For many garden owners, a well-kept, green lawn is simply a must. In this article you will find out how best to renew a sick or unsightly looking lawn and what steps are necessary.
How can I successfully renew my lawn?
To renew the lawn, prepare the ground by removing the old lawn, digging and leveling the ground. Then sow lawn seeds or lay turf. The ideal periods for these measures are spring and autumn to ensure optimal growing conditions.
The best time
When is the best time to renew the lawn depends on whether you have to remove and dig up the area beforehand or not. If a new plant without digging is sufficient, it is best to carry out the necessary work in the growing season between May and September. The project works best in spring or early autumn, as the area can regenerate best during this time. In the summer months, however, it is often too hot, which in turn leads to further damage, for example due to drought.
If the lawn area has to be removed and dug up before reseeding, then carry out the preparatory work in the fall if possible. Leave the area fallow so that the frost crumbles the coarse earth crumbs and thus refines the soil structure. You can also add compost, which decomposes over the winter and increases the humus content of the soil.
Preparation – step by step
It's not always enough to simply sow lawn seeds on an area or lay turf and hope for the best. As the following article clearly shows, sometimes the area has to be completely removed, leveled and optimally prepared - in these cases you have to dig up, otherwise the project is doomed to failure from the start.
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Removing the old lawn
Before digging, the area must first be cleared of old growth. For small areas, use a spade for this purpose and simply cut off the sod. Larger areas, on the other hand, can hardly be worked on in this way, which is why the use of a rotary tiller (€668.00 on Amazon) orMotor hoe makes sense. Make sure that you do not just pull out the plants superficially, but also with their roots. To make this easier, you can mow the area before working on it - the less you have to rake afterwards.
First leave the torn-out growth for a day, as dried plants are easier to remove than plants that are still wet. Now take a simple garden rake and use it to remove all the plants. At the end only the bare, chopped soil should be left.
Leveling and compacting the soil
First the old lawn is removed and the ground is leveled
Many newly created lawns are characterized by unevenness. Over time, small hills and holes have appeared, which later make mowing and other work more difficult. It therefore makes sense to straighten the surface so that it does not slope to either side. To do this, for example, apply a topsoil-sand mixture (mixing ratio 1:1) to the future lawn and distribute it using a
- Shovel
- Garden rake
- as well as string and spirit level.
Laws on slopes are an exception, as the natural gradient cannot be easily eliminated. Instead, just level out the unevenness in the form of holes and humps.
Then compact and smooth the area, using a roller to serve you well. Once this work is done, loosen the soil slightly again using a rake. Now it is perfectly prepared for sowing the new lawn.
Excursus
Why it's better not to work on wet ground
Do all preparatory work on dry days. Not only is it more difficult to till wet and heavy soil, you also destroy the small voids and pores in the soil structure. These are immensely important for soil aeration and therefore also influence the later he alth of the lawn.
Preparation without digging
“When reseeding lawns, there is generally a higher need for fertilizer, especially nitrogen and potassium.”
It is not always necessary to remove the old lawn
Of course, such a complex renewal of the lawn is not necessary if the existing and otherwise he althy area perhaps only needs to be reseeded or repaired once. In such cases, you don't need to rip everything out and dig up, but instead follow the steps described in this section.
- Mowing the lawn: Mow the lawn as deep as possible by setting the lawnmower to the lowest setting.
- Scarifying the lawn: Now remove the thatch as well as moss and weeds with a motorized scarifier or by hand with a rake, which you can use to thoroughly comb the length of the lawn.
- Lime and fertilize: Lime. Treat the lawn as needed (preferably in early spring) and fertilize it after about four more weeks. A previous soil analysis will show you which measures make sense.
Tip
By scarifying you not only remove the thatch from the lawn, but in particular you combat weeds that form rosettes. These often adapt to a growth habit close to the ground through mowing, but are weakened by the mechanical damage and can even disappear completely.
Renew lawn
Once the ground has been prepared, the new lawn can now be sown. If you don't want to wait so long for the seeds to sprout on their own, lay ready-made lawn.
Sowing
Special repair or regeneration mixtures are very suitable for carrying out repair work without digging up the soil beforehand. The grasses contained in it germinate quickly and ensure rapid ground cover through pronounced clump formation. These mixtures usually consist of different types of grass that grow at different speeds and are specifically tailored to the different types of lawn. While the quickly germinating and growing varieties prevent the establishment of weeds and other unwanted growth, the slow-growing grasses complement the overall picture. You will find area-based quantities printed on the packaging, which are usually between 20 to 30 grams of lawn seed per square meter of area.
Sowing is done as described:
- sow only on dry, windless days
- Mix seeds thoroughly
- Mix in sand or sawdust
- Divide the lawn into strips
- Spread seeds widely by hand
- first distribute lengthwise and then crosswise
- alternatively use a spreader
- then go over the surface with a roller
- Keep sowing moist
- Do not enter the lawn in the next few weeks
Grass seeds germinate in light and should therefore not be pressed deeper than a maximum of 0.5 centimeters into the ground.
Rolled turf
Rolled turf is practical and easy to lay
Rolled or finished turf has several advantages over sowing. Such a lawn offers a beautiful, dense turf immediately after laying, and this area is also free of weeds and damaged areas. In addition, the lawn can be resilient quite quickly, in moderation after around two to three weeks. This means that the time saved compared to sowing is up to three months. Laying the rolled turf is done as described:
- Rolled turf can be laid from a ground temperature of five degrees Celsius.
- The best time is early spring or autumn.
- Lay turf with staggered joints.
- When rolling out, wear tread boards to protect the sod that has already been spread.
- Lay the individual parts together, i.e. without any gaps.
- Fill any gaps that may arise with a mixture of sand and topsoil.
- Start in a central location, such as along a path or the patio.
- Lay long strips or rectangular pieces without cutting.
- Where you have to work with smaller fragments, work at the end.
- Always lay turf on slopes from bottom to top.
- Roll the turf after laying to improve soil contact.
- Water the area thoroughly.
The lawn should be firmly established after about ten to 14 days. At this point you can also mow for the first time.
Excursus
Pretreated seeds protect against diseases
Some new sowings show the first signs of illness after a short time. Germination is slow, the turf remains patchy and root growth is sparse. A common reason is fungal emergence diseases that affect the young plants shortly after sowing. Seeds pre-treated with special bacteria, which are intended to protect the seedlings from fungi and other pathogens, protect against these diseases.
When and why is it necessary to renew the lawn?
Moss or weeds in the lawn can be a reason for renewal
There are many reasons why you should completely renew a lawn and not just repair or regenerate it. An important point in answering this question is the size of the existing problem areas: If these are quite small and the rest of the lawn otherwise looks he althy, a repair is sufficient. However, if the problems lie in the turf base layer or in the subsoil and cannot be resolved despite intensive care, a complete renewal often makes more sense. The same also applies if the lawn shows massive signs of illness, for example an infection caused by fungi or bacteria. But even if your lawn is he althy and you always care for it well, damage caused by animals may require replacement. This is the case when the lawn is destroyed by dog urine, wild boars have rummaged through the area looking for food or moles or voles have done their work.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost me to replace the lawn?
The cost of replacing the lawn depends on many factors: the laborious removal and renovation of an old area is significantly more expensive than if you simply have to mow and scarify it. Furthermore, seed in the required quantity is a lot cheaper than ready-made lawn - the latter can be four times as expensive as simply sowing the lawn.
I just want to repair small bald spots, what do I have to do?
It is sufficient to simply prepare the bare spots as described (without digging!) and reseed them. Alternatively, you can cut off sod of the appropriate size in another (more inconspicuous) location and lay it in the desired location.
How can I prevent moles from destroying the new lawn?
Since moles are protected, you can only drive them away, not catch or kill them. Numerous home remedies are used for this. Strong-smelling materials such as mothballs or rags soaked in turpentine placed in the hallways can drive away the animals. Moles are also quite sensitive to noise, which is why some gardeners drive away the animals by burying bottles in the ground over the tunnels. The sounds created by the wind blowing over it are said to encourage the animals to migrate.
Tip
Using chemical agents such as glyphosate to prepare an area for new lawn planting is not a good idea. Agents containing glyphosate in particular are considered carcinogenic and poison the soil for a very long time: not only the lawn suffers from this, but also the soil life.
