as advertised. A better solution is to use clear shampoo. Please search this forum for clear shampoo and you'll see plenty of description about how it's done. The only grass that will work for you in your shade is fine fescue. It is a bunch type grass which does not spread out to form a dense carpet. Each seed makes one plant. The only way to make it dense is to put out more seed. The problem with putting out seed this time of year is the crabgrass (true crabgrass) is germinating at the same time. Fescue takes 2 weeks to germinate. Crabgrass takes 1 week. You'll put out the new seed, water it daily 3x per day, see the new seed sprout in a week, and think joyously that your new grass is coming in. It will be the crabgrass. Crabgrass IS a sod forming grass that will spread into every bare or thin spot it can find. This is the reason you want to 'densify' your fescue in the fall. The only fast way to get more fescue is to put more seed down...in the fall. Testing your soil is probably a good idea. You seem to be anxious to do it right. It is very easy for someone to give you advice to apply lime, but only a soil test will tell you how much, when, and what kind. Here are the basics of lawn care Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. Mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.
...See More
Help! In a dither re: old lawn mowers, searching for new ones!
Q
Comments (5)
Hi Nancy, I am just a home owner with a 1/2 acre lawn. It looks like you have quite a large property that requires, and indeed has quite an investment in machinery. One thing that I found useful is this web-site. http://www.lawnserviceforum.com/index.php They have a discussion area "Commercial Equipment Discussions" that various professionals talk about mowers, tractors etc and the pro's and cons. They have quite a bit of history as well, so you can usually get a good feel of what equipment is good for what type of lawn. Hope this help. Warmest regards, Mike.
...See More
What is this all over my new lawn?
Q
Comments (3)
Ok, probably the next 2 to 3 weeks is going to be your prime time to overseed. I prefer to cut the existing grass shorter than normal. Typically I mow at 4" during the summer and will take it down to 2" before overseeding. I drop to 3" and then wait a couple days and drop down to 2" to avoid overstressing the exsisting grass. For overseeding fescue the general rate is about 4lbs of seed per 1,000 square feet. I typically go a little more in the thin areas and a little less in the thick areas. Once you have the seed down it's a really good idea to roll it in with a lawn roller. This helps press the seed into the soil for better germination. Remember, the seed needs soil contact and moisture in order to germinate. If you have a small lawn you can just walk around on it to press the seed in but if it's a large lawn a roller will be much faster. Once that's done you begin watering 3 times per day for for about 5 to 10 minutes each time. All you're doing is keeping the seed and the top layer of soil moist. Do this in the morning, at noon, and again in the evening. on extremely hot days you might have to add in a 4th watering but it is very important to keep the seed moist. If you get this right you should start seeing germination in about a week. You'll want to keep this up for 2 to 3 weeks until all the new seed has germinated. At that point you will start gradually backing off of the frequency of watering and increasing the amount of water you put down. Some folks will put down some type of starter fertilizer when they put down the seed. I prefer to wait until I have cut the new grass a couple of times before I fertilize.
...See More
dchall_san_antonio
10 years ago
For a full yard reno I probably would use RU. I would fertilize with organics, water daily for a few minutes for a week, spray the RU (do not mow first), stop the watering, let everything die, scalp it out with a mower and remove, water daily again to germinate any weed seeds that did not germinate before, spot spray the RU to get those few new weeds, wait a few days, and then seed. Seed would be a mix of KBG and fescue from an online dealer who can provide seed with 0.00 weed and 0.00 other crop in the analysis. Then roll the seed down with a water roller, water the seed 3x per day for 5 minutes to keep it moist, and continue that for 3 weeks to get the KBG to germinate. Then back off on watering frequency and increase the watering depth. And always use organic fertilizer like alfalfa pellets.
grass1950
10 years ago
If your backyard problems are not due to shade or irrigation, I would suggest you invest in a soil test done by a reputable lab.
corky71
Original Author
10 years ago
dchall,

Thanks again...this will be the method I follow. I hope you don't mind maybe answering some questions for me once I start my project. I'm still not sure whether to start at the end of august or more towards beginning to middle of September.

Grass1950,

Thanks for the suggestion. Your probably right, it would make sense to get a test done before I begin. I'd rather do it right the first time.
dchall_san_antonio
10 years ago
Start as soon as the summer heat breaks. For you that could be late Aug to mid Sept. What you need is time for the grass to get established before winter hits. KBG takes 3 full weeks to germinate and it would be nice to have as many weeks at least to get it growing and mowed.

The seed with no weeds will cost more, even online. You really do get what you pay for with seed.
corky71
Original Author
10 years ago
Are there any suggestions on what seed to buy and where to buy them?

I will post before and after pics along the way once I start.

New lawn over old?

Comments (7)

dchall_san_antonio

corky71
Original Author

Related Discussions

dchall_san_antonio

grass1950

corky71
Original Author

dchall_san_antonio

corky71
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

New lawn over old?

Comments (7)

dchall_san_antonio

corky71Original Author

Related Discussions

dchall_san_antonio

grass1950

corky71Original Author

dchall_san_antonio

corky71Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

corky71
Original Author

corky71
Original Author

corky71
Original Author