Horticulture Ch37 Renovating the Lawn

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Horticulture Ch-37Renovating the Lawn
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Horticulture Ch-37

• Objective
• To select and use the proper renovation technique
  for a specific problem in the lawn.
• Competencies to Be Developed
• After studying this unit, you should be able to

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• .inspect a lawn area and determine if it requires
  renovation.
• .determine which of the four methods of
  renovation should be used on a lawn
• .use the step-by-step approach to renovate a
  lawn.

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• When good maintenance practices are not carried
  out or weather conditions have prevented the
  growth of healthy grass plants, it is time to
  consider lawn renovation.

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• WHY DO LA WNS FAIL?
• THE WRONG SPECIES OR VARIETY OF GRASS
• Be sure to check the type of grass best suited
  for the area. It is especially important to
  consider soil and light conditions and the amount
  of traffic on the lawn.

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• . Before purchasing seed, check the label for
  percentages of the different varieties of seed it
  contains. Good seed is expensive, but it saves
  money over a period of time since the lawn will
  require less reseeding Seed cost is a small part
  of the total cost of establishing a lawn.

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• IMPROPER MOWING The lawn may have been cut too
  short Some people prefer a lawn that is cut very
  short, but cool season grasses cannot survive if
  mowed to heights of ½ to 1 ½ inches. Grass should
  not be allowed to grow to be 3 inches high and be
  cut back to I inch.

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• Only one-third of the top should be removed at
  anyone mowing. Remember that close mowing does
  not reduce the number of times the lawn needs to
  be mowed.

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• IMPROPER FERTILIZING The most common mistakes in
  fertilizing are applying the fertilizer too late
  in spring for cool- season grasses or too late in
  fall for warm-season grasses.

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• Fertilizer should be applied a few weeks before
  the grass begins its active growing stage both in
  the spring and fall and again in late fall for
  cool- season grasses. Use a slow-release
  fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. Apply
  fertilizer at the proper rate.

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• IMPROPER WATERING The most common mistake in
  watering is failure to apply enough water to soak
  into the soil to a depth of from 4 to 6 inches.
  This requires at least I inch of water at each
  watering.

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• One inch of water penetrates 24 inches in sandy
  soil, 16 inches in loamy soil, and 11 inches in
  clayey soil. As a general rule, lawns should be
  watered no more than once a week, and then only
  when the soil is dry.

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• HEAVY TRAFFIC Too much traffic on lawns,
  especially on those planted with a grass variety
  not known for its durability, can result in bare
  spots. T o solve this problem, reduce traffic or
  change the grass variety. The new, tall fescue
  grasses take heavy traffic.

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• EXCESSIVE SHADE Dense shade and competing shallow
  roots of trees such as maples kill lawn grasses.
  In these cases, the tree, and thus the source of
  the shade, must be removed, or a shade-tolerant
  grass or other ground cover must be planted under
  the tree.

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• SOIL NOT PREPARED
• PROPERLY FOR PLANTING
• A good topsoil, proper fertilizer and pH
  adjustment, and proper planting techniques are
  essential for a healthy lawn. (Test the soil to
  determine fertilizer and pH adjustment needs.)

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• INFESTATION OF WEEDS, DISEASES, AND INSECTS
• Weed, disease, and insect problems are usually
  the result of one or more of the above problems.
  A thick, healthy lawn turf is seldom overcome by
  insects, diseases, or weeds.

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Horticulture Ch-37

• THATCH
• When old grass leaves, roots, and stems
  accumulate on the soil surface faster than they
  rot, the buildup is called thatch. Thatch buildup
  on the soil surface prevents air from circulating
  in the soil a very necessary condition for root
  growth.

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• Thatch also causes water to run off rather than
  soak into the soil, and harbors insects and
  disease organisms. To help speed up thatch
  rotting, maintain a soil pH of 6.2 to 6.5 and
  apply more fertilizer. Another solution is to
  remove the thatch with a thatch- removing machine
  or a special thatching rake.

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Horticulture Ch-37

• RENOV ATIQN TECHNIQUES If the lawn still fails to
  prosper, renovation or rebuilding of the lawn
  must be considered. Lawns should be renovated at
  the time of year best suited for starting a new
  lawn, that is, just prior to the most active
  growing season for the type of grass being
  planted in the renovation.

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• The entire lawn may be reseeded, resodded, or
  planted by other vegetative means such as strip
  planting or with plugs, or a technique known as
  spot patching may be used.

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• WEED- INFESTED LA WNS When more than one-third of
  the lawn grass plants are dead and large bare
  spots exist, it may be better to kill the
  existing grass with a weed killer such as Roundup
  (glyphosphate) and reseed the entire area, figure
  37-1. More than one application may be needed to
  kill some grasses.

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Horticulture Ch-37

• After the grass is killed, the entire lawn area
  is dug up, the old sod is removed, and the lawn
  is reseeded. The procedure after the soil is
  cleared of all old grass is the same as for
  seeding a new lawn. (Refer to Unit 35 for
  details.)

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• THINLY COVERED LAWNS
• If the lawn grasses cover the entire lawn area
  but do not produce a thick turf, the lawn may be
  salvaged as follows, providing good topsoil is
  present and drainage is not a problem.

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• PROCEDURE
• RENOVATING A THINLY COVERED LAWN
• I. If a heavy layer of thatch exists, remove it.
  A thatch-removing machine should be used to dig
  up the thatch and vertically slice the root area
  for improved aeration.

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• 2. Add seed on the condition that it will come in
  close contact with the soil surface. If seed
  cannot rest firmly on the soil surface, it will
  not grow. A roller helps to bring seed into "
  contact with the soil.

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• 3. Apply weed killer to control broadleaf weeds
  if they are present. Do not apply weed killer if
  new seed was sown as directed in step 2. Weed
  killer should not be used for six months after a
  new seeding is made.
• A decision must be made as to whether step 2 or
  step 3 should be followed both cannot be
  accomplished on the same lawn area.

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• 4. Fertilize the lawn with a good turf fertilizer
  (a slow-release, high-nitrogen fertilizer),
  figure 37-2.
• 5. Mow the lawn properly. Remove no more than
  one-third of the top with anyone mowing. Mow at
  the proper height for the grass species planted.
  See "Improper Mowing."

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• 6. Follow all good maintenance practices.
• SPOT SEEDING
• When there are isolated spots of dead or weak
  grass, the lawn may be renovated by a "patchup"
  of these spots. Any spot that measures 1 foot and
  over should be treated.

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• The same procedure is used to renovate these
  spots as when seeding a new lawn. The only
  difference is that the process is used on a much
  smaller area.

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• PROCEDURE
• RENOVATING ISOLATED SPOTS IN THE LAWN
• I. Remove any dead grass or weeds from the area
  to be reseeded. Dig up the spot with a steel rake
  and remove any old sod or weeds. Loosen the soil
  well to prepare a shallow seedbed l or 2 inches
  deep.

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• 2. Add fertilizer as needed. Use a fertilizer
  with extra phosphorus, such as a 5-10-5. Dig the
  fertilizer into the top I to 2 inches of the soil
  with the rake.
• 3. Level the soil and firm the seedbed.
• Remove any rocks or large clods of soil.

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• 4. Spread the seed uniformly over the surface by
  hand.
• 5. Lightly rake the seed into the soil surface.
  Cover with 1/8 to ¼ inch of soil.

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• 6. Lightly cover with straw or burlap mulch.
• 7. Tamp with the feet or roller to bring the seed
  in close contact with the soil.
• 8. Practice propel maintenance techniques.

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• SPOTPATCHING When good sod can be taken from
  inconspicuous areas, small spots in the lawn may
  be patched up by digging out the weak area about
  1 inch deep and replacing it with a piece of sod
  cut to fit the spot, figure 37-3.

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• For large spots, more than one piece of sod may
  be fitted into the hole. Tamp the sod so that it
  rests tightly against the loosened soil in the
  bottom of the hole. Fertilize and water well to
  stimulate new root growth.

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• It is important that the sod knit well and
  quickly to the new soil area, and that it not be
  allowed to dry out until its roots have grown
  into the soil, figure 37-4.

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