Refurbishing Your Old Lawn

If you live in the Northwest you know how unusually warm our weather is this winter. This weekend we may see temps in the high 50's to low 60's along the coast of Washington. Buds are about to burst open and many birds have arrived back home.
This will be an excellent time to prepare your lawn for a healthy summer season. To get ready, mow your lawn very short @ an inch tall (this is the only time I will recommend this short a mow).
Next rent a thatching machine from your local equipment rental place. Thatch the lawn per instructions. Please note if you have an old lawn that you have not thatched ever or in a very long time, you will probably see a lot of dead material being removed.

Once you have completed thatching, rake up all of this material and remove or have recycled. Thatch can get so thick under the lawn as to prevent water and nutrients from reaching your lawns roots. You may see large patches of soil where dead lawn-(thatch) was, don't worry we'll fix this.

Next, I recommend that you aerate your lawn. Aerating opens the soil so water and nutrients can penetrate. this also allows the roots of your lawn to go deep into the soil. Deeper roots mean less watering and fertilizing year round. These deeper roots are getting water and food lower down.
Pick up an aerater when you return the thatcher.
After you have completed the aeration, DO NOT RAKE UP THE PLUGS. These plugs will break down with rain and provide a source of additional nutrients for your lawn.

Once aerating is completed overseed the entire lawn with a high quality lawn seed. Purchase a new bag to guarantee a high percentage of seed germination. In the Seattle area JB instant lawn seed is an awesome product found at most Home Depots

Finally fertilise the lawn with an Organic balanced lawn fertilizer. Organic fertilizers will not Burn the lawn, will encourage healthy microbial activity in the soil (vital to plant health) and breaks down slowly feeding the lawn for months at a time. Water the lawn gently. you will want to keep the seed moist for a couple weeks before and during germination. If you would like, you can dust the lawn with aged composted mulch to cover the seed, discourage birds and help keep the seeds moist all day.

MOWING THE NEW LAWN

You will want to hold off on mowing for as long as possible, 3-4 inches of growth are optimal. When you do mow, try to keep the lawn mower cut at 1.5 -2 inches. the longer the grass blade the deeper the roots of your lawn. remember deeper roots mean less watering and fertilizer, but it also means, longer blades shade out weed seeds, you will have a greener, healthier lawn and less compaction of the soil. so the lawn will feel lush and soft underfoot.

Feel free to write with any questions.

Cheryl