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How To Revive A Dying Lawn

If you stick to a good lawn-care routine throughout the whole year, you should be able to keep your lawn in great condition. This means regular mowing, using an electric or petrol strimmer to take care of the edges of your lawn, fertilising, watering etc.

If you've disregarded the lawn care (people have jobs, kids - it can be hard to find the time), the grass quality will no doubt suffer. When this has occurred, it's time to start the lawn restoration.

It really depends on what type of damaged has occurred as to how long it will take, and what method you'll need to repair it. However, the good news is that, with time (and effort!), even large amounts of damage can be fixed.

It is possible that the damage to the lawn is too severe to save it. At this point, it's advisable to simply regrow the grass. You'll need to dig up the remainder of the old grass and rotate the soil. Then scatter new seeds (your local garden center can help you choose). Then just cover them with soil.

After this, over the next few weeks and months, give the lawn some TLC - regularly water it, fertilise it and when the grass does start coming back in start to use a good lawn care routine!

If the lawn isn't completely ruined, the most common form of damage is simply that people have let the lawn grow for weeks and weeks, and it's become overrun with weeds and moss.

Here's a quick warning: At this stage, if you simply grab your lawnmower and start to cut, you'll rip up the grass and cause more damage!

Instead of this, always begin by simply cutting a couple of inches off by using a strimmer (an electric or petrol strimmer should work fine). Then, let the grass start to "heal". Come back to it in a few days and cut a couple more inches off. And simply keep doing this until the grass is back to its normal height.

If you've neglected to fertilise the lawn, or the soil isn't of great quality, the grass may start to lose its colour. If it starts to go yellow, you'll know that the soil has a lack of nitrogen (essential for grass) in it.

If this occurs, go straight down to the garden center and buy an intensive step fertilisation system. These are fool proof and provide just the right nutrients at just the right times of year.

At this point, I think it's important to note that you should always pull up and weeds as soon as you see them. By killing them at the root, you prevent them from spreading further; and I'm sure you know how quickly weeds can spread.

After you've mowed the grass back to a good height and started to fertilise the lawn again, you should inspect it for any dead or brown patches. The way to deal with these is to dig up the area (only slightly) and rotate the soil. Then spread grass seed and cover with a thin layer of soil.

When you're waiting for the new patch to grow, you'll really help the grass take root by watering the area often and well. Don't drench it, but ensure that the grass has got enough water to support its growth.

That's about all you should need to do to repair your lawn. After you have, the best piece of advice I can give you is to regularly use your strimmer and lawnmower to keep it in great condition.

Article Source: GardenGap.com

About the Author

The petrol strimmer is an essential tool for any gardening enthuisast. To learn more about it, check out the Petrol Strimmer Guide.