Is it time?
It snowed in my home city overnight but now it’s sunny so let’s talk about your tired, mossy lawn. Is it time to renovate it? Are you seeing lots of bare patches or is moss all you’re seeing?
While I worked at a site last week, another private contractor showed up to renovate one lawn. So I did what every good blogger would do, I shot my own pictures of their work. So if you’ve never renovated your lawn you’re in luck. Red Seal Vas is here to guide you.
Cut your lawn
This may or may not be obvious but before you do any renovations, cut your lawn. There is no point raking up extra grass debris. So the first step is to cut your lawn short. If you’re lucky to have a helper then this is a good job for them to do.
Power rake
The power rake is a great little machine. It runs metal tines through your lawn and rips it up. Setting it at a correct height depends on the condition of your lawn. Say, it’s all moss: go hard so there won’t be much grass left. Now say you have a few bare patches: go lighter.
Don’t rush: let the machine do its work.
One critical point is debris. The power rake is fun to use but then you need someone to rake up the debris. This can take a lot of time and effort; and expect lots of debris to dispose of.
Add soil
Once you have done your clean up, you’re ready to top dress your lawn with soil. I recommend weed-free lawn and garden mix which is available locally. Expect to pay around C$30 per cubic yard; deliveries aren’t cheap, averaging C$70.
Use good hard rakes to even out the soil. Roll the lawn flat if a rolling pin is available.
Seed and roll
Now that your power raked lawn is top dressed with good quality soil, you can over seed with good quality seed. Get something mixed for your local region. Generic seeds from big box stores may not give you great results. Warning: grass seed isn’t cheap.
If you have a rolling pin, run it over your over seeded lawn to ensure seed-soil contact.
Water!
The contractors showed up a bit early but I understand this from a business point of view. Get the project done, send your invoice out and move on. But I don’t recommend over seeding your lawn when you have light snow flurries. Seed requires moisture and temperatures to germinate so renovate your lawn when it’s warmer.
One last hint: don’t be afraid to apply more seed after a week or two. And keep your new lawn moist.
Easy does it?
You can renovate your lawn with some cash and lots of effort. If you need help, call me!
